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kylieqrada'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
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Gore, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape, Racism, and Pregnancy
kal517'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? No
3.0
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Gore, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, and Racism
achingallover's review against another edition
- 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
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
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Murder and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Racism
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
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