The Shadow Rises (Witch-Hunter Book 1)
Author: K.S. Marsden
4 out of 5 stars
All around the world there are witch-hunters, who protect the rest of the world from evil, power-hungry witches. Two of these witch-hunters are George “Hunter” Astley and his best friend James Bennett. While on vacation, Hunter stumbles upon a group of witches getting ready to sacrifice a young woman named Sophie. He is surprised when Sophie later appears at his home to talk to him about becoming a witch-hunter herself. Although he’s hesitant, he does ultimately help her to begin training under another with-hunter, named Brian Lloyd, who is later killed. When going through Brian’s things, Hunter, Sophie, and James discover that Brian had evidence of an emerging shadow witch. After surprising secrets are revealed, will the witch-hunters be able to stop the shadow witch?
This book has a good amount of action, even early in the story when Hunter stops the witches from sacrificing Sophie. There is some romance, but while it’s an important plot point, it’s not the main focus of the story. There’s a good balance of everything that’s going on. There is also a big plot twist. I will say that while the twist was well written, it didn’t completely surprise me because it was something that I had begun to suspect might happen.
The writing itself is really good, and the author was able to draw me into the story. There wasn’t any awkward dialogue, and there were some nice descriptions. The only thing I had a problem with were the time jumps. It often wasn’t clear how much time had passed, which sometimes confused me.
The only thing I really disliked about this book was Sophie. I just found her personality off putting. There are reasons for how she acts that are revealed towards the end of the book, and it all make sense. But that doesn’t make up for the fact that I spent most of the story disliking her. I did like Hunter and James, though. The story mostly takes place from Hunter’s point-of-view, so the reader gets to know him best. He’s a compelling and complex character.
Overall, I enjoyed this story, and I’m interested in seeing how the rest of the series plays out. I am knocking off a star because of my dislike of Sophie, so my final rating is 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to any fantasy fan. However, it does take place in the modern world and time period, so if you prefer fantasy novels that have a different setting, then you might want to pass.
Current price through Amazon Kindle: $0
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWRN8YQ
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