rowanwithwords 's review for:

Witch King by Martha Wells

3.5

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This one both reminded me why I don't usually read "epic" fantasy yet also why I love and trust Martha Wells's writing lol 😅 I had to get both the audiobook and physical book to follow along properly as there were so many names and new concepts and places and sometimes I wasn't sure if we were just giving flavor to the world or if it was new info I actually needed to pay attention to. That said, I love Wells's characters, and her found family groups- Kai's clear pain

at having been betrayed multiple times in the past (and all the loss he's been through)

and the way he tries to cover it up with nonchalance & seeming apathetic really got me, plus

the development of his and Bashasa's relationship

☹️☹️☹️ I also loved Ziede

ruthlessly pursuing getting her wife back in the present and seeing those two start to fall for each other in the past

! I still feel pretty confused on some concepts (like what actually are expositors, what's the difference between immortal blessed & lesser blessed, etc) which is frustrating to feel at the end of the book. That said, I'll probably still pick up the next one because I do want to see where these characters go, and hoping it will not be such a huge effort next time since I already am familiar with the world lol!