The Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter #1)
by Virginia Boecker (Goodreads Author)
The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.
Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.
Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.
Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.
But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.
Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.
Normally I avoid the fantasy genre at all cost; you can only read about dragons and elves for so many times, and I’ve used up my patience with the whole repetitive, unoriginal genre. The Witch Hunter slightly surmounts my expectations by its creativity. It has an appealing premise, and though its execution is wanting, I enjoyed this book.
The setting is, of course, a fantasy world where the kingdom openly persecutes witches and wizards because of a devastating plague that was supposedly started by magic. Witch hunters are commissioned by the Inquisitor Blackwell to eradicate wizardry in addition to a decree that bans magic. However, more people are beginning to repel King Malcolm’s ruling and beginning to go on protests against the witch hunts.
One of the main reason this book works for me is because of its protagonist. Elizabeth Grey is a witch hunter, hence the title of the book, who sniffs out witches and wizards and haul them off to prison for public burning. She is trained by Blackwell into a super-skilled ninja who can annihilate magical hybrids and catch a flying knife with her bare hands. Even though she hunts witches, she herself is caught possessing magical herbs, which is an offense punishable by death. When Elizabeth is rotting away in prison with a fever, the notorious most powerful, most wanted wizard comes to her rescue and whisks her away to his house, where tons of people nurse her back to health. Gradually her perception of witchcraft changes as she gets to know these people more. The more she knows, the more determined she is to destroy the real villain. I love how Boecker doesn’t portray Elizabeth as some kick-ass female protagonist so common in YA novels. Sure, she’s skilled in martial arts and her “stigma” mark heals her wounds instantly if she’s hurt in combat. Despite all that, it’s quite realistic that Elizabeth is afraid all the time, of being alone, of watching loved ones die, and all these other things we’re all scared of.
Other supporting characters are equally unique. John, for example, is a healer wizard who brings Elizabeth back to health and whose mother and sister were burned publicly because of witch hunters. George is a joker in King Malcolm’s court, and Fifer is a young witch training under Nicolas. All these people have so much interesting back-story, and I think Boecker can totally write novels from their perspective. They would be even better than this book. Maybe sequels?
Some things I don’t like in The Witch Hunter:
1. John and Elizabeth begin an insta-love that I don’t approve of, not that I can do anything about it. The whole romance is unrealistic and happens for the sake of it.
2. The sporadic stupidity of Elizabeth. As it goes, Elizabeth is one of the best witch hunters in the realm, but she can be incredibly stupid at times. Early in the book, Boecker contradicts herself by portraying Elizabeth as some bumbling rookie who can’t catch a necromancer properly. And then she goes to a pub and gets seriously drunk and high. Last I checked, special agents/spies/best-witch-hunters don’t let substances lower their inhibitions.
3. Some of their plans. One includes sealing Elizabeth into a tomb she originally trained in to “eliminate her fear” and destroy the Thirteenth Tablet, ultimate weapon, from inside, where she’ll be attacked by her worst fear and tons of evil magic. Why can’t they work out a plan where they stick together to crack the tablet instead of letting Elizabeth “sacrifice” herself and get all confused about what’s her fear and what’s reality.
4. The pacing. Although the plot eventually reached a hasty climax, the slow pacing makes it unbearable at places. For instance, Fifer and Elizabeth goes to a party where they run into mean girls and they girly talk. I mean, what? They’re in the midst of searching for the tablet and fleeing witch hunters, and they have time for party? I hate how the petty things bog down the book and prevent it from becoming great.
The Witch Hunter is not an ideal fantasy, but it’s better than a lot of those wannabes out there. Its characters have their charms, and though Elizabeth Grey is no Celaena Sardothien, she’s real and likable. This book is an entertaining, fluffy read that’s quite predictable and easy on the brain.
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