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massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-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
I'm still trying to find a Martha Wells book I really love and maybe I just have to admit I'm not on the same train as everyone else. I love the characters in her book, and that was the case here as well. I could have spent so much more time exploring their relationships and the world around them, it was just so fascinating. I loved Kai and the rest of his crew so much.
But giving both timelines the same amount of pages didn't really work for me and I ended up not getting enough from either timeline. We spent time with the characters as they were establishing their relationships, and then again when they had been together for hundreds of years when what I had wanted was to see them grow close.
I'm really surprised this is a standalone because there are so many open questions that I thought we would get answers to. The plot resolution ended up being much smaller than I expected for a book over 400 pages.
But giving both timelines the same amount of pages didn't really work for me and I ended up not getting enough from either timeline. We spent time with the characters as they were establishing their relationships, and then again when they had been together for hundreds of years when what I had wanted was to see them grow close.
I'm really surprised this is a standalone because there are so many open questions that I thought we would get answers to. The plot resolution ended up being much smaller than I expected for a book over 400 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Child death
ruthlessreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
3.5
Lots of interesting things about this book but, as a whole, it didn't really stand out to me in the fantasy genre. I found the story dragging, despite my initial interest in the characters and the world that was being built. I didn't fully understand what was going on until about halfway through the book. I don't normally stick around that long if I'm not feeling a story but I really like this author so I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Overall, I did enjoy it and there were some events at the end of the story that made the narrative much more interesting but, ultimately, I wish it had been constructed differently or not been quite so long. I *would* read another book in this world but maybe I'd prefer it as a novella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, War, Confinement, Colonisation, Violence, Kidnapping, Genocide, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Child death, Grief, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
displacedcactus's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I'd call this a pretty old school fantasy, with lots of names and factions to keep track of, and weird magic, and the occasional monstrous beast. Whether or not you'd consider it epic fantasy probably depends on your definition of "epic." It only has one POV character, but it does have dual timelines. One timeline focuses on a war and a rebellion against an oppressive conqueror, and one is a more personal story of trying to figure out who has betrayed our main character and where his friend's wife is. There's lots of fight scenes, lots of magic, lots of traveling across the countryside, etc.
I find that I'm not as into this sub-genre as I used to be. 10-20 years ago I would probably have loved this book, but now I merely liked it. One thing it has over most of the fantasy I grew up with is that it's delightfully queernormative. Kai's demonic race inhabits human bodies with no apparent preference for their biological sex, maintaining their gender identity regardless of the body they're in. Kai seems specifically attracted only to men; his friend is a woman married to a woman. All of this is treated very matter-of-fact.
I find that I'm not as into this sub-genre as I used to be. 10-20 years ago I would probably have loved this book, but now I merely liked it. One thing it has over most of the fantasy I grew up with is that it's delightfully queernormative. Kai's demonic race inhabits human bodies with no apparent preference for their biological sex, maintaining their gender identity regardless of the body they're in. Kai seems specifically attracted only to men; his friend is a woman married to a woman. All of this is treated very matter-of-fact.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Blood
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Death, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Slavery
saltycoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, Colonisation, Classism, Kidnapping, Slavery, Torture, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Confinement, Death, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Blood
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Gore, and Slavery
alienor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
4.0
Witch King is not a book that will appeal to every reader, whether they've enjoyed the Murderbot diaries or not. It's always true to some degree, obviously, but with books like Witch King — that drop you into a world with little to no exposition and trust you to follow along, confident that you'll pick the information needed little by little — the reactions are often very divided. I notice, because these books are my favorites. For me there's nothing quite like jumping into a story and feeling that the author trusts the reader to *get it*. I LOVE IT.
I think another complaint readers could voice is related to how *contained* Witch King is. But in the sea of very long series and 800 pages books I just found it so refreshing : I would be very happy if Martha Wells came back to this world later, but as a standalone it works, and I appreciate that she didn't try to do too much.
Finally, Witch King might be a little more emotionally distant than other books I love, but these characters? their relationships? I cared very much all the same, and I'd love to get back to them someday.
I think another complaint readers could voice is related to how *contained* Witch King is. But in the sea of very long series and 800 pages books I just found it so refreshing : I would be very happy if Martha Wells came back to this world later, but as a standalone it works, and I appreciate that she didn't try to do too much.
Finally, Witch King might be a little more emotionally distant than other books I love, but these characters? their relationships? I cared very much all the same, and I'd love to get back to them someday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, and Blood
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Racism, Murder, Classism, Death, and Blood
sarasreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I am surprised by my own rating. I expected to love this, but I couldn't connect to the story or the characters at all. I sort of did, towards the last 15% of the book, but that's a lot of book to get through without feeling much of anything.
In fact, it was incredibly difficult for me to focus on the story at all. I ended up being slightly confused about several aspects because I could not concentrate or remember some of what I'd previously read. And the dual time line didn't help with this for me.
I am shocked to say that a Martha Wells book couldn't hold my attention. I think if I gave it another go, and tried a different format, I might have a different experience. It wasn't bad, but I don't think in a couple of months I will even remember the characters' names.
In fact, it was incredibly difficult for me to focus on the story at all. I ended up being slightly confused about several aspects because I could not concentrate or remember some of what I'd previously read. And the dual time line didn't help with this for me.
I am shocked to say that a Martha Wells book couldn't hold my attention. I think if I gave it another go, and tried a different format, I might have a different experience. It wasn't bad, but I don't think in a couple of months I will even remember the characters' names.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
brianneh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.0
Witch King starts off with a bang that really draws you in. We immediately meet the Witch King, Kai, a demon who is able to switch his consciousness into other bodies. He wakes after being murdered, imprisoned in an underwater trap with his friend Ziede. Neither of them know what happened to leave them trapped, so we follow them as they try to find the other members of their group and puzzle out what happened. The story is told in two timelines, one in the present and one from Kai’s past.
The world building is intricate and lovely, but it is dense. There’s a lot to parse through and remember as you read. Wells definitely does not spoon-feed the lore to her readers, and it can be confusing at points. There is a listing of all the people in the story at the front, but I think this book might have also benefitted from a quick explanation of the different places/groups, as I found those much more difficult to keep track of.
The characters are all very lovable in my opinion, but Kai and Ziede are my favorites. Their humor and banter is great and I found myself laughing out loud at a few of Ziede’s lines.
I really hope this is the start of a series, as there are still many unanswered questions and characters to be explored. I’d like to read more about all of the character’s pasts in general. If it is going to be a series, I will definitely continue reading more from this world!
I received this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I received this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence