This book was the perfect fantasy read for me. The world building at times was confusing and took a little while for my brain to wrap around but, aside from that there is zero con to this book.

The character building and growth was beyond expectations. I need more of this world. More. More. More.

Kaiisteron, the Witch King, has awoken and claimed a new sacrificial mortal body to serve as his own. He has escaped his imprisonment in an underwater tomb and regained much of his power, but now he must seek answers. Which of his loyal friends and followers betrayed him, allowing him to be trapped in the first place?

Kai is a demon, eating the life force of others to power his magic. Now he’s gathering the allies he believes he can trust in order to solve the mystery of his captivity. Interspersed throughout his reawakened life are chapters relating one of his past mortal lives, and his rise to claim the title of Witch King.

Martha Wells is one of my favorite contemporary writers of science fiction novellas (honestly, who doesn’t love Murderbot?) and so when I found out that she had a new fantasy novel coming out this year, I knew that I had to read it as soon as possible. Witch King is a phenomenal journey through Kai’s past and present, finding family and friends and seeking revenge. It’s out in the world as of yesterday, so you can enjoy it too.

My utmost thanks to NetGalley and Tor.com for the eARC of Witch King in exchange for a fair review.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2023/05/31/witch-king-a-review/

I loved the characters in this book. The worldbuilding took a little long to make full sense to me, but once it came together, it was great!

Witch King by Martha Wells was a fantastic read. I'm so happy to have gotten the opportunity to read Wells' return to fantasy. Witch King still holds the fun and sassy characters you got in Murderbot, too. The characters were amazing and you couldn't help but fall a little in love with their found family vibes. Overall, I highly recommend everything and anything Martha Wells writes.

Witch King, by Martha Well, is a novel that I mostly gently enjoyed throughout but which also had some definite flaws. While they weren’t “dealbreakers”, they definitely had an effect. How much or little that will hold true for you will probably depend on what you look for in a fantasy work.

Kai, the titular Witch King, is a demon of the Underneath who has the power to leap into bodies of the dead (he can also “eat” the life of people). The book opens with him waking up disoriented in a strange place, and what eventually is revealed that he was captured and imprisoned, along with his close friend Ziede, also a magic user. After the two manage to extricate themselves from their current situation, picking up a young girl named Sanja along the way, they Ziede’s wife Tahren (an Immortal Marshall) and Tahren’s brother (a Lesser Blessed) are also missing, and so they set out to find out what has happened to them while also trying to figure out how they themselves were betrayed and imprisoned.

The quest for Tahren and Dahin take place in current time, while the second narrative in the book (roughly the same length) takes place decades earlier, when a seemingly unstoppable group of people known as the Hierarchs have swept in and conquered nation after nation, often wiping out or nearly so entire peoples. The Hierarchs are strong wielders of magic, have “Expositors” as a sort of sub-group of magic users, and managed to convince the Immortal Marshalls to ally with them rather than fight them. In this timeline, Kai has been captured and imprisoned in the Summer Halls of the Hierarches, and it is there he meets Basha, a royal prince held there as hostage for his nation’s good behavior. This is also where the rest — Ziede, Tahren, Dahin — all meet for the first time as they plot a rebellion against the Hierarchs.

To start with the positives, the opening scene is wonderfully tense, and Kai’s disorientation is echoed by the reader’s own as they’re dropped in media res into this story and world. Kai is a mostly engaging character if not a compelling one, his relationship with Ziede is nicely depicted and the wry banter between them fondly humorous. The magic systems presented are diverse and interesting, including spirit manipulation, tapping of “wells” of power, Kai’s body-hopping as well as his near-invulnerability (he heals incredible fast, kind of like Wolverine). More fascinating is the way Kai’s power source is pain. While the Expositors use others’ pain, Kai refuses that path and uses his own, cutting himself for example (and sometimes doing far worse) to gain the power needed for a spell. We’re also introduced early on to a wonderfully fantastic relationship with a whale.

The background politics are interesting as well, focusing on what happens with the defeat of the Hierarchs (this is not a spoiler; we know early on they were beaten) by an alliance of nations/peoples: does the alliance end itself? Does it remain a loose confederation? Does it centralize more power to itself? Become an empire? Meanwhile, the groups that make up the political structure are vividly detailed and distinguished, as with the grassland nomads we see Kai spending his youth with.

The novel’s structure works well and is quite effective in a number of ways. One is we get to see how Kai has changed over the time period from a young demon newly part of the upper world (the demons of the Underneath have a mutually beneficial pact with a nomadic tribe that a demon will occupy the body of a newly deceased tribesperson) to a despairing prisoner to an in-over-his-head-but-growing-into-the-role rebel to the wiser-to-the-world-but-trying-not-to-become-jaded Witch King. The past story also fills in some (but only some) of the blanks with regard to how magic work, who the Hierarchs are, why the current world is do devoid of people, etc. The alternating between times allows Wells to make good use of the switches back and forth to enhance suspense, dropping us out of one time period at a pivotal moment. And finally, the two timelines nicely shadow one another, as for how Kai is imprisoned in both for instance, and the way places of the past become important in the present as well, all of this showing how in that classic Faulkner line, “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

As for the more problematic elements. While as noted I quite liked being thrown into the midst of things at the start, and while I’m generally a fan of having information doled out in bits and pieces, here it felt like Well held back a little too much. I feel pretty confident I understand the basic gist of things — how the magic works, who the various groups and alliances/enemies are, etc. But it all feels more than a little wispy. I know the Blessed Immortals are arrogant twits with powerful magic, but not a lot more than that. I know the Hierarchs are even more powerful and enacted genocides and atrocities, but not much more than that. There’s a similar restraint to worldbuilding in Wells’ (fantastic) MURDERBOT series, but there the background is so familiar to genre readers and based mostly in our real world physics/laws that we don’t need much. Tell me “space dock” or “planet colony” and I can visualize/understand it enough from just those phrases. Here though, I’d argue the reader needs more help from the author in fully grasping how this world works.

The overly sparse construction held for the characters as well. I get Ziede’s fierce worry over Tahren and desire to find her but can’t say I had any true sense of their relationship (which seemed to form way too fast in the early timeline). I mostly understood Ziede’s anxiety on an intellectual basic — “they’re married, it's logical she’d be upset.” Beyond Kai, none of the characters felt fully fleshed out or used to their full potential. One character, for instance, had their memories wiped and then they were compelled to do things against their will, but beyond a few mentions that’s pretty much all we get from a situation ripe for emotional impact. Even with Kai, who is certainly the most developed and is in fact pretty well developed, one feels Wells leaves some material on the table. The pain element of his magic is somewhat touched upon, but it felt like it cried out for more attention, more depth. All that said, while the side characters didn’t come wholly to life, I still found the times Wells focused on Kai’s relationship to them to be the stronger elements of the novel.

In terms of plot, one has to consider them separately. The early plot is mostly interesting for seeing how relationships formed. There isn’t much suspense in terms of the rebellion because we know of course the main people survive and that the Hierarchs are defeated. That defeat is also more than a little anti-climactic as they’re built up as so unstoppable and powerful (albeit pretty faceless and enigmatic villains otherwise) but in the end they go down surprisingly easily. Or maybe easily is the wrong word, as it did take some unique abilities and a lot of pain, but still, it didn’t feel as difficult as it should have. And I’m still not quite clear on how the entire group of Hierarchs, as opposed to the two killed in the Summer Hall rebellion, were stopped. The current time plot, meanwhile, is solid enough but a bit flat, and while I liked the way their journey echoes the past timeline, it feels a bit perfunctory at times and similarly to the rebellion, a bit anti-climactic. Finally, I never felt grounded in the time aspect of things. The way people talked about events of the past for some reason always felt like those events were far deeper in the past than they actually were. I was always surprised each time something reminded me only a few decades had passed.

