Witch Hunter - Herz aus Dunkelheit

The Witch Hunter #2

by Virginia Boecker, Alexandra Ernst (Translator)

Zwischen Liebe und Verrat.

Elizabeth Greys früherer Lehrmeister Blackwell hat sich als Hexenmeister zu erkennen gegeben und den Thron Anglias an sich gerissen. Die Kraft ihres Stigmas hat sie auf den Heiler John übertragen. Wie hätte sie ahnen können, dass er sich dadurch bis zur Unkenntlichkeit verändert?

Ohne das Stigma bleiben ihr nur noch die eigene Kraft und ihre Fähigkeiten als Kämpferin im Krieg gegen Blackwell. Aber muss sie sich selbst aufgeben, um ihn zu besiegen?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Magic, Witches, Young Adult Fantasy, Historical

371 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 14, 2016

About the author

Virginia Boecker is the author of The Witch Hunter series and An Assassin's Guide to Love and Treason. A graduate of the University of Texas, she had a decade-long career in technology before quitting to become a full-time writer. When she isn't writing, Virginia likes skiing, traveling, cooking, and reading. She has lived all over the world but currently resides in beautiful Lake Oswego, Oregon with her husband and two children.

You can visit Virginia online at virginiaboecker.com or on Instagram @virgboecker.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't believe it's over. I spent the whole year thinking about this book and how could possibly end and yeah, I cried. A lot.

This sequel was so much better than the first one and I just want to sleep a little, you know? My heart needs some rest.

It was sooo good!

{Review to come}

[Anniebananie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine Fortsetzung, die einfach nicht das halten konnte, was Band 1 versprochen hat. Ich denke das beschreibt das Buch und mein Leseempfinden am besten.
Der Anfang war irgendwie lahm, obwohl es echt (Spannungs-)Potenzial hatte. Die Figuren waren mir auch irgendwie egal und manche fand ich auch einfach unnötig. Leider hatte ich auch ein wenig Probleme mich im Worldbuilding zurechtzufinden, sowohl was die ganzen Orte als auch die Magie anging. Man kam irgendwie alles nur so brockenweise hingeworfen... da hätten mir ein paar mehr Erklärungen und Seiten gut getan.
Dennoch habe ich die zweite Hälfte fast in einem Rutsch gelesen. Da wurde dann endlich was aus der Spannung gemacht und auch die Auflösung gewisser Problematiken fand ich ganz gelungen. Das Ende fand ich auch einen schönen Abschluss für diese Dilogie.
Abschließend lässt sich sagen: Gute Dilogie, aber mit deutlich stärkerem ersten Band.

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not finnish. Not my cup of tea.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty solid sequel. Review to come.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my expectations were pretty much met for this conclusion to this duology. Although, book 1 was definitely far better since I actually spent the majority of this book really bored. It's definitely not the best duology on the market at the moment but it was definitely still interesting.

Probably not even going to bother promising a full review because I really don't have much to say!

[Vorágine (ig:voragineblog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

Esta saga ha sido una gran sorpresa, ya que aunque iba con la idea de que me iba a gustar, no sabía que lo haría tanto. Estos dos libros son perfectos para contarnos la historia y hay que destacar que, pese a que la autora podría haber metido relleno para que fuera trilogía, prefirió que fueran dos libros y la historia fuera hasta donde tenía que ir. Sin duda, no me cansaré de recomendarla y espero que le deis una oportunidad.

Reseña completa: http://voragineinterna.blogspot.com.e...

PD: BRUJAS. ¿De verdad hay que decir más?

[Lauren]

I had a HUGE issue with how rape was handled or rather NOT handled at all in the previous book (see my thoughts on that HERE) and according to reviews the rapist becomes a sympathetic character in this book so NOPE. Honestly, I cannot believe this series was published as it stands. What message are you sending with this?! THERE ARE NO EXCUSES THAT MAKE RAPING SOMEONE OKAY. Books like this that try to brush off the seriousness of rape are the most dangerous poison of all.

