Scan barcode
blacksphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is my second Martha Wells book and I can't help but notice their endings both do the same thing - the linchpin of the plot occurs off screen, where no present characters see it, and the audience is told about it afterward - and if this continues to be a pattern in her writing I don't know how many more books of hers I'm going to wind up reading.
However... This one is so full of heart with such a unique world that I'm wrestling with the rating. I think it's a little too much, with all its rich cultures and three different magic systems (and all the various Fantasy Words used to describe them), but I can't fault her for having a big and varied world? The danmei influence upon this work is powerful and welcomed. But the actual plot is so thin. "Nothing really happened, but it was beautiful and made me feel a spark of hope" is such a hard thing to assign a number between 1 and 5 to.
However... This one is so full of heart with such a unique world that I'm wrestling with the rating. I think it's a little too much, with all its rich cultures and three different magic systems (and all the various Fantasy Words used to describe them), but I can't fault her for having a big and varied world? The danmei influence upon this work is powerful and welcomed. But the actual plot is so thin. "Nothing really happened, but it was beautiful and made me feel a spark of hope" is such a hard thing to assign a number between 1 and 5 to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Torture, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Death, Child death, Murder, Confinement, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Grief, Genocide, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol
hailstorm3812's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
I was dubious about this at first since it's a big tonal leap from Murderbot and a lot of worldbuilding to get into, but I am glad I stuck it out because I really ended up liking it. I ended up really attached to the characters and wouldn't mind returning to this world. There is really something to the concept of a group of immortals being glued together by a human who's gone now, which isn't the main plot but rests just below the surface the entire time. It got to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Confinement
Moderate: Gore, Death, Colonisation, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Murder, and Grief
ruthlessreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Lots of interesting things about this book but, as a whole, it didn't really stand out to me in the fantasy genre. I found the story dragging, despite my initial interest in the characters and the world that was being built. I didn't fully understand what was going on until about halfway through the book. I don't normally stick around that long if I'm not feeling a story but I really like this author so I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Overall, I did enjoy it and there were some events at the end of the story that made the narrative much more interesting but, ultimately, I wish it had been constructed differently or not been quite so long. I *would* read another book in this world but maybe I'd prefer it as a novella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, War, Confinement, Colonisation, Violence, Kidnapping, Genocide, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Child death, Grief, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Violence, Blood, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Death, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Slavery
saltycoffee's review
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, Colonisation, Classism, Kidnapping, Slavery, Torture, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Confinement, Death, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Blood
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
If you're in the mood for a basic fantasy story, this will suit. It's got a lot of different races of people and styles of magic. The story has some elements of being a political fantasy and a mystery. The main characters are pretty likable, and the villains are pretty easy to dislike. I never got super invested in the story, I never felt like I had a complete understanding of the world, and I never connected fully with the main characters, but I also didn't have any real issues and the reading experience was pleasant. Unrelated to the plot, it became a bit of an inside joke with myself how often the author described what people were wearing. The context is totally different, but I found it amusing because it reminded me of reading YA romance novels.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Slavery, and Confinement
obscurepages's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
AFTER TWO WEEKS?!? I finally finished a book ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚
Okay this was good?? But it wasn't too mind-blowing, but also I wanted more??
I loved the world-building, and I loved the action. But because this is such a plot-driven novel, I feel like the characterization lacked for me? And that's a bit of waste because the characters are awesome and I loved reading about them. Sanja?? Dahin?? Tahren and Zeide?? And the tension or whatever between Bashasa and Kai?? Would have loved to read more about those 😆
Still, this is a solid book, a complex and rich SFF novel. For sure I need to read more from Martha Wells.
Okay this was good?? But it wasn't too mind-blowing, but also I wanted more??
I loved the world-building, and I loved the action. But because this is such a plot-driven novel, I feel like the characterization lacked for me? And that's a bit of waste because the characters are awesome and I loved reading about them. Sanja?? Dahin?? Tahren and Zeide?? And the tension or whatever between Bashasa and Kai?? Would have loved to read more about those 😆
Still, this is a solid book, a complex and rich SFF novel. For sure I need to read more from Martha Wells.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and War
gondorgirl's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Gore, and Slavery
brianneh's review
adventurous
challenging
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
4.0
Witch King starts off with a bang that really draws you in. We immediately meet the Witch King, Kai, a demon who is able to switch his consciousness into other bodies. He wakes after being murdered, imprisoned in an underwater trap with his friend Ziede. Neither of them know what happened to leave them trapped, so we follow them as they try to find the other members of their group and puzzle out what happened. The story is told in two timelines, one in the present and one from Kai’s past.
The world building is intricate and lovely, but it is dense. There’s a lot to parse through and remember as you read. Wells definitely does not spoon-feed the lore to her readers, and it can be confusing at points. There is a listing of all the people in the story at the front, but I think this book might have also benefitted from a quick explanation of the different places/groups, as I found those much more difficult to keep track of.
The characters are all very lovable in my opinion, but Kai and Ziede are my favorites. Their humor and banter is great and I found myself laughing out loud at a few of Ziede’s lines.
I really hope this is the start of a series, as there are still many unanswered questions and characters to be explored. I’d like to read more about all of the character’s pasts in general. If it is going to be a series, I will definitely continue reading more from this world!
I received this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I received this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence