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bookcrushin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
This was a surprising read! Just amazing and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Transphobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Minor: Deadnaming, War, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Child abuse
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Deadnaming
obscurepages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.5
Oh, this was so irresistibly good 😭 Now I know why so many of my friends love this!
The Witch King has it all, I think? It has political intrigue, angst and pining, slow burn (helloo?????), "there's only one bed" trope, intimate discussions and honest thoughts about gender identity and sexuality (which is probably my absolute favorite thing in this book), the world-building and the magic system, modern lives meshed with magic, plus the gorgeous writing style and the prose??? Also, it's such a fun book. Yes, there's seriousness in this book and sometimes it can get a little dark, but it's also highly entertaining. This book checks all the boxes for me and I love it.
I think my only issue is that I expected more action for the climax? However, I know the story is far from over and we're only getting introduced to the bigger picture and the next plot to uncover. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL
Exact rating: 4.5 stars. Full review on my blog soon (hopefully!)
The Witch King has it all, I think? It has political intrigue, angst and pining, slow burn (helloo?????), "there's only one bed" trope, intimate discussions and honest thoughts about gender identity and sexuality (which is probably my absolute favorite thing in this book), the world-building and the magic system, modern lives meshed with magic, plus the gorgeous writing style and the prose??? Also, it's such a fun book. Yes, there's seriousness in this book and sometimes it can get a little dark, but it's also highly entertaining. This book checks all the boxes for me and I love it.
I think my only issue is that I expected more action for the climax? However, I know the story is far from over and we're only getting introduced to the bigger picture and the next plot to uncover. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL
Exact rating: 4.5 stars. Full review on my blog soon (hopefully!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
cynnied's review against another edition
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
Moderate: Transphobia, Violence, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Physical abuse
sanktxjehan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
3.25
I really wanted to love this book. I really, really did. The concept of an angry trans protagonist taking on their past? Fantastic. I really want more good trans rep (and I did feel like this book was good on that point!). But this book fell flat on so many other levels for me.
The good: I really liked the characters. There's one point where Wyatt thinks something like "maybe in another life, another universe, things could have been different" and I was like yes I would love an AU of this. They are the sole reason I'm rating this book as high as I am.
(I read this via audiobook, please forgive any typos or misspellings.)
Non-spoilery critiques: The world-building made no sense. I mean, it made sense in that I understood it, but it didn't in that this is a book about faeries and witches living hidden in the human world and it makes absolutely no reference to how human conceptions of faeries and witches are either 1) different from the truth or 2) influenced by actual interactions with faeries and witches. Like. Do human myths about faeries exist? What about witches? Were they developed independently of the real faeries and witches (since faeries and witches only came to the human world like 500 years ago through a portal) or were they based off real interactions? Like, if you're not going to at least reference the established mythos surrounding faeries and witches but instead make up your own thing, why call them faeries and witches at all? It almost feels like the author took the tiktok aesthetic of being a faerie or a witch and tried to turn it into an actual species of being. Who are genetically related, for some reason.
The book does a good job describing the magic of the world so that I understand how it works but not why. Why do witch powers involve tarot and sigils? Did humans steal tarot from the witches? Or did witches discover it in the human world? The book gives me next to nothing about the history of faeries and witches being here. Like, they say faeries and witches have been completely hidden from humans this whole time but someone must have been living on the land the faeries took over, right? Especially since the author does actively point out the colonizing aspect of the faeries coming to Earth. Make it make sense.
The writing overall was pretty weak to me. I don't mean this because of the amount of slang and internet vernacular, I actually didn't mind that too much. It was more weak in a debut author kind of way. The pacing was weird and there many elements that didn't make sense or that I felt weren't built up to/foreshadowed enough. This book was also openly trying to be an oppression metaphor (there's one passage where Wyatt directly compares the plight of witches to that of queer kids (I listened to the audiobook so I can't find the passage) and a part where he thinks about race in the context of faeries but comes to no conclusions about how it interacts with human racism) but I feel like it missed the mark on so many levels. The main one was just...an oversimplification or lack of understanding of how institutionalized systems of oppression work, oddly enough? Like, it was clear from the beginning that something was rotten in the state of Denmark but the characters were overall too trusting of people they shouldn't have trusted. I felt like this should have therefore contained a lot of political intrigue (which I love) and it just...didn't.
