Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton

Witch Finder (Witch Finder)

by Ruth Warburton

London, 1880, and eighteen-year-old Luke Lexton is about to endure his initiation into the Malleus Maleficorum - the secretive brotherhood devoted to hunting witches, and the organisation that will help Luke take revenge on the witch who murdered his parents. His 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 picks out sixteen-year-old Rosa Greenwood, a witch-girl living in rapidly fading grandeur on the west side of town. She's the last bargaining chip in her family's struggle to avoid bankruptcy and is about to be married off to the handsome, cruel, grotesquely rich Sebastian Knyvet - a powerful member of the Ealdwitan.
As Rosa and Luke get to know each other, Luke realises it will be impossible for him to kill Rosa, just as Rosa knows she will bring disgrace on her family if she does not marry Knyvet. But Knyvet is hiding dark secrets - including the key which will unlock the mystery of Luke's murdered parents. Torn between appeasing their elders and their growing affection for each other, Rosa and Luke must each make their choice between life and death.

'Gorgeously romantic.' Amanda Craig, The Times

Reviewed by tweetybugshouse on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Review copy provided by Hodder Children's Books, via NetGalley.

This book caught my eye because of the cover and It did not fail to keep me thoroughly entertained. I felt for the main character as he strives so hard to complete his task but alas fails miserably. I like the whole concept of this non magical outwith, as they are called in this story, being to see magic around the witches. I did not care for how the animals were treated but do see why it was included in the story as it shows the time and how totally wretched some of the characters really are. It has a nice romance to the story that dose not drown you and keeps you reading. I really want to see where the story goes from here a great start to the series.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 December, 2013: Finished reading
  • 9 December, 2013: Reviewed