Çok beğendim. Akıcı, aksiyon ve büyü dolu, eğlenceli bir kitap. İkincisine geçmeli tez elden. Caleb çok şaşırttı. Beklemiyordum. Neyse önümüzdeki maçlara...

I was really excited to read The Witch Hunter, the first book in a new series by Virginia Boecker. I just can’t resist tales of witches, wizards and magic, and alternate history really appeals to me. And whilst The Witch Hunter was a fun, fantasy romp, it was rather predictable and unfortunately included a rather insufferable main character.

The reader is told that Elizabeth is an amazing witch hunter, one of the youngest ever and a female witch hunter to boot. Yet throughout the book she never really proves herself. The story opens with Elizabeth messing up a hunt, when she is sent to capture necromancers. We are then told of how she recently made a lot of mistakes. The reason for this is soon revealed, but at no point did I feel she deserved her status as a talented witch hunter.

I also really was not impressed with how she practically took a disliking to every female character she came into contact with. She even imagined pulling the ex-girlfriend of her crush by the hair – I mean, really?! How old are you? So as well as being naive and clumsy, Elizabeth is also judgmental and a lot of the time I just wanted to push her off her high horse.

Also – love triangle. Well, sort of. Elizabeth pines after two guys – her childhood best friend who is quite frankly an utter arse, and a healer that she meets after being accused of being a witch. There was a lot of wondering about her feelings and trying to ignore them, and honestly I couldn’t care less about the love interests. I was much more interested in the magic, and why it was forbidden – which was never actually explained, now I come to think of it.

The first 15% or so of the book went by very quickly – but that was also where the majority of the story happened. It slowed down significantly after that, although it was still enjoyable and easy to read, if predictable in places. I really liked the pseudo-medieval alternate England setting – at least that’s what I assume it was, being set in ‘Anglia’ with ‘Gaul’ across the Channel. Or rather, I liked the idea of it, as the world-building did not feel very detailed. This is a ‘I had higher expectations’ three stars, but chances are I will end up reading the sequel – not for Elizabeth, but for the magic and alternate England.

I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.

OHMYGOD. I loved this so much!! Can't wait for the next one.

I've had this book on my TBR list since it was first published and now that I've gotten the chance to read it, I can't believe it took me this long.

When I first started the book, the writing style bothered me. Firstly because it was written in 1st POV and present tense, but also because the writing seemed too simple. I felt like Boecker was telling me a story more than she was showing me how the story played out. The dialogue occasionallyfelt inorganic and the actions of the characters felt awkward at times. I was able to predict almost every plot twist Boecker was going to throw at me.

And yet, I found myself unable to put the book down. Elizabeth was a character that I didn't necessarily identify with, but she was definitely someone I could sympathize with. Her internal conflict throughout the story felt real to me. Her relationship with Caleb, with John, with the magical world all felt like they belonged. She didn't seem out-of-character at all, at least not her actions and reactions. The plot felt simple in a very complex way, like the readers were supposed to be able to figure out every twist just before the truth was revealed.

All in all, I feel like Boecker did a really good job with this book. Her worldbuilding felt consistent through, and though her characters sometimes felt awkward and lanky, they didn't take away from the story or pull me out of the narrative. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!

I feel like I've already read this book several times.

3.5 stars, really. And it might go up the more I think about this book.

When I started this book, I didn't really know what to think. Elizabeth is Anglia's best witch hunter, but she's suddenly thrown into jail because she's found with herbs that would help her avoid becoming pregnant with a very unwanted child. Her life is a mess at the start, and it doesn't get any clearer as her adventure moves on. I wasn't sure where it was going to go or what anyone was really thinking, you know? It's one of those books, where you question everyone's motives because one thing has made you paranoid over everything.

The great thing about this book was it was like fifty in one. There were little bits of every kind of fantasy book in this one, but the author blended it all expertly enough where it all made sense, and not just in there for decoration. The characters were awesome, but I wish that there was more Peter the pirate in there. He was wonderful and made me so happy whenever he popped his head in there. Next to him, I loved Schuyler. Oh my god, a revenant in love with a witch that can hear everyone's thoughts and quietest whispers, and he's deadly as can be? Yes please. I want a Schuyler and Peter book next. That is, I'm assuming there's going to be a second book, yes?

The Witch Hunter oscillates between slow and fast-paced, because I was about 60% through it and wondering if there was going to be enough time for Elizabeth to get her adventure really going. I guess that was really my only true complaint (other than more pirate and revenant): it took so long to get to the real reason for everything, and then I was left chewing my nails for the end. I thought that we weren't going to get to it and that I'd have to wait for a second book before I knew if anything happened. But, lo and behold, things happened and they were good and everyone was good. More or less. Sort of.

3.5
Bazı kitaplar vardır, kurgusu çok kusursuz olamamıştır ama bu kusurlarla harika bir sinema filmi olabilir.
Aynı öyle kitaplardan bir tanesiydi bu. Mantıken beni boşlukta bırakan, yarım kaldığını hissettiğim belli başlı yerler vardı. Özellikle kitabın ince olmamasına rağmen her şeyin çok çabuk, tadına varamadan bittiğini hissetmiş olmam bunlardan biri. Yine de hani ağzımda sanki soluksuz bir şekilde fantastik bir film izlemişim ve sinemadan çıkınca bir cadı avcısı olacağım kafasına girmişim gibi bir tat bıraktı.
İkinci kitabının kesinlikle daha iyi olacağını düşünüyorum çünkü kitabın başından sonuna kadarki sürede bile kurguda ve yazarın dilinde katlanarak ilerleme gördüm. Başta okurken sarmamıştı ama aksiyon eklendikçe dolduğunu hissettim. Sadece bazı şeylerin daha farklı olmasını dilerdim sanırım. Yorumunu bloguma yazdığımda derin bir şekilde açıkların her noktayı ama kesinlikle fena değildi.
Cadılı kurguları çok çok severim ve okuduğum cadılı kitapların ortalamasında bir yerde oldu benim için.

"Nicholas says that magic isn't inherently good or bad, it's what people do with it that makes it that way. It took me a long time to understand that. Once I did, I realized it isn't magic that separates us from them, or you from me. It's misunderstanding."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I adore books about witchcraft, especially books set in the past when witchcraft was punishable by death. I've always found this particular subject incredibly interesting, which is why I picked up The Witch Hunter in the first place. But I didn't think I'd enjoy it quite this much.

The Witch Hunter follows Elizabeth Grey, a young girl who works for the king as one of his most elite witch hunters. But then, she's accused of being a witch herself. And the one person who rescues her and stops her from being burnt at the stake is the most powerful wizard alive, the enemy of her boss Blackwell. Elizabeth has to decide whether she can trust this man and his accomplices George, John and Fifer, as it's her only chance to stay alive.

Every character in this book was likeable. Elizabeth may be one of my new favourite characters. She's both physically and emotionally strong, yet flawed, as any teenage girl should be, but this in no way makes her any less powerful. I really liked that, I think it's a really positive message to be giving young girls, that they can be tough and strong but still emotional. I think the relationship between Elizabeth and another character in this book felt slightly forced but he's a really sweet character so I didn't mind as much (although I personally really liked the dynamic between Elizabeth and Fifer way more).

I'm about to start The King Slayer, and I'm incredibly excited. I'm really looking forward to continuing this story.