Spoilery critiques:
One really good example of all of the weak writing is the riot and storming of the palace, that kind of came out of nowhere to me. (And then they just went back to normal??) I feel like there should have been other incidents leading up to that point but instead we're just retroactively told "this has been coming for a long time." But like (sorry to bring real politics in) when the Trump supporters stormed the capital, there had already been other riots and instances of violence on the part of his supporters for years beforehand, and Trump actively incited the riot with his speech and rhetoric. Are we to believe that there had been other riots that no one mentioned, that the Guard were involved in, but the royal family still trusted them anyway? And the Guard is supposed to be standing in for the police, right, and they mention early on that Derrick is the head of the Guard and the Guard is clearly loyal enough to him to arrest Wyatt against the orders of the royal family in the beginning...but then they still expect the Guard to protect Wyatt during the riot and act surprised when the guards betray their posts? What? And why are they so surprised by wrongful arrests and false accusations? Shouldn't Wyatt know not to trust police from the activist work Briar's parents do? Make it make sense!!!
I realize that maybe because this book is YA, it's trying to be an introduction to the concept of police abolition through fantasy for younger readers, but even still, it could have done a much better job at portraying how institutionalized oppression and state violence works, thus making a stronger argument for police abolition, than it did.
Also, it makes no sense that the Guard is the only thing portrayed to be corrupt when they live under a f*cking monarchy! I know monarchy is the predominant form of government in fantasy and that no one, including this book, does a good job of portraying how it's actually a bit more like hereditary fascism than any monarchists want to admit, but to have this book be about oppressive systems of power and then to only come in with an anti-monarchist idea in literally the last five minutes seemed very tone-deaf. ESPECIALLY since they don't really portray how awful and damaging monarchy can be and instead promote the idea that a "good king" can solve all their problems throughout most of the book. Good kings are purely an invention of fantasy. On ne peut pointe régner innocement. No one can reign innocently.
There is also the concept of "fated mates" in this world which I think the author had to have to make the idea that Emyr couldn't/wouldn't marry anyone but Wyatt work, but I really expected that trope to be broken down and critiqued more than it was. Wyatt is so mad about it being bio-essentialist and perfect-baby-making-genetics-based in the beginning but then comes around in the end when it's revealed that some other monarchs are gay and/or can't have kids. Am I the only one who thinks that's not enough? If the cisheteronormative idea of fated mates is so predominant in faerie society, couldn't it be that the monarchs are only able to get away with their "unusual" mates because of the immense privilege of being monarchs? What about normal people who have "unusual" mate situations?
(Also, side note, but with how weird the fated mates shit was and how weird the world-building around faeries and witches was, there were several moments throughout this book where I wondered if this was a converted A/B/O story. So. There's that.)
Finally, it was really weird to me that, in the end, when it's revealed that there are still faeries in Faery, they automatically believe those faeries are bad? I know those faeries hate them for abandoning them on a dying world but...that seems fair right? But instead the main characters (including Briar!) embrace the idea that they're murderous savages? I can only hope that idea is critiqued and disproved in the sequel (which I assume will be a thing given how the book ended) but I can't say I'll read it.
The good: I really liked the characters. There's one point where Wyatt thinks something like "maybe in another life, another universe, things could have been different" and I was like yes I would love an AU of this. They are the sole reason I'm rating this book as high as I am.
(I read this via audiobook, please forgive any typos or misspellings.)
