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mad_bandersnatch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
This feels like a solid start to a series. There is a lot of intesting world building and magic system to be explained, which might have taken away a bit from developing some of the characters more. Aside from the main character Kai and his friend/partner in crime Ziede we don't get a whole lot of character development. But what we do get has left me interested enough to find out more about them in a sequel.
The book flips back and forth between the past and the present, and I did find the past storyline to be far more intriguing than the present day.
In general it was a slow burn to not a whole lot of pay off in the present day plot but some satisfying concussions to the past.
As a stand alone I found it to be a bit meh with a lot of unanswered questions or character development but has promise as a starting point for future books.
The book flips back and forth between the past and the present, and I did find the past storyline to be far more intriguing than the present day.
In general it was a slow burn to not a whole lot of pay off in the present day plot but some satisfying concussions to the past.
As a stand alone I found it to be a bit meh with a lot of unanswered questions or character development but has promise as a starting point for future books.
kimishere's review against another edition
adventurous
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
riikka's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
b0okcupidity's review against another edition
I couldn't get into the writing. I loved the idea of the characters. I couldn't get into the high fantasy without the pizzazz of great prose - everything felt very flat to me (even the scant dialogue) and that coupled with the typical laundry list of people, places and monikers unfamiliar, I wasn't invested in continuing.
lexie_lex's review against another edition
Tal vez me estoy pasando de ansiosa, pero DNF al 7%
No lo estoy sintiendo, es tan mortalmente aburrido. Y la escritura tampoco me convence.
¿Really una lista de personajes? ¿Qué es esto? ¿La Ilíada?
No lo estoy sintiendo, es tan mortalmente aburrido. Y la escritura tampoco me convence.
¿Really una lista de personajes? ¿Qué es esto? ¿La Ilíada?
schwahawk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
eleanora's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
3.5
multilingual_s's review against another edition
I read it because I love the Murderbot diaries, but this book did not grab my attention. It is kind of dark and sad and the characters don't seem all that compelling.
pearlc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
I can absolutely understand why so many people didn't like this book. I quite enjoyed it, not a favorite, but I had a good time. I feel like this is a very easy book to want to do something that it's not interested in doing and being upset that it didn't do it. What it does want to do it does very well. This is, in a lot of ways, a character study through time; showcasing how people become who they are and how the world changes despite your best efforts. It's found family and choices.
I felt that Wells made very good use of the dual timeline, having the alternating chapters build off each other as we went through the book. The way the characters grew and changed in the past made their present day actions make sense. By the time we get to the end it isn't so much a twist as the inevitable conclusion.
I felt that Wells made very good use of the dual timeline, having the alternating chapters build off each other as we went through the book. The way the characters grew and changed in the past made their present day actions make sense. By the time we get to the end it isn't so much a twist as the inevitable conclusion.
deedireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.25
All my reviews live at https://deedireads.com/.
Martha Wells, author of the Murderbot books, is a legend in the sci-fi world. But she also writes fantasy, and I was excited to finally see what she’s capable of in the genre with Witch King. Plus, it’s nominated for this year’s Hugo Award for Best Novel. Unfortunately, I’m in the same camp as a lot of other readers: this book had a lot of potential, but it was missing the spark.
When I started reading, I was excited: a map AND a cast list? Bring on the world-building! I read a lot of SFF and trust me, I’m no world-building weenie. Unfortunately, this story required way too much for a standalone 400-page book, especially one with two timelines (and hence two plots). I just didn’t have time to really feel fully connected to these characters or internalize the stakes of the story enough to get invested. If this were the start of a series, or even an 800-page book, this would NOT have been a complaint, because the world was rich and interesting and the characters were deeply lovable. It was just a lot of “work” for a little bit of book!
I’m going to go back and read some of Wells’ backlist fantasy — something that has multiple books in a series — because I still think she’s an incredibly talented storyteller. This one just left me wanting more.
Martha Wells, author of the Murderbot books, is a legend in the sci-fi world. But she also writes fantasy, and I was excited to finally see what she’s capable of in the genre with Witch King. Plus, it’s nominated for this year’s Hugo Award for Best Novel. Unfortunately, I’m in the same camp as a lot of other readers: this book had a lot of potential, but it was missing the spark.
When I started reading, I was excited: a map AND a cast list? Bring on the world-building! I read a lot of SFF and trust me, I’m no world-building weenie. Unfortunately, this story required way too much for a standalone 400-page book, especially one with two timelines (and hence two plots). I just didn’t have time to really feel fully connected to these characters or internalize the stakes of the story enough to get invested. If this were the start of a series, or even an 800-page book, this would NOT have been a complaint, because the world was rich and interesting and the characters were deeply lovable. It was just a lot of “work” for a little bit of book!
I’m going to go back and read some of Wells’ backlist fantasy — something that has multiple books in a series — because I still think she’s an incredibly talented storyteller. This one just left me wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, War, and Genocide
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Confinement