When I saw Martha’s new release was here I couldn’t wait to dive in. With the success of Murderbot I was dying to give a new release in a whole knew world a try. And she didn’t disappoint!

Don't go into this book thinking it's a Murderbot substitute, it's different world-building and character work. It's very much an adventure story with darker themes so you have to keep track of where things are situated and what's happening with the characters. Regardless Martha Wells is a masterful storyteller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book that I've read by Welles, and it was an intimidating feat. This novel was a beast to get through, but that's what one expects from an epic fantasy novel. I adored the characters and Welles' worldbuilding but the information dump can be exhausting for readers. If you struggle with lyrical prose, I suggest that you skip this book. I enjoyed this read and I believe that it is worth powering through. Our high fantasy loving patrons will devour this book, I can't wait to see their reactions.

I love Martha Wells so much but I could NOT get into this one :( Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Aunque la fama “total” le ha llegado a Martha Wells con su serie de Matabot, no podemos olvidar que en su dilatada carrera también ha escrito mucha fantasía, así que me hacía ilusión ver con qué nos sorprendía con Witch King. Por desgracia, nos encontramos ante un libro del montón, tanto, que casi me cuesta trabajo encontrar las palabras para comentarlo, de la poca huella que me ha dejado.


La novela está dividida en dos líneas temporales, el pasado y el presente. El protagonista es Kai, un demonio capaz de ir poseyendo distintos cuerpos según los va necesitando, con lo cual podría decirse que es prácticamente inmortal. Pues bien, la primera escena es su liberación de una trampa que lo tuvo encarcelado durante largos años. Así que buscará venganza contra quién osó atraparlo de esa manera.

Y ya está, eso es todo, porque desde ahí y estoy hablando del primer capítulo, la novela pierde totalmente el norte. Hay personajes secundarios pero parece que los envuelve una neblina que los desdibuja del poco interés que despiertan, hay traiciones entre bambalinas que pasan perfectamente desapercibidas, la historia situada en el pasado que debería darnos contexto sobre la situación actual es banal y soporífera.

La construcción del mundo es innecesariamente compleja y frustrante para el lector, que acaba con muchas más preguntas que respuestas.

El ritmo es lento y parsimonioso, y aunque tiene algunos destellos de humor, lo cierto es que no salvan una novela que es perfectamente prescindible.

This book took me a while to get through. I enjoyed the writing however, I think this book is just not for me. This does not mean it’s a bad just not my usual read. I thought the concept of the book was unique and interesting. I really thought I would be more drawn into the story but I just was not.

This is the first thing I've ever read by this author. If this is an indication of what I can expect from the Murderbot series I'm... not really sure that I'm going to go into it honestly.

What was so eye opening for me at the start of this novel slowly turned into a bit of a burden by the end. At the beginning, I loved how we were dropped in the middle of a world we had no way of really understanding until we got some context. This world of witches and demons was so rich and unique that I couldn't wait to read more. Definitely a book that was outside of my wheelhouse and demanded I take it in all the same.

Characterisation-wise, I loved the introductions we had first to Kai and his companion, Ziede. As they find out what happened to them leading to the beginning of this book, the reader comes to learn the same.

This quickly turns into a mission for the two of them to find Ziede's wife, from whom they were separated and have no context, as well as the wife's brother.

All of this I was here for. But then... after that... this became a story of political intrigue rather than a story of supernatural hijinks. And that was where the story really lagged for me. I thought the writing quality was top notch, but the story telling was too bogged down that even by the time I reached the end I would have struggled to articulate what the point of such a long novel was.

The backstory we were given in ever other chapter could have been told in several paragraphs peppered in here and there. The novel itself could have been half so long. Maybe this was a first novel in a new series' issue of putting in too much world building, but it's definitely scared me off reading more of the same series lest I come again to a long tome without much pay off in terms of plot or ending by the end of it.

Thank you Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review. Ok I liked this book way more than I thought I would. It was actually so funny! The dry humor of the characters was unmatched 😂 Kai was so snarky and a very cool morally grey main character. Ziti was such a baddie I love her. I did the audiobook so sorry if I spelled things wrong 😂 Also the narrator of the audiobook deserves a medal. They were so good at capturing each individual character and I always knew who was talking without having to be told. The jump between the past and the present was really cool though some of the story is still missing for me on certain things that happened but I think that was the point. I thoroughly enjoyed this and more people should read this!

This book was one of my favourite reads of the year. I was unable to stop reading this book, but when I had to, for sleeping and eating and similar, I was unable to stop thinking about it. I loved every single thing about it and I already want to read it again. I won't say too much about it because I would hate to spoil it to anyone one, but there wasn't a single thing I would change about it. It's just perfect!

4.5 out of 5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! This wasn't an easy book to get into. I learned pretty quickly that I had to keep tabbed the list of names and times and play really close attention to everything and everyone because Martha Wells spins a complex world in these pages and among two separate timelines that initially felt like they would be hard to follow. But the action picked up fairly quickly and you were drawn right into the conflict of the main character and his friends who have been taken captive and are trying to piece their found family and life back together to figure out how the heck it even happened.

This book felt more like an introduction to this world and to the political turmoil that is likely to play a huge role in the main character's future. While I don't see an indication on storygraph that it would be part of a series, the ending does set up a sort of an opening for a sequel and I am hoping it is because while a lot happens, it is still set up to read like a beginning of something bigger than what was in this book.

It is a pretty heavy info-packed book and it might take some tries to get into but when I stuck to it, I found the characters to be a whole mood ("I don't need rest, I'm fueled by spite"). Kai is straight up Le Tired, and Ziede wants to find her wife -- a relationship, by the way, that you get to see blossom in almost a mini arc between the two weaving timelines. The one is definitely worth a reread and I see it approaching the same level of "epic fantasy" as a lot of great ones published in the past.

I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed in this book. It was just so full of details and jumped around so often that I got confused. I know that this is fantasy and not like Murderbot but it still wasn't the best fantasy novel. It just felt way too dense.

Wells' fantasies are a different beast that her tight, sarcastic SF/Murderbot works. In an imaginatively rendered world that draws on Arabic influences, this is rambling wander through Kai the demon's angsty, mildly sarcastic quest to figure out who would have the nerve to imprison a demon, and the extent to which rebellions and societies are built not on high-handed ethics but personal loyalties.

I was so very excited about this one and may try to pick it up again one day but sadly, I tried the audiobook ARC and really could not stand the narrator. I feel awful even saying that but it was a struggle just to listen and the character and place names were complex and large in number. Again, maybe I will pick it up again some day but this one was not for me at this time and I had to DNF. Thank you for the review copy.

This was my first Martha Wells book and was very excited to read it because her Murderbot series has been in my TBR for a very long time. I also love Fantasy but, unfortunately, this books wasn’t 100% for me. I was entertained enough and the characters are very well thought out, but None of them really interested me. The world building was very complex and this usually ain’t an issue if I’m emotionally attached to the characters… which I wasn’t.


Thank you for the opportunity to read this Netgalley

WITCH KING by Martha Wells
Publication: 5/30/2023 by tor.Com
Page Count: 430
Audiobook by Macmillan Audio
Narration: Eric Mok
Length: 13 hours , 9 minutes


A sweeping epic fantasy populated by a multitude of characters … with the main protagonist being Kaiisteron (Kai), the demon witch king. Kai awakens suddenly from a curse that kept him trapped in stasis … he is disoriented and separate from his body… apparently having been murdered and betrayed. His best friend Ziede’s wife, Tahren, has gone missing. Obviously political machinations are operant in his present situation.
Both Kai and Ziede set off in a quest across the empire, eventually leading them to the palace where his enemies previously held him captive …where he was beaten and tortured. The narrative takes place in two time lines … present and recent past. Interesting enough, Kai has the ability of taking on the form of recently deceased mortals. Kai will need to solve the mystery of his death. Unfortunately the multilayered plot lines and crisis did not captivate my attention., and the world building appeared disjointed. I had difficulty divorcing myself of my enjoyment from the Murderbot adventures. Wells does explore gender and sexuality in her quest for diversity. Demons and magic abound.
I personally switched back and for the between the kindle and audiobook version. The narration provided by Eric Mok was enjoyable and brought to life the convoluted tale in the theatre of my mind. The inflections of different characters was a welcome relief. Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom and Macmillan Audio for providing an Uncorrected Proof and advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I think I’ll stick to Well’s science fiction works, and pass on the Witch King’s lyrical prose.

This was my first Martha Wells book and because of that, it was tricky. She throws you in head-first into the complex world and magic systems and expects you to keep up. I personally struggled, though I could tell how rich and thought-out the world-building was meant to be. Keeping tabs on the cast of characters, their roles, and goals was challenging, so I often found myself having to retrace my steps and try to keep notes about the plot progression. While I generally love a long world-building experience and getting to know characters, I don't feel like I ever had the opportunity to *really* get to know the characters or their backgrounds, which made it difficult to root for them.

I enjoyed my time reading the book and I will absolutely read her backlog of books and future works because her writing is spectacular. I have to go with an average 3 stars for this particular one, though, because even after finishing the book, I'm not sure where I land with comprehending the overall story.

I must say that I adored this book. I adored it. It isn't flawless, which is why I rated it four instead of five stars, but it was enjoyable and very different from what I anticipated. I've been a fan of Martha Wells for a very long time (before MurderBot) and adore the subtle humour and understatement she uses in her works.

First of all, Kai, the main character, is neither a witch nor a king. It resembles a moniker that people have given him. He is both a prince and a demon (of the Middle Eastern sort). He is a necromantic being who can feed on life force, blood, and eventually pain to develop more strength. There might also be a little body snatching involved. He isn't an awful guy beyond that, though. Make no mistake, he is REALLY violent when he decides to use violence. In its essence, this is a tale about Kai trying to discover who buried him in an underwater tomb, which forces him and his allies to wade headfirst through the historical politics. And the politics here are on a Game of Thrones level of evil. I mentioned that was fun stuff.

I heartily thank both NetGalley and Tor books for the eARC of the title. I loved reading this one.

Witch King is my first read by Martha Wells, and boy can she write. However, as great as her writing is, a lot of this story felt confusing to me.

This may be a 'me' thing, and something that I don't think others will have a hard time with, but there were many times that I was confused who characters were and what exactly was happening. Fight scenes were written vividly, but the good side and the bad started to meld together so I was having a hard time knowing what character I should be rooting for.

This story is not for those who like everything explained as far as magic and the background setting. I still have zero idea how a heart pearl is placed or what it is besides an inner walkie-talkie. I wanted to know more, and I never felt things were fully explained. One thing that I did enjoy though was that sign language was a language used by Witches. With that though, I still didn't understand fully if they couldn't speak and were mute, or just didn't know other languages.

I'm honestly just left torn. I want to say I liked it, but I don't know. I can confidently say the writing is skilled, but there were many moments I felt confused, bored, or both.

So I land in the middle.

On the surface this should have been a ‘me’ book. It has so many things I love in stories. But I just couldn’t connect with the characters and that hindered my enjoyment of the book. I do plan to read more of this author in the future though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. An excellent fantasy book.