Title: THE WITCH
HUNTER
Author: Virginia Boecker
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 368
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, iBooks, Goodreads
The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.
Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.
Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.
Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.
But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.
Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.
Now on to the deleted scene!
Deleted Scene
This scene was cut in my very first
round of revisions with my editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Pam
Gruber. We replaced it in favor of a
more serious scene (and one that absolutely fits the story better) but this
scene still makes me laugh. It’s Elizabeth’s first attempt at escaping Nicholas
Perevil’s house, shortly after she wakes up and finds herself held captive
there. It’s also her first close enounter with John, and the first hint George
gets that Elizabeth may not be what she seems. Enjoy!
Finally, I’m alone. I rush to the window, fling the curtains
aside and grab the handle, giving it a turn and a push. Nothing. I try again,
using all my strength. It still won’t budge. I’m tempted to throw the chair
through it, but that’ll bring George—and everyone else too—in a second. It’s
probably magicked shut.
I look around. Ceiling, floor, walls. There’s got to be a way
out. The fireplace! That’s it. The fire is still burning low, so I grab
George’s blanket off the chair and throw it over the flames, putting them out.
While I wait for the smoke to clear I rush across the room to the wardrobe.
Inside, just as George said, there’s an assortment of clean but ugly dresses.
I grab the smallest one, a brown, drab-looking thing and put it
on over my shift. It hangs on me like an empty grain sack, the bottom trailing
several inches behind me. There’s nothing for it, unless…I grab another dress
and rip the skirt off, tearing it into strips. I tie one around my waist like a
belt, another in my hair to keep it off my face. But I still have no shoes. I
have to do something about that. I can’t run away barefoot.
There’s a knock
on the door.
“You all right
in there?” George asks. I see the doorknob turning.
“Don’t come in!
I’m naked!” I yell. I find a horrid pair of boots, far too big, and bind them
around my feet with another strip of skirt.
The doorknob
stops turning.
“What’s taking
so long?”
“These dresses, none of them fit. I’m doing the best I can!”
Done. I run back to the fireplace and stick my head in the chimney. Feel the
walls. The fire’s been burning all night, so they’re still hot. Very. But I can
manage a few burns. Thanks to the healer’s potions I’m strong enough that they
should heal quickly. It’s still smoky inside but I can’t wait any longer.
“I’m almost ready,” I call to George. Then I climb into the
fireplace.
The chimney is about four feet wide and fashioned from jagged
stones that make good hand and footholds. Even with my too-big boots, I’m
easily able to climb. But the smoke is a problem. It’s hard to breathe and I
can’t see more than a foot above me. I have to rely on my other senses.
I whistle a few times to try and get a sense of how high this
chimney goes. It doesn’t echo too much, I’ve maybe got twenty meters to climb.
But on my next step, my shoulder smashes into stone. The opening has gotten
smaller, maybe two feet across now. That’s really narrow, even for me. But I’m
determined to get out of here.
I dig my toe into a hold, take a huge step and cram myself
through. I’m in up to my waist, my hands pinned to my sides, when I hear noises
below. A door slamming open, a voice calling my name. George. It won’t be long
before he thinks to look for me here. I’ve got to get out of reach. My foot
scrabbles for another hold—got it. But as soon as I put my weight on the stone,
it breaks free, clattering down and landing with a thump on the ground.
“She’s in here!” I hear George’s voice echoing up the chimney.
Damnation! I wrench my hands free and reach up for a hold. But
as soon as I find one, I feel a hand grab my ankle. I try and kick it free but
it holds fast.
“Let go of me!” I shriek, still kicking.
“Elizabeth—ow! Would you stop—dammit…ow!” It’s the healer,
John.
He grasps my other ankle and pulls. He’s strong. But I’m
stronger. However, the stone isn’t. My hold breaks free and I fall, down
through the chimney, crashing on top of him. We go tumbling out of the
fireplace, tangled together in a heap of soot and ash. I start to wriggle free
but he grabs my wrists, rolls me over and pins me to the ground.
“What the hell are
you doing?” His face is inches from mine. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Get off,” I mutter, trying to break free from his grasp. But
he’s holding me tight. I could easily kick him off, but I probably shouldn’t do
that. This escape attempt is going to make them suspicious enough. I don’t need
to add getting caught to the list. I stop struggling, but John still holds me
tight.
“John, don’t let her up. Not until she tells where she was
going.” George kneels down next to me, his eyes boring into mine. “Go on.
Talk.”
I glare at him and say nothing.
“I’ll just get Nicholas then,” he says, rolling back on his
heels to stand.
“I was going home!” I blurt. “I have to go home. I can’t stay
here. I have to leave!” It’s the truest thing I’ve said since I got here.
“Why?” John demands.
“Why do you want to leave?” Half of his dark hair is colored white with ash.
The truth, it just keeps on coming. “Because! Because you’re a
wizard —” John opens his mouth to object. “Fine. Healer. That’s just as bad.
And you—” I turn to George. “You’re a spy. You’re both Reformers. Traitors. And
now you want to take me to some seer, and I don’t want to get mixed up in that.
I’m in enough trouble as it is. And Nicholas! Don’t get me started with him.
He’s the most wanted criminal in Anglia, and—what?”
George and John exchange a look. John gets to his feet and
offers his hand down to me. I ignore it.
“That’s not exactly true,” George says.
“What?”
“You said Nicholas was the most wanted criminal in the kingdom.
Well, that’s not exactly the case any more.” They both stand there, looking at
me so oddly. “Someone else has been awarded that dubious honor.”
“So?” I snap. “It hardly matters, because—”
“Oh, it matters,” George says. “Because the most wanted
criminal in Anglia is now you.”
Virginia Boecker recently spent four years in London obsessing
over English medieval history, which formed the basis of The Witch Hunter. She
now lives in the Bay Area, California with her husband and spends her days
writing, reading, running, and chasing around her two children and a dog named
George.
In addition to English kings, nine-day queens, and
Protestant princesses, her other obsessions include The Smiths, art
museums, champagne, and Chapstick. She is represented by the incomparable Kathleen Ortiz at New Leaf Literary &
Media.
Giveaway
Details:
10 winners will receive a finished copy of THE WITCH HUNTER US
Only.
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Check out the Tour Schedule!
6/1/2015- Supernatural
Snark- Interview
6/1/2015- Addicted Readers- Review
6/2/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
6/2/2015- Mundie Moms- Review
6/3/2015- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Interview
6/3/2015- Bookish Serendipity- Review
6/4/2015- Once Upon a Twilight - Guest Post
6/4/2015- Fiktshun- Review
6/5/2015- Magical Urban
Fantasy Reads- Interview
6/5/2015- Me, My Shelf and I- Review
This book sounds amazing, Virginia! :) And thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love the sample from the book! Makes me want to read more. First person voice is my favorite. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love this deleted scene!! :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen this book all over Twitter and Instagram! I can't wait to read this book (:
ReplyDeleteHappy Book Birthday, Virginia! I'm so excited to read THE WITCH HUNTER! By the way, I loved the deleted scene!
ReplyDeleteI'm sad this scene got deleted but I love we got to read it here! One can never have enough of Elizabeth, John and George ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm in Canada but I entered the giveaway since I have a US PO box. I hope that's okay! I really want to win XD