Here is the summary of the book:
London. 1880. In the slums of Spitalfields apprentice blacksmith Luke is facing initiation into the Malleus Maleficorum, the fearsome brotherhood dedicated to hunting and killing witches.
Luke’s final test is to pick a name at random from the Book of Witches, a name he must track down and kill within a month, or face death himself. Luke knows that tonight will change his life forever. But when he picks out sixteen-year-old Rosa Greenwood, Luke has no idea that his task will be harder than he could ever imagine.
To point, this is an overly done, extremely predictable and somewhat boring story...... While the setting, the character implementation in the setting coupled with the gorgeous cover become its saving grace. Admittedly while this is a rather overdone plot but here it is rather devoid of any witch-y action and very much grounded in reality and society.
As far as the two leads are concerned, they felt somewhat flat. Luke and Rosa. Luke is the witch finder/witch hunter and Rosa is the witch he is sent to hunt as his first act joining the brotherhood of fearsome hunters of the Malleus Maleficorum. He is one of those who attach first and ask questions later. He was rather hasty in joining the guild without first knowing what he was dealing with or even how to actually kill the target when the time was right.
Rosa was naive and rather quite the nun. Pardon me I meant no insult but she seemed silly and self-conscious and unaware of the customs of that era. With a sheltered life style like her's, that was to be expected..... Another thing, the romance was pretty much not there at all. Non-existence for a story that depends on the burgeoning romance between the witch and the hunter.
Overall, the plot and prose were rich with the social issues of that era. I would have loved to see more magic in it but the story was okay not brilliant......
"A rather predictable star-crossed pair in a largely overdone plot, grounded in reality but still not hitting the mark"
Genre : Yound Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Steampunk
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Release Date: 2nd January, 2014
My Copy: publisher & netgalley
Rate: 3/5 (Liked It)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Release Date: 2nd January, 2014
My Copy: publisher & netgalley
Rate: 3/5 (Liked It)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
Sorry Rosa came off as so naive, poor thing. Hope your next read is better for you.
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