This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I didn't know what to expect here but I love scifi and Murderbot is one of my very favorite series. However, Witch King feels more like epic fantasy. There are lots of characters and types of characters with complex abilities and magic. I think I will definitely want to read again, possibly listening while reading along in the ebook. I don't feel like I grasped everything in the plot.

I never felt bored or like I wanted to stop reading. There was a good sense of the battles and particularly Kai's magic. HIs found family of sorts was trying to figure out who betrayed them. So while they search for people and end up in battles in the present, there are also some sections from the past.

It's lucky Kai has some healing abilities because he is injured repeatedly. He also makes the choice not to drain strength from others but to gather it from his own pain, so he is hurting himself sometimes.

I enjoyed this and like the characters but the world is so diverse and rich with extraordinary magic, I know I will pick up more each time I read Witch King. Somewhere I got the impression this is the start of a new series and I hope that is true.

Narration:
I was very comfortable with the narration. The primary point of view was Kai so he was most of the thoughts and a lot of the dialogue. Until I settled into the voice and to help with the complexity of the story, I started at 1.25x but was able to change to my usual 1.5x speed about half way through.

After years of bring us Murderbot stories Martha Wells makes a triumphant return to the fantasy genre, once again crafting an amazing world filled with unique characters. I will say you really need to pay attention while reading or listening to this one as there is a serious level of complex world building and the story starts almost immediately with no real setup/explanation of what is happening. We get dropped into the story and just get swept along at first, which I actually enjoyed, but I made the mistake of starting this one late at night when I was quite tired. When I started up again the next day I realized I was kind of lost and had to start over, lol. And I’m glad I did. I could have pressed forward despite being a little lost but likely wouldn’t have ended up enjoying the book as much as I did. Kai is an awesome character: dark, a bit twisted, and most definitely deadly, but you can’t help but like him. Be aware that this is a dark fantasy with a solid story slow burn storyline and may feature triggering subject matter for some. Eric Mok does a great job with the narration. I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance audio copy of Witch King.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R34T9I5D81889V/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Title: Witch King
Author: Martha Wells
Narrated by Eric Mok

- DNF
- Just Didn’t Catch My Attention
- Narrotr Sounded AMAZING

This is an unfair review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an Audiobook ARC of The Witch King

While the allure of the plot initially intrigued me, this book, unfortunately, failed to hold my attention. However, it's important to note that the fault does not lie with the author or the narrator. Their storytelling skills were top-notch but unfortunately for some unnamed reason, it couldn't captivate me enough to finish. Simply put, I just didn't click with it.

This is a Scfi/High Fantasy, the narration was great! Very clear and could understand everything that was said. Also there weren’t any noticeable mistakes or things missed when editing such as background noise. The story itself I felt was too smart for me and I found myself confused and lost through the majority of the story. Overall well executed. I think if I had the print form it would have been a lot easier for me to understand.

The kind of rich, developed world that chugs along of its own volition long after the reader has finished the book.

Wells continues exploring recurring themes such as being an outsider, found family, grief and loss, as well as hitting juicy pop-culture favorite tropes like hurt/comfort, long established relationships, and accidental adoptive parenting. Not cozy fantasy exactly, but still sure to be an instant comfort reread option for fans of second-world fantasy.

The narrator's skill and versatility really brings the story to life and adds a depth of emotion to these wonderful characters.

Highly recommended for new fans and old.

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.

Witch King

Plot: .5
Writing: .5
World building: .5
Characters: .5
Themes: 0
2/5

This story would make a great movie! As a book, it was roughhh. I can't believe I was able to finish it. I've heard great things about Martha Wells and this was my first but unfortunately I did not enjoy this one. I love world building. It's typically the thing I enjoy most about a story. We were just thrown into this world and expected to understand everything.

Not only was the world building rough, I had a hard time understanding what was going on in the plot. All the body hopping and moving from place to place made it hard for me to know what was going on at a given time.

I did a light DNF and decided to finish it, hoping it would get better.

The characters seemed interesting I just didn't feel any strong emotional connection to any of them.

Maybe it was listening to the audiobook, but I felt unmoored a lot of the time. The narrator was fine but I'm not sure it added anything to the story.

I wanted to like this one so much. I really did. I went into it wanting to like it. No one wants to read a book they don't like. I think there is an audience that will enjoy it. It's just not me this time.
This would be great for someone who likes high fantasy/sci fi world building and doesn't mind taking the time to comb through all the information to understand everything.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Listener copy of Witch King. This is my honest review.

Tnanks to Macmillan Audiofor the copy of this ALC!

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. I did really enjoy Eric Mok's narration,

Thank you Net Galley for the Audio ARC!

I loved this book, it was immersive, had high stakes, dual timelines, political intrigue and a large cast of characters. The narration was fantastic, but the book itself (with the two timelines) was sometimes difficult to keep up with. I would loved to get a physical copy and reread this.

Different… but not for me.

Starting out as a disembodied being in the dark just wasn’t the easiest POV for the opening scene. I typically am quite good at following the plot, character development, and world building of fantasy books with ease; not so much with Witch King. Despite the author’s talent, I just couldn’t get into the book. “Enjoyable” is all I can say. I enjoyed the author’s writing, the magic was ok, demons and witches were somewhat interesting, the character dynamics (MCs) were good, but nothing grabbed me. The plot seemed murky, the politics not very intriguing, I had to push myself to return to the book each time.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided an audio arc of this book via Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, as always all opinions are my own.

I thought the narrator did a good job with the narration, however I wish I had also had a print version of this book while listening along. There is list of characters at the beginning of the book that would have been really helpful to flip back to to keep track of all of the characters. Hopefully the final audiobook version comes with a PDF so you can refer to the cast of characters and terms used in the book. The ARC didn't have that available and I didn't have a print ARC. This does have a large cast and a complex world and magic system and only listening to this book was a bit confusing without that as reference. I still enjoyed the storyline once I was finally able to figure out what was going on and who everyone was.

As I mentioned this has a complex world and magic system, and it flip flops between the present time and the past. I found that a bit confusing while listening to the book and it was hard to keep track of what was going on. I think had I read the book in print I would have been able to keep track a bit better because I would have been able to easily look things up or reference past chapters. That isn't as easy to do with audiobooks. After about the 50% mark I was finally able to keep track of things and really engage in the story, but I think I would have enjoyed this more in print. Personally I tend to enjoy really complex books with large casts of characters in print versus on audio. This is one I need to reread in print to get all the things I missed the first time.

This follows Kai, the Witch King, after waking up without his body. Weird right? You see he's an immortal demon that can possess the body of another and he's got other pretty interesting powers. He then sets out to find the culprits of his lack of body situation and sets out on quite the political and magical adventure with some old and new friends.

Overall I enjoyed this story and plan on rereading it soon. I'm not sure if this is a standalone or the start of a new fantasy series. I enjoyed the characters and the world and would be interested in more.

World building is developed by flashbacks, something I didn't know I enjoyed until it was done well. Characters are well done, though the magic is a bit hand0wavy.

I was super excited to get an early copy of this audiobook to review but I am so torn between goving it a 4 star or 5.

The story is good and the narrator is absolutely phenomenal! However the entire book switches back and forth between current time and the past. Had I been reading a physical copy, I don't think that would have been a problem as I am able to be more focused on just the story and if I got confused about which timeline I was in, I could easily skip to the front of the chapter and see. This may also be solved when the book is released if the chapters are marked on the platform with titles and dash past or present. But for the audiobook as it stand now I'm going to have to dock a star for that one. Also if you are like ne an use audiobooks to make boring tasks more enjoyable, like driving, dishes, laundry ect... this book may be better for you in a phyiscal book or ebook. Due to the jumping timelines the book requires more focus then your average audiobook. That being said, the story is fun and interesting and I do think it's worth the read. And as far as narrators go this book could not have had a better one! I truely can't stress how much I enjoyed his reading, his voice is fantastic and his inflections are perfect.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking out for more from Martha Wells.

DNF @ 42%. This was DEFINITELY a case of it's not the book, it's me.

From the part I did read, I know it'll be an epic hit. Martha Wells is a phenomenal author, and her literary dexterity is on full display in Witch King. She has a true gift of creating new and complex worlds that feel accessible and familiar despite the differences.

I've loved other books by Martha Wells (I'm looking at you, Murderbot), and I was excited about Witch King, her newest fantasy offering. I may eventually circle back to this one later, but this complex fantasy with intricate world-building and a novel magic system was too much for my brain right now. I've had higher pain levels recently (I have autoimmune conditions), and my brain couldn't handle all the details right now. I needed something easy and predictable, and Witch King isn't predictable. If I do pick it back up, I hope I'm in a better headspace and can really enjoy all its beautiful, magical-ness.

The narrator was fantastic. As much as this shocks me to say, though, this may be a book I need to sit down and read in order to focus enough to truly understand and appreciate it.

I loved the Murderbot series so I was excited to read more from Martha Wells.
An epic fantasy with a demon of the underworld had me sold.
Felt like I fell into this world without a guide and was disoriented at first. This is definitely a story that you need to pay attention to understand what happening. Told in dual timelines as we follow this ragtag group through their adventures as Kai searches for his betrayer.
Loved Kai so much but the rest of the characters didn’t stand out as much. An intense and fantastic fantasy adventure that can be challenging to keep up with at times.

The Witch King, Kai, is having a very bad day. He is a body-jumping, life-sucking demon and he has been betrayed, But who would do this to the Witch King? After awakening from his watery grave, (water limits his powers extensively) Kai and his second-in -command, Zaide must figure this out and why, Then there's the whole second timeline regarding the revolution that helps give some background to this. You also get Kai's inception in the mortal world to said revolution. But all the body-jumping can get confusing and Wells doesn't slow down to explain who is who or what is what. The world-building is vast and fast. You're kind of just expected to know what's going on but with all the body-jumping and strange-sounding names, it's difficult to keep track.

*Special thanks to Net-Galley and TorDotCom for this e-arc.*

1.5 stars rounded up

*sigh* Listen, I've loved everything else I've read from Martha Wells and I had very high hopes for Witch King. Unfortunately it just didn't hit for me the way I wanted it to, which is disappointing. The premise and the world are interesting, but the story is told in such a convoluted way and never really cared about the characters.

A convoluted plot CAN work for me (see Ruin of Kings) but I have to be attached to at least some of the characters and more invested in the payoff of said plot. Witch King offers an inventive world of demons, body-swapping and big picture political machinations. There were ideas with potential, but we rarely got to see a deeper, more emotional side to Kai and his relationships with other characters aren't all that fleshed out. And because he is this immortal being, you really need that emotional impact to care about his story. The stakes are unclear and the flipping back and forth between past and present feels unnecessarily convoluted. I think it's intended to create suspense and mystery, but I just found it confusing and frustrating.

Unfortunately I just didn't have a good time with this one. I also didn't like the audio narrator very much. He was a bit emotionally flat and not great at giving different characters personality, which only added to the problem. I'll continue to read other things from Martha Wells, but this was a miss for me. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Martha Wells starts off her return to fantasy with a BANG! Kai wakes up after having been murdered and having his consciousness kept dormant for an unknown amount of time. Thus begins our adventure with the present moment Kai trying to put the pieces together and past Kai telling the story of how we got here in the first place.
Similarly, to many other readers I was introduced to Martha Wells through her Murderbot series, which I fell in love with years ago, needless to say as a predominantly fantasy reader I was excited yet cautious to get an early copy of the Witch King audiobook. Wells did not disappoint as she once again proved her ability to craft complex characters that you can’t help but root for. While the back-and-forth movement through the timeline was done with brilliance, I must admit that at times it did lead to some confusion on my part. I also have to give credit to Eric Mok for his narration which was just as captivating as the words he was reading. Overall, a delightfully complex fantasy.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes fantasy books have so much complexity that it’s almost impossible to ingest them via audiobook format. When the very first “chapter” of the audiobook is literally three and a half minutes of listing characters and their descriptions which just leaves you so confused that it might as well have been in a foreign language, that isn’t a good sign. After suffering through that I was continually lost listening to chapter after chapter where characters, places, and factions were casually dropped into conversations with unfamiliar sounding names that were difficult for me to remember, no less keep track of. I truly think my reading experience would have been greatly improved had I read this via hard copy or ebook instead. But alas, I only received the audiobook ARC from Netgalley and so I couldn’t switch to one of those other formats as this book hasn’t been published yet. But when it does get published, don’t make my mistake and avoid the audiobook for this one. The narrator did a fine job, for me it was just the sheer volume of new unfamiliar names and terms that made it prohibitive to listen to this. And I say that as someone who loves 900+ page high fantasy books.

3 starts for Witch King by Martha Wells!

I enjoyed this book a lot, the concept was incredible and I loved the characters (Kai). I found some of the pacing in the middle a little slow and it unfortunately didn't quite hit the mark I wanted it too based off of the synopsis. I wanted to know more about each of the characters and I felt a little in the dark about some of them. More on page character development and backstory would've been amazing. That being said it was still a good book ( I love a body snatching demon), the writing was great and I look forward to more from the author.