Issues with plot, as long as they don’t involve plot holes, are rarely dealbreakers for me. I was intrigued enough by Kai’s inner thoughts and his growth to happily follow along despite some pacing issues, some lack of clarity with how the world worked, and a not-too-compelling plot. Depending on your preferences, you may find the book utterly enjoyable or totally frustrating. Recommended with caveats.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

"Witch King" contained an elaborately crafted world with a cast of compelling characters navigating a mysterious plot against them with flashbacks to the war where the characters first met.

I found the first 30% of the book to be full of world-building and names that took me a while to get a grasp on. There was a character list at the start, which I feel would be easier to reference with a physical copy of the book, but I found it a bit challenging with an eARC. Because of all the heavy world-building, it took me a while to really get invested in the story, although I eventually did. I especially enjoyed the ending and seeing how everything came together.

The main strength of this book was the characters. I loved Kai, especially, and thought he was a compelling main character to follow. He was likable, often sarcastic, and had a consistent set of morals that guided him. The supporting cast was also great, especially Ziede and Ramad. I loved the found family vibes and how the characters looked out for each other, even when suspicious or wary of their motivations. The casual queerness of the characters was also refreshing, with plenty of queer relationships and characters who used they/them pronouns.

I think if you're ready for some heavy world-building and characters you can get invested in, this is a solid queer fantasy read. Not a new favourite for me, but I enjoyed my time reading it.

Writing a charismatic and loveable character despite said character being a murderous being is a tough one but Martha Wells was able to do so with Kaiisteron aka Kai.

Kai's a demon - a life-sucking, body snatching type who has no remorse eating people and who also just so happen to have a soft spot for those he cares about. He'd scour the ends of the world just to be reunited with the missing members of his found family.

From the get-go the reader's plunged head first in the middle of the story and from there this adventure unfold quite nicely. I have a strong aversion to dual timeline stories as they are rarely done right, but in the case of Witch King, it was utilized wonderfully filling in the gaps and showing Kai's backstory.

The world-building in itself was adequate. Don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed what was provided, however there could've been more and though I do believe this is a standalone I wouldn't be averse to seeing an expansion of the world as there's so much more to explore on its lore and the characters as well.

The story's dense and complex but the characters, the writing and the lore made this a worthwhile read.

A solid 4 stars out of 5 stars and I recommend giving this a try.

This book was unlike anything I have read. I love the world, the characters we got to meet, to learn about. I think it's very interesting the book doesn't start with Kai as the underdog, we start with him experienced... and pissed off. Being able to get the glances into who he used to be, the loss of his identity, the growth of his friendships and found family, all while seeing what he'd grown into, was such an interesting way of going about this story.

Speaking of the found family... oh. Oh my god. I loved every single character, even the ones from the past that we know are no longer with us, so much. Found family tropes are always a weak spot in my heart and Wells knows just how to expose it and write it well. And Ziede and Tahren!!! Their relationship from "enemies" to friends to wives, I loved so, so much. And even having Kai around to see it happening, in the past, was so much fun.

Not having the full cast in the present, but showing the relationship they all built in the past, really added to the paralyzing fear of... what if something goes wrong?? What if these people I know and love, just like Kai does, get hurt?

Towards the end it grew to be a little frustrating and repetitive, Kai and his entourage constantly getting into situations that are anxiety inducing, but they get out unscathed... every. time. The stakes that should have had me biting my nails off (I still did, Wells exceeds at anxiety inducing moments) fell short because the risk was shrugged off.

The ending... oh god. Don't get me started. <spoiler>It wasn't nearly as satisfying as it should've been because the conspiracy we were trying unravel <i>with</i> Kai and his entourage was already solved by Kai... and, by the way, he already stopped the bad things that might happen from happening FIVE YEARS AGO.</spoiler> Again, it was shrugged off, I didn't get to be tense and worry with the characters because they had everything handled, off screen no less.

