I loved the adventure and the found family characters. The magic system was super cool, but along with the world building was a little confusing at times. Wells has built a super complex world and it was a bit slow at times, but there was still a lot to like about this one.

The Witch King by Martha Wells is sweeping fantasy melodrama about Kai, a life-absorbing demon, who wakes up sealed in an underwater tomb and without a body. Furious, he sets out to find who betrayed him.

First of all, I’ve got to say, I absolutely fell in love with the story’s morally grey, believable characters and rich worldbuilding where people ride whales and demons are enslaved and used for their magic.

Lastly, I want to point out that tonally, this story marks a significant departure from Martha Well’s beloved Murderbot Diaries. However, for me, this is actually a good thing since I personally didn’t enjoy the constantly jokey narrative voice of her previous series. This one, I connected more with and found more compelling, and I hope to see Wells writing more fantasy in the future.

I am too confused and not attached to any of the characters. I usually love Martha Wells work. She has a talent for creating loveable killers, but sadly this wasn't for me. It was too slow and too much info dumping.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

<a href="https://amzn.to/3MTEdaL">Witch King</a> by Martha Wells only just came out, so I will avoid spoilers, but it's great.

The worldbuilding is similar to the Raksura books in that there are different sentient species who interact, but except for the demons while in their home Underearth (possibly another dimension or magical realm?), they are all human in appearance. The different types of people use magic in different ways, some of which harm others, some of which involve working with magical elemental beings. When the story opens, a stable situation has been upended. Alternating chapters, skillfully tied together, show the present problem and how it's reflected by, and relates to, the past.

The "Witch King" of the title is Kai, a demon who inhabits the mortal form of a dead human, initially through a longstanding treaty with the nomadic Saredi people. Kai, with his magical abilities, had a major part to play when invaders arrived to destroy and colonize. We follow his point of view throughout as he works with old friends and new to find a missing friend and figure out what's happening back at what seems to be the center of power.

Essentially, the story is about coalition building. It's about how coalitions require effort, sacrifice, compromise, and attention to make sure they don't collapse or swing towards authoritarianism as time goes on. I felt resonances between the characters in the story and how activism and coalition-building happen in our world, and seeing this in fiction felt validating and hopeful.

Overall Score: 3.25/5⭐️
Character Development: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Ease of Reading: 3/5
Overall Enjoyment: 3/5

I have really mixed feelings about this book. It took my several turns picking it up and putting it down again before I could get through it. I am unfamiliar with Martha Wells’ previous works, but know she wrote some supernatural crime novels I believe? And I can see where that kind of writing has its influence on The Witch King.
I think the plot was really unique and well developed, but so much was also really confusing and almost info-dumpy. I thought the magic system was interesting but felt like the boundaries were a bit too soft or underdeveloped. The character development was really great in the flashbacks but I felt like some of it didn’t translate to the present day. Overall I enjoyed it and I’m glad I purchased the book but not sure I’ll do a re read any time soon!

a complex fantasy, it’s interesting and unique but bites off slightly more than it can chew. still very readable and gorgeous word building.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I really liked the characters - Kai and Ziede had such a great friendship, which is always welcome. I thought that the magic system was fascinating and that Kai's demon origins were very interesting too. My main issue was with the plot, which I found to be a bit meandering and disjointed at times. It was definitely the strength of the characters that pushed this narrative along for me and I would definitely recommend it, but I just wish the plot had worked for me more.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I SO badly wanted to enjoy this one! The concept and the writing style were right up my street, but it just didn't do it for me sadly.

We follow Kai, a powerful demon, who one day awakens in a prison, especially created for him, entombed against his will, for what to appears to have been months. What follows, is a back and forth to present day and a look into the past as Kai tries to find out what happened to him to end up in his prison.

Like I said, everything about this plot sounds like something I would absolutely love - however, It was honestly so very very boring. The start started off so strong and I was 100% vibing with it. But the writing was overly convoluted, I couldn't keep up with the characters and who was who (lots of similar names, are they bad? are they good?) I also had SO many questions about the magic systems but there was never much in the way of an actual explanation and you just kind of had to go with it instead.

I would normally have DNFd this quite early on, but as I was kindly given the ARC and had heard nothing but good things about Wells' writing I wanted to give it my best. Sadly, the payoff just wasn't worth it.

