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bookcheshirecat's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
2.5
“I am not the golden goose. I am more like an actual goose, hissing and honking and attacking small children who just want to give me bread.”
➽ I finally ended up reading The Witch King! I've had this book on my TBR for so long. The story follows Wyatt, a witch who ended up fleeing his arranged engagement and is now hiding in the human world. After his fiance finds him, he's forced to go back to the Fae, who treat his kind like outcasts. I liked the general idea of this setup so much that this book made it on to my anticipated releases list. There was potential in this story, especially as it discusses Wyatt's feeling of being other both as a witch and a trans boy who doesn't fit into the rigid bioessential expectations of the fae. While he was messy, I liked him for the most part, as he was the most interesting character in the story! Unfortunately, I didn't end up liking much else about The Witch King, which was a big disappointment for me!
➽ The romance didn't work for me at all. It's a soulbond, arranged (more like forced) marriage type of relationship which can always be a hit or miss. I didn't like how it was executed here and thought that Emyr's and Wyatt's relationship was unhealthy. They weren't good for each other, something the story even somewhat acknowledged, but in the end, it's what 'makes them perfect for each other'. The beginning of the story is already iffy as it consists of Emyr hunting down Wyatt and forcing him to come back to the Fae to fulfil the marriage. He threatens and blackmails Wyatt, so he doesn't have much of a choice as Emyr promises to keep hunting him down if he flees. The way he talked about Wyatt like he was a pawn was so uncomfortable. He's literally like 'because I might lose the throne, you have to marry me and carry my babies' without considering if this is what Wyatt wants, especially now that he has come out as trans. Emyr immediately makes a bad impression with how he decides everything for Wyatt and then has the gall to say that Wyatt came willingly. He was trying too hard to absolve himself of any lingering guilt by insisting Wyatt find happiness with the Fae.
➽ It was so icky how he kept saying he wouldn't let Wyatt go (so he's basically a prisoner) and use their marriage contract against him. It didn't help that the contract kills whoever breaks it. The whole situation was so iffy and uncomfortable. How am I supposed to root for Emyr as a love interest when he manipulates Wyatt into fulfilling the marriage and point-blank admits to killing him if he attempts to escape? The fact that Emyr has a one-sided soul bond with Wyatt was even worse. Their meant to be the perfect genetic match, but Wyatt can't even feel the bond, so it's just strange. The second half of the story wasn't as bad, because we learn more about Emyr and he stops being so overbearing. However, it was difficult to reconcile his earlier actions and believe he genuinely cared about Wyatt beyond the bond. Everything was just too messy for me and I wish the author had deconstructed the soulmates trope!
➽ I didn't get along with the writing style. It utilized too much modern slang, including memes and phrases that sound like they come straight from a Tumblr post. I enjoy pop-culture references and the occasional modern slang, especially in an Urban Fantasy book. However, the Witch King was oversaturated with these kinds of references to the point that it made me cringe. The writing itself could have been much better if it hadn't tried so hard to sound cool.
➽ I also wasn't invested in the plot itself. I appreciated the discussion of many real-life issues, coupled with the in-universe discrimination of witches. However, everything was so heavy-handed and lacked any subtlety. I wish the author had trusted the readers to understand what was being said. Unfortunately, the book ended up sounding preachy instead and I think it would have been better if it had focused on fewer topics but then done so more in-depth. There was definitely potential in the Witch King, but combined with the writing, it missed the mark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Police brutality, Dysphoria, and War
kbirdie's review
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
asahome's review against another edition
3.5
Two people struggle with the balance of power their relationship has been built on. They must decide how they will allow the expectations of others to determine their course.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Deadnaming, Gore, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
kybrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
rmperezpadilla's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug use and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment
abarnakwn_ourcolourfulpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content
buttermellow's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infertility, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Minor: Deadnaming and Death
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
3.25
I thought the Witch King was an interesting take on the Fae and how they usually appear in fantasy novels.
Overall, I thought it was a fun story even though I had some issues with it.
First, I enjoyed that queerness was present and centered throughout the entire book and that it wasn’t added on or minimized like in other fantasy novels. I thought the magic system and the Fae’s origin was really interesting and it’s something I hope to read more about. I also really enjoyed the characters, I thought Emyr and Wyatt were so cute together and I adored Wyatt’s friendship with Briar. Although there were times that I felt that the story would have been better if the characters, especially Wyatt and Emyr were in their 20s instead of high school age but it didn’t bother me that much.
