*This is ONLY a review of the audiobook and not the actual content of this novel, as such the rating is not for the quality of the content and will not be posted to goodreads.*
So I made it 46% of the way through this audiobook and I can't, for the life of me, figure out what is happening. I know this is a book I could really love since the writing is deep and immaculate but the audiobook has something lacking as far as understanding timeline shifts and settings. I'm thankful to TOR to also have an ARC of the e-book so I'm going to try that in order to give an actual review on the book. I want to love this so bad and I felt like the audiobook was the only was to trick my brain into not being scared of this chunky title but....maybe the chipmunks in my brain have just taken a break. On to the e-book I go!

I was excited when I was approved for Martha Wells's new book (fantasy). I have read her Muderbot Diaries series (science fiction). I gave this book 3.5 stars. It started with a lot of characters. I almost had a hard time wanting to finish the book, but I did.

This is unlike anything I’ve read from Martha Wells before. This is by no means a quick read as it’s filled with betrayal, political intrigue, and time jumps from present to past that (for me at least) can be a little over whelming. These flashback help build the world to piece together the current state of the stories affairs and how they ended up in their current predicament.

This felt like a high fantasy novel. The magic system has strict laws on how it’s operated, a unique language between witches, diverse cast of characters and cultures, and excellent representation. The world is beautiful and Wells does a fantastic job out laying and bringing this world into vibrant visuals. I loved listening to this story and it was certainly a had me captivated.

Review for the AUDIOBOOK version of Witch King.

I'd like to start this review by saying I'm a fan of Martha Wells. Some of my favorite books/novellas are the Murderbot books. I've read each one twice, recommended the books to others, and am an unabashed fan. Imagine my excitement when I was approved by Netgalley to listen to the audiobook version of Witch King!

Unfortunately, this book is not listenable. I have the digital book on hold at the library, and I promise to try again with the digital version. However, I cannot recommend the audiobook version.

The audiobook starts off with a list of character names that go on forever. I did myself a favor and found the character list online and printed them out to use for reference so I could skip this part. Problem solved, right? Wrong.

The audiobook is narrated by Eric Mok. This is my first time hearing this narrator. Eric has a beautiful accent that I did enjoy. I didn't have a problem with Eric's voice. I think it had something to do with the sound production. The audio wasn't crisp. It was... soft? I'm sure there are technical terms I'm not aware of to describe this. The audio was soft. I thought I could correct it by turning up the volume, but it wasn't a matter of volume.

I attempted multiple times to listen to this audiobook and had to give up. It simply is not listenable. The combination of the story, the muffled sound, and the voice quality of the actor didn't combine to create an enjoyable listening experience.

I'd like to thank Tor and Netgalley for the audiobook version of this book in return for my honest review. As a Martha Wells fan, I do plan to read this book in another format in the near future and provide a separate review.

DNF at 12%. There was so much info dump that I have no clue who anyone is and what is even happening.

*3.5 stars*

This took a while to get into but I think it was worth it in the end. This was a really interesting stand alone high fantasy book. I enjoyed the world building and political intrigue. I loved the found family aspect, and Kai as a character.

This was a little chaotic and not necessarily in a good way. A lot of books I love just throw you into the world without any info dumping, and while Witch King certainly does that I’m not sure it does it well. The world you’re thrown into is very elaborate and there are so many characters that are hard to keep track of. The magic systems are not explained well, leaving you guessing how the world works. I felt that the pacing was off between the past and present story lines which made it hard to feel the urgency in the flashbacks and made the present feel slow. If you like slow political intrigue with found family I think you might like this.

The audio narration was good, but as an audiobook no being able to see names spelled out made things more confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

I really tried since the narration is decent enough, but I think this has broken my brain?? I can’t finish it I’ll stick to Murderbot…

Thank you for the advance reader copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Wells returns to fantasy with this story of a demon prince (aka witch king) that unfolds across two timelines: during a rebellion against the genocidal Heirarchs and long after, when some things have gone well and others haven’t. There was a lot to process—humans, witches, demons, Immortal Blessed, their constructs, and the Heirarchs were the key players, with lots of palace intrigue as well as fighting. I know it’s reasonable to fear descending into caricature when the market really likes one of your projects, but I confess I want more Murderbot instead.