[Srta Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

En realidad, un 4,5/5
Os recomiendo mucho esta duología. Puede que esta segunda parte no me tuviese tan enganchada como la primera...pero me ha gustado mucho y el final me ha encantado. No le pongo 5 estrellas porque había partes que se me hacían lentas de leer. De todos modos, Elizabeth es una de mis protagonistas favoritas y la trama, los personajes, la historia en si, es una pasada.
Tenéis que leer estos libros <3

[Frannie Pan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps my rating for this book is slightly harsh but I reckon there's a good reason for that.
Let me explain.

The witch hunter was one of my favorite books of 2015. It actually made it to the top 5, which is truly saying a lot since I read many great last year that I was honestly in love with.
It had everything I could ever wish for a story with witches: magic, spells and herbs, adventure, right real-but-not-quite historical setting, not to mention a great cast of characters.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I've changed in the past few months, maybe I chose the wrong moment, countless maybes are warring withing me. But that does not change the facts: this book, to me, was absolutely terrible. I managed to get half way through before giving up. At the umpteenth eyeroll and yawn, I couldn't take it any longer.
NOTHING. HAPPENED. Or not enough happened, anyway. In more than 200 pages all that I read about was Elizabeth's trial and her journey with John to the camp of soldiers or whatever they were, plus my sweet and pure and good-hearted John whom I had so loved becoming a jerk, the cherry on top that I so not needed.
It wasn't character driven, no flows of conscience or particular thoughts or inner discoveries. It wasn't even plot driven, since pages and pages were filled with boring God knows what.

Once again, judging from the ratings, I'm the black sheep and maybe I should have kept going and endured more to get to the good stuff but this book was ruining the memories I had of the previous one since I deeply believe it was much better than this second installment and I want to read books I enjoy, not pains in my ass.
So nope, I did not finish this and I don't think I'll ever pick it up again cuz I'm childish and I'm mad.

[Büşra Köprü · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bu kitaba yorum yazmak bile sıkıcı, her şeyi sıkıcı, bu kitapla alakalı her şey sıkıcı. O yüzden çok ama çok kısa tutacağım yorumumu, zira isteksizim.

Birinci kitabı sevmemiş, beğenmemiş ve bir hayli yetersiz bulmuştum. Belki 10 yıl önce falan okusam severdim diye düşünmüştüm ama bu ikinci kitap? İnanın o kadar zorlama bir devam, o kadar gereksiz bir kitap olmuş ki bence yazar da bir yerde farkına varmış da kendini durduramamış. Alakasız olaylar, mantık hataları, saçmalıklar silsilesi, n'alaka yaaaaaa, dedirten onlarca sayfanın ardından saçma sapan bir final.

Nerden aldım, nerden buldum, nerden okudum dediğim ve daha okumaya yeni başlamışken bile elden çıkarmayı aklıma koyduğum bir seri oldu. Ben sevmedim, beğenmedim, okurken bıkkınlıktan başka hiçbir şey hissetmedim ve sırf yarım bırakmama inadımdan ötürü bitirdim. Tavsiye etmiyorum.

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King Slayer is such a different story than The Witch Hunter. This sequel seems to be even more thrilling than the first with its epic battle scenes and the introduction of new powers. What is really intriguing is Elizabeth’s character, as she really transforms after losing her stigma.

Due to spoilers for The Witch Hunter, my full review can be found on Full Review on The Candid Cover

[mith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how to rate this.
But I loved it.
---
OH MY GOD THE COVER AND TITLE ARE SO PRETTY I WANT THIS
---
Neeeeeeeeeeeed.

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I really enjoyed The Witch Hunter but I found this sequel a little disappointing.

