“You really are like every other colonizer who’s come before you, aren’t you?”

This book had so much. It was very woke, in every sense and it was sooooo good. The beginning was hard for me and halfway through I realized it was because the main character was severely depressed and it showed. Also, Wyatt was being used by everyone so I was angry reading a bit. Then stuff happens and more stuff happens and it was glorious. I loved Briar throughout and it was so interesting to read about Wyatt and how he saw people. Their colors. Does he have synesthesia or do all witches see people’s aura or being in color? I never found out if it was a witch thing or a Wyatt thing. It was so interesting. I loved it.

Back to the story. I liked Wyatt enough, I think he was meant to be prickly and angry. He has his reason. Seriously, his parents and his whole race hate witches/wizards/magical beings. Even though they are their children. This was so much worse than racism. I can’t believe I’m typing this. Something worse than racism. Why yes. Elfin having children with magical powers is the worst. They will kill those babies or if you’re lucky torture/neglect/abuse their children until they run away or are literally killed by their family as adults. No wonder Wyatt ran away. Opps, that’s not even what I was going to say or talk about but it’s a good point. Like what??? A society that mistreats and bullies a “lesser” being because of social norms. And it’s an expectation. I was livid but also not surprised.

I did like Wyatt’s potential and what he is becoming but I loved Briar and Emyr from the beginning. All together they were wonderful. I loved how proper pronouns for gender were used and the whole Guard (Police) issues came up. Talk of reform and social movement. The one thing that bothered me was that the book was more of Wyatt’s transitioning than anything else. I swear every other chapter addressed him being male. I get it. We all get it. We don't need it explained every couple of pages. It was actually distracting from the story. I know it was his story and a big part of him but… Anyways, it didn’t feel like the MC was a gay trans male, or maybe that’s the point. He was becoming one? I still enjoyed the story and loved it, talk about representation! I can’t wait for the next book. I want more information on the witches and Wyatt’s powers but also how Wyatt and Emyr’s relationship grows. I swear I need to have more of them!

Thank you to Netgalley, H.E. Edgmon, and Inkyard press for an advanced copy of this in return for an honest review!

There are fae who rule and humans who don't matter and witches who are somewhere in between. Wyatt is a self-exiled witch, hiding and heal from his traumatic past. That past catches up to him real quick when his mated fae fiancée finds him and drags him back to Asalin to fulfill their contract. Wyatt was not about this marriage before his transition, nor after. However, Wyatt finds much more when he returns home. Old wounds open up and revolutions burns like smoke before the fire. Will Wyatt be able to confront his past to save their future?

There was a lot I liked about this book, but there was also a lot that didn't resonate with me. Let's start with the good shall we? Every character was fleshed out to a T. Their characterization was not simply good or evil, but they were nuanced and honestly, I'd read just about their daily regular lives for fun. I was also a huge fan of the parallel between the witches movement and the BLM movement that's been happening real time. The author did a tremendous job of writing that frustration and anger and the pain. It hit.

The less great? I wasn't a huge fan of the villain. They were not villains for villains sake, but for a purpose, believing what they were doing was right. Normally, I'm much happier with the villains than the heroes. However, something about them just didn't sit with me. I also felt like the first half of the book had excellent pacing but the second half was just plot point, backstory, plot point, back story... it was a lot to keep track of, especially with a villain reveal at the end! It felt very rushed and I'm hoping there will be a second because it was not all wrapped up in a neat bow. I have questions!

6.5/10 Would recommend to those who love trans characters, nuanced magic systems, and social revolution for equality.

Wyatt Croft fled his home years ago after a terrible tragedy left him scarred inside and out. He has no intention of ever returning and then a face from the past reappears. Emyr was the boy Wyatt left behind, a prince who he was bound to marry. Now Emyr has left Asalin to reclaim his betrothed, regardless of the fact that Wyatt has no wish to be wed and will likely be killed the moment he returns to Asalin.

