The Witch Collector is a fantastic fantasy-romance that is impossible to put down. From the first chapter, I was swept into a world of magic, warring kingdoms, and a hot, morally-gray witch collector. The story starts from the perspective of the main character, Raina, and her life in a small village in the Northern Kingdom. She’s waiting for the Witch Collector, a mysterious figure who works for the evil Frost King, to come for his yearly collection of witches. We learn that years ago, her sister was taken by the Witch Collector and Raina wants nothing more than to exact revenge on him and his king. Unfortunately, before that can happen, her village is attacked by evil invaders from the East and she is swept up in the battle when the Witch Collector arrives. From there, the two join forces and set out on an adventure to save not only Raina’s sister, but the entire Kingdom.

I loved everything about this book. It was exciting and unpredictable and I loved Raina and Alexus. This book has everything fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Sara J. Maas could want! A strong female lead character, a hot maybe-bad-maybe-good-guy, vengeful gods, powerful magic, and a world on the brink of war. Not only did Charissa Weaks create an amazing magic system with insane world building, she mastered the art of the slow-burn romance, which definitely left me wanting more. To sum things up, I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL!

Initial Thoughts
I immediately fell in love with this book when I saw Storygram Tours did the cover reveal. It sounded so good and the cover is stunning. A win-win.

Some Things I Liked
Multiple POVs. I always love that. I also loved that it was more than just the main characters. I loved the additional character we got near the end and would love to see more from her POV in sequels.
New Adult with the tropes I love from YA. Enemies to lovers, but make them older and make them like really enemies. Star crossed lovers but way darker. I just loved that it had the tropes and themes I love about YA but matured to match the slightly older main character.
World building. I loved the world here. It was complex and well thought out. The magic was interesting as well and well balanced. I like the idea of witches and their power is far reaching but it's not "all powerful.

Series Value
I will definitely keep reading this series. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read more of Charissa Weaks books.

Final Thoughts
I am so glad I read this book. I finished it all in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all, I want to congratulate the author for this first installment of this incredible series, this was such a great introduction to Raina and Alexus story, she made an incredible job in describing this unique world and making the readers wanting more!

This story follows Raina, a young witch who is mute (YES, I loved the mute representation), who is ready to do everything it takes to get to get sister, who was taken years ago by the Witch Collector. But the world have a different plan on the way, forcing her to face grieve, fear, sadness and the face of the man she was supposed to kill.

The world building was so great, there were times where I was a little lost with so many names but once you get the hang of it, you will be following an amazing magic system, politics, tales and more. Every time you find out more about the reality of the characters, the rulers, the Gods and the witches, it’s like you are right there listening to the stories and revelations.

I loved the main characters deeply. Raina is a badass, but not in a way that you feel like it’s unrealistic, she feel fear, gets scared, pride gets the best of her, she have to fight her own demons, but have so much love she is ready to give, for her sister, for her friends… for Alexus. I really loved her as our Heroine. Now, our Hero, Alexus: I am IN LOVE with him, he is climbing my Top book boyfriends list for sure. Not only he is described as this sexy dark haired morally gray man, but he shows this duality that got me so intrigued. One minute he is so kind, with good morals, sweet and attentive, and then you are reading about all the darkness and secrets he carries on his soul and heart. Also, I loved that he is not this excessively overpowered man, he got his ass kicked more than a few times, but at the same time, you know there is so much secrets regarding his magic and powers, it got so interesting!

And of course, I love Raina and Alexus love introduction in this book, their attraction and tension was exquisite and I can’t wait to see what is in store for this two and the story in the next books

This ARC was provided in exchange of an honest review.

Review is currently posted on my Instagram, Goodreads. StoryGraph and will be posted on Amazon as well.

The Witch Collector

The witch collector is a book where we follow Raina, a witch walker and a man, the witch collector. She hates him for what he take from her, but can she keep hate him when they fight again the same enemies?

The map, at the beginning, is interesting. I could not stop reading it. I love how the book is written. The intimacy scene are well written. You immerse yourself completely, when you read it. I pass to all emotion and the day after I finish it, I still think about it. The main character change in a way I didn't see coming. I fall in love with them. The witch collector makes me think about Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) and Aragorn (LOTR). Each chapter, there are surprises.

Thank you to City Owl Press to let me read and review on NetGalley

I really enjoyed this story. I am always looking. For a good fantasy romance and this one definitely delivered.

Every year the Witch Collector comes to bring a witch to the Frost King and they are never seen
Raina is seeking revenge on the Witch Collector for stealing her sister and believes she is ready to kill him this coming season.
The Witch Collector is not exactly what he seems and he is now the only person who can help Raina save her sister.

I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers story- Raina and Alexus have great chemistry. There is also a really interesting world and magic system here. Can’t wait to continue this series.

Just finished The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks, who is a new author for me. It's the start of a new trilogy. There's fantasy and magic, epic battles, a serious baddie, and enemies-to-lovers romance. Alexus is the broody and built Witch Collector who has a lot of history and baggage to his name. Raina is the magical heroine with more power than she first realizes. While they begin as enemies, they come together to fight a common battle and for their homeland. With the help of friends and allies along the way, Alexus and Raina make the first leg of the trek in this book. It is definitely written as a trilogy and the book ends with a lead into the next part of the journey.

I had a chance to read an early copy for review.

The Witch Collector, Witch Walker Book 1, Charissa Weaks

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy

Well, I guess I'm in the minority but though I wanted and expected to love this story I didn't ;-(
Even though Raina is 24 and this is classed as adult fiction it feels almost YA. Now I've enjoyed lots of YA reads, but not all hold my interest and that's what I found here. The actual writing was excellent, but I just felt the story was lacking for me.

I didn't understand Raina's anger, of course she grieves her sister, and the whole village is in a difficult position, but that's what life there is. Somewhere it became accepted that one witch per year was the price they paid. Maybe if I understood more how it happened, about their actual lives, about Raina's background, perhaps if there was less of my pet hate, magical new powers developing just at the right time to avoid crisis, and there is so much unexplained. That kind of continues, Raina develops the right power at the right time, more questions about her background arise than answers, there's lots going on but little being explained, lots of action but little in the way of moving the plot forward. Then again – what is the plot? Raina planned to kill the witch collector and the frost king, but doesn't seem to have through through what would happen then, to her or to her people.
I gave up on the story about 40% in, skimmed to end but it didn't appear to get any more interesting for me so I DNF. I can see others love it, as ever we all have different needs in reading, this didn't suit me but clearly was perfect for others.

Stars: two and a half, I didn't dislike the story, but it didn't hold my attention.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Happy Pub Day to the Witch Collector!

Thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Witch Collector is a 4.5 star read for me!

The Witch Collector is a story about a mute witch, Raina, who is hell bent on getting her sister back from the Frost King and his Witch Collector, Alexus. Alexus takes a witch every harvest moon but this moon Raina is determined to capture him and force him to help her get her sister back. However, things do not go as planned for Raina and she finds herself having to work with the man she despises to get what she wants. She soon finds herself attracted to the man she wanted to kill.

▪️ First off, a mute main character!!! I love this. This detail immediately intrigued me. Raina Bloodgood is mute and has to use sign language not only to communicate but to weave her magic. This is possibly the first time I have come across a mute as the main character. Raina is fierce, strong and independent. However, she is also vulnerable and I love it when she shows that side. In so many books, the female MC is afraid of showing emotion and always stops themselves from crying - even if the situation calls for a normal response such as crying.

▪️ The magic system is interesting! The way the witches work their magic is through singing, which makes wielding magic for Raina more difficult she requires the use of her hands. And each witch wields a certain magic, though others can be learned. The world-building however isn’t completely original as the fictional world of Tiressia, is divided into seasonal lands (sound familiar, SJM fans?)

▪️ ALEXUS! Enter the dark-haired & morally grey love interest. HE IS HOT!!! Oh, and he is not 17 years old - thank the gods!

▪️ There are some similarities to From Blood and Ash and the world of Sarah J Mass, so if you’re a fan of those then add this to your TBR right now! Even if you’re not, I would still recommend this book. It’s fast-paced, has interesting characters and a good story line. The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks is beautifully written - intricately detailing the story of Raina Bloodgood and Alexus Thibault.

This is easily one of my favorite reads of this year. It has good world-building, an interesting magic system, some beautiful descriptions, and compelling characters, whom I feel attached to in a way that I rarely do. The characters feel like real people to me -- like friends, actually: I understand them; my heart breaks for them when they're hurting, and soars for them when they're happy; and I want to keep spending time with them, and to see where their journey leads. I already can't wait for the next installment in this trilogy.

I also have to give the author props for some well done representation: the main character, Raina, is a mute woman who signs, and is not othered. A very refreshing thing to see.

Great read! I love books about witches, and this did not disappoint. I especially liked that Raina wasn't a witch just coming in to her power. She's had it for a while and even though she needs to grow into it, she didn't become all powerful overnight. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this certainly didn't disappoint!

I'm looking forward to reading more in the series, and learn more about some of the other characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for a chance to read and review this book.

The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks was one of my favorite books this year. Thank you Netgalley for the copy!

From the first chapter I could not put this book down. The setting, the characters, and the plot were beyond enticing. Raina does not speak and uses a version of sign language throughout the book, which was so refreshing to read. She was such an awesome protagonist and really a breath of fresh air. Alexus was enticing and fun to read. I loved the sisterly bond between Raina and Nephele too. Absolutely loved this one!

I’d highly recommend this for any fans of Sarah J. Maas.

The Witch Collector took me a while to warm too. First person narrative is not my preference, so it took me awhile to feel invested in the story, since I tend to find first person narrative a bit cheesy when the narrator is telling me there thoughts and feelings. However, once I got used to the style I started to become immersed in the world and the characters of Raina and Alexus. These enemies get thrown together when the world around them falls apart and Raina learns that the hated Witch Collector is not quite on the mission that she first thought. I appreciated Raina's growth here, moving from sheltered young woman to a woman of agency. Alexus was the harder character to get to know since readers don't spend as much time in his head. The push-pull attraction between these two was made more complicated by the hardships of the road - you know, armies chasing you, potential death, big secrets. But never fear, romance readers, we have a fully formed romance here that was quite well done.

Lastly, I also was very intrigued by the peaks into some other characters. Dare we hope for more from them? I love sweeping fantasies with large casts of characters and would not say no to more narrative threads.

This was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed it! I found parts of the world a little confusing at first, but everything became clearer later on. I liked the relationship between the two main characters as well. I also liked that though their relationship was important to the story there was a lot of other things going on as well.

The Witch Collector is the first book in The Witch Walker Trilogy. When I read the blurb I was intrigued and I'm happy to say the book didn't disappoint at all. The start was a bit slow and it took me some time to get sucked into the story but once it did.. Oh boy, what a ride it was. The author creates a fantasy world full of witches, dead gods and powerful magic, but she doesn't feel the need to spend time laying out that world for you. Instead, you discover it as you're reading the book. The magical system was very interesting and I really hope it gets explored further in the books to come. The plot was really great - every important scene led to another, the fighting scenes were amazing, the magic and mythology were interesting... The book was different, entertaining, and kept my attention. And the characters were well developed and very interesting. I loved all of them (especially Raina -she was an amazing heroine) and so much happened to all of them in this book! Also, Alexus is just the best. Rarely do I get the opportunity to read big, scary, alpha-type heroes who don't come across as unnecessarily aggressive in desperate need of a good therapist, not a good girlfriend. But Alexus is exactly what I never knew I wanted out of this kind of hero: he's competent, self-assured and just the right amount protective.
I enjoyed the book very much and I'm really looking forward to the next in this series. I really hope it will get released soon because I did kind of get attached to the characters and I'm looking forward to reading more about them. This book was really great. I highly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARE YOU KIDDING ME

I was excited when I saw an add for this book and even more excited when I got the chance to read it early, my intuition was not wrong

This story begins with a tragedy that spurs Raina on her journey

The witch walker world created in this book is so intricate and interesting without being over complicated

Raina is smart, strong and capable but still learning the truth about the world she lives in

Now Alexus, I LOVE HIM. I love the intensity between him and Raina. Right now their relationship is looking great, but I don’t trust anyone, and I’m a bit nervous for their future

I also love Helena, Rhonin, Colden and Nephele and the fact that some of these characters shared a backstory and connection before Raina met them

There isn’t much spice until the end, but when we do get the spice, it’s good

I’m so anxious to see how this series will continue. I seriously need the next book, I might be crying right now knowing that I have to wait!