If Kai weren't Kai, if Wells didn't excel at writing characters like him and making them loveable, this book would've been unbearable. Which, again, just speaks to how well done the characters in this novel are. And of the characters... there just wasn't enough Tahren, in my humble opinion. I need more of my stoic lesbian representation XD

All in all, despite the books little bit of OP characters (which like.. makes sense but I love a struggle) it was such a fun ride, with an interesting world, a queer as hell cast, and a still interesting mystery (even if our main character had already figured it out... I'll never let that one go). I loved it. But then again, everything Wells does I love.

Kai is just having a horrible day all around and it may just be kind of associated with him you know being murdered and his consciousness becoming dormant as well as unaware of time passing. Plus, on top of that he is confined into a water trap. So, with all of that said, Kai does wake up, but then he finds a lesser mage who is channeling Kai's magic to their own advantage. Kai is pretty certain that all of this is not going to go well, but he must first figure out why was he assassinated and imprisoned?

I have never read a book by Martha Wells before, but I have heard good things about her previous books.

Witch King definitely did not disappoint for my first Martha Wells book, and I loved Kai as a character since he is a super charismatic demon that is from the Underworld.

When it came to first starting this book. I felt like it was hard to get my bearing and know the world as well as knowing what actually is going on. It does feel like us as the reader are just thrown into the story and it being up to the reader to figure out the world, but once the story gets going it becomes easier to understand and really get into the story. Once you understand the world you instantly become immersed. So, if you are to pick this book up, then please pay attention to the details because it will ultimately help you understand what is going on and how the world is built.

Witch King is told in a dual timeline of present time and in the past. This story is a slow burn type of fantasy, which I typically love when an author does it right. In this case, Martha Wells does a great job once I got my bearings into this book.

The cast of characters were a delight, and it has been a while since I got to dive into an epic fantasy book for a while and it really made me see that I have missed reading awesome epic fantasy books since I love some really good complex worlds, characters, and magic systems.

I look forward to reading whatever Martha Wells puts out and will definitely look up The MurderBot series that is highly acclaimed by her.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor, and Ms. Wells for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I will say this: if you are coming to this book solely to get your greedy hands on a MurderBot fix, you are going to be disappointed. This is NOT MurderBot. MurderBot is (snarky, sarcastic, hilarious) SciFi. *This*, Witch King is High Fantasy.

Honestly, and this is solely my opinion, YMMV, but I sort of feel that High Fantasy is a under-appreciated art form. At work I feel like I see a lot of readers who are into the "latest Patterson" or whatever TikTok told them to read or a KU book where the author writes "weary" instead of wary and "conscious" instead of conscience, SMH. Do people still have the attention span to dive into a fully realized fantasy world? I'll admit: the Dramatis Personae chapter at the beginning was daunting. My advice: skip it. It's frankly very confusing and I had no problem learning the characters' names organically as I read. I could see that chapter being an absolute roadblock in an audiobook.

Kai was a terrific character. Don't get me wrong, Kai is no MurderBot (my forever favorite), but I've been loving antiheroes lately and Kai was a terrific exemplar. He exhibits a lot of charisma and a sardonic personality that made me root for him even as he guzzled people like a Chick Fil A milkshake. As much as I strongly dislike dual timeline stories, I felt that the format worked here to fill in Kai's backstory.

I struggled a little bit with keeping the location names straight, and some of the titles of the various characters, but it's partially my fault, as I kept trying to read in places full of distractions. Frankly, I think the story could stay as a standalone but I could see the possibilities should Ms. Wells choose to develop the characters or world further. Even though it was a fairly complex and dense story, it was well worth the read and I would highly recommend this to readers who (a) like a good high/epic fantasy and (b) aren't expecting a MurderBot installment. I have already purchased this for my library's fiction collection.

** Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review **

In this story, our main character, Kai, has been murdered and his consciousness has been dormant and confined in an elaborate water trap. Now he needs to figure out who imprisoned him and what exactly has happened in his absence. During this time, he must depend on his closest allies to help him find the answers.

