Heartless Hunter

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A high 2 stars. Just a very bland and basic YA fantasy romance, with a romance that I just didn't buy.

This isn't awful, but it's completely lacking in depth. Everything is surface-level, even though the characters are supposed to be oh-so clever and the best at what they are doing. Unfortunately, they just come across as idiots and jerks. The included love triangle is annoying and stupid, plus it's immediately clear how that plotline is going to end.

The world-building doesn't make much sense and isn't very intriguing either. The class system, the land, the wider world or the level of technological advancement—it's all a bit muddled. The info-dumping is kind of clumsy and all of the writing feels clunky. Not bad, but slightly awkward.

I also don't think that this is the kind of book that has a large crossover appeal. It's just SO VERY young adult. When people complain about books being too YA, this kind of plot and characterization come to mind. It just wasn't believable to me.

There are books out there that do the witch/witch hunter dynamic much better in my opinion. This version of it just wasn't my cup of tea. There are some great ideas in this, but the execution just didn't work.