Oh my soul is broken. Okay it wasn’t that bad, it’s like a 2.5 out of 5 stars for me. Like there's a morsel of enjoyment there, kinda. I just found this book to be as dry as the Sahara desert. The story itself was the best part. So Two different timelines, one at the height of the main character's power and then another, set after his betrayal by an unknown ally. but the way it was written, I don’t know, I couldn’t enjoy it at it’s max. This book reminds me why I really hated The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons because there's also a double timeline here moving back and forth between past and present, which only adds another level of confusion and no, it’s not like I can’t read double timelines, but it has to be coherent and it didn’t feel like that here. I had problems remembering and deciphering between characters, locations, lore. The names never stuck and I read the opening introduction multiple times. For all the time that I'd spent reading this whole book with these characters, I had no idea what they were going to do what to think of there choices because I didn't feel I had a good grasp on the world at all, or whether they were still in danger, or...anything. I was left pretty confused by this book, wondering what I was supposed to get out of it. Yeah, maybe martha wells is too smart for the world because it felt like I read a book that was written by an ancient alien language and then transcoded into English..
Audiobook performance wise: 5 STARS

I approached "Witch King" with high expectations, drawn by the intriguing premise and the fact that Martha Wells, whose previous works I've enjoyed, was returning to the fantasy genre. However, after reading the book, I'm left feeling rather disappointed and underwhelmed.

While the concept of a demon prince with the ability to inhabit deceased bodies held promise, the execution fell flat. The alternating timelines, meant to add depth and mystery, only served to confuse and frustrate me as a reader. The convoluted plot, which I can appreciate if backed by engaging characters, failed to connect with me emotionally. Kai, the protagonist, lacked the depth and charisma necessary to truly invest in his journey. I struggled to feel any attachment or care for him as a character.

One aspect that particularly let me down was the writing style. Martha Wells' prose, which had previously captivated me in her other works, felt surprisingly dry and devoid of charm. The storytelling lacked the vivacity and spark that I had come to expect. Coupled with poor pacing, the reading experience became tedious, and I frequently found myself losing interest and struggling to maintain focus.

The world-building, while holding potential, felt muted and unrealized. I longed for a deeper exploration of the secondary world, its intricacies, and its impact on the characters and their motivations. Instead, I was left with more questions than answers, which left me unsatisfied.

Even the supporting cast of characters failed to make a lasting impression. The large ensemble felt overwhelming and lacked the development needed to evoke genuine interest. I struggled to form connections with them, and their individual quests and motivations often felt overshadowed and disconnected from the main narrative.

In conclusion, "Witch King" didn't live up to my expectations. Despite an interesting premise, the book lacked the charm, emotional depth, and engaging storytelling I had hoped for. The dry writing style, confusing plot structure, and underdeveloped characters made it a challenging read that left me feeling indifferent. As a fan of Martha Wells, it pains me to say that I cannot recommend this particular work. I suggest exploring her other, more captivating novels instead.

DNF at 36%. I’m so bored. So, so bored. I don’t care about any of the characters and the brick wall that is the writing is too dense to comprehend who’s even speaking half of the time.

Wonderful fantasy from a favorite author of mine. The narrator was a perfect match for this and I will definitely be able to recommend this to a wide variety of readers.

I absolutely adore the Murderbot books, so was very excited to read Martha Wells newest book.
And while I loved Kai, I found Witch King a little confusing to listen to via audiobook. I'm no stranger to reading/listening to books with multiple timelines, but there was so much going on and so much jumping about that I found it difficult to follow at times.
That being said, there was a lot I enjoyed about this, enough that I will give it another try in print form. Kai was a delightfully complex and clever character and Wells created an interesting, new world for Kai to exist in.
.

Thank you to Martha Wells (author), Eric Mok (narrator), Macmillan, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley, for a free advanced reader copy of "Witch King" for an honest review.

I came to the worlds of Martha Wells, like many in the last few years, through the Murderbot Series, so I absolutely could not resist when I saw that she was putting out a fantasy book. I was even more moved when I found out, during my listen, that this book was the product of her COVID time seclusion and the Murderbot Series needing a breaking, and on the other side of this generous, magical, sprawling tale, I am absolutely glad she followed the muse and did it.

I am in love with these new characters, and over the moon that the people we know in the "now" who are family (siblings, dearest friends, married, etc) all started out as erstwhile companions as the best and enemies at the worst. The storyline is so compelling, how everyone is drawn together while we're solving mysteries about what is happening in the past and what happened between the past and the present timeline.

I am dying to see where things might go from here, and hope there will be much more in this world, with these characters.

Possible Triggers:
Death | Fear of water

Positives:
+ Such cool magics! Yes you read that right, MAGICS, as in more than one. I love when there are multiple different magic systems with clearly defined rules and limitations. Really enjoyed how we learned about them as well. There are also nifty items in this book that did magical things as well, which is always also a benefit.
+ Loved the unique world and creatures of this story.
+ The love between the characters is so evident. How they care about each other in various ways.

Final Thoughts:
I want to preface this review with a thing I have seen in SO MANY other reviews…this book is NOT like the books in the Murderbot series. This is an ENTIRELY different freaking genre. So if you are reading this book because you are looking for the same tone as that series, you are coming at it entirely the wrong way.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator they chose to read the story read it with such gravitas and his voice was absolutely lovely. Martha Wells freaking did it again by making you really care about the characters in this story. Even when you aren't sure what exactly is happening and the history of what went down is going on, you WANT the characters to succeed; you hurt when they hurt. If you like reading interesting fantasy worlds with really strong connections between the characters that only deepen as the story goes on. I very much recommend this book.

I ended up not finishing this one. I got about 20% in and I was very bored. This is more of a storyteller, character focused story than I typically prefer. I needed a bit more worldbuilding.

I was so excited for this book, but I think ultimately it was a little too dense for me to get through. I kept trying to push through, but I didn't connect with the characters and got a little lost in the information. I think this is a great book for people who love intricate high fantasy, but I couldn't get into it. Definitely recommend reading this book vs going for the audiobook.

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.

The narration was really great but I think the way the story was laid out, this one may have been better for me to read versus listen to. Less confusing for me

This book is not what I expected. Having not discovered Martha Wells until Murderbot, I was unfamiliar with her middle fantasy work.

That being said, it's a great fantasy world with some amazing side characters. Kai fell a bit flat for me, but Ziede was the real star of this book. I could read an entire book about her and her wife. But I didn't feel that way until near the end of the book, when I finally felt like I was getting to know the characters.

The world built in this book, with witches, demons (but not the kind you know,) grasslands people, hierarchs, wind devils, lions and tigers and bears...is intricate and at times, confusing. This book delves almost too far into the "show don't tell," but at the same time I can see why - this book is plot driven, not character driven, so while I know the motivations of the characters, the getting to know and care for them was slow and plodding and didn't occur until at least 60% of the way into the book. Much of that is due to the split timeline.

However, some of it is due to the author naming almost every secondary character in this book something starting with T or B. I could not keep them all straight, and I wouldn't recommend this book in audio format. You'll need a paper copy so you can highlight, annotate, or just make a quick character list to keep everyone straight.

If this is the first book in a series, I think it will be a good one, but I think that this book would just be the setup for it. It was jarring to read, because Martha Wells wrote such a great plot and made me fall head over heels for a MC in the first Murderbot book, so I know she can, but she didn't do that here, and that's what I was looking for.

Overall, I ended up loving this book! Unfortunately, I don’t think it worked well in audio format. It could be a combination of the performance/production, and the writing itself, but there were lots of elements that were tricky to convert to the audio format, like trying to distinguish telepathic dialogue from regular dialogue when they were happening at the same time. And some fantasy names for things that didn’t seem very distinct in audio format, even as someone who frequently listens to high fantasy audiobooks.

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!