Firstly, it probably would have helped if I reread The Witch Hunter first (which is obviously on me) but it would have been helpful to have little recaps of main plot lines in the beginning chapters. I felt a bit lost and wasn't entirely sure who everyone was. I definitely recommend rereading book one beforehand as it should be a really helpful refresher.

The biggest problem I had with this sequel is that I just wasn't as invested in the plot. There is a lot of action which kept me reading but I wasn't as excited as I was before. I didn't really care for Elizabeth either; it felt like everything she did revolved around her love for John and she didn't come across as feisty as I would have hoped. On the plus side, there were some plot twists which kept the story flowing well and the action levels high. I also didn't understand why Malcolm has had a personality transplant and is now portrayed as someone we should feel sorry for. He is still a rapist and the excuses for him being so (he's not used to people saying no) just don't feel right. I was surprised that Elizabeth was able to move on and accept him as quickly as she did.

Overall, this is a satisfying conclusion to the duology but it lacks the excitement that The Witch Hunter had. The main characters don't particularly stand out but there are some enjoyable supporting characters and plot twists.

[Diana Solito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine tolle Fortsetzung mit einem starken Abschluss um die Hexenjägerin Elisabeth Grey.
Genau wie in Band 1 haben es mir auch in Band 2 vor allem die Nebenprotagonisten wieder sehr angetan, und ich habe bis zum Ende mitgefiebert, wie es wohl für jeden einzelnen von ihnen ausgehen wird.

[Feyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sign reading UPMINSTER, 62 MILES has been crossed out ano now reads in untidy scrawl beneath it: Hell lies this way.

The sequel lives up to the first book in terms of writing, character development and lots of other aspects. However, it somehow didn't completely lve up to it, as I had a little problem with the ending. It felt rushed and I don't really like the way it ended for one character... But I'm still glad I picked up this duology because I love the world that Boecker created.

[Tuba Özkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

İlki kadar sevdiğimi söyleyemeyeceğim. Fazla basit, karakterlerin hareketleri bazen fazla tahmin edilebilir bazense son derece gereksizdi. Özellikle de Elizabeth'in yaptıkları... Sonlara doğru da Elizabeth dışındakilerin yaptıkları... Ne gerek vardı, kitabı uzatmaktan ya da dramatik bir etki katmaya çalışmaktan başka ne işe yaradı şimdi bu diye sorduruyor insana.

Takdir ettiğim yönlerinden biri, sonunu hop diye bitirmeyip adını geçirdiği herkesle ilgili ufak da olsa bir şeyler söylemeye çalışmış olması. Epilog deyip iki sayfada bitirmemiş, o hoşuma gitti.

[☪❂ Kaiah❂☪]

10/03/15
Title+cover=life

[Danielle (Love at First Page) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been closer to three stars except I take serious offense to how rape was handled in this duology. Shame on the author and publisher.

[Arzu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kral katili

Kitap ilkine göre daha olaylı sayılırdı. John'u başrol yapıcaz diye psikopat mı yapmanız gerekiyordu? Cidden bu kitaptan beklentim çok daha yükseti.

O savaşçı kızı sümsük Malcom'a mahcup ettiniz ya ve onu ölümünden kurtardın ya yazar bir şey demiyorum. Bilmiyorum, ben bu seriyi sevemedim. Belki bu aralar çok bu tarz okuduğum için artık klişe geliyor. Bu kitap umarım beni reading slump'a sokmaz. Abartıldığı kadar okunulacak bir kitap değil kesinlikle. Zamanınıza yazık olur, okumayın bence.

[Stacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I struggled with this because I didn't do a reread and I couldn't remember a lot of the story from the first book.

There are a lot of things happening in this book. I have enjoyed this cast of characters and seeing how it all played out was interesting. I also thought it was a trilogy, so as there was all sorts of epic build up, I kept expecting the next turn of the page to be the cliffhanger ending.

There are some scenes where I was shocked into silence. Some serious swoons. And some new characters who had me evil cackling with glee. Overall, this has been an enjoyable journey and I look forward to seeing what else Virginia writes.

**Huge thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

[Aleshanee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zur Handlung

Im 16. Jahrhundert wird Elizabeth zur gefürchtesten Hexenjägerin ausgebildet, denn Magie ist verboten und wird, wenn nötig, auch mit dem Tode bestraft. Als sie jedoch hinter das Geheimnis der höfischen Intrigen kommt und sich alles ändert, woran sie bisher geglaubt hat, erkennt sie endlich, gegen wen und vor allem für was sie kämpfen muss.
Sie hat mächtige Verbündete gefunden und auch eine Liebe, die jedoch auf wackligen Füßen steht. Täuschung und Verrat begleiten sie weiterhin und am Ende muss sie zeigen ob sie den Mut hat, dem Plan ihrer Freunde zu trauen.

Meine Meinung

Trotz kleiner Kritiken an Band 1 hab ich mich auf die Fortsetzung gefreut. Das Cover passt perfekt in seiner Schlichtheit, auch wenn ich den Gesichtsausdruck des Mädchens hier nicht ganz so gut getroffen finde. Unter dem Schutzumschlag befindet sich auch hier ein gold geprägter Gegenstand, hier das Schwert Azeroth, das in der Geschichte eine wichtige Rolle spielen wird.

Ich hab ein bisschen gebraucht, um wieder in die Geschichte reinzukommen, aber das ist mir dank der kleinen hilfreichen Anspielungen leicht gefallen. Aus der Ich-Perspektive von Elizabeth erzählt die Autorin im Präsens, sehr ungewöhnlich für mich, aber ich hab mich damit total wohl gefühlt. Das Tempo war gleichmäßig und angenehm; hatte zwar keine großen Spannungsbögen, aber hat mich doch durchwegs gefesselt.

Entgegen dem ersten Band war die Protagonistin greifbarer für mich. Die etwas aufgesetzte Art hat sich verflüchtigt und Elizabeth war hier recht nachdenklich und authentischer für mich. Sie hält an ihren neuen Grundsätzen fest und tut alles, um ihre Fehler wieder gutzumachen. Natürlich ist sie immer noch sehr jung und wirkt sehr reif in ihren Gedanken, Gefühlen und vor allem ihrem Kampfeswillen, aber es fühlte sich echt an. Genauso die Beziehungen untereinander, wobei mir vor allem Skyler wieder sehr positiv aufgefallen ist. Mit ihm hatte ich manchmal sogar auch etwas zu lachen ;)
Aber auch John macht einige Veränderungen durch und sein Part ist nicht zu unterschätzen. An manchen Stellen hätte es gerne noch etwas ausführlicher sein können, aber die Autorin hat hier dem angegebenen Alter entsprechend alles etwas kompakt gehalten, was ich gar nicht mal schlecht fand.

Gefehlt hat mir wieder der Bezug zu der historischen Zeit, was mir vor allem in den Dialogen aufgefallen ist. Aber da ich das schon vom ersten Band her wusste und ich mich darauf eingestellt hab, war das nicht mehr so schlimm. Einige kleine Ungereimtheiten sind mir auch aufgefallen, im Großen und Ganzen war es aber okay.

Alles dreht sich um den Kampf gegen Elizabeths ehemaligen Lehrmeister Blackwell, der alle Macht an sich reißen will, aber auch viele kleine Konflikte, die unter den Verbündeten schwelen und der Geschichte eine packende Vielfalt verleihen. Es hätte alles auch noch differenzierter ausfallen können, aber die Balance wurde recht gut gehalten und nicht alles muss immer bis ins Detail erklärt werden - grade als Jugendbuch fand ich die Dynamik gerade richtig gewählt.

Der Kampf ist blutig, die Gefühle intensiv und das Schicksal des Landes hängt davon ab, ob die ehemalige Hexenjägerin Elizabeth, der Heiler John, der Zauberer Nicholas und der Wiedergänger Skyler gegen die Machtbesessenheit von Blackwell bestehen können.

