Today my friends got into an argument about whether or not criteria for a “good” English book are objective or not. Of course, I believe that while writing can be subjective, it is for the most part objective. Nonetheless, no matter how you look at it, Witch Finder is a poorly written book , subjectively and objectively.
Witch Finder is the story about Luke and Rosa. In order to be initiated into a witch-killing brotherhood, he must kill his first victim, Rosa Greenwood. Of course, there’s a catch. GASP. Luke ends up falling in love with Miss Greenwood, and so begins the end.
The plot itself has been used so many times. Assassin falls in love with victim, and now they must face their problems in order to be together. While I’m okay with common plots, Witch Finder’s plot had many other holes as well. It wasn’t just the main story. It was the mini stories along the way that I could not deal with.
Miss Rosa Greenwood is possibly the most annoying character ever, save for Luke. Honestly, she sometimes has the IQ of a rock, which says a lot about her. While at times she does act like a human being, most of the time she stays kind of dumb. And unfortunately I wanted to like her so much. I gave her so many chances, but Rosa blew them all.
Now onto Luke. I don’t understand the main detail, how he could fall in love with Rosa. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s insta-love. While I understand that looks can sway someone, they don’t create love. So I was extremely annoyed with Luke for falling in love with a helpless witch (no, I’m not trying to rhyme with the swear word…).
And honestly, he’s not that brave either. I believe characters can be created well. Luke is one of those. His actions are questionable, but he was meant to be liked. However, the lack of passion in his soul just bored me to tears.
And. It. Took. Me. Forever. To. Finish. The. Freaking. Book. Because. It. Was. Paced. So. Slowly.
Advertisement
Point understood? Good! Witch Finder started off slowly and continued at its snail pace. By the time I reached the last page, I wanted to fall asleep. Unfortunately I couldn’t because I had classes and work to do. Honestly though, Witch Finder could afford to be paced at a much quicker rate.
Rating: 3 out of 10
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books (January 2nd, 2014)
Length: 374 pages (Paperback)
Advertisement
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, YA
Advertisement
