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A review by snugglyoranges
The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
2.0
2.5 stars
As a true reader of my generation, I'm still tempted any time witches and witchcraft are mentioned. The Witch Hunter popped up on my radar with quite a bit of buzz, but at the end of the day, this is a debut that failed to impress.
The Witch Hunter is a kind of historical fantasy. I say kind of, because it's extremely hard to tell where this splits off from history. The story takes place in "Anglia", which is obviously meant to be the UK, and "Gaul" is mentioned across the channel, for France... But other than that, and aside from the usual patriarchy, it doesn't feel very historical. It doesn't feel very British either. I know it's a vague expectation for YA, but if a book takes place in the UK, I expect British-sounding dialogue. As it is, the dialogue was clunky and awkward, with some very American sections and other obviously attempted British-isms. All in all, I was rather underwhelmed by the writing and world building.
But okay, the story takes place in a world where witchcraft is real, and the main character is one of the King's witch hunters, tasked with finding practitioners of magic and bringing them to justice. (Though, they're not allowed to kill them, in one of the most bizarre rules I've ever read.) I will say that it was refreshing to see a main character who actually is not magical and starts off completely opposed to magic - convinced by the laws of her country that magic is evil and causes more harm than it helps. It was interesting to see Elizabeth's internal struggle with that, though I did feel like she was quick to change sides when the actual antagonist is revealed without concrete proof.
Elizabeth quickly gets caught up in the rebellion with Nicholas Perevil, who saves her life in exchange for her saving his. She has to hide her identity as witch hunter from her new magic-supporting companions while embarking on her own mission to destroy the curse on Nicholas's life, thereby fulfilling the prophecy. I know. Prophecy. Chosen one. It's nothing new, but the story has enough action driving it along. People who read for plot will likely be extremely entertained, and even for me, though I wasn't completely enthralled with the story, it wasn't hard to keep reading. It has a certain addictive quality to it.
But at the end of the day, I read for more than plot. The characters here sadly didn't make me fall for them. They weren't awful, but they were pretty average. I felt like Elizabeth's romance with John was pretty cliche. The mean girl antics from Fifer made me twitchy, but when they mellowed out and became friends I was actually pretty impressed. I liked the banter with George, but that friendship became icy pretty quickly and I dunno. I was intrigued by Caleb, though, because he seemed a bit dreamy at the start - but by the end I couldn't understand his motivation at all. When the antagonist is revealed in all his glory, with all his plans exposed, it's extremely weird to me that more people wouldn't see through it.
Summing Up:
I'm keeping this review pretty short because, to be honest, this book just didn't make a big impression on me. The Witch Hunter has action and adventure, and it delivers magic and exciting battles. However, the world building, characters, and writing are all rather average. I feel like the book hasn't really brought anything new to the table. Will I read the sequel? Probably not.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Plot readers who love witches.
*An electronic review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review.
As a true reader of my generation, I'm still tempted any time witches and witchcraft are mentioned. The Witch Hunter popped up on my radar with quite a bit of buzz, but at the end of the day, this is a debut that failed to impress.
The Witch Hunter is a kind of historical fantasy. I say kind of, because it's extremely hard to tell where this splits off from history. The story takes place in "Anglia", which is obviously meant to be the UK, and "Gaul" is mentioned across the channel, for France... But other than that, and aside from the usual patriarchy, it doesn't feel very historical. It doesn't feel very British either. I know it's a vague expectation for YA, but if a book takes place in the UK, I expect British-sounding dialogue. As it is, the dialogue was clunky and awkward, with some very American sections and other obviously attempted British-isms. All in all, I was rather underwhelmed by the writing and world building.
But okay, the story takes place in a world where witchcraft is real, and the main character is one of the King's witch hunters, tasked with finding practitioners of magic and bringing them to justice. (Though, they're not allowed to kill them, in one of the most bizarre rules I've ever read.) I will say that it was refreshing to see a main character who actually is not magical and starts off completely opposed to magic - convinced by the laws of her country that magic is evil and causes more harm than it helps. It was interesting to see Elizabeth's internal struggle with that, though I did feel like she was quick to change sides when the actual antagonist is revealed without concrete proof.
Elizabeth quickly gets caught up in the rebellion with Nicholas Perevil, who saves her life in exchange for her saving his. She has to hide her identity as witch hunter from her new magic-supporting companions while embarking on her own mission to destroy the curse on Nicholas's life, thereby fulfilling the prophecy. I know. Prophecy. Chosen one. It's nothing new, but the story has enough action driving it along. People who read for plot will likely be extremely entertained, and even for me, though I wasn't completely enthralled with the story, it wasn't hard to keep reading. It has a certain addictive quality to it.
But at the end of the day, I read for more than plot. The characters here sadly didn't make me fall for them. They weren't awful, but they were pretty average. I felt like Elizabeth's romance with John was pretty cliche. The mean girl antics from Fifer made me twitchy, but when they mellowed out and became friends I was actually pretty impressed. I liked the banter with George, but that friendship became icy pretty quickly and I dunno. I was intrigued by Caleb, though, because he seemed a bit dreamy at the start - but by the end I couldn't understand his motivation at all. When the antagonist is revealed in all his glory, with all his plans exposed, it's extremely weird to me that more people wouldn't see through it.
Summing Up:
I'm keeping this review pretty short because, to be honest, this book just didn't make a big impression on me. The Witch Hunter has action and adventure, and it delivers magic and exciting battles. However, the world building, characters, and writing are all rather average. I feel like the book hasn't really brought anything new to the table. Will I read the sequel? Probably not.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Plot readers who love witches.
*An electronic review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review.