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July 28, 2015

Review: Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda

by Donna Huber



Hollywood Witch Hunter
First Chapter, First Paragraph

There are two types of people in Hollywood: the hunted and the hunters.
Iris Maria Bently was born to be a Hunter.
She always knew her family was different. Not just because they lived in a lavish mansion in the Hollywood Hills, or because they were always rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. But because of the many secrets surrounding her family's business.
What kind of secrets exactly? Nothing she could pinpoint. Just lots of whispers behind locked doors, echoes of screams, and the occasional lifeless body marked with a silver star that would have left most children with nightmares. But not Iris.


The Review

I was looking for a fluffy read and I thought Hollywood Witch Hunter would be something my niece would read so I decided to try it for myself. Unfortunately, it a little too cheesy for me and it wound up just being a long, painful read.

It looked a little like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I loved the television show.

I was a bit concerned about the messages this book would send to impressionable girls. First, Iris is a high school drop out. Second,females in general are portrayed in less than spectacular light in this book. The witches, who are supposedly the bad "guys" are all female who are shallow, only concerned about their looks and wealth. Then there are the Hunters, who are supposedly the good guys. There has never been a female hunter until Iris. Only men have the gene to be a hunter. And finally there are the Hunter wives who are just to do the biding of their husbands.
Iris was never allowed to discuss hunter business with her mother. For the most part, her mom's knowledge of the witch-hunting world was limited. Like all Hunters' wives, she knew witches were a threat that needed to be eliminated, but not much else. If she ever learned more than was deemed necessary, she would be subjects to an Idas spell, wiping her memory clean and planting a new one.
Iris hated how often her mother's mind was altered, but Hunters' wives knew exactly what they'd gotten themselves into. Apparently, they considered it an honor just to be married to a Hunter... (Chapter 4)
There were some plot inconsistencies which really caused me to be pulled out of the story. But this was an ARC so I can hope they were cleared up in the final product. The reading level was little lower than what I usually read in young adult, but I know there is a need for that.

My biggest problems though were with the characters. Their interactions felt stilted and awkward. I wish Iris had been a bit smarter. For all the "superior"genes hunters are suppose to have, intelligence isn't one of those traits. Or maybe she just has too much blind loyalty. I would have liked for her to have a defining moment of what she believed. She came close at the end, but I still think if her mom, dad, or another hunter gave her an explanation she would just go along with it. She did with Silos, Helmer, even Levana.

The plot threads felt like a jumble mess to me most of the time. I could not lose myself in the story. I'm sure there will be kids that eat this up because they will not be over thinking the story and just go with it at face value (much like the character Iris did with everything through the story).

Buy Hollywood Witch Hunter at Amazon


Book info:
available formats: ebook (232 pages)
published: July 2015 by Bloomsbury Spark
genres: fantasy
audience: young adult
source: Netgalley




A free egalley was provided for this review. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.





10 comments:

  1. You know, I usually like witch books, but then I also like the witches to be the good guys. I'd have to think about this one.

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    1. That was another reason I was drawn to the book. I like witch books but they are always good (unless there is a rogue witch). I'm not so sure all the witches are the bad guys in this series. From the setup in this first book, it seems that maybe the Hunters group has been corrupted.

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  2. I don't know if this one is for me, but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for sharing, and here's mine: “DUNE ROAD”

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  3. This isn't a genre I enjoy, so I wouldn't pick it up. Sorry it was a disappointment to you.
    My Tuesday post features a classic: OF HUMAN BONDAGE.

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  4. How disappointing! I enjoy a good book about witches. YA is hit and miss with me as it is, and it sounds like this book has issues in several different regards.

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  5. This isn't the kind of book I tend to read but I am sure others might like it.

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  6. The first sentence made me think the story had potential. Sorry it didn't pan out for you.

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  7. This one doesn't really sound like it is for me. Sorry you didn't enjoy it more.

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  8. I always knew Hollywood was different, lol. Looks like an interesting one.

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  9. This sounds disappointing despite a potentially good premise. Not one for me!

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