The Witch Hunter

Starred review from April 20, 2015
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. Ages 15–up. Agent: Kathleen Ortiz, New Leaf Literary & Media.

April 1, 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)

April 1, 2015

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

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 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 Julietlike love story that promises to blossom, along with the witchcraft, mystery, and bloodletting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015
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.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)