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blacksphinx's review
- 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
However... This one is so full of heart with such a unique world that I'm wrestling with the rating. I think it's a little too much, with all its rich cultures and three different magic systems (and all the various Fantasy Words used to describe them), but I can't fault her for having a big and varied world? The danmei influence upon this work is powerful and welcomed. But the actual plot is so thin. "Nothing really happened, but it was beautiful and made me feel a spark of hope" is such a hard thing to assign a number between 1 and 5 to.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol
hailstorm3812's review
- 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
Graphic: Confinement and Torture
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence
ruthlessreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Grief, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
displacedcactus's review against another edition
- 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 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.
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury
saltycoffee's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
alienor's review against another edition
4.0
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.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and War
lastblossom's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Classism