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kal517's review against another edition
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Gore, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, and Racism
achingallover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Violence, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, War, and Racism
kittalia's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Murder and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Racism
reebeee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
The worldbuilding is excellent, and Addison really shows her skill in constructing a geography--you could probably make a map of Amalo based on the various descriptions and directions given throughout the book. Celehar is also vividly characterized. The driving force of the book his is character, after all, and most of my investment in finishing the book stemmed from my hope to see things work out for him. The themes of the book are similar to those of The Goblin Emperor: introspection, belief in a Good despite a lot of bad around you, sadness and hope mingled.
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, and Medical content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Outing, Pregnancy, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, Racism, and Gore
kaisermatthias's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I adored getting to spend more time with this character, and the story is well-built. Because the language and forms of address in this world are so specific, I kept tripping over half-remembering ways the words should be said, and what the various forms of address mean. Including the language information from Goblin Emperor would have been welcome, and is enough of a stumbling block that I cannot recommend picking this book up if you've not already read The Goblin Emperor.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
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