*thank you so much to City Owl Press, Charissa Weaks and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review*

Review posted on Goodreads, BookBub and Barnes & Noble(waiting for approval) on 11/01/21

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4316630211

wow , wow , wow, said in my Owen Wilson voice! I LOVED this book...hit just the spot for me and the types of fantasy just cant get enough of! Magic, witches, powerful curses, ancient beings, rough and tumble outsider to save the day, friendships, and a hefty does of heat! Been missing some new Sarah J Mass ?? This is a perfect book for you!!!

The Witch Collector, by Charissa Weaks, was a book I was excited to read, but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this one. The heroine had so much anger and I couldn’t really understand why? And it just seemed to move so slowly, waiting for explanations and something to happen.
It seems I’m in the minority, but I just didn’t enjoy this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

The Witch Collector is the first installment in author Charissa Weaks' The Witch Walker Trilogy. Every Collecting Day, a man known as the Witch Collector rides into the valley of Silver Hollow and leads someone to Winterhold; home of the Frost King where they train to be witch walkers. 8 years ago, 24-year old Raina Bloodgood lost her older sister Nephele to the Witch Collector. The Witch Collector has chosen not to take Raina which allowed her to simmer with anger, and rage, and vowing revenge against him.

But the Witch Collector isn't Raina's only target. She wants revenge on the Frost King who was responsible for taking her sister from her. Removing both from the world would ensure that no more women are taken and ensure that her family is finally reunited. And, thanks to her father, she holds a weapon known as the God Knife which can kill anything. Why should we care about Raina's anger you ask? Raina is a witch without a voice. She communicates with a unique style of American Sign Language which only a few people understand and communicate with her.

But what Raina doesn't understand, is that Alexus Thibault aka Witch Collector, and Colden Moeshka aka the Frost King, want to get Raina to safety since she may hold the key to saving the Kingdom from a very powerful Prince of the East who has broken a long held peace agreement. But before Alexus arrives her Raina's village, he is met by the Prince's hoards, and action ensues. Raina goes from the only witch in the village without a voice, to going on the run and trying to stay ahead of a wild, action packed, life or death run for their lives to stay one step ahead of the Prince, and to hopefully meet with Nephele who is a powerful witch walker.

This story does alternate between Raina and Alexus which makes this book even better because you, as the reader, can get a sense of what is happening and what has happened leading up to Collecting Day. The more time that Raina spends with Alexus, she learns who he really is, and pretty much puts her life in his hands so that he can try to keep her from falling into the powerful Prince's hands which would be a catastrophe. It's not coincidence that I chose to read this around Halloween. The story is action packed with lots of scenes fighting, slow burn enemies to lovers, witches & magic, and villains which scare the crap out of you. As the story unfolds, the expanse of the world is revealed and the politics between the Gods became much clearer which is going to be expanded with the next installment.

This was just absolutely fabulous!

Magical and enchanting with characters you could just die for.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a copy of this book. I cannot wait for the rest of them 5/5

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you City Owl Press) and oh man am I glad I did.

"The Prince of the East and his army will regret that the silent Witch Walker from Silver Hollow lived."

Every year of her life, Raina Bloodgood has watched the Witch Collector come to her village alone and leave with a fellow villager by his side. Six years ago it was her sister, and this year she wants the Witch Collector and his boss, the Frost King, dead.
When something much larger threatens not just Raina's village, but the world, she is forced to work with the man she had planned to murder. To make things even more complicated there is much more to Alexus Thibault than Raina could have ever imagined.

"One touch of his tongue to mine, and nothing else matters but us."

Oh my god. THIS BOOK. I would die for Alexus Thibault and thank him for the opportunity.

Charissa Weaks is an actual genius! I adore every aspect of this book. The world building, the magic and the way it is developed and explained, literally every side character! Raina has to be the first female mc in a long time who doesn't bug me at all, I love her so much and the fact that she is silent and uses their sign language is one of my favourite things.
The mix of fantasy, romance, action, magic and of course a little bit of smut, this book has literally everything I could ask for and the plot was so so clever, I can't wait to get my hands on book 2!!