Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Witch King by Martha Wells

73 reviews

kkulhannie's review

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Death, Forced institutionalization, and War

Moderate: Trafficking, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Confinement, Genocide, Violence, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

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. 

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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 was

between 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, when

she helped him bury his former body.

Ziede is very cool but I feel like for a main character she was a little underdeveloped.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Genocide, Violence, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Child death

laurel616's review

adventurous 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

4.25

I had a really good time reading this book, but I will admit at the end I was a little disappointed.  It really felt like not much had happened.  It looks like this is a standalone, but reads as if it's the start of a series.  
I would definitely enjoy spending more time with some of the characters we saw less of, and I really liked the world we were in.  But this book left me wanting more, despite how much I prefer standalones.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: War and Death

petrel's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Kidnapping, and Self harm

zachisreading's review

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.75

The Witch King is the kind of book I avoided finishing because I didn't want it to be over. The characters grew such immense personality it was tough to say goodbye. 

Martha Wells, perhaps best known for the Murderbot Diaries has an incredible talent for writing unique fantasy worlds. In the Witch King she balances the magic system expertly between "makes sense" and "inexplicable." In fact, the entire book keeps the reader on that same razor's edge. Fictional politics make sense, but you struggle to figure out each player's end game, or even who the player  are. Each turn between past and present shifts your understanding just a bit more. And by the end you're twisted around this masterfully crafted tale of geopolitics, betrayal, and found family. 

It is important to say that the twists in this don't feel like twists. It is not that  the narrator is attempting to deceive but that they were deceived or there was no deception but simply an unseen perspective. The story doesn't seek out irony but sincerity to obfuscate in a way that cements Martha Wells further in my recommendations for anyone looking to explore modern literature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

stephaniemcuervo's review

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, War, Violence, Genocide, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, Grief, and Kidnapping

briely's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Genocide

Minor: Body horror 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.

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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

msawyer77'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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence