Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Tor, for providing me with this e-arc.

I could not get into this novel so I left was not able to finish it. It was confusing, too complex, and did not rope me in.

Ok, so don’t kill me for the 3 stars!

I know, I know, everyone is loving this book! And I so wanted to join in on the fun!

I’m a huge fan of the MurderBot series and was so excited to see this new Fantasy book from Wells. I really expected this to be a 5 star for me.

But, me head was actually hurting a bit trying to keep up with this one. Maybe it was things going on in my life at the time I tried to read this and not the actual book, but this felt really confusing and slow. Oh, so slow moving.

The story begins amidst a confusing action scene. Kai is dead and being resurrected. The rest of the story is about Kai, and his small group of cohorts, trying to determine who betrayed them.

There is tons of world building throughout the story, which is probably why it felt slow to me. The characters were wonderful but there was just so much going on with flashbacks and understanding this world that my brain just felt confused all the time.

While there was a bit of humor throughout, it was nothing like the MurderBot series sarcastic humor, and honestly, I really missed that.

I also felt like there was so much world building for what I believe is supposed to be a stand alone book. Why couldn’t more time have been spent on the characters in that case?

I may need to go back and try and read this at another time. Maybe then it will be easier for me to piece together and ultimately be more enjoyable.

Similar to most, this isn’t my first Martha Wells story. I read the first instalment in the Murderbot series. I don’t think this is an author i automatically gel with. I definitely have to force it, which isn’t authentic. Witch King was confusing and went over my head - completely.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC

Finally got around to reading this. As my first Martha Wells, I was intrigued but kind of wary because I've heard of Wells for her sci-fi and humour, but I haven't heard about her fantasy. I will say for me, it was a three star experience overall. Pros: the diversity and the enthnicity are very strong in this, and made it a joy to read. I literally haven't felt like this since NK Jemisin changed my life a year ago, and it was fantastic seeing POC rep in such a badass way.

The problem is, I didn't get the chance to play video games when I was younger, and as an adult, I never got the appeal. So whilst everything was fast paced, action based and super magical, I just felt like it was quest after quest after quest. This might already be looking up to everyone else, interesting to you and appealing: SO GO AHEAD AND READ IT. It just wasn't for me :)

Witch King was a lot like jumping into the deep end of the pool and forgetting your floaties. Readers are immersed in the world from the get go. Eventually the pieces come together and a more comprehensive view of the world emerges. There are also a myriad of characters and a back and forth jump in time. For this reader, it was a tad overwhelming. I think this isn't a casual read. I found myself struggling at times and constantly jumping back to the list at the beginning of the book to refamiliarize myself with the information. It is also a lengthy book. While it is a solid read and I enjoyed the journey from beginning to end, Wells' writing is superb. That being said, I don't think this book was necessarily for me. However, I think the writing and story does stand out and is one that readers will enjoy. Overall, a good, solid read.

Witch King starts off with a bang that really draws you in. We immediately meet the Witch King, Kai, a demon who is able to switch his consciousness into other bodies. He wakes after being murdered, imprisoned in an underwater trap with his friend Ziede. Neither of them know what happened to leave them trapped, so we follow them as they try to find the other members of their group and puzzle out what happened. The story is told in two timelines, one in the present and one from Kai’s past.

The world building is intricate and lovely, but it is dense. There’s a lot to parse through and remember as you read. Wells definitely does not spoon-feed the lore to her readers, and it can be confusing at points. There is a listing of all the people in the story at the front, but I think this book might have also benefitted from a quick explanation of the different places/groups, as I found those much more difficult to keep track of.

The characters are all very lovable in my opinion, but Kai and Ziede are my favorites. Their humor and banter is great and I found myself laughing out loud at a few of Ziede’s lines.

I really hope this is the start of a series, as there are still many unanswered questions and characters to be explored. I’d like to read more about all of the character’s pasts in general. If it is going to be a series, I will definitely continue reading more from this world!

ARC Provided by the Publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review- thank you!!

I read this book over the weekend and honestly really enjoyed it. For me it hits the right beats of darker fantasy and doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard to be edgy which is an issue that a lot of these “dark fantasy” novels stumble into. Kaiisteron is a lot of fun and compelling as a character; I personally am a huge fan of the overpowered main character trope so I really loved him and his action scenes!

I felt that the found family trope/ ensemble cast was relatively well done; though other than Ziede I didn’t feel that the other characters were super fleshed out in comparison. I wish more time had been spent with the present day’s group dynamic.

The ‘journey’ aspect of the novel is done well, I enjoyed the lush descriptions and felt immersed in the changing scenery.

The only reason why this is a 4.5 stars and not 5 is it didn’t really have that wow factor, the plot was extremely fun but didn’t shock me and or give me anything to think too deeply about but that also was the enjoyment of it. Not everything has to be super deep. And again the depth of the cast other than Kai and Ziede felt very skin deep.

I had only really been familiar with Martha Wells' works through Murderbot which I loved, I think this had a very different tone but I also really enjoyed Witch King overall.

Overall, I ended up loving this book! It had three main things that worked for me:

First, I am an absolute sucker for powerful, traumatized, snarky characters, and Kai completely fits the bill! He was an excellent leading character, expertly crafted by Wells.

Second, this books is full of interesting character interactions and banter. It’s got great dialogue and compelling dynamics between characters.

And finally, the world was rich and expansive. It feels like a fully developed setting, where there is always more to learn, and more things going on in other places.

All those positives aside, I do understand why this book may not be for everyone. I honestly think that making this a longer series, and adding more POVs would have let this book live into its full potential. The expansiveness of this setting feels a bit underutilized.

I also feel like sometimes the book relies on the tension from the “past” perspective too much, without more fully developing the “present” conflict/danger/goals to the same degree, which led to some inconsistent pacing and leaving readers less invested in how things would develop.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of reading this, despite sometimes feeling less drawn to pick it back up than I would like. If you enjoy Wells’ prose, stories driven by interesting characters, and aren’t daunted by some dense world-building, I think this is well worth the journey!

When Kai wakes after his murder he harnesses his magic to find another body and search for the person who thought they could imprison him. Who would be stupid enough to think they could keep THE demon confined?

Martha Wells is a master storyteller and this is a sweeping high fantasy steeped in world-building. This epic adventure is riveting, but you may need to refer to the cast of characters in this sweeping adventure.

I love the Murderbot books by this author, and I've read a couple of other fantasy books by her as well and enjoyed them, but unfortunately, I just didn't care for this one all that much.

In some ways this was quite different from what I usually read, but even so, I was initially drawn into this book right from the beginning. Unfortunately, after getting through a few chapters, I'm just not feeling it any more. I think Martha Wells can write spectacular beginnings, and this one was, but it just didn't keep me interested. I think part of the problem is that I felt like I was just dropped into the world and there wasn't enough explanation about what was going on. Also, the going back and forth between past and present wasn't really working for me either. The chapters in the present were more interesting to me than the ones in the past, at least in the beginning. I found it hard to switch gears and go to the past when I wanted more of what was happening in the present.

So, another one for the abandoned pile. Maybe I'll revisit it one day when I'm in the mood for something different.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with and ARC of this book.

Dnf 30%

The first time i saw the cover and the description, i was like oh this would be good! I really like the early chapters.

Sadly after i tried 3 times to finish it, i still couldn’t. The thing is i couldn’t understand the world. It seems hard to invested on the world despite the characters is quite interesting. And the back-forward times makes more difficult to understand the world.

But i will try to read it again later, i really want to enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishers

I recently read fantasy books written by Martha Wells and loved them as she's a talented storyteller and writes page turner in any type of genre.
This is a great fantasy, I was hooked since the beginning and loved what I read.
A page turner, entertaining and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Like others I have many, maaaanny mixed feelings about this book.

As mentioned in other reviews Wells drops us straight into the whirlwind of this story - our protagonist Kai wakes up, in a body which isn't his own; bloodstains on his clothes; in a glass coffin and BOOM we are off on an adventure. This isn't however a problem - infact I thought it was a refreshing and exciting start to the book.

However, we get little to no world building at all. We are expected to understand certain things about this world immediately almost as if we have been here before... which we haven't. Little things like wind devils, hierarchs, etc are suddenly introduced with little explanation. I constantly felt like maybe I had skipped past a description of some of these features.

The story jumps between two time periods - which again - is not a problem in itself BUT I felt like I wanted more from each section. Perhaps they would have served better as two seperate stories 🤷‍♀️

I *think* I loved these characters... and yet I also barely knew them. I felt like I was being teased with backstories and yet never really got them.

I just wanted more. More explaination, more world building, more character development.

This would make a great series - as a standalone (not sure if she has plans for a sequel) I'm not so sold.

Such an indepth and eventful book, I absolutely adored every single character Wells put into this book! Definitely a bit of a difficult read if world building and differing timeline povs aren't for you, but I would definitely recommend giving it a shot!

Was a decent read. The premise is very intriguing, however the book suffer from a lack of pacing and a bit dense world building. The story follows Kai in past and present in parallel. Love that the author doesn't lead but rather lets the world unravel by itself.

A bit of mixed emotions on this. Though the writing was spot on and I loved Kai as a character, I just somehow felt the book did not come together greater than sum of its parts.

6.5/10

I received the audio from NetGalley for review. I’ve heard nothing but good things about The Murderbot Diaries, so I was excited to get into this.

First, I would just like to say that I technically gave this book 1.27x chances. I tweeted about having no idea what was going on at 27% and how I was afraid it was just me or how fast I was listening. I completely restarted, with a slower speed, and it did not help.

Second, I have written several rave reviews about books that drop you right into the deep end from the jump, but this one just never recovers. It more so drops you right off a cliff…into a bottomless pit. I had problems remembering and deciphering between characters, locations, lore. The names never stuck, and remember, I listened to the opening twice! There are different beings called witches and demons and other things, but our main character seems to be referred to them all by the end as if they are interchangeable. To be honest, I’m still really not sure what this is about or even what happened during it, and let me tell you that is such a strange feeling because I WAS paying attention.

Third, and maybe this is just me and the style really didn’t work for me or something, but there is not really any climax? We’re just going going going, end. The action scene towards the end didn’t feel impactful, I didn’t feel the build, and maybe that’s why it didn’t read as climactic to me? Also afterward it literally launches like directly back into dialogue and travel and then END.

Personally, and sadly a 2/5* for me. Not a fan. The snippets of lore that struck me as great were just too few and far between.

If you never thought a raging, murderous demon could be endearing, prepare to be shocked.

Loved Silas in Sorcery of Thrones, in the mood for a less cozy read and can handle dense worldbuilding? Pick this one up asap.

Right off the bat, we’re introduced to Kai, a vicious, super powerful demon who literally sucks the life out of the people trying to capture him (he’s been betrayed and his previous body killed, so really I can’t blame him for being pissed). He then immediately proceeds to save the small girl captured with him, adopting her as a sidekick reminiscent of The Professional, and I live for this kind of character contrast. I’ve really been into “found family” themes in books lately, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Kai’s snark and dry humor was sublime, and honestly, the book probably would have been too heavy/dense without his refreshing one-liners and biting commentary.

When it comes to the world-building, you better buckle up because Wells dumps you right into the middle of it with no explanations of the places, titles, or people, so the first part is a little bumpy while you try to figure out what is actually going on, especially considering the dual-past/present timeline. Thankfully, Wells at least gives a list of characters at the beginning of the book to help keep track of who is who.

The downsides?

As I mentioned already, the world-building is DENSE and hard to keep track of at times because the various roles people play (such as expositors aka magician like people) and the different groupings (Hierarchs, Rising World, Saredi, etc.) took a while to unravel so I could understand who/what exactly they were. I don’t think I was as bothered by the dual timelines as much as some of the other reviewers, mostly because it was very clear whenever we were switching between the past and the present.

Despite the urgency of learning his previous body was killed, he’d been betrayed, and some of his friends/family were MIA, parts of the book (especially the beginning) were a little slow.

Because of this plus the dense world-building, my rating is probably closer to 3.5 than 4 stars, but I rounded up because Kai is just that awesome (I think he would agree).

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Murderbot Diaries is one of my favorite series and I will admit to loving fantasy just a bit more than sci-fi so when I found out about this book I was incredibly excited!

I really loved all of the characters. The way that Kai and Ziede just immediately adopt both Sanja and Tenes was fantastic. Sanja is exactly the kind of child I think is so entertaining to be taken in by the main character and the dynamic betwen her and Kai and Ziede was so funny.

Of course this book was even better for its inclusion of queer relationships and the way that gender and names are used. This book takes advantage of its own world building by releasing characters from a strict gender binary which I think is something a lot of fantasy suffers from not doing. Saredi + demon culture was so interesting and I would have loved to learn even more.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

I have to say I liked but did not love this - it's not Murderbot, but then I wasn't necessarily expecting Murderbot. I enjoy a book with heavy worldbuilding but this seemed weighted down with it - especially because, in the dual timeline format, the older timeline was simultaneously more interesting but not as informative as expected? The structure made it drag a bit.

🖤 Witch King ARC Review 🖤

Thank you so much to Martha Wells and Tor Dot Com Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Witch King is a fantasy novel. Prince Kaiisteron, also known as Kai, has just woken up in an incorporeal state with no idea how he got there. As he hovers over his body, he realizes a few things - that he’s been betrayed, he’s been dead for about a year, that sorcerers are trying to capture and enslave his spirit and that his sister is being held nearby. Thankfully, Kai is the Witch King and he still has some tricks up his sleeve…

This was an interesting read and a fun magical world. I enjoyed Kai, the side characters and their relationships with each other. While I enjoyed the overall story, I really struggled a little bit with the dual timelines presented in this book. I personally struggled with who was who and when certain things occurred during the story, which caused this to be a little bit of a tedious read for me - but that’s absolutely a “me” issue and not necessarily a book issue

Overall this was a three star read for me. The magic system and characters were intriguing enough for me to keep going even when I was confused about what was happening. There is some queer rep in this book, which I enjoyed, but nothing on page so no flames for spice

If you enjoy fantasy books with dual timelines, quirky characters, political intrigue and engaging magic, then definitely pick this one up! Witch King is out now in ebook and hardback!!