Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Witch King by Martha Wells

37 reviews

gondorgirl's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Gore, and Slavery

lastblossom's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-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? It's complicated

tl;dr
Densely packed, unique world building with an exciting storyline that drives the narrative more than the characters do.

Thoughts
I initially was a little intimidated when I opened the book and was greeted with a list of names and titles from a world I didn't understand, but the characters are all described as they're introduced, such that I didn't ever need to page back to the list, so I worried for nothing. Martha Wells does an incredible job of fitting a lot of world building into a small space, doling out lore as necessary in a way that still sparks the imagination. And what a world it is! Layers of culture, powers, politics, and history unfold in two separate timelines with a scope that feels like a big adventure. Kai is a fun mix of snarky and competent, with other characters distinct, but not given quite as much attention. Overall, characters and their arcs to take a bit of a backseat to the plot and its mysteries. While this seems like it's probably a standalone book, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing these characters do more with a little more breathing room.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Racism, Murder, Classism, Death, and Blood

lacunaboo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Colonisation

Moderate: Grief, Death, Violence, and Confinement

Minor: Kidnapping

librarianmage's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Confinement

trippyotter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 An epic start to a genderfluid high fantasy full of rebellion uprising, betrayal, and adventure.

The Witch King takes you through the past as our present-day characters set forth to find their missing friends and discover who betrayed them.

My only wish would have been further progression in the present storyline, but with a complex world and history, I'm not sure that would have been possible. I can't wait to see what lays ahead of our characters as the story progresses. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This hurts me to say, but... I didn't like this one. I found it confusing,  and the characters lacked depth. I didn't understand who the factions were, why they were fighting, and why I should care. It was a disappointment, considering how much I love her other books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Child abuse, Death, Body horror, Genocide, Murder, Physical abuse, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Self harm, and Violence

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Colonisation, Racism, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Genocide, Physical abuse, Stalking, Xenophobia, Slavery, Abandonment, Grief, Police brutality, Murder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Excrement, Pregnancy, Ableism, Alcohol, and Classism