Thanks netgalley and the publisher for the copy! Sorry, it just wasn't for me.

When I started this book, my mind was somewhere else...I was worried for something and could stop thinking about it. However, after the first half page, I was already hooked and completely absorbed into the book. I stopped thinking about the things that were bothering me. It's written so well that you can't stop yourself from completely being absorbed by it once you start.

Going back and forth between the present and past unveils mysteries and helps us understand more. However, something I didn't like was that there was no way to predict the final twist. I felt like it came from nowhere. There weren't hints we could take because we were missing so many pieces of information that were revealed during the twists. I didn't feel like we were part of the group and the adventure...I felt like I was stumbling in the dark for most of the time.

I have so many questions that need answers now: how did they win the war? What happened to Bashasa? And Dahin? What about Kai's real body? And who are the Hierarchs?? What about the pearls??

I don't know if this is supposed to be a series or not, but if more books come out, I'll definitely read them.

Thank you #torpublicity for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

The synopsis gave the impression that Kai had been imprisoned for quite a while, however, it was revealed that he's only been asleep for a year.

We are also dropped into the middle of the story and are expected to learn as we go along. Usually, I have no problem with this but I got 50% and nothing of substance was revealed. Kai needs to find some missing characters or there will be negative impacts on some meeting . . . . and? What happens if the meeting fails, what are the real stakes?
Also, Kai is neither a Witch nor a King he is a demon and tho he is a prince in one demon realm, he doesn't seem to have much power over the other demons and the unique powers he has are okay at best.

Witch King. Wow.

Martha Wells is the absolute Queen Bee of fantastical world-building.

Her MurderBot is probably my favourite SciFi series ever.

This one was fantasy vs SciFi, but Wells does nothing half-assed.

This book WAS A LOT.

A lot of world building.
A lot of characters.
A lot of politics.
A lot of history.
A LOT OF EXPOSITION.

Thank goodness for the Character Index, or it would have been easy to get lost.

If you like getting totally immersed in a world to the point you don't know past from present, good from bad, or up from down, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

I really wanted to enjoy the Witch King by Murderbot author Martha Wells however; I wasn't interested in the storyline or plot points. I found myself "not finishing" at 20% but may be willing to try another book by hers!

I adored this book. This is fantasy at its best.

Kai is a demon, who has left his demon body in the Underearth and inhabits a human body in the upper world. He wakes up in a watery crypt with his body dead, family missing and realizes he has been betrayed.

This is a dual timeline, with the present Kai searching for answers and the past Kai about his origins. There are all these other characters that are great in both the past and the present (Ziede, Dahin, Sanja, Tenes, Ramad, Bashasa). If there is a sequel I would totally love to see them again.

There is amazing worldbuilding. We do get dropped pretty fast into what is going on, so its sink or swim. There are lot of under currents and the naming system is a little complicated ( as seen by the 3 pages of named characters at the beginning).

I ended up reading this twice simultaneously. The audio is fantastic. I was switching between the audio and the book. It is so rich that I would listen to it and then read it or read it and then listen to it. This book is amazing.

I did not have the same reaction to Witch King by Martha Wells as the majority of readers. I want to state that is solely on me and not on the author. I am sure it is a wonderful book but it is one I will need to reread or relisten (I purchased the audiobook) several more times. What I found so difficult were keeping the names of places and people in mind as I read. I flipped back to the Dramatis Personae several times in each chapter. I also struggled with the positions the various characters held. I purchased the Audible version. Often books with unfamiliar names are much easier in audio. Unfortunately, the audio did not work its magic for me. I think if I could have kept those things present as I read, it would have been a better book. Again, this is on me not Martha Wells.

I received an advanced review copy from Netgalley. After reading it and listen to the audio book, I wrote an honest review.

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.

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.

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.

I really wanted to adore this one. Martha Wells has always been a voice in the fantasy genre that I've greatly admired, and "Witch King" promised an intriguing concept that I was excited to explore. A tale of power, friendship, trust, betrayal, and chosen families. The concept of surviving a cataclysmic event and rebuilding from scratch, where trust is so pivotal, and betrayal can undermine everything - that was intriguing.

However, much to my dismay, the book fell short for me.

My struggle was with the pacing and the lack of a driving force to keep the narrative engaging. The storyline seemed to trudge along, lacking the urgency that usually compels me to turn the pages. A few times, I contemplated not finishing it (which is a rarity for me), but my distaste for unresolved endings won out.

