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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
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
crownoflaurel's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide
Moderate: Murder, Confinement, and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Child death
lastblossom's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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
tl;dr
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Racism, Murder, Classism, Death, and Blood
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
ezwolf'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? It's complicated
5.0
The Murderbot Diaries is one of my favorite series and I will admit to loving fantasy just a bit more than sci-fi so when I found out about this book I was incredibly excited!
I really loved all of the characters. The way that Kai and Ziede just immediately adopt both Sanja and Tenes was fantastic. Sanja is exactly the kind of child I think is so entertaining to be taken in by the main character and the dynamic betwen her and Kai and Ziede was so funny.
Of course this book was even better for its inclusion of queer relationships and the way that gender and names are used. This book takes advantage of its own world building by releasing characters from a strict gender binary which I think is something a lot of fantasy suffers from not doing. Saredi + demon culture was so interesting and I would have loved to learn even more.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
I really loved all of the characters. The way that Kai and Ziede just immediately adopt both Sanja and Tenes was fantastic. Sanja is exactly the kind of child I think is so entertaining to be taken in by the main character and the dynamic betwen her and Kai and Ziede was so funny.
Of course this book was even better for its inclusion of queer relationships and the way that gender and names are used. This book takes advantage of its own world building by releasing characters from a strict gender binary which I think is something a lot of fantasy suffers from not doing. Saredi + demon culture was so interesting and I would have loved to learn even more.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Dysphoria, and Colonisation
trippyotter's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An epic start to a genderfluid high fantasy full of rebellion uprising, betrayal, and adventure.
The Witch King takes you through the past as our present-day characters set forth to find their missing friends and discover who betrayed them.
My only wish would have been further progression in the present storyline, but with a complex world and history, I'm not sure that would have been possible. I can't wait to see what lays ahead of our characters as the story progresses.
The Witch King takes you through the past as our present-day characters set forth to find their missing friends and discover who betrayed them.
My only wish would have been further progression in the present storyline, but with a complex world and history, I'm not sure that would have been possible. I can't wait to see what lays ahead of our characters as the story progresses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death