Reviews tagging 'War'

Witch King by Martha Wells

64 reviews

artstitute's review

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I thought Bashat and Bashasa were the same person for an embarrassingly long time. "Oh but it says Bashasa is dead in the present timeline—" Yeah. I know. And yet!!
That aside — loved it! Martha Wells never misses. I love her sf and I loved this too. Lovable characters as always, and (Bashat/Bashasa notwithstanding) I think she did a commendable job maintaining two timelines while also telling a consistent and not-confusing story. The way that past and present events were linked made the timeline fairly easy to follow without it feeling too much like she was holding the reader's hand. 
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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Plot: 4★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.75★
Concept/Execution: 4★/5★
Characters: 4.5★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 4.25★
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arebe's review

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

While the world building was overly complex and the plot feels a bit unoriginal, this was an enjoyable read for the charming characters. It is very much like Murderbot in a fantasy setting. 
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lbelow's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

I enjoyed this book, especially the parts in the present. The magic system felt unique and complex, which is something difficult to find in fantasy these days. The world also felt full in ways that made me want to explore further. I'll definitely be re-reading this in the future. 

The only reason I'm not giving it a higher rating is the flashbacks. Don't get me wrong, they were entertaining enough, but ultimately the book could be read without them without losing context. In other words: they didn't add to the story. 
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persephonefoxx's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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gabrielle_reads_a_lot's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious

5.0

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silea's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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chris_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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alisonvh's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not sure I should have listened to this one on audio. There’s so much world building and jumping back and forth in time that I had a hard time keeping track of the plot and all the different characters.

That said, once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. It’s fast paced, action packed, smart, and had me laughing out loud throughout the book. All things at which Martha Wells excels.
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emzhay's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Definitely enjoyed this book, but I felt quite detached from it all. I like dual timeline, but couldn’t quite connect with the characters. They had likeable personalities, but I never felt like I got to know them. We saw the beginning and “beginning of the end” of their storylines. There’s a good bit of character from KaiEnna since the book is told from his perspective, but I still felt detached from his journey as a reader. 

The writing itself is lovely and atmospheric. I listened to the audiobook and the sentences flowed together nicely. I liked the world and world building, but sometimes the infodumps got to be a bit too long and some of the politics got lost within it all. I’m not sure if this is standalone, but I wouldn’t mind reading more from this world and these characters. 
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