Wyatt is a witch and witches are less than second class citizens in Asalin and Wyatt didn’t exactly leave under good auspices. Returning to a home that hates him, Wyatt struggles to adapt. He cares for Emyr and perhaps even loves him, but being the hated consort of a future king isn’t something he can abide, not while the witches of Asalin are abused and belittled on a daily basis. The last time Wyatt fought to defend himself people died. Now he wants a revolution, but he’ll have to figure out a way to do it without leaving the people he loves or Asalin itself burned to ash.

The Witch King offered me something of a conundrum and nearly all of that consternation involves the main character. On the one hand, I loved Wyatt and his strength. He survived the unthinkable and managed to come through it on the other side with his sense of self and his personal truths intact. I admired that he fought for and demanded acceptance of his identity and there was so much honesty in that fight. But on the other hand, Wyatt’s anger becomes something of a one note flaw that failed to let him grow as a character or to believe anything but the worst of most of those around him. Now that anger is justified, but it’s also smothering and at times the author failed to find purpose for it. Instead, it just became scene after scene of Wyatt being angry and nothing resolving because of it. He tends to assume and demand of other characters, rather than actually conversing with them and it just doesn’t work about half the time when it comes to the actual plot. Which is a shame, because had that anger been more focused, it could have driven the story forward rather than tripping it up.

Pacing was a problem here. Much of the story lags and issues get retrod over and over rather than being fully developed or given an opportunity to grow. There were scenes that needed to be condensed or removed and doing so would have tightened the plot significantly. There are some strong secondary characters in The Witch King and they certainly helped to flesh out the wider story and offered a rounded out cast. This is especially true of Wyatt’s friend, Briar, and his fiancé, Emyr. Both are developed characters and they provide a nice balance against Wyatt.

The Witch King certainly had a great deal of merit and will likely appeal to many readers. But with Wyatt’s rage becoming something of a one note plot device and persistent pacing issues, instead of enjoying this one, I spent a lot of the time frustrated. That said, if you’re looking for strong transgender fantasy characters you might find something to like here.

The fae rule over witches like Wyatt in Asalin, the place he came from, and the place he’d most like to forget. He’s made a good life for himself, found a family, and things are going great, until his fiance, heir to the throne of Asalin shows up and ruins everything. There’s a contract. Emyr and Wyatt will be married regardless of the fact that Wyatt left some serious destruction in his wake when he left. Dragged back to his former life and into a brewing war for the throne, Wyatt just wants to get out. That is, until he really gets to know Emyr and maybe starts falling for him all over again.

This book was such a wild and fast ride, and I really enjoyed. The characters are my kinda people, a rainbow of queer folk who aren’t afraid to be themselves. Wyatt doesn’t feel he’s been born into the wrong body. Wyatt is a boy and thus, his body is a boy’s body. I love some trans rep where people don’t medically transition, because there are all types of trans and NB folks with all types of bodies, some with body dyasphoria and others without it. It felt cool to get more rep here. I really loved the supporting characters. Not just queer rep, but Wyatt’s best friend and her family who adopt him are indigenuous and they have their own beliefs about gender that don’t necessarily fit the binary, which is awesome.

The power struggle was interesting, and having fae and witches and their complicated history made a rich story but also maybe mirrored some of the issues in our reality, which is something Sci-Fi/Fantasy is known for and one of my favorite things about it. My only complaint about this is that the end leaves room for another book, and I hope there is one, and I want it now! If you’re looking for something fun to read for Pride with a ton of rep, check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and H.E Edgmon for the opportunity to not only read The Witch King in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.

This book is full of diversity and reflects issues of discrimination in society today with very real scenarios as well as fictitious events that reflect current events in the United States in 2021.

Wyatt escaped Asalin, one of the fae kingdoms, after such horrendous bullying that his fire magic killed his parents. In the human world, he finds refuge with a girl named Briar and her family. When his fated mate, the fae prince, shows up, Wyatt gets sucked into going back to Asalin to try and help Emyr take the throne. The problem? Huge opposition by his cousin, Derek, who might just have a better tie to the throne. Not only that, but Wyatt is a witch, while Emyr is fae. Fated pairs between witches and fae are rare, but they do happen. Witches are seen as the lowest of the low in fae society, often holding jobs of high labor and seen as slaves. This poses a bit of a problem when it comes to the future rule of Asalin.

Political ventures aside, when Emyr found Wyatt to be his mated pair, Wyatt was actually a girl. That name is dead. Wyatt is not a girl and will never be some baby-making factory to produce heirs for a fae prince. Even if he has feelings for Emyr, he is cautious to play upon them because of Emyr's (and the rest of fae society's) previous comments and expectations of his mate, even if he didn't quite know what he was saying at the time.

With political tensions high in Asalin, witches and fae are facing off and riots are breaking out. Will Wyatt and Emyr be able to come to some kind of agreement for the betterment of Asalin, or will they have to let Derek take the throne to avoid further political and discriminatory disasters?

This book was such a fantastic read. Wyatt is the first person perspective character and I adore his voice. His internal thoughts ring clear, and his character is just so fun and dynamic. As one can see from the cover, there is a great amount of diversity in this book, which young readers really need more exposure to. Not only are there witches and fae, but we have representation for transgender, Black, and body positivity. This book has some great tense moments of feelings and romance as well. I recommend this book to teen readers and anyone interested in the transgender experience. This is also a great book for lovers of fae fantasy stories. An all-around recommended read!!

I like that this book feels like a wholesome stand-alone, but the world is expansive enough that there is potential for more books to follow. The end isn't necessarily a cliffhanger, but definitely leaves the door open to more possibilities. Whether a second installment comes or not, this is an excellent novel and a satisfying read.

The Witch King (The Witch King #1) by H.E. Edgmon is a solid YA debut fantasy series opener. It's actually kind of tough to know exactly how to rate this one. It would probably come a little closer to a 3.5 star rating, but I've decided to round to a whole number. The story is very inclusive and creative and I loved getting to know the world Wyatt and Emyr inhabit. I really wanted to step into their world and see all I could. As for Wyatt, he's a complex character who has plenty of space to grow. He's not exactly a likeable character, but I appreciate that there's room for him to be a bit of a chaotic mess. Given everything he's been through and has experienced, I'm just glad he was able to come through the other side in one piece. My only real complaints about this novel were technical issues. The pacing's too uneven during the first half of the novel. Normally that doesn't bother me as much but as the novel's over 400 pages, it stood out to me and at times it drew me out of the story. Another element that drew me out of the story to a degree was the dialog for some characters which at times came across as forced or like its trying a little too hard to be right up to the minute. The present day references could be fun at times, but other times it didn't quite work for me. Overall, though, I highly recommend this debut. The series has the potential to be truly great. I have a feeling you'll want to try The Witch King if you enjoyed Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas and The Folk of the Air by Holly Black. I'm looking forward to trying whatever this author does next and in the future.

I found this book to be wonderful.

It had many twists and turns. Fabulous characters and a storyline that is relevant to today's climate.

Mostly I was in love with it because it had Fae and Witches.

This book truly had everything I could want in a story plus I really felt anyone into the supernatural genre would love it. It also was a story many young adults could get into. It was relevant to a lot f what they go through on a daily basis.

The author is truly gifted in creating a story that both young adults and older ones could enjoy. I highly recommend grabbing this book for an afternoon read. I promise you won't regret it and it will take you on a journey you would never expect.

I think I went in with the wrong expectations for this thinking that it was summer/winter court unseelie/seelie style fae rather than generic magic elves. Which is a problem on my end. I also wasn't expecting this to be set in Rochester New York which also completely through me out of the book and I couldn't get back into it and neither did I particularly enjoy the romance. Again wrong expectations on reuniting with a former arranged fiancé. I think folks who are looking for trans anger expressed through destroying nationalist fairies as stand ins for white supremacy will probably enjoy this.

