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A review by swampbooks
The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon
DNF-ing at chapter 4 (14%) on account of me not yet enjoying anything.
Wow, I only read 3 chapters and already have so much to say. I won’t leave an official rating for it because I’ve decided to stop doing that to books I didn’t finish, but if I did it would be one single, lonely star.
Where to begin… The writing style felt very “How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?” They tried to have an air of comedy but it just ended up feeling like Tumblr in 2014, and a lot of it was un-healthily self-deprecating. Making a joke like “at least I’m gay so no one expect me to be good at math” might be funny on Twitter where your followers KNOW you’re just being goofy, but it’s less funny in a printed book where impressionable teens are going to take it at face-value. We don’t want to be telling the LGBTQA+ youth that they’re limited or have stunted knowledge because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, we want to remind them they can accomplish anything.
With comments like “I don’t have anything good to say about myself, either” and “I’m even more useless than usual” it’s hard to root for Wyatt when you know nothing about him other than he’s emo, he would rather run away (literally) from his problems rather than try and fix them, and he likes to make self-deprecating jokes that try and force you to feel bad for him. He’s just a pity party, and an angry one at that.
I didn’t get in too deep into his relationship with Emyr, but it looked pretty unhealthy from what I saw. Not because Emyr was a jerk, mind you. Emyr is a sweetheart trying to do his best - a fact that Wyatt himself acknowledges. Wyatt is the bad factor in the relationship. I did read the first page of chapter 4 before DNF-ing, and all I saw was Wyatt admitting to lashing out to his loved ones for no apparent reason. Get some therapy, bro.
My last point, which is something I’m SO glad to not be reading more about, is why do the Fae have Facebook? Where’s the magic? The intrigue? WHY DO THEY HAVE AN APP WHERE YOU CAN SEND AND DOWNLOAD MAGIC SPELLS?
I read fantasy to get away from the real world, not to read about a fictional, magical character’s newest social media profile.
All that being said, I can understand why people would be drawn to this book. It’s inclusive, has a trans person as the main character, and tackles real-world issues (if poorly) while including all the other fun bits that make up YA fae-focused fantasy. Like I mentioned, I read to escape. This story appear to do the opposite and wraps up all the problems our society is dealing with into one book. It’s probably better for younger readers who either aren’t as knowledgeable about real world issues or who aren’t emotionally drained by hearing about it in the news every day. That’s just not me!
Wow, I only read 3 chapters and already have so much to say. I won’t leave an official rating for it because I’ve decided to stop doing that to books I didn’t finish, but if I did it would be one single, lonely star.
Where to begin… The writing style felt very “How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?” They tried to have an air of comedy but it just ended up feeling like Tumblr in 2014, and a lot of it was un-healthily self-deprecating. Making a joke like “at least I’m gay so no one expect me to be good at math” might be funny on Twitter where your followers KNOW you’re just being goofy, but it’s less funny in a printed book where impressionable teens are going to take it at face-value. We don’t want to be telling the LGBTQA+ youth that they’re limited or have stunted knowledge because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, we want to remind them they can accomplish anything.
With comments like “I don’t have anything good to say about myself, either” and “I’m even more useless than usual” it’s hard to root for Wyatt when you know nothing about him other than he’s emo, he would rather run away (literally) from his problems rather than try and fix them, and he likes to make self-deprecating jokes that try and force you to feel bad for him. He’s just a pity party, and an angry one at that.
I didn’t get in too deep into his relationship with Emyr, but it looked pretty unhealthy from what I saw. Not because Emyr was a jerk, mind you. Emyr is a sweetheart trying to do his best - a fact that Wyatt himself acknowledges. Wyatt is the bad factor in the relationship. I did read the first page of chapter 4 before DNF-ing, and all I saw was Wyatt admitting to lashing out to his loved ones for no apparent reason. Get some therapy, bro.
My last point, which is something I’m SO glad to not be reading more about, is why do the Fae have Facebook? Where’s the magic? The intrigue? WHY DO THEY HAVE AN APP WHERE YOU CAN SEND AND DOWNLOAD MAGIC SPELLS?
I read fantasy to get away from the real world, not to read about a fictional, magical character’s newest social media profile.
All that being said, I can understand why people would be drawn to this book. It’s inclusive, has a trans person as the main character, and tackles real-world issues (if poorly) while including all the other fun bits that make up YA fae-focused fantasy. Like I mentioned, I read to escape. This story appear to do the opposite and wraps up all the problems our society is dealing with into one book. It’s probably better for younger readers who either aren’t as knowledgeable about real world issues or who aren’t emotionally drained by hearing about it in the news every day. That’s just not me!