Non-spoilery critiques: The world-building made no sense. I mean, it made sense in that I understood it, but it didn't in that this is a book about faeries and witches living hidden in the human world and it makes absolutely no reference to how human conceptions of faeries and witches are either 1) different from the truth or 2) influenced by actual interactions with faeries and witches. Like. Do human myths about faeries exist? What about witches? Were they developed independently of the real faeries and witches (since faeries and witches only came to the human world like 500 years ago through a portal) or were they based off real interactions? Like, if you're not going to at least reference the established mythos surrounding faeries and witches but instead make up your own thing, why call them faeries and witches at all? It almost feels like the author took the tiktok aesthetic of being a faerie or a witch and tried to turn it into an actual species of being. Who are genetically related, for some reason.
The book does a good job describing the magic of the world so that I understand how it works but not why. Why do witch powers involve tarot and sigils? Did humans steal tarot from the witches? Or did witches discover it in the human world? The book gives me next to nothing about the history of faeries and witches being here. Like, they say faeries and witches have been completely hidden from humans this whole time but someone must have been living on the land the faeries took over, right? Especially since the author does actively point out the colonizing aspect of the faeries coming to Earth. Make it make sense.
The writing overall was pretty weak to me. I don't mean this because of the amount of slang and internet vernacular, I actually didn't mind that too much. It was more weak in a debut author kind of way. The pacing was weird and there many elements that didn't make sense or that I felt weren't built up to/foreshadowed enough. This book was also openly trying to be an oppression metaphor (there's one passage where Wyatt directly compares the plight of witches to that of queer kids (I listened to the audiobook so I can't find the passage) and a part where he thinks about race in the context of faeries but comes to no conclusions about how it interacts with human racism) but I feel like it missed the mark on so many levels. The main one was just...an oversimplification or lack of understanding of how institutionalized systems of oppression work, oddly enough? Like, it was clear from the beginning that something was rotten in the state of Denmark but the characters were overall too trusting of people they shouldn't have trusted. I felt like this should have therefore contained a lot of political intrigue (which I love) and it just...didn't.
Spoilery critiques:
I realize that maybe because this book is YA, it's trying to be an introduction to the concept of police abolition through fantasy for younger readers, but even still, it could have done a much better job at portraying how institutionalized oppression and state violence works, thus making a stronger argument for police abolition, than it did.
Also, it makes no sense that the Guard is the only thing portrayed to be corrupt when they live under a f*cking monarchy! I know monarchy is the predominant form of government in fantasy and that no one, including this book, does a good job of portraying how it's actually a bit more like hereditary fascism than any monarchists want to admit, but to have this book be about oppressive systems of power and then to only come in with an anti-monarchist idea in literally the last five minutes seemed very tone-deaf. ESPECIALLY since they don't really portray how awful and damaging monarchy can be and instead promote the idea that a "good king" can solve all their problems throughout most of the book. Good kings are purely an invention of fantasy. On ne peut pointe régner innocement. No one can reign innocently.
There is also the concept of "fated mates" in this world which I think the author had to have to make the idea that Emyr couldn't/wouldn't marry anyone but Wyatt work, but I really expected that trope to be broken down and critiqued more than it was. Wyatt is so mad about it being bio-essentialist and perfect-baby-making-genetics-based in the beginning but then comes around in the end when it's revealed that some other monarchs are gay and/or can't have kids. Am I the only one who thinks that's not enough? If the cisheteronormative idea of fated mates is so predominant in faerie society, couldn't it be that the monarchs are only able to get away with their "unusual" mates because of the immense privilege of being monarchs? What about normal people who have "unusual" mate situations?
(Also, side note, but with how weird the fated mates shit was and how weird the world-building around faeries and witches was, there were several moments throughout this book where I wondered if this was a converted A/B/O story. So. There's that.)
Finally, it was really weird to me that, in the end, when it's revealed that there are still faeries in Faery, they automatically believe those faeries are bad? I know those faeries hate them for abandoning them on a dying world but...that seems fair right? But instead the main characters (including Briar!) embrace the idea that they're murderous savages? I can only hope that idea is critiqued and disproved in the sequel (which I assume will be a thing given how the book ended) but I can't say I'll read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Vomit
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
foreverinastory's review against another edition
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.
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
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
paperbrownies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
- lgbtqiap+, ya fantasy, faeries, witchy, magic, found family trope, bffs to enemies to lovers trope, there's only one bed trope, soulmates trope, so much tension, bff i had like to steal
- m|m, nb|w
- trans gay mc, demisexual black li, indigenous-american fat bi oriented ace sc, lesbian nonbinary woman sc, lesbian sc, and other queer side characters (sapphic and gay rep)
" you have always been you. you just found the language to talk about it."
" i swear, humans have magic of their own."
" maybe we’re taught to believe darkness is inherently tied to badness because racism is everywhere."
hands down one of my favourite books 0f 2021!!!
i went into this book knowing nothing except that the mc is a trans witch: it was enough to seal the deal for me and now,,, after having read it at last i must ask one question: where in the world is the hype for this book??!!
wyatt is a messy character, his pov is super fun to read from, he is snarky, smart, and quite impulsive, he believes in doing the right thing and will go any length in order to protect the people he cares about!! his messiness come from his need to survive that forces him to lash out at the world that looks down upon witches like him along with some of it being also connected to his transness, at always being expected to live up to the expectations of others, and at never being able to be himself bc of the deep rooted judgement he had to face from a v young age from his own parents as well as from others. it built in him a huge resentment for the fae ways, it traumatized his childhood and when he finally snapped he had to flee to the human world!!
h e edgemon does an amazing job at portraying these complex emotions bc the messiness felt so relatable, the cathartic unspooling of it, followed by a realization that anger is just as much a human emotion as love and sadness is and instead of rejecting it he redirecs that anger to destroy the reign of a corrupt and broken government in order to rebuild it from scratch. the author creates a world that is a breath-taking parallel of today's world and fights against systematic oppression, racism, power imbalance, and colonialism.
i found wyatt's relationship with emyr the crown prince so very amusing!! it is full of snarky retorts and much tension as they try to gain their footing in this "something" where neither of them know each other's present versions and istg they had me clinging to the edge of my seat in anticipation the whole time!!!
this book ends with much hope but it also feels like the calm before a storm so i absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!!! i look forward to more of the author's works and finally if you are looking for a queer fantasy romance novel that is just as much magical as it is dangerous, charming and witty dotted with characters who arent afraid to fight back and stand up up for what's right, then i highly HIGHLY recommend this book to you!!
GO READ THIS GEM!!!!
- m|m, nb|w
- trans gay mc, demisexual black li, indigenous-american fat bi oriented ace sc, lesbian nonbinary woman sc, lesbian sc, and other queer side characters (sapphic and gay rep)
" you have always been you. you just found the language to talk about it."
" i swear, humans have magic of their own."
" maybe we’re taught to believe darkness is inherently tied to badness because racism is everywhere."
hands down one of my favourite books 0f 2021!!!
i went into this book knowing nothing except that the mc is a trans witch: it was enough to seal the deal for me and now,,, after having read it at last i must ask one question: where in the world is the hype for this book??!!
wyatt is a messy character, his pov is super fun to read from, he is snarky, smart, and quite impulsive, he believes in doing the right thing and will go any length in order to protect the people he cares about!! his messiness come from his need to survive that forces him to lash out at the world that looks down upon witches like him along with some of it being also connected to his transness, at always being expected to live up to the expectations of others, and at never being able to be himself bc of the deep rooted judgement he had to face from a v young age from his own parents as well as from others. it built in him a huge resentment for the fae ways, it traumatized his childhood and when he finally snapped he had to flee to the human world!!