DNF at 40%

I'm so torn over this book because it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I loved the concept, and witches and fairies with a trans MC written by an Own Voices author totally sucked me in. Unfortunately the book is poorly written and the characters are all unlikeable. The worldbuilding is almost non-existent, and Wyatt, the narrator, keeps hitting the reader over the head with the allegory the book is making. I wanted to finish this book, but ultimately I couldn't get past the poor writing.

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Witch King

Author: H.E. Edgmon

Book Series: The Witch King Book 1

Diversity: Trans MC ownvoices

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: ya readers, fantasy, fae

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: June 1, 2021

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 432

Recommended Age: 16+ (Deadnaming, Panic attacks, Dissociation, Violence, Gore, Drugs usage, Misgendering, Transphobia, Child abuse, PTSD, Murder, Death, Sexual assault, Fantasy racism, Sexual content)

Synopsis: In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world.

Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

Review: Overall, I liked the concept of this book and I liked how the character, who is very angry and a little off-putting at the beginning, quickly comes and warms your heart and makes you want to comfort him. The book did excellent developing the characters and did very well on the world building. I really liked this fae take and thought it better suited me than some other fae books. I also love all of the diversity and how the book discusses systematic oppression, colonialism, and power imbalance.

My only criticisms of the book are that the pacing can be a bit wonky in the book, slow and fast parts, and that the book takes awhile to get into. I'd say about 30-50 pages in is where you should be hooked if this is your type of book.

Verdict: It's great and I need more!

I’m finding it challenging to fully complete this book. I’m roughly past the half way point, but I’m finding Wyatt’s narrative voice a bit hard to follow. Faerie and Fey are my genre of choice in almost anything — I’ll choose a book with them over one without 24/7 — but I wasn’t a fan of the worldbuilding/lore either. I love myself some witches, but having them be part of the Fey world took some adjusting. Of course, this book comes with some trigger warnings (listed in the forward), and deals with heavy topics such as privilege and bigotry among others. The central trio are enjoyable characters, but haven’t been quite enough to buoy me through this novel. I may return to change this rating if I finish out the novel, but as of right now I’m setting it aside to focus on other reads. One thing this book has going for it is that it’s written by an own voices author, so Wyatt’s experience feels authentic. Other that that … it remains to be seen.

Absolutely stunning book! This had every trope I love and more: friends to enemies, enemies to lovers, cliffhanger ending, questionable actions, secret bad guy twist, etc., This book is extremely diverse, normalized everything, showed how easy it is to be a decent human being to trans people, and taught me some things I never thought about before in relation to trans and non-binary people. The plot is excellent, I loved the twist, and I cannot wait to get the next book in my hands. Best book I read in May for sure!

I received an advanced copy of The Witch King through NetGalley so I could share my review with you!

Content Warning: The Witch King contains scenes of violence (gore/blood), death, murder, misgendering/deadnaming, sexual assault, racism (in fantasy context), emotional and physical abuse, and panic attacks.

Wyatt doesn’t belong, no matter where he goes. In the human world, he is forced to hide his status as a witch, or else risk exposing the magical world. In the fae world, things are even worse for Wyatt, as witches are treated as second-class citizens. That prejudice would be bad enough on its own even if Wyatt weren’t a high-profile political figure (against his own will). Much to the dismay of the fae, Wyatt was fated to marry the heir to the North American fae kingdom, Prince Emyr. Wyatt thought he’d escaped this arranged marriage when he fled to the human world, but Emyr is more persistent than he could’ve imagined. When Emyr turns up at Wyatt’s house in the human world and demands that he return to the fae world to uphold their marriage contract, there is little Wyatt can do, besides make things extra difficult for all the fae around him. There are many who would kill to make sure that a witch is never seated on the fae throne, and Wyatt will have to deal with all of them if he wants to survive long enough to escape back to the human world.

You can get your copy of The Witch King on June 1st from Inkyard Press!

