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bittycity's review against another edition
1.0
(!!!TRIGGER WARNING!!!)
(My review talks about things that happen in the book, even if they are not explicitly mentioned or described. These include r*pe, child abuse, both mental and physical, and PTSD, including mention of an attack.)
I didn't really enjoy this book. The writing itself is fine, good, even, but the main character is r*ped (it happens off-screen and is never labelled as such, but the protagonist is forced to have sex with the King, a man whose advances she is unable to turn down or say "No." to.) She is also mentally and physically abused, and as she is only 15, it's arguably child abuse at that (again, mostly off-screen), and suffers from PTSD, including an "on-screen" attack.
So how does the author choose to deal with all of these traumatic experiences and mental health issues that she's forced upon her protagonist? Spoiler alert! She doesn't. At all. Ever. Not even a little bit. Even after the protagonist suffers from a serious PTSD episode, she wakes up just fine and continues on as if nothing happened, and the episode is never discussed or brought up again. As someone who has suffered PTSD episodes myself, THAT'S NOT HOW THINGS WORK! It's such a slap in the face to people who actually struggle with trauma. This was obviously just a plot device used to move the story along and that is some lazy writing BS right there.
Long story short, The Witch Hunter takes a bunch of serious issues, including r*pe, child abuse and PTSD, and uses them as window dressing to give the illusion of a gritty reality to what is otherwise a teen romance. The end result is a vapid, disappointing flop, especially as those same "window dressings" are only ever brought up to move the plot along, so the issues are never addressed and thus we readers are left with no emotional payout.
Save yourself the time and don't read this book. I won't be bothering with the sequels.
(My review talks about things that happen in the book, even if they are not explicitly mentioned or described. These include r*pe, child abuse, both mental and physical, and PTSD, including mention of an attack.)
I didn't really enjoy this book. The writing itself is fine, good, even, but the main character is r*ped (it happens off-screen and is never labelled as such, but the protagonist is forced to have sex with the King, a man whose advances she is unable to turn down or say "No." to.) She is also mentally and physically abused, and as she is only 15, it's arguably child abuse at that (again, mostly off-screen), and suffers from PTSD, including an "on-screen" attack.
So how does the author choose to deal with all of these traumatic experiences and mental health issues that she's forced upon her protagonist? Spoiler alert! She doesn't. At all. Ever. Not even a little bit. Even after the protagonist suffers from a serious PTSD episode, she wakes up just fine and continues on as if nothing happened, and the episode is never discussed or brought up again. As someone who has suffered PTSD episodes myself, THAT'S NOT HOW THINGS WORK! It's such a slap in the face to people who actually struggle with trauma. This was obviously just a plot device used to move the story along and that is some lazy writing BS right there.
Long story short, The Witch Hunter takes a bunch of serious issues, including r*pe, child abuse and PTSD, and uses them as window dressing to give the illusion of a gritty reality to what is otherwise a teen romance. The end result is a vapid, disappointing flop, especially as those same "window dressings" are only ever brought up to move the plot along, so the issues are never addressed and thus we readers are left with no emotional payout.
Save yourself the time and don't read this book. I won't be bothering with the sequels.
austriana's review against another edition
3.0
Decent fantasy, but it doesn't really stand out. Also, insta-love is a rating killer.
forsakenfates's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fascinating debut novel by Virginia Boecker. This book has magic, deception, plots, and political intrigue. I loved the world and the characters. I was fascinated by the story and loved finding out all the aspects of the plot as they unfolded.
This is one of those stories where magic is illegal and those with magic are against the King and his Inquisitor. I found this aspect of the story great, especially the idea of the Witch Hunters. The witch hunters are trained by Blackwell to capture and bring in those practicing magic so they are burned at the stake. On the other side of this you have the Reformers, who are against the laws forbidding magic.
The characters in this book were extremely well-developed, even the minor characters. As for the main character, Elizabeth, I loved how she was this cute, seemingly innocent girl, who was actually extremely brave, strong, and not at all innocent. I loved this characterization where she was always proving everyone wrong and taking care of things herself. I also loved the quirkiness of Nicholas and a lot of the other Reformers.
One of the things I really loved about this book, was the fact that the romance was not a large aspect at all. Yes it was there but not throw in our face like many other books and that was refreshing. This book definitely focused on the adventure for Elizabeth and her journey toward helping the Reformers and eventually deciding which side she stood with. The side that taught her everything she knows or the side that saved her when she needed saving.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the next one. This book felt very complete at the end, but there are still many loose end that need to be tied up in future books. My only complaint with the book was that it is supposedly an alternate 16th Century England, but to me felt like it could have been present time. There was little world-building to indicate a past time period. There were many mannerisms and saying that felt much more present day then 16th Century. While this irked me, I still really enjoyed the book as a whole. I just would have preferred a more 16th Century feel.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This is one of those stories where magic is illegal and those with magic are against the King and his Inquisitor. I found this aspect of the story great, especially the idea of the Witch Hunters. The witch hunters are trained by Blackwell to capture and bring in those practicing magic so they are burned at the stake. On the other side of this you have the Reformers, who are against the laws forbidding magic.
The characters in this book were extremely well-developed, even the minor characters. As for the main character, Elizabeth, I loved how she was this cute, seemingly innocent girl, who was actually extremely brave, strong, and not at all innocent. I loved this characterization where she was always proving everyone wrong and taking care of things herself. I also loved the quirkiness of Nicholas and a lot of the other Reformers.
One of the things I really loved about this book, was the fact that the romance was not a large aspect at all. Yes it was there but not throw in our face like many other books and that was refreshing. This book definitely focused on the adventure for Elizabeth and her journey toward helping the Reformers and eventually deciding which side she stood with. The side that taught her everything she knows or the side that saved her when she needed saving.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the next one. This book felt very complete at the end, but there are still many loose end that need to be tied up in future books. My only complaint with the book was that it is supposedly an alternate 16th Century England, but to me felt like it could have been present time. There was little world-building to indicate a past time period. There were many mannerisms and saying that felt much more present day then 16th Century. While this irked me, I still really enjoyed the book as a whole. I just would have preferred a more 16th Century feel.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
violettas_books's review against another edition
4.0
This book wasn't very well written, I couldn't truly get into the story because of how bad it was written, but I did enjoy it and I liked the characters and the story all though I do not like the main couple.
aydrea's review against another edition
5.0
This book was awesome, historical fiction with a twist! Elizabeth was BA. There was a great mixture of action, romance, betrayal, magic etc. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more. I was a sucker for John from the start, Caleb seemed like an idiot. It was nice to see the growth of Elizabeth's character throughout the story, she had to grapple with big belief changes. There were a lot of great supporting characters as well.
ymmakesthings's review against another edition
4.0
Re-reading this, I’m not the biggest fan of the protagonist, but I still love the story and the world it’s set in. Overall, a great quick read.
booknut7159's review against another edition
3.0
Elizabeth Grey is good at what she does. She is a witch hunter for the king, but that all changes when she is arrested for witchcraft and sentenced to burn. After accepting her fate, she is saved by Nicholas Perevil. He is the most dangerous wizard around and he has a bargain for Elizabeth. He will get her out of the dungeon and save her life. All she needs to do is break the curse that has been slowly killing him. As she learns more about witches and other magical creatures, she discovers hidden truths about herself and those around her. Who should she trust? Can she trust what she was taught during her witch hunting training?
The Witch Hunter is the first book in a new fantasy series with the same title. The story takes place during a time reminiscent of our own dark ages. Magic is a hidden secret and the judges who sentence the men and women of witchcraft are not concerned with guilt or innocence. Their own power struggle is the only factor of importance in deciding who lives and who dies. This magical story will keep readers turning the page and most likely looking for the second book in the series.
The Witch Hunter is the first book in a new fantasy series with the same title. The story takes place during a time reminiscent of our own dark ages. Magic is a hidden secret and the judges who sentence the men and women of witchcraft are not concerned with guilt or innocence. Their own power struggle is the only factor of importance in deciding who lives and who dies. This magical story will keep readers turning the page and most likely looking for the second book in the series.
booknut7159's review against another edition
4.0
Elizabeth Grey is being hidden by the witches and wizards she used to hunt and is now being hunted herself by Lord Blackwell, the new king of Anglia. As she tries to come to terms with the loss of her stigma, a magical form of healing, she must relearn how to fight in order to protect herself and those around her. Will Elizabeth do what it takes to remove Lord Blackwell from power and return the rightful king to his throne? Is there anything she won’t do to save the people she loves?
The King Slayer is the second book in The Witch Hunter series. Boecker spends a substantial amount of pages at the beginning of the book nudging the reader’s memory about events from the first story. The tidbits of information were enough to get me going, yet were not too many to be annoying. Readers who start with the second book won’t have a problem jumping into the storyline. This fantasy novel is full of action and intrigue which will make readers of Graceling and Throne of Glass excited for a new adventure.
The King Slayer is the second book in The Witch Hunter series. Boecker spends a substantial amount of pages at the beginning of the book nudging the reader’s memory about events from the first story. The tidbits of information were enough to get me going, yet were not too many to be annoying. Readers who start with the second book won’t have a problem jumping into the storyline. This fantasy novel is full of action and intrigue which will make readers of Graceling and Throne of Glass excited for a new adventure.
sabrespa's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
I was really bothered by the fact that the passage of time wasn't clear. It seemed that she had been away from her witch hunting duties only a couple of weeks, yet when she returns she says she's been gone nearly a year. Otherwise, I liked the characters well enough and found myself cheering for them in the end.
I was really bothered by the fact that the passage of time wasn't clear. It seemed that she had been away from her witch hunting duties only a couple of weeks, yet when she returns she says she's been gone nearly a year. Otherwise, I liked the characters well enough and found myself cheering for them in the end.