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ethuiliel's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The story was great, and the characters were compelling. I did have terrible keeping track of people and places though. Too many unfamiliar words. A glossary like there was in The Goblin Emperor would have helped
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Death, Murder, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Body horror, and Outing
Minor: Rape, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Medical content, and Pregnancy
pvbobrien's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, Suicide, Body horror, Blood, and Death
Minor: Outing, Classism, Vomit, and Pregnancy
shanaqui's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
I don't love this book as much as I love The Goblin Emperor, but that would be very difficult, and there is a lot to love about this book all the same. It follows Thara Celehar, and has very little to do with the first book, except in expanding what Celehar does and showing us his witnessing first hand. It also expands the world far beyond the court, so that we get to see how ordinary people live and interact -- a thing which Maia will never, ever see, and which I think he would find fascinating.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
alyshkalia's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, and Outing
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
btrz7's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism, Death, Homophobia, Murder, Outing, and Suicide
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