Regrettably, even the conclusion of the book didn't provide the sense of fulfillment I was hoping for. The vastness of the world, while ambitious, ended up being a bit overwhelming and left me confused most of the time. It felt as though I was trying to keep track of too many pieces in play, detracting from the central storyline. The intricate web of characters, while fascinating in theory, was hard to keep up with and their significance in the larger scheme was often lost.. Adding to this, the pacing suffered due to the need to keep tabs on what all the characters were doing. The narrative felt bogged down, leading to more confusion than clarity.

Despite my appreciation for what Wells attempted to explore in this novel, "Witch King" just wasn't for me. That's not to say it won't resonate with others; its thematic depth and complex world-building could potentially captivate the right reader. However, if you're someone who struggles with extensive casts of characters and intricate world-building, this might not be your cup of tea.

The Witch King is a high fantasy about a demon named Kai who is entombed in a coffin of water along with his companion Zeide. Within the first few pages we are thrusted into an immersive world trying to unravel the mystery of why these characters were swept away from the world. This book was on the extreme side of high fantasy. Wells pushes the readers head first into a completely new world with little to no descriptions and a high demand to keep up. The story itself was great and the love for the characters comes shortly after a couple of chapters. The biggest downside is the extensive cast of characters and the immediate demand to understand all of the moving parts in this highly political world. The continuous move from the past to the present can be a bit disorienting also. Although I typically enjoy Wells’ works, this one is lower on the list of enjoyment for me. I still ordered a physical copy of the book and may re-read it in the future, but for now, I will be choosing a slightly lower level of fantasy books.

I enjoyed this fantasy novel by Martha Wells. The dual timelines were done well but at times could be a bit jarring. She slowly revealed the past of Kai and the other characters. I particularly enjoyed Dahrin's storyline; I would read another novel about him. It had some of the wit/elements of Murderbot in Kai's internal commentary.

This was an interesting fantasy story. I loved Kai as our main character and going through this journey alongside him, figuring things out as he experiences them. An unusual demon, with a family, friends, and fears, he was surprisingly likeable, as were his close companions. We cover a lot of ground in this world, encountering various groups with a lot of history. With a complex world and a number of characters, I would have liked there to be a little more time spent on the worldbuilding and characterization to distinguish between all the places and people.

The various magic systems and unusual animals were cool to see. I liked how the past and present came to parallel one another as everything unfolded. Starting off with minimal information and piecing things together fit well with Kai awakening with no idea where he was and remembering things as he goes from place to place. Overall, I had a good time going along for this ride with Kai and his companions.

What I liked about the book:

The world-building in Witch King is one of the strongest aspects of the book. Wells does a great job of creating a rich and detailed world with its own unique cultures, magic systems, and history.
The characters in Witch King are also well-developed and interesting. Kai, the protagonist, is a complex and sympathetic character who is easy to root for. The supporting cast is also full of memorable characters, such as Ziede, the powerful mage who becomes Kai's friend and mentor.
The plot of Witch King is engaging and full of twists and turns. There is plenty of action and adventure, but there is also time for character development and exploration of the world.
What didn't work for me:

The pacing of Witch King is a bit slow at times. The book is over 400 pages long, and there are a few sections that could have been tightened up.
The writing style in Witch King is a bit dry and academic. This is in contrast to Wells's other work, such as the Murderbot Diaries, which is known for its witty and engaging prose.
The ending of Witch King felt a bit rushed. There were a few loose ends that were never tied up, and I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied.
Overall, I enjoyed Witch King, but it wasn't my favorite book by Martha Wells. The world-building and characters were strong, but the pacing and writing style were a bit of a letdown. I would give the book a 3/5 star rating.

Here are some additional thoughts on the book:

I think the slow pacing would have been less of an issue if the writing style had been more engaging. As it is, the dry prose made the book feel even longer than it actually is.
I was disappointed that the ending was so rushed. There were a few plot threads that were never resolved, and I felt like the book could have used another 50-100 pages to tie things up more neatly.
Despite my misgivings, I still think Witch King is a worthwhile read. The world-building and characters are strong, and there is plenty of action and adventure. If you're a fan of Martha Wells's other work, I would recommend giving Witch King a try. Just be prepared for a slower-paced and more academic read than you might be used to.