h e edgemon does an amazing job at portraying these complex emotions bc the messiness felt so relatable, the cathartic unspooling of it, followed by a realization that anger is just as much a human emotion as love and sadness is and instead of rejecting it he redirecs that anger to destroy the reign of a corrupt and broken government in order to rebuild it from scratch. the author creates a world that is a breath-taking parallel of today's world and fights against systematic oppression, racism, power imbalance, and colonialism.
i found wyatt's relationship with emyr the crown prince so very amusing!! it is full of snarky retorts and much tension as they try to gain their footing in this "something" where neither of them know each other's present versions and istg they had me clinging to the edge of my seat in anticipation the whole time!!!
this book ends with much hope but it also feels like the calm before a storm so i absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!!! i look forward to more of the author's works and finally if you are looking for a queer fantasy romance novel that is just as much magical as it is dangerous, charming and witty dotted with characters who arent afraid to fight back and stand up up for what's right, then i highly HIGHLY recommend this book to you!!
GO READ THIS GEM!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Suicide
redus_reuse_recycle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Mental illness, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Sexual harassment, and Drug use
Minor: Miscarriage
morganphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Deadnaming, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, and Miscarriage
bananakin'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
The Witch King is a YA debut fantasy novel by H.E. Edgmon published by Inkyard Press.
Wyatt, a transmasc Witch grew up in Asalin where the Fae rule and the witches are treated like second-class citizens. As a child he was soulmate-bonded to the Fae prince Emyr, until one night he loses control of his powers and escapes to the human world. In the human world Wyatt finds a family of his own where he is accepted until one day his fiance finds him there and drags him back to be married so he may ascend the throne in a desperate attempt to stabilize the kingdom. On his return to Asalin Wyatt is faced with everything he ran from. In the hope to return home to the human world forever, he makes a deal with the head of the guard, Derek, a fascist fae attempting to steal the throne from Emyr to push his Fae First agenda. Wyatt is a wonderful embodiment of queer wrath as he goes through the shame and rage of learning to accept himself and forgive his past mistakes. As Emyr and Wyatt reconnect he begins to see the boy he fell in love with as a child is still there. Wyatt is forced to decide between staying and fighting for his people or returning to the human world with the family he found there.
The Witch King has a wonderfully queer cast with great character development. This book includes some of my favorite things: childhood friends to enemies to lovers, messy gays, found family, queer friend groups, some loose Catradora vibes, and burning down systems built on oppression. I saw both parts of myself and parts of friends in these characters in such a wonderful way. Wyatt’s explanation that he was not born in the wrong body, he is a boy and his body is a boy’s body was something that I enjoyed seeing to expand on different forms of trans rep in YA.
Wyatt, a transmasc Witch grew up in Asalin where the Fae rule and the witches are treated like second-class citizens. As a child he was soulmate-bonded to the Fae prince Emyr, until one night he loses control of his powers and escapes to the human world. In the human world Wyatt finds a family of his own where he is accepted until one day his fiance finds him there and drags him back to be married so he may ascend the throne in a desperate attempt to stabilize the kingdom. On his return to Asalin Wyatt is faced with everything he ran from. In the hope to return home to the human world forever, he makes a deal with the head of the guard, Derek, a fascist fae attempting to steal the throne from Emyr to push his Fae First agenda. Wyatt is a wonderful embodiment of queer wrath as he goes through the shame and rage of learning to accept himself and forgive his past mistakes. As Emyr and Wyatt reconnect he begins to see the boy he fell in love with as a child is still there. Wyatt is forced to decide between staying and fighting for his people or returning to the human world with the family he found there.
The Witch King has a wonderfully queer cast with great character development. This book includes some of my favorite things: childhood friends to enemies to lovers, messy gays, found family, queer friend groups, some loose Catradora vibes, and burning down systems built on oppression. I saw both parts of myself and parts of friends in these characters in such a wonderful way. Wyatt’s explanation that he was not born in the wrong body, he is a boy and his body is a boy’s body was something that I enjoyed seeing to expand on different forms of trans rep in YA.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts