Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Witch King

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

85 reviews

plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.5

[second read, September 2023]
Rating lowered from 5 stars to 4.5.

I reread this book so I could finally read the sequel, and while I would no longer label it a favorite—I must not feel the same attachment to it that I did before—I did still really enjoy it.

Wyatt is still one of the most hilariously iconic narrators I think I’ve ever encountered. And I do mean ever. Only the smallest handful of books—most all of them written by one of the same five authors—have made me outright cackle while reading, and the fact that this book is now on that list has gotta count for something.

I’m looking very forward to all the shenanigans of the next book, queer and magical and everything in between. And I’m really, really hoping my Briar/[A Newly Single Side Character] ship theory is right.

[first read, September 2021]
That moment when you start a book and you just have a feeling that it’ll end up being a new favorite, and then that feeling ends up being right. So satisfying!!

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book since it was released, and everyone that was hyping it up was absolutely right. It’s completely deserved. Edgmon’s debut is an urban fantasy that takes familiar ideas and puts a unique and extremely queer spin on them, and I’m so here for it. I immediately loved Wyatt and Briar, and Emyr and Jin quickly grew on me. I’d like to give all of these kids hugs and ice cream and protect them from the world. Also, Wyatt’s narration was HILARIOUS. He frequently made me laugh, especially when he was thinking of Emyr. And by the way, I ship those two SO HARD. I loved Wyatt and Briar’s friendship, and I adored Wyatt and Emyr’s childhood friends to strangers to allies to lovers vibe. And then Edgmon gifts us the only one bed trope?? GOLD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

Wyatt is such a disaster gay and I love him for it. I love him for more than just that, but that’s definitely part of it. And honestly, I love how unapologetically queer this whole book is. There’s so much representation, and characters actually on-page asking each other for pronouns. I truly do love to see it.

What else? I love Boom. I hope Derek spends the rest of his life stepping on Legos while barefoot. The way things went down on the last page was mildly amusing to me. I’m very excited for the sequel to come out next year. Everyone should read this book. Yes, everyone.

Representation:

gay trans (FTM) protagonist
Black queer demisexual love interest
fat indigenous biromantic asexual side character
nonbinary lesbian side character (they/them)
sapphic side character
various queer side characters & side characters of color
achillean romance (m/m)
sapphic side couple (f/enby)
minor sapphic side couple (f/f)

Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

I'm getting marginally better at remembering where I get book recommendations from (go me!), so here I'd like to just shout out @trans_cending_literature for being the first person to put this book on my radar/TBR. I added a request for the library where I work to purchase it, but it wasn't happening fast enough for me because it just looked so good and I wanted to read it sooner... So I actually ended up getting it from another library system (yes - I do have cards to multiple library systems).

Wyatt Croft, a witch, was once engaged to the fae heir of the kingdom of Asalin, Emyr North. Was. Until the night he lost control of his magic, with devastating consequences, and fled to the human world. There, he was taken in by a family that made him one of their own. Years later, Emyr shows up at his home, cold and distant and with no intention of letting their engagement go (in fact, with every intention of pulling Wyatt back to Asalin whether he wants to go or not). So, Wyatt and Briar (his best and closest friend) travel together to Asalin to sort things out. Despite Wyatt's insistence that he wants no part of ruling or being in Asalin again, the conflict between the ruling class (fae) and his own people (witches) is getting ever worse, his feelings for Emyr are not quite as simplistically "over it" as he'd like them to be, and Wyatt might have to step up a little (and follow his heart a bit). Plus, Emyr might need his particular style of assistance, because a full on "burn it down and rebuild" revolution might be the only chance Asalin has at real reform.

This novel had some hardcore, dramatic metal vibes to it (added to by the opening and closing music on the audiobook - I listened as well) and I was here for all of that. Wyatt's defensive sarcasm, recognizable mix of confidence and self-consciousness, and anti-establishment snark had the exact feral vibe that Edgmon claims for themself in their author bio. And really, if I'm being honest, I felt a lot of what I suspect are the author's opinions, frustrations/anger, insecurities, and support systems come through in the writing. I definitely could be wrong, but despite the magic and "other-world" ness of the plot and setting, this book felt, overall, incredibly personal. And I liked that for it - there was a lot of emotion(s) throughout and being able to feel the reality of it behind the fantasy forged a much stronger connection between reader and text. I do have to say, in line with that vibe, a few times the metaphors leaned a bit towards the "hit you over the head" obvious, but they were such deeply important messages (regarding arbitrary and fear-based gender and social stratification, in particular) that I'm leaving grace for the fact that some people do actually need to be hit over the head with them. And it was able to flow fairly well into the general world-building and plot development, which was super solid, if not spectacular (and the parallel fae and human worlds created nice opportunities for demonstrating/showcasing these messages as well). Plus, there were some really cool aspects, like magic-technology combinations (sending spells by app/text) that were totally unique!