The Witch King is everything I look for in a fantasy novel and more! It is packed to the hilt with humor, high-stakes magic, and chaotic queer energy! From the start of the story, I fell in love with Wyatt’s narrative voice, which was the exact right amount of sarcastic. More than once, I found myself actually laughing out loud at the chapter names and at Wyatt’s commentary. Beyond the humor, The Witch King provides an insightful commentary on the nature of oppression within societies, magical and otherwise. In this story, the Witches share many experiences with members of the LGBTQ+ community who are all too often ostracized from their homes and communities. This book struck a powerful chord with me on many levels, leaving me desperate for the sequel, so that I can find out where H. E. Edgmon takes the story next!

My Recommendation-
This book would be the perfect choice for fans of Aiden Thomas and TJ Klune! If you love snarky queer narrators, you need to pick up a copy of The Witch King immediately!

This is a good book that deals with important issues like acceptance, inclusivity and difference. It’s also a compelling and well written story that kept me hooked.
It’s not always easy to love Wyatt as he’s suffering and sometimes can seem to be mean. There’s a long history of feeling different or not accepted for what he is.
It’s not easy to be born different in a world where you have to conform to the standards to be alive.
We get to know his past story and read what is going to be.
There’s plenty of twists and turns in this story, politics and sufferance. It’s not a heartwarming story, it can be heartbreaking at times but there’s also hope.
The plot flows and is tightly knitted, the characters are interesting and fleshed out.
The world building could be improved and be more consistent. There’s a lot of potential and some work could make it more interesting.
One note: even if I liked Wyatt we don’t need to be told he’s trans/gay every other page.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Inkyard and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I loved this book. There’s going to be inevitable comparisons to Aiden Thomas’ Cemetery Boys as both are written by trans authors and star magical trans characters. But besides that, they both feature excellent world-building, extremely relatable main characters, and emotionally resonant storytelling. I cried during the preliminary author’s note (that’s a record for me, even for Inkyard Press books) and my heart was sold from then on. It’s also addictively readable – I went back to pull the quotes from this review and next thing I knew it was an hour later and I was a chunk of the way through the book again!

After his magic started a fire that killed his parents, Wyatt fled the fae realm of Asalin for the human world, and now three years later he lives with his (human) best friend Briar’s family. The last thing he expects is for fae prince Emyr (aka his betrothed) to track him down, or for him to still insist they get married. Derek, his cousin, is scheming for the throne, and Emyr thinks fetching his errant fiancé back home will help, mainly to parade him around as the “normal” person who now co-ruled Asalin, and, uh, also to provide heirs. With Asalin stuck between the conservatives who want the fae to remain the same – and aren’t afraid to use violence – and Emyr and his reforms, does Wyatt still believe the only place for him is in the human world?

“Then why would you be offended by a compliment?” His irritation is growing more obvious. Good. Let him be irritated. Let it sink in properly that I am not the golden goose. I am more like an actual goose, hissing and honking and attacking small children who just want to give me bread.


I loved Wyatt. While parts of his childhood could be considered idyllic – he did have an elevated status due to his betrothal with the prince – much of it was not, and a lot of that owed to him being a witch. While witches are born from fae parents, unlike fae, they look human and have different magic than them. They’re second class citizens, mistrusted and mostly ignored at best or subject to fae harassment at worst. The human world, even with its own problems with race and LGBT people, is far safer and friendlier to him, especially Briar and her family. Even the safety of the palace and his friendship with Emyr had soured shortly before he left. Because while Emyr recognizes him as his mate, a fae bond that is supposed to connect the most genetically compatible people, Wyatt sees it as just another way in which he’s convenient but not really wanted, or at least, not for himself. And to be honest, Wyatt never considered the impact his being away would cause on Emyr and the mate bond. They’ve both changed and grown in the three years they’ve been apart, some good and some bad, and watching them both learn from and accept their past mistakes was both heart-wrenching and heart-melting.

“I began seeing the fae for what they were and doubting the life that was planned for me. Emyr and I started fighting, the childhood friendship and blooming something between us warping as I began to question my place in his future. As I started to realize he saw me the way all the fae saw me. Not for who I was, but for what he could do with me.”


