Ashleigh Macro 2nd February 2014

Review: Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton

This enchanting tale captured my imagination and left me wanting more.

Witch Finder Summary (from Goodreads)

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.

My Thoughts

I’d read a few reviews of Witch Finder on Goodreads before I began reading it and several of those reviews were pretty negative, so I didn’t expect to enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Okay, so it is rather predictable. If you’ve just read the summary above, you can probably accurately predict the ending. But it’s more than just a story about a boy who falls in love with the girl he’s meant to kill. I found the families of both Luke and Rosa to be intriguing, I thoroughly enjoyed the magic throughout the book and I loved that it is set in late 19th Century London (perhaps because London is somewhere I’m familiar with).

I also absolutely adore Ruth Warburton’s writing style: it’s silky smooth and utterly charming, and it definitely makes me want to pick up the books in her Winter Trilogy. I loved the subtle swapping between Luke’s point of view and Rosa’s point of view, too.

It’s not the most amazing book I’ve ever read, by any means. I would have enjoyed a bit more depth to the storyline, some more character building (there are lots of brilliant characters I’d love to know more about), perhaps some more dramatic kill-attempt scenes and some better tension building. But I’m already looking forward to reading the second book – Witch Hunt. I have many unanswered questions about Sebastian’s mother, Luke’s parents and the fate of Rosa and Luke, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for answers in the sequel.

Plus, just look at that cover!