I cannot believe I waited so long to read this book....WHY??! Once I started I couldn't stop and I can't wait to get my hands on book 2 to continue the series now!
This is a slow burn in some ways as our main characters do indeed start out as enemies, although even this isn't as clear cut. They don't really know each other but she hates what he is and he doesn't even know who she is really. When they finally do meet and they have to work together the trust and relationship builds pretty quickly in a partnership of survival and as they make their way through the forest, only near the end of the book do you really see their relationship on a romantic level, even if there are moments of nearly.
It certainly had a uniqueness about it with a mute FMC, which is genious on some level because it adds a dynamic that doesn't impact the storytelling flow and adds in a layer of bonding for those who can communicate with her but also then shows a diverse character in a romantasy that you don't often see.

I received this ARC ebook through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

A wonderful story of a young woman who will find her world changed as she tries to find and rescue her sister. With revenge in her plans, she'll meet the villian head on but change her plans as she learns the truth about her life and home.

Wow am I sad i waited so long to read this - this was my first e arc on netgalley and I am so grateful it was shared with me. If you like...
❄️The frost king
⚔️Enemies to lovers
🐈‍⬛Witches
✨Unusual magic system
👹Old gods
💁‍♀️Disability representation in FMC
💪Strong FMC

This one is for you! I loved the romance and old style folklore stories and how they cleverly tie in.
Such a creative and intricate world.
The FMC can't speak and needs to use sign language, and I love this representation in fantasy stories that are shared so rarely.
My one criticism? The FMC fell in love a bit too fast for me and of course it is the strongest and most wonderful love that can exist... but some people love that.

Highly recommend! Again, disappointed I waited so long to read this one. Straight in to the next one I go...

I absolutely loved this book! The suspense kept me gripped and I can't wait to find out what happens next

Thrilling story with plot twists and amazing concepts this book did not disappoint. Would recommend for any YA or fantasy lover.

Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Y’all I have no words. Have you ever read a book and immediately have to begin the sequel? Um this book is that good. Honestly, this may be my favorite read of 2023 so far (& I read CC2 in Jan)!

I love how we begin this story thinking we have an idea who the villains will be but through the course of the story, it becomes extremely apparent it’s much more complicated than it seems. This is a story about a girl with no voice, literally, and vengeance to deliver. This is one of those, find the power within stories, and it’s really just a lot to unpack. Loss, fear, acceptance; these are just a few of the things we watch Raina struggle through. And let me tell you, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. Our mmc Alexus, is seriously magnificent. He is everything you want in a long-haired, strong-armed, flawed-hero. And you will root for him the whole way through. Both characters are so complex and just raw, they go on quite the adventure and both experience well-developed growth. We do have a slow-burn, enemies to lovers, romance, but honestly the story is so enthralling that you don’t even notice it till then end. And it comes so naturally. Furthermore, I seriously love the world building so much. The world it so captivating and the people are so interesting. Our author is an amazing storyteller, the detail and imagery has a way of making you feel within the story itself.

THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE!

Charissa could write a menu and I would pay to read it. 10/10

I cant wait to continue reading the series

1) I think I needed more form the world building.
2) the FMC and MMC fall in love over a very short span of time, and anything resembling insta-love gives me the ick.

thank you Netgalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review

"Mother used to say that grief always strikes when we least expect it, and that we rarely realize how those we love inhabit even the most seemingly inconsequential parts of our lives."

Thank you Netgalley and City Owl Press for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I discovered The Witch Collector when I was looking for New Adult fantasy in 2021 and finally got around to reading it. When I was looking at reviews to see if I wanted to request an ARC, I saw this tagged as an enemies to lovers slow burn, so I excitedly requested.

I am DNFing at 50%, but from what I read this read a lot more like an unrequited love story with the miscommunication/misunderstanding trope than enemies to lovers.

I want to say that I think both the writing and research for this seemed great! I would absolutely try another book by this author in the future! My main gripe about this book is that I don't really care for the MMC. I'm unsure of how old he is, but he's seemingly been into the FMC for years (I realize typing this that the synopsis says she's 24 so that's significantly less creepy than when I thought she was 18 haha but) just from seeing her from a distance and hearing about her from his sister? I wanted to know more about why he seemed to have feelings for her pre-book, and this felt a little contradictory, as he comments that he's drawn to how fiery and stubborn she is, but then later he thinks to himself maybe he can tame her?? He also calls her pathetic and useless(he does apologize), but I was not vibing with him and felt it was missing some key element to the buildup/tension.

It could improve later in the book, but I didn't feel intrigued enough to finish. I'm very torn on this one and may come back to it to skim the second half another month. I also really, really loved that the main character was non-speaking and used sign language! That was so nice to see in a fantasy novel! There was also a little non-romance-related plot twist towards the middle that had me on the edge of my seat as I watched it unravel.

Rating this as one star for now, but I will update the rating if I come back and continue!

I really really wanted to fall for this book, but I just couldn't find my connection with Raina no matter how much I tried. I am also hit or miss when it comes to insta love and this was a miss for me with Alexus, now if it was a slow burn with love halfway I would have given it a four.

I put this book aside three times because I just couldn’t get into the characters, the world building or anything about it. I almost gave up at about 12% in but I persevered and finally at about 25% I started to like the story and characters. So, that means it started off slow and never really go t into fast paced action but it was an interesting story. The story begins in Raina’s village where every year the witch collector arrives to take the strongest young female witch to join the service of the Frost King. Raina is a young mute witch with no witch marks so is seemingly without much power so is not of interest to the Frost King. She hates the witch Collector and the King and thinks about nothing but killing them. One day a rival army invades and threatens to destroy all that Raina has loved and she finds she must work with past enemies to save the ones she loves. Overall this was a slow read but I did after a fashion like the premise of the story. I will probably read the next book in the series at some point. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I tried more than once to read this book but after several chapters I was unable to proceed. I don't know if it was the unusual names, writing style or time period but it just didn't grip me enough to continue.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more but I found myself bored through quite a bit of the story.
I actually wish there was more world building. The characters were okay but the relationship felt like there was something missing.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author Charissa Weaks for this ARC. This is my honest opinion

This book really played with my feelings.
I didn’t know at first if I would be able to immerse myself in the story, this is the first book I read where the main character is silent. But the author managed to make this detail important in the book but not disabling.
The beginning of the book poses the context of the universe, the kingdoms, and the magic that exists. I really liked this universe different from what we can read now where the stories are regularly similar.
From the moment the story really starts, we chain moments of action, feelings, and romance. There is no real-time out in this book and I loved the tempo of the story.
Now, romance! aaaaaaah this romance. It is not a usual enemy to lovers because our collector is already very attached to our heroine, which is far from being a shared feeling. I loved the evolution of emotions and the destruction of the "myth" that our heroine has created throughout her life that disintegrates as she learns more pieces of information. The alchemy between the two characters is really felt through the dialogues of the author and I have a massive crush on them. I can’t wait to read Volume 2

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

I really enjoyed this fantasy/romance. I loved the heroine and her complexity. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I am sadly in the minority of people that did not love this book. I was recommended this book by so many people - as a mix between SJM and Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver. While there was some things I really liked about it, such as the representation, other things fell short for me. It seemed too similar to so many other books I have read - that being said, I do want to know what happens so I will continue on in the series.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you City Owl Press). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book fully before it was removed from the site.

However, what I did read was entertaining, with clever world-building and well thought-out characters. There were certain parts that I thought were drawn out longer than necessary and, therefore, made me less interested in continuing reading, but overall the half of the book I did read was enjoyable and I was disappointed not to find out what happened at the end.

3 out of 5 stars.

DNF, Unfortunately I have not been able to keep interest in this book. I repeatedly pick it up trying to continue but the story just does not hold my interest

This is a great start to a new fantasy series for fans of The Witcher. I enjoyed the world building and am interested in seeing what happens next in this series.