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shanaqui's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book is a murder mystery, essentially -- actually, several -- and also features more directly obvious magic than in the first book. There are ghouls and ghosts, and Celehar's ability to commune with the dead is also a much bigger part. Inevitably, the various stories come together to some degree, but it doesn't come together in too neat a knot; they aren't all related. (For fellow mystery fans, I have to say that I don't think you can actually work this one out for yourself; we don't have enough information about a particular character to be able to discern their motive, means or opportunity.)
Celehar is just as tortured a character as he seemed from the previous book, and it should be noted that (in this book at least) there's comparatively little comfort for him. There is a short scene where another character does manage to lighten the burden of his conscience, and he also makes a friend... though the friendship -- and the potential that it could be more -- also frightens him, because he isn't over the secret he confesses to Maia in The Goblin Emperor. If you're looking for something that feels as hopeful as The Goblin Emperor, then this isn't it; Celehar is deeply guilty, and though his care for his work and his compassion for the dead are as sincere as Maia's goodness, he is not driven by the same need to be mindful, to be good. He's a very different character, and it gives the book a different mood and flavour.
In a way, this is a mash-up of Addison's other books, The Goblin Emperor and The Angel of the Crows, and I don't love it quite as much as either. I think it suffers somewhat from brevity -- at 275 pages, I was wondering how it could possibly be tied up by 314 pages, and the answer is that a couple of the story threads feel rushed -- but despite that, I liked it a lot.
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
alyshkalia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, and Outing
freakydug'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
4.0
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Homophobia
reebeee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Unfortunately, none of the other characters in the book were quite as vivid as Celeher--even his (potential?) love interest seemed somewhat hollow to me. The plot was also disjointed, focusing on one mystery for an extended period, then seeming to forget about it for another extended period. There wasn't really a through-line anchoring the various plotlines and demonstrating why THIS time in Celehar's life and THESE particular cases were worth writing a book about. The mysteries themselves were also so-so--my pet peeve of mystery stories is when the reader has no chance of figuring out the solution for themselves.
TL;DR: The Witness for the Dead is more of a character study of Celehar than a plot-driven book; it seemed somewhat like a handful of different short stories stitched together. If you loved the characters and themes of The Goblin Emperor and don't mind reading a novel that's more like a modified short story collection, you'll like The Witness for the Dead. Despite my genre-based quibbles, I definitely enjoyed it and will definitely be reading the next book!
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, and Medical content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Outing, Pregnancy, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, Racism, and Gore
qwerty88'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
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual violence
ehmannky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's also nice to see this world from the ground-level. The Goblin of the Emperor (which I think I liked a bit more than this, but they're both gold-star books) is so far above the day to day of this world. This just gives you the insight of everyday goblins and elves and industrial accidents and petty rivalries and teahouses and whatnot. It's just a fun extension of the world building.
I know this is an odd thing to say, but I appreciated that Celehar was busy. Like, he wasn't just a detective on one case. He had a lot of things on his to do list and was tired and exhausted. I feel like it felt like a job (a job that he clearly loved but still a job) more so than most jobs that people work in fiction. Wonderful.
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia
kaisermatthias's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This story also has a very significant use of the "bury your gays" trope, that doesn't feel terribly earned. The tragic backstory is always hinted at, never revealed, and the homophobia of the world at large is never really examined or explained. The 3.5 star rating is for Othala Celehar's largely delightful inner monologue, and the quality of interlacing mystery plots. If this world is revisited a third time, I hope more of the inherent prejudices are examined and challenged by the characters.
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
btrz7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Cannibalism, Death, Homophobia, Murder, Outing, and Suicide