The characters were vibrant and beautifully diverse, with a really nice amount of depth and development considering that this was the first in what is clearly meant to be a series and one that felt like a fast/short read (like, it was super compelling and fun to read). In particular, I just really want to highlight the platonic/friendship love between Briar and Wyatt. It was portrayed and described in a way that I rarely see for non-romantic relationships, yet I think readers will recognize this type of love from their own lives and I was thrilled to see it get page time and recognition because it's so important! Very touching. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Wyatt and Emyr as well - their relationships is complex for many external reasons, which I'm sure many readers will also recognize, and watching them try to work through that to be able to enjoy being together in the way they clearly do was challenging but satisfying to see as well. I am not sure exactly when it happened, because with the plot pacing (and the spot on narration) I was speeding right through this on. But by the time I turned the last page, I realized these characters had burrowed all up into my heart and I'm so excited for the next installation of their relationships and revolutions!

Well I just completely enjoyed my time reading this. I was really feeling the irreverent voice and rage against the machine/social commentary tone. I love a found family. And I couldn't get over how beautifully and unapologetically trans this entire book was. It was refreshing (and shouldn't be as much as it was) that while there were many social/stratification issues, gender/sexually was not one. Plus, as you know, I am a sucker for magic and fae beings, so really...this one checked all my boxes and lived up to expectations.

“But those with power never really needed an explanation for oppressing people other than they can.”

“You haven’t changed as much as you think you have. […] You have always been you. You just found the language to talk about it.”

“It’s just…the worst ones are usually the loudest. […] And when you’re backed by the institutional power, it’s easy to be as loud as you want.”

“Just because something happens in secret doesn’t mean it’s evil. […] Darkness means safety. It means protection.”

“Your value as a person is not based on how much you can do for other people. You are valuable, Wyatt. You. All on your own. For exactly who you are.”

“There is a power in being seen and wanted as you are...”

Content Warnings

lagiven's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

2.25

There's lots of queer representation in this book which is what made me most excited because there aren't many fantasy novels featuring trans characters especially. The worldbuilding wasn't very detailed, but it was interesting and needed to be explained more. The plot was probably one of the weakest parts as it was all over the place, characters faced little to no consequences for their actions, and the reveal of antagonists at the climax wasn't well planned out.

Content Warnings

booksthatburn's review against another edition

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I loved the first part of the book and I truly love the writing, I just can't read about other people's dysphoria right now.

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cynnied's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

I loved this so much!!!

Rep: white gay trans male MC, Black male love interest (Wyatt-sexual/aspec), fat indigenous (Seminole) bi-asexual female side character, sapphic nonbinary side character, sapphic side characters, achillean side characters,

CWs (from the authors website): Violence (including gore, arson, attempted murder, and murder), Misgendering (accidental and intentional, including deadnaming—however, the deadname is not written out), Abusive parents, Childhood sexual harassment and assault (harassment is graphic, assault is not), Grooming/predatory behavior between an adult and a teenager, Infertility and miscarriage mention, On-page panic attack, Suicidal ideation and brief mentions of suicide, Drug use.

Content Warnings

frantic_vampire's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

4.5

*ARC copy won in a goodreads giveaway*

I loved this book so much! It was just such a fun reading experience. The world building was incredible. I loved the mixing of fantasy and technology and the fact that not everything meshes well or in the way that you would expect. The Witch King is probably one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year. It’s just so good!

Wyatt is such a great character. He’s a little bit of an asshole, he’s a little careless sometimes, but he’s also a sweetheart that needs all the hugs he can get and I loved that about him! I loved that he got to be a bit of a mess and wreak some havoc and just be a teen making some new friends. I also really liked that this book didn’t shy away from Wyatt being trans! It was front and center and completely unapologetic. And the fact that there were so many queer side characters? I freaking loved this book!

I really liked that this book didn’t shy away from taking about politics, police brutality, the environment and climate change, protesting, and human rights. I also loved that I absolutely hated the villains by the end of this! Clarke was unexpected and she is practically the definition of Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss. And Derek? I loathed him with every fiber of my being.

Honestly there aren’t many things that I didn’t enjoy about this book. It did take a little bit to dig into this world and get past the info dumps, but this was such a great read! I loved Wyatt and Briar and Emyr to pieces. Just…everything about this book was awesome and you should definitely check it out! It’s getting a solid four and a half stars. 😊

Content Warnings

gcjay1994's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

Content Warnings

raccoonrae's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

1.5

Really wanted to like this one, but found myself constantly frustrated, really only finished it because I got attached to the characters

Pros:
-Lots of diversity and queer rep
-Lovable characters, maybe worth it for that if you can deal with the rest

Cons:
-The metaphors are VERY heavy handed and often literally explained by the characters, and frankly most of them feel very shoehorned in
-The pace was all over the place
-The plot didn’t really have a satisfying build or conclusion
-The writing itself doesn’t feel very polished, kind of jarringly edited in some places
-I found the world building really frustrating

you find out in the last few pages that witches actually have much stronger magic than fae, so how did the people with more power end up as the oppressed ones in this society?

-Too much attention is given to things that don’t matter, at one point several pages are spent giving detailed physical descriptions of a long procession of people we literally never see again, near the end of the book, when we could have been wrapping up plot points that were instead left unaddressed

Content Warnings

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