I did have some issues with the writing style and narrative. There were times where I thought the dialogue/Wyatt’s inner monologue were too juvenile for my taste, and it came off as very fanfic-y. It wasn’t necessarily what they were saying but rather the way in which they were saying it. A lot of the language used was so Gen Z/Tiktok slang and meme language and at times it was kind of irritating like it just took me out of the story. And I felt that the author tended to over-explain the symbolism, like most people should be able to see the parallels between transphobia and queerness with how the witches were treated in the fae world, but the author decided to literally spell it out for us. In regards to the plot (other than it was kind of a generic YA fantasy at times) I felt that the pacing was off sometimes and I thought the ending was rather rushed, especially with Wyatt and Emyr’s third act break-up and reconciliation (hate hate hate that trope). I still think it’s worth a read, it’s nice to have a queer fantasy that subverts a lot of the popular tropes in the genre. I do hope the next book will be stronger than this one, as I think the characters and story concept are really interesting.
Overall, I thought it was a fun story even though I had some issues with it.
First, I enjoyed that queerness was present and centered throughout the entire book and that it wasn’t added on or minimized like in other fantasy novels. I thought the magic system and the Fae’s origin was really interesting and it’s something I hope to read more about. I also really enjoyed the characters, I thought Emyr and Wyatt were so cute together and I adored Wyatt’s friendship with Briar. Although there were times that I felt that the story would have been better if the characters, especially Wyatt and Emyr were in their 20s instead of high school age but it didn’t bother me that much.
I did have some issues with the writing style and narrative. There were times where I thought the dialogue/Wyatt’s inner monologue were too juvenile for my taste, and it came off as very fanfic-y. It wasn’t necessarily what they were saying but rather the way in which they were saying it. A lot of the language used was so Gen Z/Tiktok slang and meme language and at times it was kind of irritating like it just took me out of the story. And I felt that the author tended to over-explain the symbolism, like most people should be able to see the parallels between transphobia and queerness with how the witches were treated in the fae world, but the author decided to literally spell it out for us. In regards to the plot (other than it was kind of a generic YA fantasy at times) I felt that the pacing was off sometimes and I thought the ending was rather rushed, especially with Wyatt and Emyr’s third act break-up and reconciliation (hate hate hate that trope). I still think it’s worth a read, it’s nice to have a queer fantasy that subverts a lot of the popular tropes in the genre. I do hope the next book will be stronger than this one, as I think the characters and story concept are really interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Transphobia, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
hilmi's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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
4.25
This is an excellent book overall. The plot and world building is enjoyable though the magic system was... Meh? And that's important to me. Some twists I didn't see coming (at least not fully) kept the book interesting throughout. The world building could have been more thorough as well.
Even though I'm always attempting to be an ally, sometimes the outright anger to/hate for cisgender or straight-identifying characters made me have a visceral reaction and I almost dropped the book because I wasn't in the mood to absorb the anger. Then I realized: a) that's a privilege (that I can choose not to be angry) and maybe it would be worth working through my aversion - and it was worth it; and b) historically, trans characters in particular and lgbtq characters at large have been depicted in pretty vile ways so turnabout is fair play.
So, come for the good fiction and the feels.
Even though I'm always attempting to be an ally, sometimes the outright anger to/hate for cisgender or straight-identifying characters made me have a visceral reaction and I almost dropped the book because I wasn't in the mood to absorb the anger. Then I realized: a) that's a privilege (that I can choose not to be angry) and maybe it would be worth working through my aversion - and it was worth it; and b) historically, trans characters in particular and lgbtq characters at large have been depicted in pretty vile ways so turnabout is fair play.
So, come for the good fiction and the feels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Sexual harassment
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings: Transphobia, deadnaming, sexual harassment, sexual assault, fire death/fire injury, violence, child abuse, and mention of infertility and miscarriages.
I've been meaning to read this book since it's release and I'm so glad I finally did! We get found family, being true to yourself, romance, soulmates, and so much more. I'm looking forward to reading book two and for them both to be available in paperback so I can buy and annotate my own copies 🥰
I've been meaning to read this book since it's release and I'm so glad I finally did! We get found family, being true to yourself, romance, soulmates, and so much more. I'm looking forward to reading book two and for them both to be available in paperback so I can buy and annotate my own copies 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, and Miscarriage
Minor: Pregnancy