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breezyruizy'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
5.0
I loved this book so much. I loved how it challenged my worldview and perspectives. I can't wait to read the sequel
apurplehyacinth's review against another edition
4.0
this book tore me apart, put me back together, and ripped me apart again just for fun.
the entire story is a work of art. i wish i could read this book for the first time again. the twists it takes are horrible and beautiful. it dives into grief and the feeling of being trapped in your own body. there’s something so beautiful about the way friendship and human connection are expressed throughout the story.
please read if you want a beautiful depiction of sexuality, gender identity, anger, grief, and the reality of love. <3
the entire story is a work of art. i wish i could read this book for the first time again. the twists it takes are horrible and beautiful. it dives into grief and the feeling of being trapped in your own body. there’s something so beautiful about the way friendship and human connection are expressed throughout the story.
please read if you want a beautiful depiction of sexuality, gender identity, anger, grief, and the reality of love. <3
katieoxee's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nmau13's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
maestrolatinx's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
This is my second time listening to the book. The narrator is phenomenal. I like how spicy the book gets and I appreciate the protagonist’s journey throughout the story. There’s a lot of trauma to unpack and less plot and development of the world as I’d like. I’m looking forward to the conclusion of the duology.
asreadbykat's review against another edition
4.0
True Rating: 4.5/5
Content/Trigger Warnings (as stated in the book): violence, child abuse, childhood sexual harassment and assault, allusions to pedophilia, suicidal ideation and mentions of suicide, misgendering, drug use, and mentions of infertility and miscarriage.
There are times when I want to read a fantasy story involving queerness, and there are times when I want to read a queer story involving fantasy. "The Witch King" is definitely the latter, and is worth every second of reading it.
As someone who is Ace, I can completely sympathize with Wyatt's plight of a contracted marriage where he is basically only seen as a baby machine. While it's a different situation for him, as a trans character, I almost felt his rage and disgust on a physical level. Wyatt is a very real, very relatable character, no matter what magical heritage and powers he has, and readers can feel every emotion as he goes on his journey. Edgmon did a fantastic job with his main character, who is so very flawed and real that at times I honestly forgot I was reading a fantasy.
I also like all of our other characters; how no one is who you expect them to be, everyone with their own flaws. Even our villains have some sympathetic points, while still being pretty despicable -just like villains in real life.
And don't let how easy this novel is to read fool you -it makes some really hard, heavy-hitting arguments that I fully stand behind. The arguments are intended to make the readers think, and I would LOVE to see this book being used in a classroom for a discussion of YA literature. It works especially well because even though Edgmon uses the fantasy elements as metaphors and symbolism for real-world problems such as prejudice and discrimination, homophobia, and abuse, he also has the characters state the problems in full sentence facts. Readers aren't left with only the metaphor and symbolism; the problems and arguments are put out there in a way that no one can ignore.
The only reason this work isn't a full 5 stars is because even though I could see how much Emyr and Wyatt cared for each other, I did think by the end it was being a bit rushed. Yes, they have a history together, but that history is also tainted by misunderstandings and it would take more than a few days to overcome almost a lifetime of that, especially when combined with Wyatt's trauma. So while I was rooting for the two of them by the end, I would have liked to see a little more work being put in emotionally, especially since their relationship is kind of crucial to bits of the plot.
Overall, this is a really enthralling read and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting more queer fantasy. Just please heed the content warnings, because this is NOT a lighthearted novel.
Content/Trigger Warnings (as stated in the book): violence, child abuse, childhood sexual harassment and assault, allusions to pedophilia, suicidal ideation and mentions of suicide, misgendering, drug use, and mentions of infertility and miscarriage.
There are times when I want to read a fantasy story involving queerness, and there are times when I want to read a queer story involving fantasy. "The Witch King" is definitely the latter, and is worth every second of reading it.
As someone who is Ace, I can completely sympathize with Wyatt's plight of a contracted marriage where he is basically only seen as a baby machine. While it's a different situation for him, as a trans character, I almost felt his rage and disgust on a physical level. Wyatt is a very real, very relatable character, no matter what magical heritage and powers he has, and readers can feel every emotion as he goes on his journey. Edgmon did a fantastic job with his main character, who is so very flawed and real that at times I honestly forgot I was reading a fantasy.
I also like all of our other characters; how no one is who you expect them to be, everyone with their own flaws. Even our villains have some sympathetic points, while still being pretty despicable -just like villains in real life.
And don't let how easy this novel is to read fool you -it makes some really hard, heavy-hitting arguments that I fully stand behind. The arguments are intended to make the readers think, and I would LOVE to see this book being used in a classroom for a discussion of YA literature. It works especially well because even though Edgmon uses the fantasy elements as metaphors and symbolism for real-world problems such as prejudice and discrimination, homophobia, and abuse, he also has the characters state the problems in full sentence facts. Readers aren't left with only the metaphor and symbolism; the problems and arguments are put out there in a way that no one can ignore.
The only reason this work isn't a full 5 stars is because even though I could see how much Emyr and Wyatt cared for each other, I did think by the end it was being a bit rushed. Yes, they have a history together, but that history is also tainted by misunderstandings and it would take more than a few days to overcome almost a lifetime of that, especially when combined with Wyatt's trauma. So while I was rooting for the two of them by the end, I would have liked to see a little more work being put in emotionally, especially since their relationship is kind of crucial to bits of the plot.
Overall, this is a really enthralling read and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting more queer fantasy. Just please heed the content warnings, because this is NOT a lighthearted novel.
glassarrow917's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vtlism's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Decent dealing with Issues but with a main character who was annoyingly immature (reminded me of Zander from Buffy).
schumachr's review against another edition
i felt little to no sympathy for the narrator wyatt, and i felt that he was too dramatic and self-centered. i understand that he was supposed to be a character that had a traumatic past, but it just felt like he was taking all his problems out on everyone else and never fully self reflected on all the harm he caused. the other characters were not very well developed and the world building was almost insulting in how it was presented. the writing was not well done and was very cringey; i do not really want to read writing reminiscent of 2016 tumblr posts. i would not recommend this book at all.
janagaton's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, those last 100 pages!! My favorite things about this book are the dynamic/romance between Wyatt and Emyr, and the fact that the humor is so self-aware and cheesy in the best way. I loved all the classic tropes being thrown into this world of fae, witches, and humans. The audiobook narrator is also perfection and really enhanced the reading experience for me. I'm so excited to read the sequel!!