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The Witch Hunter
Author:
Boecker, Virginia
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Series:
Witch hunter, #1
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 14-19
Language: English
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LC: PZ7.B635
Grade: 9-12
Print Run: 25000
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ISBN-13: 9780316327008
LCCN: 2014013251
Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
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Pub Date: 06/02/2015
Availability: Out of Stock Indefinitely
List: $18.00
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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362 pages : illustration ; 22 cm
H 8.75",
W 6",
D 1.25",
1.1 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
Brodart's YA Reads for Adults
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Bibliographies:
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
Publishers Weekly Starred Reviews
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Starred Reviews:
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Publishers Weekly
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TIPS Subjects:
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Fantasy
Romance
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BISAC Subjects: |
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Historical
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Action & Adventure / General
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Wizards & Witches
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LC Subjects:
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Great Britain, History, 16th century, Fiction
Love stories
Love, Fiction
Loyalty, Fiction
Loyalty, Juvenile fiction
Magic, Fiction
Magic, Juvenile fiction
Witches, Fiction
Witches, Juvenile fiction
Wizards, Fiction
Wizards, Juvenile fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Great Britain, History, 16th century, Fiction
Love stories
Loyalty, Fiction
Magic, Fiction
Witches, Fiction
Wizards, Fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
4.2
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Points: 13.0
Lexile Level:
570
Reading Counts Level:
4.3
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Points: 22.0
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 06/01/2015 |
| Witch hunter Elizabeth Grey could find herself on the wrong end of the stake when she is accused of being a witch, herself. Only her greatest enemy, powerful wizard Nicholas Perevil, can save her…if she can survive the ghosts, pirates, witches, and devilishly handsome healers long enough to find the person who cast a fatal curse on Perevil. Debut Novel, 368pp. |
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| Starred Reviews: |
| Publishers Weekly | 04/20/2015 |
| Ages 15-up. Boecker's confident debut takes the familiar elements of many strains of YA fantasy--epic setting, alternate history, wizardry, paranormal enforcers--and stirs them into an explosive cocktail of high-stakes adventure. The island of Anglia is ruled by the gimlet-eyed Inquisitor, Lord Blackwell, and his captive young king. The two collude in the sexual exploitation of Elizabeth Grey, a youthful witch hunter for Blackwell's inquisition, and this departure from romantic tropes is the first clear sign that Boecker is out to make the formulas her own. Elizabeth copes by taking a leaf from her prey's spell books--contraceptive herbs, with which she is caught and for which she is sentenced to death. Her unlikely saviors are a hidden contingent of magical practitioners who have been ordered by their seer to enlist her help. None of the players know exactly what is going on or to what end, adding further uncommon realism to the sorcerous premise. The first-person, present-tense narration is rendered masterfully; coupled with the cinematic vividness of the descriptions, the whole makes for a page-turning delight. Agent: Kathleen Ortiz, New Leaf Literary & Media. (June). 368p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2015. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 05/15/2015 |
| Grades 9-12. Can it get any worse? Witch-hunter Elizabeth Gray is imprisoned as a witch, dying of jail fever while awaiting the pyre, only to be rescued by Nicholas Perevil, Inquisitor Blackwell's most wanted wizard. With a royal bounty for her capture, Elizabeth has no choice but to do Nicholas' bidding: find the Thirteenth Tablet, whose curse is slowly killing him, and destroy it in exchange for her safe passage out of Anglia. How can she possibly choose between the magic that has saved her life and the laws against magic she has so willingly enforced? Which are right? Which are wrong? In her debut novel (a sequel is planned), Boecker has created an alternate sixteenth-century world whose characters are as intriguing as the magical world they inhabit, and the violence as bloody and pain-filled as it is prevalent. Woven within the complex fantasy is a new understanding of friendship and a tenuous but sweet Romeo and Juliet-like love story that promises to blossom, along with the witchcraft, mystery, and bloodletting. Bradburn, Frances. 368p. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2015. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 09/01/2015 |
| R. Gr. 8-10. Magic is outlawed in Boecker's version of sixteenth-century England, and sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey is the best of the king's witch hunters, tracking down wizards and witches to bring them to the Inquisitor, Lord Blackwell, for justice. Blackwell is somewhat of a father figure to Elizabeth but he is also absolutely merciless, and when Elizabeth is caught with forbidden herbs used to terminate her pregnancy (the result of Elizabeth's being called to the king's bed), he sends her to the dungeons to await her execution. Elizabeth is rescued by Nicholas Perevil, an aging but powerful wizard and enemy to the king and Blackwell. Suffering under a potent curse, Nicholas asks Elizabeth to join some of his closest allies in rooting out the responsible wizard in exchange for Nicholas' protection against Blackwell and his ilk. The world-building here is comprehensive but concise, with Elizabeth's narration effectively conveying the rules of this world without belaboring the point. Thrilling action scenes combine with a twisting plot to spur readers forward. Perhaps most compelling, however, is Elizabeth's character arc, which moves her from a girl so beholden to the men in her life that she hands her body over both physically and sexually, to an autonomous young adult making decisions for herself, outside of Blackwell's and even Nicholas' influence. Her romance with John, a healer capable of both strength and sensitivity, is one of equals, and he makes for a refreshing change from the conventional brooding bad boy or charming rogue. This will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Cashore's Graceling (BCCB 1/09), and while it lacks that title's nuance, it will satisfy fans of warrior girls who realize their own power. KQG. 368p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2015. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2015 |
| 4. Elizabeth's career as a witch hunter is cut short when she finds herself accused of practicing illicit magic. To her surprise, the wizard who saves her is compassionate, not evil. Untangling the skein of political machinations driving the kingdom's laws leads Elizabeth on an adventure to find redemption and love. Although the tale has plenty of action and vibrant secondary characters, Elizabeth herself lacks verve. mli. 361pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 04/01/2015 |
| What does a dedicated witch hunter do when her magic-hating mentor turns on her?Since her parents' deaths in the plague that killed so many, 16-year-old Elizabeth has dedicated most of her short life to fighting witches, necromancers, and revenants for the Inquisitor. In Anglia (a mildly anachronistic analogue of 16th-century England), the teen king Malcolm defers to his uncle, Lord Blackwell, leader of the witch hunters. Though she's been distracted lately, Elizabeth is a stellar witch hunter, amazing at retrieving villains for public burning. She has a secret, though: Elizabeth has been victimized by a sexual crime, and her attempts to prevent pregnancy with herbal birth control are tantamount to witchcraft. Her only salvation lies with the very witches she's been hunting. The country's most wanted criminal, Reformist leader Nicholas Perevil, wants Elizabeth as his ally. Perevil and his circle of appealing adolescent cronies don't trust Elizabeth, but they need her. The repeated rapes that Elizabeth endures occur before the book begins and amount to little more than a plot device. The story would make a perfect teen drama on the CW; it's chock-full of teenagers who practice magic, wield knives, wear vaguely period dress, engage in bantering conversation, and don't develop much more deeply than that. Perhaps the sequel will prove to be more nuanced. Shallow but serviceable fantasy. (Fantasy. 12-16). 368pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2015. |
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| School Library Journal | 04/01/2015 |
| Gr 8 Up. Gr 8 Up--In this fantasy adventure set in an alternative medieval England, witchcraft of any kind is illegal, even though magic practitioners were welcomed in the past. Employed by the Inquisitor, Lord Blackwell, 16-year-old Elizabeth, and her best friend, Caleb, hunt witches who will be burned at the stake. Elizabeth fully believes that all magic is evil and must be destroyed. But when Blackwell finds her with some herbs, Elizabeth is declared a witch herself and is sentenced to die. She is rescued by an unlikely ally, the notorious wizard Nicholas Perevil, who wants her to fulfill a prophecy to save him from a deadly curse. The teen is skeptical of the witches, pirates, healers, and other Reformists who accompany Perevil and is afraid of what will happen when they discover she is a witch hunter. However, she gradually becomes suspicious of Blackwell's motives and must finally decide where her loyalties lie. Debut author Boecker's first-person, present tense narrative creates a suspenseful mood by allowing readers to see Elizabeth's secrets, doubts, and fears. Secondary characters are well realized and integral to the plot. The book has plenty of action--sword fights, battles with monsters, black magic, and betrayal--but there is also camaraderie and romance. The ending leaves room for a sequel. Fans of Kristin Cashore's Graceling (Houghton Harcourt, 2008) will see similarities in this story of a girl with deadly skills who begins to question using her services to benefit a brutal ruler. VERDICT This action-packed tale will be a welcome addition to most YA fantasy collections. Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT. 360p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2015. |
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| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 06/01/2015 |
| 4Q 4P J S. Elizabeth Gray is a witch hunter for King Malcolm, able to track down the most powerful sorcerers in the kingdom and bring them to justice. When she is discovered to have witch herbs--to prevent the king from impregnating her--she is arrested and sentenced to being burned at the stake. Elizabeth is promptly rescued, however, by wizards aligned with notorious wizard Nicholas Perevil. He needs her to use her abilities to find the mythical Thirteenth Tablet to remove a curse that means certain death. Elizabeth works with Nicholas's crew, including the distrustful aspiring witch, Fifer; the king's fool, George; and dreamy healer, John. They must race to find the tablet while Elizabeth finds herself public enemy number one. While a tad too reactionary, Elizabeth is a compelling heroine, surrounded by strong supporting characters. Particularly compelling is Elizabeth's uneasy alliance with Fifer as they race to find answers, uncovering dark secrets along the way. The fast-moving plot elevates the story beyond a medieval Hunger Games, complete with a would-be love triangle among John, Elizabeth, and the new chief inquisitor, Caleb--Elizabeth's longtime friend and protector. The most conservative readers may fret over the witchcraft, but it is relatively inoffensive and the romance is quite tame. The climax falters, but barely, hindered by an apparent need to set the stage for inevitable sequels. First-time novelist Boecker delivers a promising debut. This reviewer is hoping Elizabeth's future adventures prove equally engaging.--Matthew Weaver. 368p. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2015. |
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