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aprica's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Body horror, Murder, Genocide, and Gore
Minor: Slavery
blacksphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-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
This is my second Martha Wells book and I can't help but notice their endings both do the same thing - the linchpin of the plot occurs off screen, where no present characters see it, and the audience is told about it afterward - and if this continues to be a pattern in her writing I don't know how many more books of hers I'm going to wind up reading.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Torture, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Death, Child death, Murder, Confinement, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Grief, Genocide, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Slavery, Xenophobia, Murder, War, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, and Genocide
hailstorm3812's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
I was dubious about this at first since it's a big tonal leap from Murderbot and a lot of worldbuilding to get into, but I am glad I stuck it out because I really ended up liking it. I ended up really attached to the characters and wouldn't mind returning to this world. There is really something to the concept of a group of immortals being glued together by a human who's gone now, which isn't the main plot but rests just below the surface the entire time. It got to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Confinement
Moderate: Gore, Death, Colonisation, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Murder, and Grief
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
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you Tor Publishing and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
Witch King isn't an easy book which one can see in the ratings of some of the other reviews for this book. It is certainly not perfect. Yet regardless I found something in it that I quite enjoyed.
I won't lie, it took me a while to get into this book. We were dropped into this world pretty hastily without much room for a work up towards the world building. We had to gather our wits while also trying to figure out along with our main characters, what exactly was going on as they come out of a slumber. I could have used more explanations and slowly ease us into this world. But the plot and the writing didnt quite alow that. There is still a lot to be discovered and a lot to be explained.
A few chapters in we start going back towards Kai, our main character, past. How he came into our world and into the place he is now. Or at least the position he was in. There is still a lot to be explored in his past. While initially it didn't help me to get into the story, later on I felt it was a great asset to help us understand who Kai and his friends are and their positions in the world.
Witch King isn't an easy book which one can see in the ratings of some of the other reviews for this book. It is certainly not perfect. Yet regardless I found something in it that I quite enjoyed.
I won't lie, it took me a while to get into this book. We were dropped into this world pretty hastily without much room for a work up towards the world building. We had to gather our wits while also trying to figure out along with our main characters, what exactly was going on as they come out of a slumber. I could have used more explanations and slowly ease us into this world. But the plot and the writing didnt quite alow that. There is still a lot to be discovered and a lot to be explained.
A few chapters in we start going back towards Kai, our main character, past. How he came into our world and into the place he is now. Or at least the position he was in. There is still a lot to be explored in his past. While initially it didn't help me to get into the story, later on I felt it was a great asset to help us understand who Kai and his friends are and their positions in the world.
'How did it come to this Kai? I remember how we started. Now you're all razor barbs and I'm an angry shrew.'
At some point I grew to enjoy the book. Most of this had to do with Kai. He can't really be described as kind. He will unleash all he has on you, but he won't harm an innocent. In fact, considering the extra strays he takes along throughout the book, he is a bit of a care taker. I grew fond of him and his gruff ways.
'This whole conspiracy might have missed him because he was off reading in some forgotten archive, and no one thought he was important enough to track down.'
And not just him but the characters he takes along with him. His long time friends and his new found friends. They have their own family and are not afraid to take on strays.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
sabrinalefebvre's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
2.25
2.25 ⭐️
Trust me, no one is sadder than me to give Witch King this rating. I was going to rate it higher but I couldn’t lie to myself, from a crafting standpoint, this book was a mess
The beginning of this book is better then the rest, where we have a goal in mind, an intrigue and an interesting world. But the more we progress, the more everything turns to shit.
I was confused the majority of the book. We’re thrown into the world and are left to our own devices. The world building is truly awful. I found myself blacking out while reading and being lost. Words are said but we’re never fully given the context of what they mean or what the magical creatures of this book can do. What’s a witch exactly? Why is Kai called the Witch King when he’s a demon? What’s the difference between a hierarch and a higher blessed or whatever they’re called?
I’m also confused of the relationship between Kai and Bashasha. What we’re they?
Ramad’s character also felt useless in this story, not even being used to further anything. If he wasn’t there, there would be no difference.
Towards the end, I felt something missing. Like there’s a missing portion to this novel or a sequel. But goodreads doesn’t say there’s a sequel.
Overall, I think you can skip this, focus on The Murderbot Diaries and you’ll be fine
Trust me, no one is sadder than me to give Witch King this rating. I was going to rate it higher but I couldn’t lie to myself, from a crafting standpoint, this book was a mess
The beginning of this book is better then the rest, where we have a goal in mind, an intrigue and an interesting world. But the more we progress, the more everything turns to shit.
I was confused the majority of the book. We’re thrown into the world and are left to our own devices. The world building is truly awful. I found myself blacking out while reading and being lost. Words are said but we’re never fully given the context of what they mean or what the magical creatures of this book can do. What’s a witch exactly? Why is Kai called the Witch King when he’s a demon? What’s the difference between a hierarch and a higher blessed or whatever they’re called?
I’m also confused of the relationship between Kai and Bashasha. What we’re they?
Ramad’s character also felt useless in this story, not even being used to further anything. If he wasn’t there, there would be no difference.
Towards the end, I felt something missing. Like there’s a missing portion to this novel or a sequel. But goodreads doesn’t say there’s a sequel.
Overall, I think you can skip this, focus on The Murderbot Diaries and you’ll be fine
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
narsere's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide and Colonisation
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
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Violence, Blood, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts