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deedireads's review
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
iluxia's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Not the easiest to read, but a fun book nevertheless. The worldbuilding is dense and obviously requires more than one reading. It's set up well for a series or even a sequel; I wouldn't be surprised to find Martha Wells diving back into this world to explore a different character - Ziede, perhaps, or Dahin. The alternating viewpoints made a good contrast, and although I liked being in the "past" narrative more, both delivered good detail. The story moved at a very good, actionable pace. Lots of things left unresolved, however, so it may feel incomplete or somehow vaguely dissatisfying at the end.
matt12's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
brantp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.75
waitwhatkris's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
readerbot_lu's review
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Did I like it? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes
Positives
I loved the close platonic relationship between Ziede and Kai, especially because you don't get to see this kind of relationship a lot in adult fiction. It was also interesting to see how Kai, a basically immortal being, views changes in people and places over time.
Negatives
I didn't mind the time jumps, but a lot of the extensive architectural descriptions for battle scenes and building layouts confused me or distracted me from the main action.
noprotocol's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sarahkb's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
metamorphobooks's review
(dnf at approximatly 20% therefore i can't rate it, it wouldn't be fair and i'm sure this book will make a lot of people happy!)
There was a time when I couldn't bring myself not to finish a book. Now that I have a little less free time I've come to term with it. There is no point in forcing myself to finish a book and then get into a reading slumb because of it. And it's okay if I'm not that into it (even tho I thought I would and had great expectations about it). It happens! Reading is all about the freedom to read whatever you want and stop whenever.
There was a time when I couldn't bring myself not to finish a book. Now that I have a little less free time I've come to term with it. There is no point in forcing myself to finish a book and then get into a reading slumb because of it. And it's okay if I'm not that into it (even tho I thought I would and had great expectations about it). It happens! Reading is all about the freedom to read whatever you want and stop whenever.