Wyatt and Emyr’s relationship before he left was more a childhood friendship than anything romantic. Plus, Wyatt’s growing realization that the only reason he was accepted at all was because of that tie to Emyr caused fractures in their relationship before he left. And then to pick back up with Emyr basically forcing Wyatt back to Asalin, a place that holds deeply traumatic memories for him, and back into that relationship? Oof. What saved me from completely hating him, though, is how he generally seemed to care about Wyatt, about how he supported him once he actually understood what Wyatt needed. And, to be honest, Wyatt isn’t initially even sure what he needs, whether it’s to get himself back to the human world as quickly as possible or to see whether that spark he still feels for Emyr is worth fighting for. It’s tropey as heck, too, with the usual arrange marriage, forced proximity, just one bed, childhood friends… It’s a lot but it mixes up very well.

“Anyone else tired of listening to straight men speak?” Wade asks, shaking out his fist and looking down at his knuckles. Tessa tsks, taking his hand in hers.


Not only the main romance is decidedly gay, but the rest of the secondary characters are delightfully gay as well, from another trans character (gasp! you mean books can have more than one?!?!) to his bi (and endlessly optimistic) best friend Briar (I desperately want her “bi furious” pin), and that’s not counting Jin (a self-described “theydy” – trans nonbinary lady, very lesbian) and their girlfriend Clarke. Then there’s Wade, Clarke’s brother, who deceptively snuck on me and became my favorite side character, because he’s awesomely sarcastic. In terms for another almost-as-unwelcome-as-Emyr blast from Wyatt’s past is Wyatt’s sister, Tessa, his mirror for if he’d been born fae, been born “right.” There’s understandably a lot of anger and distrust between the two of them at first, but as Derek’s attempt to unseat Emyr advances, they find out that the other is not the person they believed they were.

The world building is a fascinating take on the fae-hidden-in-the-human-world genre. Wyatt himself makes comparisons between how the fae treat the witches with how oppressed groups are treated in the human world. There’s also the parallels between his parents refusing to let him learn anything about his magic and how he had to learn and work through his gender on his own. It’s a bit on the nose, but it’s well done and it felt organic. I’m cis, so I can’t really speak to the trans rep, but everything about Wyatt – his anger, his acceptance of himself, his humor – felt authentic and real to me. I wished there was a bit more about the magic system. The three types of fae magic are well-explained, but there’s not as much about witches. It’s a deliberate reflection of Wyatt’s lack of knowledge, though – his parents refused to let him associate with other witches, so he’s completely untrained – and he does learn more about it as the book progresses. What’s there is fascinating, though, from the descriptions of Wyatt’s aura to the magic cellphones.

“The chaotic energy of me entertaining gay thoughts right now is unmatched.”


Overall, easily one of my top five books of the year so far. This is apparently the first part of a duology and I cannot wait to see what happens next with Wyatt, Emyr, Briar, Jin and Asalin as a whole!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Is it too early to announce that I've found my favorite book of the year? No? Awesome! Because The Witch King is, without a doubt, one of my favorite reads, possibly of all time. It's the fae story I never realized I needed to read.

Wyatt Croft has been on the run for years, ever since one devastating night that made him realize that Asalin, home of the fae, was not his home. You see, Wyatt is a witch, and witches typically aren't treated all too well by the fae.

To further complicate matters, Wyatt's royal fiance has been looking for him since the moment he ran away, and he has finally succeeded in his goal. Apparently, the fate of Asalin may just rest on Wyatt's shoulders, as Emyr is convinced the only way to bring peace is to give them a royal marriage.

"I'd known right then and there that something unfortunate was about to go down, but I hadn't expected him."

I basically fell in love with The Witch King within the first five pages. Everything that came after just further convinced me of my love. Wyatt's sass is amazing, the secondary characters have so much to give, and the plot was rich and fascinating.

This debut fantasy novel blew me away, both with its creativity and representation. Wyatt is a trans witch, which brings with it all sorts of complications from the fae. It also raised a lot of interesting points and things to think about, which I adored. Many of the other characters in this book were also LGBT, and it was fascinating to see how they interacted with the rest of the fae community.

