Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Witch King by Martha Wells

3 reviews

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

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. 

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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

uranaishi's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Colonisation, Racism, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Genocide, Physical abuse, Stalking, Xenophobia, Slavery, Abandonment, Grief, Police brutality, Murder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Excrement, Pregnancy, Ableism, Alcohol, and Classism