Fazit 4.5 Sterne

Ich war ja nicht ganz so begeistert vom ersten Band wie so viele andere und hab mich mega gefreut, dass der zweite mich so positiv überrascht hat. Flüssig zu lesen und mit vielen schönen Momenten hat der Abschlussband sehr gut gefallen, auch wenn ich auch hier ein paar kleine Kritikpunkte hatte.

© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

What this series has done wonderfully is cut out all the mundane, drawn-out bits that can make me a pissed off reader. You know the plot devices that will push the story forward in the most annoying way? Well, The King Slayer is the second and last book, thus making this a duology. Which means there isn't the time for all the crap. Instead, the story and characters move forward quickly and I loved it. The world is not overly complex, There's magic in a historical type fantasy world. And after the events of The Witch Hunter Elizabeth, John and the gang are left to start building a revolution. The bad guys don't give them much time to do so. Elizabeth's only problem isn't Harrow being attacked; there's the fact that the residents aren't so accepting and trusting of an ex-witch hunter. Even with John and Nick's backing. The biggest problem, though? Apparently saving John's life is coming at an even biggest cost than expected. It's taking a toll on their relationship, both are feeling resentment, keeping secrets well wanting to be the one that saves the other from certain death. It's really quite dramatic, but in a good and feeling way. The hardest part was seeing John's nice and sweet personality take an 180. Elizabeth had to some things that were near impossible, like the possibility of losing John's love. But I agreed that she had to do them to try and save his life. I saw their struggles and fall out as a side effect of the dark war looming. And although I wanted an immediate reconciliation it was more realistic how their relationship had to learn to trust again. Don't worry there's still some swoon because John. The characters are certainly what this series does best. From Fifer, Schuyler, Nick, Peter the Pirate, George and a few new faces in The King Slayer they're all fantastic and add so much to the story.
Although I didn't find the series to be totally original at its core, the good magicians trying to overthrow the evil magicians(or those that oppose magic), the elements, like the marks the witch hunters received and how that spiraled out to create a bigger plot point then I expected. Which in turn lead to an intense conflict and a few jaw dropping moments amongst all the magically fighting.
I truly enjoyed this finale. It wrapped everything up in a most satisfying way. There were some predictable moments and some that shocked me, which I believe is on point for a good finale. The King Slayer is fun and magical and a real treat for anyone looking for a quick character filled series with witches.

[Hedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King Slayer is the second and last book in The Witch Hunter dualogy. Because it only has two books in the series it was fast-paced and sometimes a little bit rushed.

“I think, in time, you’ll either be my greatest mistake or my greatest victory.”

The story picks up a few months after the ending of 'The Witch Hunter' and we come to see how Elizabeth has to live without her stigma and how slowly its changing John. Elizabeth has grown alot thoughout the series and she is alot more defenseless than she was before, she has to train to be support to this brewing war that is going to happen. I didnt like Elizabeth as much as i did in the first book, she was so dependend on John and everyone else as for before she lost her stigma she was totally kickass! The one that changes the most in this book is John, because of the Stigma that he now has he is becoming a fighter and an annoyance. I loved how sweet he was in the first book. He’s still got that soft side, but he is not acting like himself.

The introduction of a few new characters was also really well done, Malcome for instance was different than that i had in mind. Alot of people talk about rape in this book, but personally i dont see that kind of theme in this story. Ofcourse Elizabeth was Malcoms misstress without her really wanting to be that but he never really raped her in my opinion. He asked her and showed he was in love with her, he never knew she didnt want to be with him. It's all because Elizabeth didn't speak out untill now that he didnt know she didnt love him like he did her (dont hate me for this but its just my few on the story, im not by al means a supporter of rape!!).

