The Witch Collector

At the edge of Frostwood Forest lies the magical hamlet of Silver Hollow, where each year, on the harvest moon, the Witch Collector chooses a young witch to take back with him to Winterhold. The chosen will serve the Frost King and will never be seen again. For eight years, Raina Bloodgood has mourned the collection of her elder sister, and her grief has simmered into an angry plot to end the Frost King’s tyranny and reunite her family. But on the day that she has prepared her father’s secret blade, The God Knife, to enact her defiance against the Witch Collector’s arrival, the Frost King’s northern kingdom is invaded by a barbarous horde more terrifying than Raina could have imagined. With her village burning to ashes around her, Raina must decide whether she can do the unthinkable. Can she save her enemy and trust him to reunite her with Nephele?

“The Witch Collector” is astoundingly well written. Rich descriptions, vibrantly frosty world-building, and vividly imagined heroes and villains radiate off these pages. Raina is uniquely voiceless, but by signing magic with her hands, she not only overcomes, she flourishes. Readers will be entranced by Raina and her companions’ gripping quest to reach the Frost King’s stronghold while thwarting magical foes lurking in every shadow. Twists and turns bring new surprises. Enemies may not be enemies, and friends may be hiding secrets, too. Romance is seamlessly interwoven with the action, like steam billowing through a winter snowscape. From small beginnings, everything builds towards a riveting climax. Worthy of more than five stars! Fans of fantasy and epic quests will love this!

Joan Lai