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bookwormbi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Before I start, I would just like to say: afab people using binders, do NOT use a binder the way Wyatt does. He contemplated sleeping in one and I nearly had a stroke. Don't sleep in your binder, don't exercise in your binder, don't wear it for more than 8 hours, take it off if it starts to hurt. Be safe.
Normally when I like a book, I don't bother with a super detailed review, because I'm lazy. In light of the extremely mixed reviews on this one, however, I've decided to take a different approach. THE WITCH KING isn't for everyone. It's unabashedly queer, it's written in the voice of a terminally online abuse survivor who's difficult to love at times, and the humor can be a little--to quote some of the 1 star reviews--cringe.
All that being said, I ADORED this book.
I think if you were raised on MG/YA books like Percy Jackson, like I was, you may have been a little spoiled. Despite all the magical bullshit and no therapy, Percy and his friends remained lovable, relatable, quirky kids we could find ourselves in. Wyatt is not that guy. I didn't really start to like him until about 70-80% of the way through, and even then, it was frustrating to keep reading in his pov because it was so clear that his dynamic with Briar was not sustainable and that Emyr loved him, but he wasn't doing what he needed to do to get better. But that's life, isn't it? You go through some terrible shit, and sometimes you don't rise above. The self-hatred makes you a worse person, unable to see what's in front of you, unable to see who you are and what you can do. And so, you lash out. You make the wrong choices. You depend on other people to take care of you when you really need to take care of yourself.
To tell the truth, I think a lot of the reason I didn't like Wyatt at first is that he reminded me too much of me. Not the parts of myself that I like, not the parts of me that are lovable and relatable and quirky. The hard parts. The parts of me that build codependent friendships and push away love and make deals with the devil. I read to escape that, not to confront it. I think it speaks to Edgmon's skill as a writer that even though I didn't like Wyatt most of the time I was reading this book, I got him, and I wanted to know what would happen to him next. Moreover, I think Edgmon deliberately putting forward a difficult protagonist (and admitting that he felt very close to this character!) speaks to their courage. It would have been far easier (and probably more profitable) to write a story with a bland, vaguely likable protagonist in which the heroes upheld the status quo and saved the monarchy. That's not what Edgmon chose to write, and I'm immensely grateful. By the end of the novel, Wyatt has conquered (most of) his demons and made a commitment to love and to be better, and while it was a long journey to that point, I'm so happy to have been a part of that. I really think Edgmon is going places. With everything going on in the world right now, we need writers who encourage their readers to heal themselves and dismantle these systems in the process.
And they did it so well! My jaw was on the floor when Spoiler he revealed that Briar was part-witch and had opened the door to Faerie. I truly think that was some of the most masterful writing in the book. Wyatt's voice contributed so much to the effectiveness of that twist: he thinks of Briar as this perfect angel who can do no wrong, as a fragile human he needs to protect, and so we as the audience are lulled into this way of thinking along with him. The illusion breaks, and we see her, really see her, at the same time he does. Absolutely fantastic. THIS is the kind of writing I want to see from up and coming authors.
To briefly touch on what I didn't like: the book dragged for a little bit after the crew got to Asalin, there was one part where Wyatt describes a Black woman's hair as looking like an "elegant bird's nest" which I'm sorry, no, unacceptable, and Spoiler the twist with Clarke was not NEARLY as well set up as the one with Briar like Clarke was saying "oh everyone's already pieced it together" bestie no I did not because you being evil came COMPLETELY out of left field . But overall, I'm really impressed with this, and I'm excited to read the next book!
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
mazomazli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It also feels like the story needed some rearranging and adjustment of length of various scenes. There was so much potential :(
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Drug use
Minor: Genocide, Dysphoria, and Infertility
uranaishi'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Bullying
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Genocide, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Miscarriage, and War
midnightgremlin'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Transphobia, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Ableism, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Blood, and Drug use
Moderate: Racism
cynnied'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: Transphobia, Violence, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Physical abuse
frantic_vampire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual assault and Physical abuse
gcjay1994's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Deadnaming, Violence, Blood, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, and Sexual content
victoriapyrrhi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
melaniereadsbooks'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
5.0
Wyatt has spent the last three years with a new family after running away from Asalin, where he was abused for being a witch born among fae. But then his past comes calling in the form of Emyr, his betrothed, and the prince of the fae. He will be forced to confront his past and the institutions that make it unsafe to be witch-born in Asalin, as well as dealing with the feelings he stills has for his childhood best friend.
This book is the beautiful start to what will no doubt become one of my new favorite series. It was absolutely perfect and everything I could have ever hoped for or dreamt of for a book with such a beautiful cover and title.
The world-building is so interesting and really well done. I loved the way the author incorporated flashbacks as well as other elements to tell us the complete story of the fae and the witches in Asalin as well as the other fae kingdoms around the world.
I LOVED the characters so much! There is such a wealth of diversity amongst them and they are all so well-described and oh my gosh I just love them. I love Wyatt and Emyr and Briar and all the other wonderful and beautiful side characters and allies and villains that make up this world!
This book has trans, gay, nonbinary, ace, lesbian, bi, and potentially pan and/or demi-sexual rep in it and I love that so much!
Honestly, this book is everything. Do yourself a favor and preorder it and get ready for a new favorite series.
Pub Date: June 1, 2021
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, and Gore
Minor: Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship