Witch and Hunter #1
Paranormal Romance / Fantasy
Sourcebooks Fire
October 3, 2023
E-ARC
416
NetGalley
August 13 - September 10, 2023
A witch and a hunter. Vengeance is their mission. Love is their destiny.
Fritzi is a witch. A survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she's determined to find her only surviving family member and bring the hexenjägers—zealot witch hunters—to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader—Kommandant Dieter Kirch.
Otto is a hexenjäger and a captain, the second in command to Dieter Kirch—but that's just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjagers burned his innocent mother alive and since then, he has been planning a move against the witch hunters that tore his family apart. And now the time has come for them to pay for what they've done.
When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other, despite their common enemy. But all they have is one another, and they both crave revenge. As truths come to light and trust shifts, Fritzi and Otto uncover a far more horrifying plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks . . . but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.
Review
When I began reading the first chapter of this book, I honestly didn’t think I’d like it. We’re immediately thrown into a battle as the witch hunters (hexenjägers) are storming the witch village. I’m not big on battles in books (or, to be honest, TV/movies either) I find them overwhelming. I knew the whole book was unlikely to be one big battle, so I kept reading. But there was another thing nagging at me from the get go—Fritzi. I couldn’t gauge how old she was. The way she interacts with her mother, I assumed she was a child, 13 at most, this pulled me out of the story.
And that’s where my criticisms end. Once Fritzi leaves the remnants of her village in search of her cousin, who’s been captured by the jägers, I was fully engaged. (The authors also mentioned Fritzi’s age, so that nagging detail was finally put to rest, so I could form a .)
The story alternates between Fritzi, the witch, and Otto, the witch hunter. When their paths collide, shortly after Fritzi leaves her village, and she becomes Otto’s captive, the real story begins.
I love Fritzi. I love Otto. I love them together. I love them fighting or not.
Ultimately they end up on a mission to save Fritzi’s cousin and magic on a whole. I loved the magic system in this book, the wild magic vs the magic of “The Well”. The goddesses and the sanctuary of the well.
The end of the book? Amazing.
I need the next book in this series.
Content warning: Though this book reads like a YA, there is one sex scene.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and the authors for the chance to read this awesome book! ❤️