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norspider's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Definitely building toward something!
Witch King is full of multidimensional characters in a fleshed-out world. The magic system is unique and leads to several powerful characters. There is also a great amount care given to under-represented people.
But there's no conclusion! This is obviously meant to be the beginning of a series, and there's nothing wrong with that. But books, all books in any series, should still have a complete narrative in themselves. Witch King fails in this regard. That said, it does a wonderful job introducing this world, and I will absolutely continue this adventure.
Witch King is full of multidimensional characters in a fleshed-out world. The magic system is unique and leads to several powerful characters. There is also a great amount care given to under-represented people.
But there's no conclusion! This is obviously meant to be the beginning of a series, and there's nothing wrong with that. But books, all books in any series, should still have a complete narrative in themselves. Witch King fails in this regard. That said, it does a wonderful job introducing this world, and I will absolutely continue this adventure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Slavery, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
skudiklier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.75
The only Martha Wells I've read is the Murderbot series, and in a lot of ways this was quite different from that, so I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. And honestly there was a period in the beginning where I was worried I wouldn't like the book and thought about DNFing. But I'm glad I stuck with it because in the end I really enjoyed it.
You just sort of land in the middle of things without a lot of context in the beginning, so it can be hard to follow, especially with the time jumps. But I think it all came together really well and I cared about the characters and was engaged in the story. That said, I do think if I hadn't been reading an audiobook, I would have struggled more. It probably would have taken me a lot longer to read it.
All in all I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested, especially if you like Wells's writing or if you like fantasy more broadly. However, if you're just looking for more Murderbot, you might be disappointed. I wasn't though, and I'm glad I read it.
You just sort of land in the middle of things without a lot of context in the beginning, so it can be hard to follow, especially with the time jumps. But I think it all came together really well and I cared about the characters and was engaged in the story. That said, I do think if I hadn't been reading an audiobook, I would have struggled more. It probably would have taken me a lot longer to read it.
All in all I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested, especially if you like Wells's writing or if you like fantasy more broadly. However, if you're just looking for more Murderbot, you might be disappointed. I wasn't though, and I'm glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Genocide
Moderate: Grief, Child death, and Slavery
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
The worldbuilding is very thick, so much so that even on a reread i haven't grasped all of it. Despite that I had a lovely time reading this book again, and found myself quite captivated, especially by the storyline set in the past. The main character Kai is so compelling and i love both his arcs.
My favourite relationship wasbetween Kai and Bashasa, who have this very fun desperate allies to mutual respect to tender friendship to possibly future lovers dynamic.
Kai and Ziede I didn't really care for until late in the book, whenshe helped him bury his former body.
Ziede is very cool but I feel like for a main character she was a little underdeveloped.
My favourite relationship was
Kai and Ziede I didn't really care for until late in the book, when
Ziede is very cool but I feel like for a main character she was a little underdeveloped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Genocide, Violence, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
softanimal's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Confinement
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
I liked the general plot and the characters (Martha Wells makes such compelling characters), but the worldbuilding is a lot to try and memorise as you read. I feel like if I reread this and made graphs and diagrams as I went, I'd enjoy it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Genocide, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Self harm
roseleebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I first discovered Martha Wells through her book The Wizard Hunters. Since then I've hoped she would return to fantasy writing as that series was so beautifully written and her characters so likeably flawed. This book gave me the same feeling of discovering a world and characters that would stay with me long after I finished reading.
The story centers on Kai, a demon who has built a family in the world above the Underearth. The narrative includes both the present - in which Kai and his close friend Zeide wake up in an underwater prison - and the past when Kai first met Zeide, Tahren, and Bashasa. It's ultimately a book about keeping promises to those we love, told via a cleverly paced journey through a well-crafted world. I appreciate that Wells doesn't spend excessive time on explanations that wouldn't fit with the character's experience of the world. As a reader it takes a little more attention and intuiting but helps the story flow more smoothly.
My only wish for this book was that there was more of it. I would love another novel in the same world that followed some of the other characters introduced here. Regardless, this book is fantastic as a stand alone and will be on my reread list along with Wells' Ile-rien series.
The story centers on Kai, a demon who has built a family in the world above the Underearth. The narrative includes both the present - in which Kai and his close friend Zeide wake up in an underwater prison - and the past when Kai first met Zeide, Tahren, and Bashasa. It's ultimately a book about keeping promises to those we love, told via a cleverly paced journey through a well-crafted world. I appreciate that Wells doesn't spend excessive time on explanations that wouldn't fit with the character's experience of the world. As a reader it takes a little more attention and intuiting but helps the story flow more smoothly.
My only wish for this book was that there was more of it. I would love another novel in the same world that followed some of the other characters introduced here. Regardless, this book is fantastic as a stand alone and will be on my reread list along with Wells' Ile-rien series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Genocide
Moderate: Slavery and War
Minor: Child death
geekmom's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I liked this, and also had a hard time keeping all the characters and political factions straight. Having said that, Martha Wells’s complex and original world building is very much in evidence here and made me curious to experience more stories about the people and places in Witch King. The ending suggests there could be a sequel, which I would definitely enjoy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Child death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Abandonment and Child abuse
artstitute's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Death, and War
Moderate: Blood and Torture
Minor: Body horror and Child death
silea's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Murder, Child death, Slavery, Genocide, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Self harm
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