I love the way that Wells creates characters and I really enjoyed the ones we met in this book. Especially Kai! He was an interesting character and I enjoyed getting to know more about his past. I also loved the found family that was featured in this book.

I thought the worldbuilding was unique which is something I’m coming to associate with Wells’ writing. It was a bit tricky to follow at times, but overall was very interesting.

The book did feel a bit drawn out. I found myself struggling through the back half of the book and because of this the ending felt a bit anti-climatic. I think this would have done well as a series.

I also would have loved more time with these characters, mainly because of the found family aspect. The ending did feel like a standalone, but I would have loved to dig deeper into some of the side characters like Sanja or Tenes.

This book is very different from the Murderbot series (in my opinion only having read All Systems Red), but if you love the way Wells writes characters and world builds, I do think you’ll have fun with this one!

Martha Wells might just be the love of my life, and Witch King was as brilliant as I’d hoped it would be. (I was fighting for my LIFE to get early access to this book!)

We are very much dropped into the beginning of one story and the middle of another, and both come together quite wonderfully to bring us to an end. In typical Martha Wells fashion, these characters and world are incredibly diverse, witty, and deadly. Bursts of cruelty and violence drop your jaw, rapid fire back and forth dialogue makes you laugh, moments of betrayal and reflection and devastation makes your hurt, and glimpses of tenderness warm your heart.

Oh, to be world-weary immortals whittled down by the cruelties of war, yet still finding the strength to do whatever it takes to cling to the family you’ve fought to make for yourself. When everyone you care for knows loss intimately, what’s left of you will not be taken so easily, not again. I adored Kai, who is so very tired and unbelievably traumatized yet strong, quick thinking and self-sacrificing (that perseverance is something fierce), and Ziede with her sharp mouth and hilarious dry humor and incredible craft, and Sanja, so young and curious and brave, and others who I won’t name because I’ll keep going on and on and you should read it for yourselves really.

I just love characters who are surrounded by darkness and feared by all yet still have it in them to be soft towards others. 🥹

Congrats to Martha Wells for another amazing book release, and shoutout to Tordotcom for my copy! I am OBSESSED!

CW: genocide, graphic violence and descriptions war, slavery, many many deaths

Kai wakes up in a watery tomb. His body has been murdered, but his consciousness finds a new host from among those who had come hoping to enslave him. Kai, you see, is a demon from the Under Earth. So after a brief spot of revenge killing, he finds his friend, Ziede (a Witch who can control the wind), and the pair set out on a mission to find Ziede’s missing wife, figure out who imprisoned them – and most of all: why.

Interspersed with these chapters are flashbacks to Kai’s early life on the upper earth, in a different body, and at a point where the lands around him erupt into war. The powerful and mysterious Hierarchs are using terrible magic to conquer everything in their path; they seem unstoppable. Some fight back, others hope to curry favour and be allowed some autonomy in this new world order, and others are looking for less direct ways to resist.

I really wanted to love this book a lot more than I did – and not just because I adore Murderbot; I was more than willing to let this be its own beast, in a different genre. It was still an enjoyable read, but ultimately just didn’t engage me as much as I thought it should have.

First off, I’m not sure the alternating timelines really worked. The present day quest seems oddly pedestrian in comparison to the war of nations in the past, especially at the beginning, and I found it a little difficult to keep the two separate as we went on, despite the clear chapter headings. There’s a sense that the earlier timeline is meant to explain some of the latter, but overall it didn’t feel like enough was explained.

I really liked Kai as a character, but both timelines presented him as somewhat passive and usually confused. This is a creature of immense power, but he seems unaware of a lot of it at points, and almost meanders his way through both plotlines. There are so many things about this power that I thought needed a bit more exploration if not explanation. For example, why do the grasslands tribe ‘invite’ demons to possess their recently deceased – what exactly are the two sides getting out of this? While Kai is frequently clumsy in getting used to a new body, not much else is said about it. Going from a young girl to a full grown man – surely that invites commentary or some kind?

To be honest, I’m not sure any of the characters were fleshed out enough. I liked them anyway, but Ziede seemed to be defined almost solely by her need to find her wife; Bashasa is benevolent and kind and … that’s kind of his single characteristic. Hmm.

Overall it’s not a bad story at all, it just feels like it could have been that much better presented a little differently. Even as I appreciate the lack of bloat, I wonder if it would have been better written as say a trilogy, giving it a chance for the depth I think was missing not to mention answering some of the questions raised along the way (mystery is great, but loose threads not so much), but as it is it doesn’t feel like there’s more to come.

A slightly baffling, slightly disappointing one. Still came across as a decent enough read, full of interesting concepts, and yet… hmm.

DNF at about 50%. I just don’t want to deal with a book that drops me in the middle of a story without any context, only offering an expositional list of names and backstory. I had to flip back to the list constantly, which didn’t really give me opportunity to connect to the story. I also think my type of reading vibes more around emotions but I experienced none. Mostly because I never saw an opportunity to start caring about the characters and nothing felt “at stake” for me. I think the concept of this book could be something I’d enjoy, it’s just the execution and choice of narration that doesn’t work for me.

Many thanks to the author and Tor for the arc that I was able to read.

I knew I wanted to read this simply based on the author alone, but I was still blown away by this book! I loved the style of worldbuilding and storytelling that Wells uses in this book. If an author wants to display how to use flashbacks correctly, this book should be first on the examples list. These characters are so interesting and display the most creative uses of the magic system Wells' designed. While simple in plot, this story does everything right and is endlessly compelling to read; once I started it, I couldn't stop.
I kept waiting for the infamous 'lore dump,' but it never came and yet I always had the history and information I needed for the rest of the plot. I kept wanting more but was never confused. Now that the groundwork has been laid, I cannot wait to read more in this world. I know it's not the most surprising response to this book, but Martha Wells has done it again and I wait with baited breath for everything else she decides to write.

Title: Witch King
Author: Martha Wells

Release Date: May 30th, 2023*

Category: Fantasy

Synopsis: Kai's having a long day in Martha Wells' Witch King....

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.

Quote: Ashem was too naïve for this world if she thought people were only cruel when there was a point to it.

The UnReel Take:
Story: 5
Writing: 6
Characters: 9
Setting: 6
UnReel AR: 6.25

Bottom Line: Like a lot of readers, I am OBSESSED with Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, and was excited to pick up some of her fantasy. Unfortunately, Witch King didn’t work nearly as well.
To give credit where it’s due, Wells is a great character author. Kai, the eponymous Witch King, is literally a soul-sucking demon and his BFF is a witch who skins people, and they’re both super likable. Witch King also features several immortal characters, including our two leads, and I think Wells did a good job showing how immortality can make you 1) a force to be reckoned with and 2) freaking tired. My favorite character, Bashasa, didn’t get enough page time but was an absolute treasure whenever he popped up.

There is a found family element that I enjoyed as well, but it was too bogged down in other story elements to really shine.

Onto the rough stuff.

The plot of Witch King made no sense. There were a ton of holes, revelations didn’t land because you hadn’t even met the characters involved in them, and how three of the world’s biggest badasses came to be imprisoned wasn’t really explained. This book also includes a dual timeline that wasn’t incorporated well at all. It probably would’ve been better to split this into two books or a prequel novella and a book.

Y’all….the worldbuilding in this. I wanted to like it SO BAD. There are so many individual elements that are super cool (like an underearth inhabited by demons where everything is made out of smoke) but it just didn’t come together. Having read the book cover-to-cover, I couldn’t tell you anything about the antagonists or the various cultures represented. This is by design to an extent, but it left me feeling really disconnected from the story. I’m not sure if Witch King will be turned into a series, wherein the world could be fleshed out further, but I don’t know if I’d pick up book two. Also, a map would’ve been really helpful, but they might put one in the final release.
As with most ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) the text had numerous typos and grammatical errors that will likely be fixed before the final release. There’s also some really modern phrasing that didn’t blend well into the world and characters, diminishing the quality of Wells’ normally strong writing.

