ARC Book Review: Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

ARC Book Review: Witch Hunter by Virginia BoeckerThe Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
Published on June 4th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Action & Adventure
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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 Stars

Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey doesn't look dangerous. A tiny, blonde, wisp of a girl shouldn't know how to poison a wizard and make it look like an accident. Or take out ten necromancers with a single sword and a bag of salt. Or kill a man using only her thumb. But things are not always as they appear. Elizabeth is one of the best witch hunters in Anglia and a member of the king's elite guard, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and bringing those who practice it to justice. And in Anglia, the price of justice is high: death by burning.

When Elizabeth is accused of being a witch herself, she's arrested and thrown in prison. The king declares her a traitor and her life is all but forfeit. With just hours before she's to die at the stake, Elizabeth gets a visitor - Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard in Anglia. He offers her a deal: he will free her from prison and save her from execution if she will track down the wizard who laid a deadly curse on him.

As Elizabeth uncovers the horrifying facts about Nicholas's curse and the unwitting role she played in its creation, she is forced to redefine the differences between right and wrong, friends and enemies, love and hate... and life and death.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I’ve lost all enthusiasm for this book at 14% through.

I don’t like how Elizabeth is painted to be with wonderful witch hunter because she just keeps screwing up. And I understand it’s not her fault, it’s the plot conspiring against her so we feel sympathy, but I really can’t suspend my disbelief enough to accept three things:

One, that the best witch hunter in the kingdom would visit a witch and obtain witch’s herbs, knowing it was illegal and she could be sentenced to death.

Two, that she would allow herself to get blindingly drunk while the herbs were still on her. Because remember, she’s the best witch hunter there is.

And three, that the herbs would fall out of said pocket and everyone, king and mentor included, instantly accuses her of being a witch. I understand that not everyone being burned is a witch but the whole ‘witch-hunter falsely/mistakenly accused of being a witch’ is not being pulled off as cleverly as it could be in the aims of making the audience sympathise early on with our spunky little heroine. It feels contrived.

Oh and four, that this heroine who can kill a man with her thumbs would allow herself to be taken prisoner and put in this situation to begin with.

Add this on to the influx of far less than enthusiastic reviews my peers have given this book, and I’m going to pass on this one.

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Nemo
Nemo

About Nemo

A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.

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