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A review by vermidian
A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was absolutely lovely.
One thing that I really appreciated is how his world building in this book takes classic fantasy species and ideas and turns them on their heads just slightly where it isn't jarring but it's enough that you take specific notice of it. There were several times where I was really interested in how he'd reinvented a classic thing just slightly, like elves and trolls. (You'll see what I mean when you get there.) If you go into this expecting classic Tolkein, you're going to be very confused. If you go into this expecting Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, you'll be in a much better place. Actually I found some of the sections of this book to have very Pratchett-like vibes and I thought it was lovely. I described it to my partner as feeling like Terry Pratchett's take on Stardust as a general vibe, but I also know this is textbook A Lee Martinez, whose writings I have been steadily collecting over the years. If you enjoy this book, I heavily recommend his other books.
I LOVED that Martinez made the White Knight the DARKEST skinned person the protagonist had ever seen. We absolutely need more people of color in fantasy and the shade of one's skin should never be a descriptor of purity of character.
The whole story has a very fairy-tale vibe about it, like being told a saga by your grandmother while you eat chocolate chip cookies by the fireplace kind of thing. The humor was gentle and kind and very charming. The characters were also quite charming, from our undead magical protagonist to her demon duck companion to the others he picks up along the way.
I was mildly concerned about how it would end, but I found the ending was probably the best thing I could have hoped for. I love an ending that doesn't change characters or take away their agency in order to satisfy that fairytale ending. And I know I did say it was very fairytale, but that was one difference I would never have changed.
The only thing I might have tweaked would have been to scale back the thirst a smidge. It's a pretty constant thing, especially in the latter half of the book and I could have done with a little less of it. I know it was plot important, but sometimes I just wanted to get back to the plot itself and brush past it.
I will say that this is definitely intended for more mature readers. There are a couple of non-descriptive moments of romantic intimacy. Nothing too bad, but definitely more than a PG rating. If your kids know people in relationships have sex sometimes, you're probably golden to hand this to your teen. As far as language goes, I don't recall there being any cursing, aside from the magical variety.
I will absolutely be recommending this to every fantasy fiction reader I know. If you're reading this review, I'm recommending it to you too.
One thing that I really appreciated is how his world building in this book takes classic fantasy species and ideas and turns them on their heads just slightly where it isn't jarring but it's enough that you take specific notice of it. There were several times where I was really interested in how he'd reinvented a classic thing just slightly, like elves and trolls. (You'll see what I mean when you get there.) If you go into this expecting classic Tolkein, you're going to be very confused. If you go into this expecting Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, you'll be in a much better place. Actually I found some of the sections of this book to have very Pratchett-like vibes and I thought it was lovely. I described it to my partner as feeling like Terry Pratchett's take on Stardust as a general vibe, but I also know this is textbook A Lee Martinez, whose writings I have been steadily collecting over the years. If you enjoy this book, I heavily recommend his other books.
I LOVED that Martinez made the White Knight the DARKEST skinned person the protagonist had ever seen. We absolutely need more people of color in fantasy and the shade of one's skin should never be a descriptor of purity of character.
The whole story has a very fairy-tale vibe about it, like being told a saga by your grandmother while you eat chocolate chip cookies by the fireplace kind of thing. The humor was gentle and kind and very charming. The characters were also quite charming, from our undead magical protagonist to her demon duck companion to the others he picks up along the way.
I was mildly concerned about how it would end, but I found the ending was probably the best thing I could have hoped for. I love an ending that doesn't change characters or take away their agency in order to satisfy that fairytale ending. And I know I did say it was very fairytale, but that was one difference I would never have changed.
The only thing I might have tweaked would have been to scale back the thirst a smidge. It's a pretty constant thing, especially in the latter half of the book and I could have done with a little less of it. I know it was plot important, but sometimes I just wanted to get back to the plot itself and brush past it.
I will say that this is definitely intended for more mature readers. There are a couple of non-descriptive moments of romantic intimacy. Nothing too bad, but definitely more than a PG rating. If your kids know people in relationships have sex sometimes, you're probably golden to hand this to your teen. As far as language goes, I don't recall there being any cursing, aside from the magical variety.
I will absolutely be recommending this to every fantasy fiction reader I know. If you're reading this review, I'm recommending it to you too.