Virginia's writing was as addictive as in the first book - it's quick and easy to read but never gets bored, she always managed to keep me interested so that's a good thing! I was surprised at some of the plot twists and expected some others but overall it was a good mixture for me and constantly wanted to know more. I was a little bit shocked that this was a duology because when i started reading this book i didn't know.. it took me by suprise that this was the last book. Why i gave this one 4 stars instead of 5 is because i didn't really like the character change in Elizabeth, i didnt feel right for it to end that way and Elizabeth not being in controlle. But i would recommend this duology to everyone who is in for a little bit of fantasy and witch hunt!

[Deniz · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5Stars

I am being nice and am rounding it up because this series biggest offense in my opinion: It's totally forgettable. It drowns in a sea of kinda okay same same YA fantasy. It's completely unremarkable.
In fact when I started reading King Slayer, I realised that I simply couldn't remember what happened in Witch Hunter. I mean I really couldn't recall ANYTHING. I went and found a spoilered recap- which gave me an idea... But I just couldn't seem to really remember. Now I know I read it a while back and I did read a few hundred novels since, BUT I actually have a really good memory and usually if I can't immediately recall every detail, I still do remember the most important bits... Well, let me tell you, for some odd reason I never did with this series.
And now that I finished it- I think it will drown in the odd corner of the grey unremarkable mass of my old brain. Not that I shall mourn it- because frankly there wasn't much loss.
Let me be fair here, it's not horrible. It has a fair amount of action, its not too shabby written. There was a decent attempt made on the character building. The world building is ok, a lot hypocritical and with not much critical questioning, but I've read worse. There is a whole lot of melodramatics and some romance. So basically what one expects from this kind of a novel.
The thing is not one aspect seemed unique or really well done. It's all well enough but again just that. It's average.
At the end I found myself not even caring about the characters. I just thought, oh great, I'm done.
Which is not the reaction any author should want...
So basically I think if you haven't read a gazillion ya and fantasy, or if you kinda keen on the bubblegum version of it- you will probably enjoy it.
As for me, I already am busy forgetting about it.

[Patry Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

El primer libro fue fantástico, lo adoré desde el inicio. Con Asesina de reyes no me pasó igual (tal vez fui yo, que venía de leer dos pedazo de libros y estaba un poquito en crisis lectora jeje ) pero el principio se me hizo un poco lento, aunque después coge ritmo y fue un no parar de momentos sorprendentes e inesperados, en definitiva, un final perfecto para esta bilogía.

[Lala_Loopsie [fire breathing B!tch Queen] · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Not a review, just a fact).

This book wasn't even as remotely as interesting as the first book, as a matter of fact, i found it rather boring. As the end to a duology, it lacked an engaging storyline and end.

Note.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. I read this only to satisfy my curiosity as to the end.

[Jaime (Two Chicks on Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great finish! Although I'm sad that it's over!

[Irene Rauch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leider hat mich dieses Buch etwas enttäuscht. Ich hatte hohe Erwartungen weil ich den ersten Teil wirklich gut fand. Das war vielleicht auch das Problem. Aber der Anfang war leider ziemlich zäh. Erst bei den letzten 150 Seiten würde es wieder richtig gut für mich. Daher nur 3,5 Sterne.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win a signed ARC copy of Virginia Boecker's The King Slayer in a giveaway she hosted on Instagram and ... oh man, was I excited! I knew I had to read this book as soon as it comes out but with this early copy I was able to dive into Elizabeth's life sooner than expected, hurrah!

Since I haven't reread the first book, I was a little confused at the beginning - I only vaguely remember the things happening in The Witch Hunter and therefore had a hard time getting into it at first. However, the author manages to "retell" a few of the things that had happened so after a while it got easier and was more understandable.

At first, I was a bit let-down by John. I absolutely adored him in the first book and while I didn't expect (or liked, for that matter) the changes he went through I think they made sense. It also kind of explains why Elizabeth was acting the way she did when they all first met. I still wasn't a huge fan of it and John actually started to annoy me a little ... I mean, ugh. It's complicated. I love him but at times I wanted to smack him hard across the cheek and shake some sense into him! It was a rollercoaster with him, to be honest ... but I still like him a lot, really, and everything's good.

Elizabeth was likeable as usual, even though she also seemed ... confused (?) at times. I remember her being a badass and not giving a fuck but obviously the happenings of book 1 changed her and made her a different person - which I understand! She's still tough and kicks ass but, as with John, I wanted to punch her more than once. Her relationship with Schuyler was amazing though and I'm glad the author showed us more of them together - I'm a huuuuge fan of Schuyler and although I was desperate to read more about him and his past (I'm just so interested in this guy!!), I was pleased with what I got anyway. Could it have been more? Sure, but maybe there'll be a novella about him in the future? *hopes*

Virginia's writing was as addictive as in the first book - it's quick and easy to read but never gets bored, she always managed to keep me interested so that's a good thing! I was surprised at some of the plot twists and expected some others but overall it was a good mixture for me and constantly wanted to know more.

I'm not sure if I liked it more than the first book and even though the ending is good I'm ... torn? It's probably no spoiler when I say something significant is happening (duh) and, yes, it makes sense and some might even say it's a good (the only?) plan but ... no. NOO. I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS. It just disturbed me how fast they were over those things - at least it seemed that way.

Would I still recommend this book? Heck yes! No book is perfect but I did enjoy The King Slayer a lot and therefore I'm glad I read this. Also, I just had to find out how things were going to end, obviously. If you liked the first book, definitely give this a go and if you haven't read it yet - what are you waiting for? It's a great duology with awesome characters and an interesting plot/setting that'll keep you interested this whole time!

www.aworldbetweenfoldedpages.blogspot.com
________________________

May 29th:
I highly enjoyed this book but am a little bit sad that it's the last one - I'm very much looking forward to novella(s) - SCHUYLER!!! - and hope they'll be as amazing as the books.

[Lekeisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted over at Lekeisha the Booknerd

The King Slayer is an action packed sequel to The Witch Hunter. It is better than book one, and a perfect end to this duology. It was good to get back with Elizabeth after what happened in the first book. Her life is different in Harrow, but the Kingdom is not forgotten. More importantly, the king and his minions haven’t forgotten. War is coming and witches & wizards cannot be left unchecked and alive, so they are hunted. Elizabeth escaped her sentence, and that makes the hunt even more charged.

In this finale, Elizabeth has grown a lot, but she doesn’t have her stigma anymore so she’s a little defenseless. She trained hard to be a supporting cause to the brewing war, which ultimately she is the face of. It’s a little maddening for her to be among people she used to hunt & kill, so the witches and wizards of Harrow are very wary of her. Still, she was all about doing her part for her new friends and what’s right. In the first book she learned the truth about her witch hunting tasks, so she is all for the helping of her newly found family. Blackwell is the ultimate villain in this awesome world Boecker has created. So, yeah, I love all the action here because it makes the story seem completely plausible.

John changes the most in this book. I loved how sweet he was in the first book. He’s still got that soft side, but he is not acting like himself. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t read it, but he has something that was once Elizabeth’s and it seems that it has changed him a lot. His personality shifts ever so often, and Elizabeth can’t help but notice. The reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars is because I feel that there was no resolution to the “RAPE”. That was soooooo not how I expected that to go. I don’t like Malcolm, and no amount of his “woe is me” personality will change my mind. I’m not sure why the author tried to redeem him; especially to a female reader. You just can’t go there.

Overall, lots of action and great characters to love in this finale. Blackwell made an awesome villain, and I wish there was a third book to read. I guess I’ll just settle for the novellas. I recommend this to fantasy lovers, or just witch lovers in general. It’s not a perfect duology, but I did enjoy it. I think this is a good end for this world and these characters.