Out of everything, I think I adored Wyatt's spunk and personality the most. This was a character that had gone through hell, had scars to show for it, and wasn't afraid to speak their mind. I loved it. To give you a taste of the way Wyatt thinks, read the quote below.

"Let it sink in properly that I am not the golden goose. I am more like an actual goose, hissing and honking and attacking small children who just want to give me bread."

Perfection, right? It's no wonder that I fell in love with Wyatt's story. I'm already counting down the days for a sequel at this point. I also do not doubt that I'm going to be keeping an eye open for pretty versions of this book – my heart will be crushed if they don't exist.

Before I conclude my review, I should mention several content warnings to go along with this level of humor. I do want to give H.E. Edgmon a ton of credit for providing this warning at the beginning of their book, as it's something I feel like more publishers should allow for. The warnings include abuse, transmisia, sexual assault, trauma, misgendering (both of the accidental and intentional variety), deadnaming (off-page, carefully portrayed), and panic attacks.

Honestly I loved this! Wyatt might be one of my new favourite main characters- he is messy and he is REAL and I can't express how much I appreciated him and his anger. I loved being inside his head and I really meshed with the narration style (I love a snarky teen.) I understand the critiques about the writing, but I'm a character person before anything else, so this was right up my alley. I thought the development of Wyatt and Emyr's relationship was well done, and I loved Briar (I'd be so happy with a companion novel of Briar's story honestly) and I liked most of the side characters as well. However, I I would have liked some more concrete world-building, as a lot of the fae world was really vague to me! I also felt like the reveals and twists at in the last 15% of the book needed a bit more build up to make sense, especially the Big twist. Some of the themes are a bit on-the-nose, but it worked for me. I'm super excited to see where the story goes in the sequel, and I will probably pick up anything Edgmon writes in the future!

Trigger warnings for fire, death by fire, parental death, parental abuse, murder, violence/gore, sexual assault, physical assault, transphobia, misgendering and deadnaming, oppression, panic attack, mentioned suicide attempt.

Filled with beautiful queer representation, this book was simply a delight to read! The characters and their relationships between them are incredibly complex and compelling, although at times the plot leaves a lot to be desired. All in all, a good book that is new to the YA scene nonetheless!

The Witch King instantly had my number with its awesome cover and engaging premise: Wyatt, a witch and trans guy, is the fated mate of the Emyr, his best friend and future king of the fae in Asalin. So much happens in this book! I had anticipated that the story would revolve around Wyatt and Emyr's relationship - and it does - but much of the focus is on the power imbalance and injustices in Asalin. As Wyatt reluctantly reenters Asalin - along with Briar, his human bestie - he becomes embroiled in conspiracies and the plight of the witches who are viewed as second class citizens. My favorite parts are the quieter moments: Wyatt rediscovering his favorite places in Asalin, spending time getting to know Emyr again, and bonding with Briar. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and learning about Emyr and Wyatt's childhood. The queer and diverse rep is really good. I was especially excited for the ace and nonbinary characters! I loved Wyatt's perspective and trans experience; it's unlike any I've come across in YA fiction and it was wonderful to read.

There were some things I struggled with while reading, like the pacing. At times the story felt slow and hard to focus on. I also got distracted by the constant updates on Emyr's wardrobe; it is very eclectic and fun but I didn't need to know what he was wearing at all times. I also would have liked some more consistent world building, like I don't think it was explained how the fae have managed to keep their kingdoms from being discovered by humans or why they chose to start using human currency but not consistently upgrade their technology.

All in all, a good start to a series featuring diverse and queer characters and a promise of more adventures to come!

This Own Voices book takes readers to a fantasy realm where diversity is normalized, and while opposition to change still exists within the world we are reading, the characters themselves are fervently authentic in their identities. Wyatt is a trans witch struggling with a societal assumption that he will marry and become king. He has tons of “fight-the-power” energy while also having a deeply emotional voice in narration. I cannot wait to see where this story (yes, we’re left with some seriously exciting what if’s)!