A review by ehmannky
Witch King by Martha Wells

challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Gorgeous, dense and intricate fantasy writing. It's definitely not as breezy and funny as Murderbot, but the same heart, found family elements, and wry wit is there. The story bounces back between Kai, an immortal demon, and his companions in the "present" day (waking up after being entombed and trying to figure out who temporarily killed them and also where his best friend's wife and her brother are) and the beginnings of a war that Kai fought against the genocidal and imperial Hierarchs that happened 70 or so years before. Despite these two disparate timelines, at no point did I find them disjointed and I never felt like either of the plotlines dragged on. It is, as I said, a dense fantasy. Like, there is no real exposition about the magic system or the history is going to be explained outside of what the characters naturally decide to share. But it's so good. And the main relationships between Kai and his family are so beautifully written and the theme that you just have to keep going to unburn a world that has been burnt are so beautiful. 
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