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micheala's review against another edition
4.25
In the present timeline we are following Kai and Zeide as they attempt to deal with all the stuff discussed in the blurb. The past timeline is following Kai (and co.) during the historic war that set up the current political world.
I was equally interested in both timelines, however that did mean that no matter which timeline we were switching to, I didn't want the switch. And because of that feeling, plus the fact that the past timeline felt like it was mainly just being used to flesh out the worldbuilding, rather than dropping hints about the present timeline situation, I would have rather it be a duology situation.
The other main issue I had, was that the timeline itself was unclear. The blurb makes it seem like Kai has been trapped in the prison for a very long time, however you find out right at the beginning that it's only like a year. It also took a very long time to work out how long ago the past timeline was - eventually it gets referenced as being a "mortal lifetime ago", so like 60-100 years? The problem with this, was that it became very unclear on how much information people other than Kai and Zeide had about what happened during The War, which in turn made the political motivations of events hard to keep track of.
All that said, I had a great time reading it, and I wish we were getting more in this world as it has super interesting worldbuilding and characters.
Moderate: Confinement, Blood, Death, Violence, War, and Torture
Minor: Self harm, Genocide, and Slavery
laurareads87's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This novel does a lot of things that I love: multiple timelines used effectively, political intrigue that isn't predictable, wonderful relationship dynamics between characters. It is worth noting that this is not entry-level fantasy - Wells throws the reader into the world with a list of characters and not much else to go on, and the reader must navigate a ton of new terminology (for peoples, organizations, forms of magic, etc.) without any real guidance. The benefit of this is that there is zero 'info-dumping' here. The drawback, I think, is that it can feel a bit hard to get into at the beginning. It's worth it: when it comes together, it's wonderful.
While not the focus of the book, there are ways that gender is addressed that are worth paying attention to -- demons (at least all the ones we meet throughout the book) seem to have fixed gender identities (Kaiisteron is unambiguously 'he' throughout) but may of course occupy any and all kinds of bodies, and the different cultures in this fantasy world do (or don't) distinguish gender in different ways (ex. sometimes dress is a distinguishing factor, sometimes it isn't).
This novel is, as I understand it, written as a standalone and it absolutely works as one: it is self-contained. I will say, though, that given the depth of this world-building, I'd love to see more works by Wells set in this series, whether with this same cast of characters or otherwise.
Content warnings: violence, murder, death, injury detail, war, colonization, forcible confinement, blood, torture
Graphic: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Violence, War, Murder, Blood, and Torture
ehmannky'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: War, Genocide, Self harm, Grief, and Blood
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Violence, Blood, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts
displacedcactus's review
- 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
I find that I'm not as into this sub-genre as I used to be. 10-20 years ago I would probably have loved this book, but now I merely liked it. One thing it has over most of the fantasy I grew up with is that it's delightfully queernormative. Kai's demonic race inhabits human bodies with no apparent preference for their biological sex, maintaining their gender identity regardless of the body they're in. Kai seems specifically attracted only to men; his friend is a woman married to a woman. All of this is treated very matter-of-fact.
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Blood
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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
gondorgirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Blood, Death, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Gore, and Slavery
alienor's review
4.0
I think another complaint readers could voice is related to how *contained* Witch King is. But in the sea of very long series and 800 pages books I just found it so refreshing : I would be very happy if Martha Wells came back to this world later, but as a standalone it works, and I appreciate that she didn't try to do too much.
Finally, Witch King might be a little more emotionally distant than other books I love, but these characters? their relationships? I cared very much all the same, and I'd love to get back to them someday.
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, and Blood
lastblossom's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Densely packed, unique world building with an exciting storyline that drives the narrative more than the characters do.
Thoughts
I initially was a little intimidated when I opened the book and was greeted with a list of names and titles from a world I didn't understand, but the characters are all described as they're introduced, such that I didn't ever need to page back to the list, so I worried for nothing. Martha Wells does an incredible job of fitting a lot of world building into a small space, doling out lore as necessary in a way that still sparks the imagination. And what a world it is! Layers of culture, powers, politics, and history unfold in two separate timelines with a scope that feels like a big adventure. Kai is a fun mix of snarky and competent, with other characters distinct, but not given quite as much attention. Overall, characters and their arcs to take a bit of a backseat to the plot and its mysteries. While this seems like it's probably a standalone book, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing these characters do more with a little more breathing room.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Racism, Murder, Classism, Death, and Blood