Ideal Reading Location: By the pool, with your feet dangling in the deep end. (If you know, you know).

Drink Pairing: Shiner TexHex Bruja’s Bew IPA, just to feel in on the action.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Witch King is for fans of "The Old Guard", a tinge of demons, and mystery. Switching between timelines in the present and the past, readers are trying to figure out what happened to Kai. And, most importantly, who can he trust? Not only does this allow us to figure out the world, but it creates this tension between who these people are in his present, and their previous actions in the past. Can we trust everything they're saying? While I appreciated this narrative choice, the switches felt a bit sudden at some points which caused me difficulty in figuring out a solid sense of who everyone - including Kai - was.

Tnanks to Tordotcom for the copy of this book!

I picked this up after hearing from friends how good the Murderbot series is, but knowing that this book is also going back to Martha Wells' fantasy roots. I'm always ready for a dark fantasy + witchy read and this one starts off with a bang, but unfortunately I DNFed at 40%. For an epic quest, I was honestly really bored. I can see how a lot of people will really enjoy this one, and I absolutely intend to try the Murderbot series, but this one just wasn't for me.

Necromancy fantasy story. I’m absolutely feral for that, love it. Following two different timelines of two v. powerful characters. Solid magic system, solid character work as Well’s is known to be good for. Can feel unsatisfactory and almost surface level world. Easy to lack actually caring for the characters. Like the writing and whatnot, but the lack of depth is slightly disappointing. Not a bad book by any means, but there is quite a bit of room and need for progress.

Source: DRC via NetGalley (Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: May 30, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

What to see what else I’m up to? Want to support me and keep my website ad free?
You can find me at all around the internet via my LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/angryangelbooks

Why did I choose to read this book?

I had heard so much about the Murderbot series that when I saw the chance to pick up a new series by Martha Wells I couldn’t pass it up. I do mean to bring myself around to the Murderbot series eventually, but a fantasy series is much more up my alley.

What is this book about?

I have to be up front with you and say that I don’t know what this book is about. On the very surface level it’s about overthrowing tyranny and installing a more democratic system for society. This is even more important in a society where magic exists. On a more micro level there has been an agreement between the underearth and humans after a great war that demons would inhabit the dying members of honored families so that their last moments can be relayed to the family and the demon would then go on to create children who would become witches. This agreement is what fueled the Hierarchs, who promote demon and witch hatred and work to rid the world of what they see as abominations.

So I think this book is about how Kai (a major demon) and his friends work against the Hierarchs to give the world back to its people.

What is notable about this story?

The magic system in this book is elemental based and I loved it. Wisps and imps and spirits and ghosts – anything that nature could house and support is in this book, both good and bad. I love the idea that the world is alive and this book embraces so many of the ideas that are out there that support this ideology.

I also appreciated the idea that while gendered pronouns are used, demons inhabit humans regardless of gender. So there are male demons in female bodies, and visa versa, and this gender bending felt natural enough that I would recommend reading this book to someone who may not be 100% all the way to understanding gender fluidity.

Witches would often have their voices taken away as part of the Hierarch/expositor torture, so a sign language system was developed and called Witchspeak. I enjoyed the accessibility of communication in the story, especially in the face of people who would stop at nothing to see people silenced.

Was anything not so great?

This book gets REALLY saggy from like 45-65% through (I read this advance copy on Kindle so I can be that exact for you). I had to push and push and push to read through to the conclusion. I mentioned earlier that this was my first book by this particular author, so unlike other authors that I have stuck with and know that slogging through is worth it in the end, this was a big struggle for me. It was worth it, but gosh I just wish that it didn’t slow down as much as it did.

What’s the verdict?

3 stars on Goodreads. Definitely a book I would recommend, but not one that I would scream at you to GO GET IT RIGHT NOW, because this can wait. Just don’t wait too long, because I bet there’s a second book coming and you want to be ready for it. If Martha Wells’ reputation is to be believed, it will only get better from here.