Community Reviews
Every year on the Harvest Moon, a man called The Witch Collector, rides across the country to collect the most powerful witches and brings them back to Winterhold to serve as defenders of the Kingdom. Year after year, the Witch Collector rides through town, but does not collect Raina Bloodgood, a non-verbal young woman who has no runes marking her skin to signify any magical skills. However, eight years ago, he took Rainaâs beloved sister. Desperate to end the annual ritual ever since, Raina has plotted her revenge against not only the Witch Collector, but the Frost King for destroying her family. When the times come to exact her vengeance, invaders from a neighboring country attack her village forcing her to drastically shift her plans. She is then set on a different path where she learns that secrets have been kept from her and the history of the land she knows, are mysteries that must be unraveled. And the man sheâs come to loathe, is more than the fallacy sheâd believed him to be.
This book takes place in a matter of only 2 weeks, and in that small span of time, it felt rushed that the Witch Collector (aka Alexus) went from being the target of a blood-lust hatred, to being a man Raina trusted and was lusting over. There wasnât enough explanation as to how he fell so hard, so quickly for her. Raina is also overly trusting of strangers, after all the hype up of her needing to keep her magic hidden. Furthermore, the lack of timely explanations of the magic system in the world, the lore and meager tidbits of the worldâs history left me feeling like Iâd skipped over chapters (I didnât.) A guide or a Prologue that gave a bit more history of the Gods and Godlings and their role in the people of the land wouldâve been helpful.
The Witch Collector was a fun read and I did enjoy it, but there were some definite missing pieces to the story. I mostly loved the non-verbal aspect for Raina and the use of sign-language to communicate with those around her. (Diverse representation matters!) I think it wouldâve been better had Raina encountered more situations where she didnât have a translator to bail her out of uncomfortable communication situations. While I liked the main characters, it felt like the author neglected to maintain key character traits without explaining why they diverged from their usual behaviors. I was also disappointed in the ever-evolving plot, additional messy subplots, and lack of resolve in main character traits. I enjoyed Chrissaâs writing style and the story overall, but did struggle to complete the book at the devouring speed I've read other books in the genre. It is my hope that more will be explained by book two, and that the first book in the series is merely an overly complicated introduction.
Key Tropes: Fated Mates, He Falls First, Unique Magic, YA, Forced Proximity
This book takes place in a matter of only 2 weeks, and in that small span of time, it felt rushed that the Witch Collector (aka Alexus) went from being the target of a blood-lust hatred, to being a man Raina trusted and was lusting over. There wasnât enough explanation as to how he fell so hard, so quickly for her. Raina is also overly trusting of strangers, after all the hype up of her needing to keep her magic hidden. Furthermore, the lack of timely explanations of the magic system in the world, the lore and meager tidbits of the worldâs history left me feeling like Iâd skipped over chapters (I didnât.) A guide or a Prologue that gave a bit more history of the Gods and Godlings and their role in the people of the land wouldâve been helpful.
The Witch Collector was a fun read and I did enjoy it, but there were some definite missing pieces to the story. I mostly loved the non-verbal aspect for Raina and the use of sign-language to communicate with those around her. (Diverse representation matters!) I think it wouldâve been better had Raina encountered more situations where she didnât have a translator to bail her out of uncomfortable communication situations. While I liked the main characters, it felt like the author neglected to maintain key character traits without explaining why they diverged from their usual behaviors. I was also disappointed in the ever-evolving plot, additional messy subplots, and lack of resolve in main character traits. I enjoyed Chrissaâs writing style and the story overall, but did struggle to complete the book at the devouring speed I've read other books in the genre. It is my hope that more will be explained by book two, and that the first book in the series is merely an overly complicated introduction.
Key Tropes: Fated Mates, He Falls First, Unique Magic, YA, Forced Proximity
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.