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zachisreading's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Gore and Violence
stephaniemcuervo's review
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gore, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
briely's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Body horror and Confinement
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
msawyer77's review
- 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
Minor: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Self harm, Violence, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
roseleebooks's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Genocide and Violence
Moderate: Slavery and War
Minor: Child death
scrubsandbooks's review
- 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
4.5
This book felt more like an introduction to this world and to the political turmoil that is likely to play a huge role in the main character's future. While I don't see an indication on storygraph that it would be part of a series, the ending does set up a sort of an opening for a sequel and I am hoping it is because while a lot happens, it is still set up to read like a beginning of something bigger than what was in this book.
It is a pretty heavy info-packed book and it might take some tries to get into but when I stuck to it, I found the characters to be a whole mood ("I don't need rest, I'm fueled by spite"). Kai is straight up Le Tired, and Ziede wants to find her wife -- a relationship, by the way, that you get to see blossom in almost a mini arc between the two weaving timelines. The one is definitely worth a reread and I see it approaching the same level of "epic fantasy" as a lot of great ones published in the past.
Graphic: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Genocide
Minor: Slavery
scifi_rat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.75★
Concept/Execution: 4★/5★
Characters: 4.5★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 4.25★
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Abandonment
atompomb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Murder
lbelow's review against another edition
4.0
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.
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture, Kidnapping, and War