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The Witch Hunter Chronicles #1
The Scourge of Jericho
It's 1666, and the forces of darkness are spreading across Europe. Dreaming of wielding a blade in epic battles like the father he never knew, sixteen-year-old Jakob von Drachenfels falsifies a letter of introduction to join the Hexenjäger - an elite military order of witch hunters. He soon learns a lesson in the dangers of ambition when he finds himself selected for a team sent to recover a biblical relic from a witch-infested castle. But when the team is betrayed from within, what was already a difficult mission turns into a desperate struggle for survival.
Epic battles, impossible quests, enemies on all sides, witch hunting and demon slaying . . . Strap on your swords for one hell of a ride.
Epic battles, impossible quests, enemies on all sides, witch hunting and demon slaying . . . Strap on your swords for one hell of a ride.
- GenresFantasy
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 2, 2013
It was OK. I'd give it more of a 3.5, but alas, I don't have that option.
Overall
I was expecting more, having picked this up from the YA section, and I was a little disappointed, and I think this is more aimed at the lower spectrum of the YA range. Or maybe, I just didn't like it as I thought it would. Seeing as this is fresh from my mind as I just finished this 15 mins ago, I'll try and write as much as I can fathom, as I'm still processing this book.
First Impression
I probably should have started with this first, but whatever. I actually saw the second one a few months back, and determined to read things in order, I started to look around for the first. It wasn't until today, however that I was desperate for some fiction and I stumbled across both. Bearing that in mind, I already wanted to read it due to its exciting title and promising book cover (although, upon closer inspection, perhaps this could do with some work too. But I digress). However, as I read the first couple of pages and I finished the chapter, I wasn't entirely keen on continuing. I didn't feel as though this book was going to be good. So that brings this book down a lot, seeing as I wanted to put it down. But I continued anyway. And it does get better.
Plot
Maybe this appeals to more people than I, but the pacing was literally...non stop action. And I like action! It's good, and whenever I thought it was over, nope, there was still more to come. So for those of you who like that sort of thing, go ahead. I for one would have liked a little more pacing and just letting things flesh out a little more, as majority of the book is just witch slaying and fighting and more fighting in the one day in the setting, Schloss Kreigsburg. I felt that everything was rushed. Jakob skims through a little introduction and history of what he's been doing and how he got into the Hexenjager. I felt that I would have liked to see a little more explanation for the back story. After some long explanations that I had to go through (though, it was nice to have it out of the way), we're thrust into action. And then it doesn't stop.
For the actual story itself, it's not a bad concept. It's pretty good, actually. However, like I said, it was a little rushed, and I don't think I got a proper view of the Hexenjager. On this part, it's mostly telling, not showing. That kind of irritated me a bit. Perhaps it's my own bias.
Characters
Apart from having to wrap my head around the colourful German names of everybody, which I thought was wonderful albeit slightly confusing, I liked the characters overall. Jakob knows that he faked his way into joining the Hexenjager, and he has true ambitions. He goes through good development and always tries to be a little humble. He knows himself well. The main obstacle he has to face is how he joined the Hexenjager. This is really the only defining flaw I can see I do hope to see more development in the future.
Armand. I love this guy. He's a cool dude. Truly acting like the big bro and mentor to Jakob, I think he stole the show a little. I wished I could have seen more of his supposed "silvery tongue" and wit I imagine him with.
The main antagonists of the story don't truly shine, I feel. Bethlen the petty fellow Hexjagen picks on Jakob and all that. Mighty Jakob, however, humbly ignores and deals with his teasing and horrible-ness. Though there is some 'justification', I would have liked to see more conflict.
Style
To be honest, the style Stuart Daly wrote in felt a little childish to me, which is another reason why I didn't really like this book as much as I could have. Jakob asks himself rhetorical questions a lot, and just the way he thinks is annoying...
"SPLAT!
What was that? Something hit me square in the back. It's soft and wet, like mud. But the stench!"
Okay, not THAT bad, but he kind of drags on the fact he's obviously been hit by something stinky.
I feel the style of writing it what got me the most. While I'm sure others would appeal to Jakob's line of thinking, I felt like I didn't get a lot of imagery and descriptions. Furthermore, Jakob's 'daydreaming' (aka explanations) were present in the book a LOT. So yeah. But it wasn't horrible. I managed to get through it.
I think that's it. Yes, read this book. No, perhaps, if you are older than 13-14, don't buy it. I'm sure there's somebody who loves this book, but alas, I'm not one of those.
-Linch
Overall
I was expecting more, having picked this up from the YA section, and I was a little disappointed, and I think this is more aimed at the lower spectrum of the YA range. Or maybe, I just didn't like it as I thought it would. Seeing as this is fresh from my mind as I just finished this 15 mins ago, I'll try and write as much as I can fathom, as I'm still processing this book.
First Impression
I probably should have started with this first, but whatever. I actually saw the second one a few months back, and determined to read things in order, I started to look around for the first. It wasn't until today, however that I was desperate for some fiction and I stumbled across both. Bearing that in mind, I already wanted to read it due to its exciting title and promising book cover (although, upon closer inspection, perhaps this could do with some work too. But I digress). However, as I read the first couple of pages and I finished the chapter, I wasn't entirely keen on continuing. I didn't feel as though this book was going to be good. So that brings this book down a lot, seeing as I wanted to put it down. But I continued anyway. And it does get better.
Plot
Maybe this appeals to more people than I, but the pacing was literally...non stop action. And I like action! It's good, and whenever I thought it was over, nope, there was still more to come. So for those of you who like that sort of thing, go ahead. I for one would have liked a little more pacing and just letting things flesh out a little more, as majority of the book is just witch slaying and fighting and more fighting in the one day in the setting, Schloss Kreigsburg. I felt that everything was rushed. Jakob skims through a little introduction and history of what he's been doing and how he got into the Hexenjager. I felt that I would have liked to see a little more explanation for the back story. After some long explanations that I had to go through (though, it was nice to have it out of the way), we're thrust into action. And then it doesn't stop.
For the actual story itself, it's not a bad concept. It's pretty good, actually. However, like I said, it was a little rushed, and I don't think I got a proper view of the Hexenjager. On this part, it's mostly telling, not showing. That kind of irritated me a bit. Perhaps it's my own bias.
Characters
Apart from having to wrap my head around the colourful German names of everybody, which I thought was wonderful albeit slightly confusing, I liked the characters overall. Jakob knows that he faked his way into joining the Hexenjager, and he has true ambitions. He goes through good development and always tries to be a little humble. He knows himself well. The main obstacle he has to face is how he joined the Hexenjager. This is really the only defining flaw I can see I do hope to see more development in the future.
Armand. I love this guy. He's a cool dude. Truly acting like the big bro and mentor to Jakob, I think he stole the show a little. I wished I could have seen more of his supposed "silvery tongue" and wit I imagine him with.
The main antagonists of the story don't truly shine, I feel. Bethlen the petty fellow Hexjagen picks on Jakob and all that. Mighty Jakob, however, humbly ignores and deals with his teasing and horrible-ness. Though there is some 'justification', I would have liked to see more conflict.
Style
To be honest, the style Stuart Daly wrote in felt a little childish to me, which is another reason why I didn't really like this book as much as I could have. Jakob asks himself rhetorical questions a lot, and just the way he thinks is annoying...
"SPLAT!
What was that? Something hit me square in the back. It's soft and wet, like mud. But the stench!"
Okay, not THAT bad, but he kind of drags on the fact he's obviously been hit by something stinky.
I feel the style of writing it what got me the most. While I'm sure others would appeal to Jakob's line of thinking, I felt like I didn't get a lot of imagery and descriptions. Furthermore, Jakob's 'daydreaming' (aka explanations) were present in the book a LOT. So yeah. But it wasn't horrible. I managed to get through it.
I think that's it. Yes, read this book. No, perhaps, if you are older than 13-14, don't buy it. I'm sure there's somebody who loves this book, but alas, I'm not one of those.
-Linch
October 19, 2023
I love some adventure mixed with paranormal flair.
April 10, 2016
There were things about this book that annoyed me. For a start, I found the plot to be fairly predictable. It was pretty much fight one enemy, defeat it and then another pops up and repeat the process. I think I would have liked the story better if there was only one, or prehaps two, enemies that they faced. Also, I think one betrayal was probably enough, too. I also felt like things were created just to give them one more enemy, because an organisation was mentioned just as they started to attack, and this didn't happen just once.
I also wasn't a massive fan of the main character, Jakob. He was a kid who didn't have any training on how to use weapons or fight witches but managed to be a master at it anyway. I did, however, really liked some of his companions, particularly Armand.
Another thing that I didn't particularly like was the writing. I found a lot of descriptions were used over and over again, as well as some words and phrases. These were just little things that would pull me out of the story.
I did like the concept of the story, and I think that it would have been a great book if it had been better executed.
I also wasn't a massive fan of the main character, Jakob. He was a kid who didn't have any training on how to use weapons or fight witches but managed to be a master at it anyway. I did, however, really liked some of his companions, particularly Armand.
Another thing that I didn't particularly like was the writing. I found a lot of descriptions were used over and over again, as well as some words and phrases. These were just little things that would pull me out of the story.
I did like the concept of the story, and I think that it would have been a great book if it had been better executed.
July 28, 2013
surprisingly enough I REALLY enjoyed this book, I imagine it's directed for young teens but they'd have to be pretty into their reading cause the writing was quiet advance, so it worked out well for me, I didn't usually feel like I was reading a book for younger people.
loved how this 'world' is set out, with its brutal witches and demons. im very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
loved how this 'world' is set out, with its brutal witches and demons. im very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
February 21, 2013
I thought that this book was exceptional. This book is set in the times when gunpowder was just invented meaning new weaponry was invented. This book had me hooked onto it as soon I started with twists and betrayals at every corner kept me continuing to read. I recommend this book to anyone that likes action, fighting and fantasy.
September 30, 2013
The book was very descriptive. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Twists and turns. I LOVED IT!!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews