When Wyatt loses control of his magic and sets his world ablaze, he must abandon his royal fiancé to flee the world of the fae and find sanctuary in the human world. When his fiancé finally tracks him down, the prince is shocked to find a transgender man. He drags Wyatt back anyway, setting off a revolution in their fae kingdom. This first book sets up an intriguing world where fae serve as the ruling class and witches are devalued, but also honestly explores themes of mental health, racism, homophobia and transphobia, all without sounding like an afterschool special. The diverse cast of characters include a transgender hero who realistically battles dysphoria, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, allowing the reader to begin to understand the struggles that transgender men and women face.

I'm really excited to have more queer Fae stories out in the world. I liked the characters a lot and I thought the plot was pretty solid as well. I had a pretty good time reading it but the writing style wasn't my favorite. There were moments when the book info-dumped a little too hard and just in general the writing felt a little flat. I'd have love to rated this five stars because it could have been a five star read but I couldn't get over things like dialogue falling flat and descriptions that either over did it or under did it. Still, for sure one of the better Fae related YA books I've read.

H.E. Edgmon’s The Witch King builds an interesting fantasy world that features a unique blending of the modern day world with new kingdoms and a healthy dose of magic. Set in the kingdom of Aslin, where witches and fae generally do not mix, Wyatt Croft, the titular Witch King, is a transgender teenage boy who is engaged to his best friend Emyr North, the fae prince. As the kingdom and their relationship come under attack by various forces, Wyatt must face his traumatic past and join a band of outsiders in order to save the kingdom. By expertly blending the real world with fantasy, Edgmon creates a universe that is filled with diverse characters and is accessible for long time fantasy readers as well as those who are less familiar with the genre.

After reading the synopsis for THE WITCH KING, I called a friend and jokingly said: so I found a book that was written specifically for me, I am the entire target audience. After reading the book, it’s still true… in the broadest of details.

Edgmon has crafting a really interesting world, with characters you want to know more about! Unfortunately, there seems to be so much to “see” and learn about in Asalin that the technical shortcomings of this novel are really distracting.

What I liked: A trans main character, who honestly, isn’t particularly likeable. He’s short-tempered and traumatized and so clearly out of his depth. It’s honestly refreshing to have a queer YA novel that allows its trans MC to be messy in a way that feels specifically teenaged. Emyr! I wish he was given more depth, but his character is fleshed out and given space to become more layered throughout the novel.

What I struggled with: Pacing. The first half to two-thirds of the book feels so unbalanced. Important events happen, but a lot of the characterization for side characters (and even the antagonist) feel shallow and unsatisfying. Equally, there are a few characters who have an about face near the end: one in particular is believable, the other of which feels entirely unfounded! It feels like there is just SO MUCH novel that Edgmon tries to shove in to THE WITCH KING that the structure of the story suffers.

I think this book could have benefitted from an aggressive editor that focused on making sure that the worldbuilding was consistent throughout the novel and that the traits of witches and fae were made clearer to the reader.

All this being said, there is enough left open at the end of this book that there’s room for a sequel. Even though THE WITCH KING didn’t hit all the marks for me, there was enough here that I really hope to see more from Edgmon, and especially more of Wyatt and Emyr.

The Witch King is so good that I foresee sequels and prequels.

H.E. Edgmon takes us from the slow, lazy, dry heat of Laredo, Texas to the fast-paced political intrigue of A. Hidden appropriately in New York, Asalin houses the entrance to Edgmon’s new fantastical world of faes, witches, dragons, royalty, and death.

A young man on the run after a horrific incident hides in Texas until his contracted betrothed finds him and forces him back home and his past. Emyr needs Wyatt to honor the agreement their parents came to when they were children so he can save his kingdom from familial threats. Wyatt, on the other hand, just wants to forget the past and move on. Life has different plans for these once close friends. Three years may have passed since they last saw each other, but everything has changed in both of their worlds.

Edgmon creates a world of security for Wyatt and then blows it all up...totally freaking awesome. In Texas, we get to see Wyatt be comfortable in his skin and with who he is. His best friend, Briar, is a bisexual ace who holds all of Wyatt’s secrets and accepts and loves him anyway. When Wyatt’s life is threatened, the two face down the past and Wyatt’s very uncertain future together. I love their friendship, though I have to admit that it is tainted a bit by the secrets that come out. Briar still gets major kudos for going to the land of “make believe” and potential death to save her friend.

Edgmon then muddies the dynamic even more by introducing a slew of characters who you immediately want to know more about and I will be honest, I want to see future pairings of. Asalin is filled with cultural, gender, and sexual diversity. This is realistic because of the extreme phobias that exist in Asalin.

Faes detest the witches and everything else that is different. If you are born different aka a witch, then usually you are tossed into the woods never to be talked about again. Edgmon’s world bears many similarities to the world we live in today, but fortunately for us it is filled with magic.

Edgmon admits to their own growth while writing this novel and I can see how it came about. I have to admit as a reader of trans books, I have never come across the body self-acceptance that Edgmon iwrites of. I love this type of self-acceptance and I am so happy it is here for others to read. It also is a key part to Emyr and Wyatt’s love story.

The political intrigue of old ideas versus new ideas is not a new one, but it is a consistent one that we still battle in the real world today. What is family? Does what you look like, bleed, or love matter when it comes down to survival or leading others to be better than they thought they could be. Edgmon is realistic in this fantasy and as they show there are no easy answers.

There is lots of drama and some great magical scenes written. I love the secondary cast and want to read more about them. Never mind the wham dinger that Briar introduces and what will result of it.

I want to see the potential pairings that I can see, or maybe I am just a romantic and want to see it (laugh). I want to see how some couples got together, especially from the other kingdoms so hello: prequels!

Edgmon has created a world that is dying while it is growing and I want to read more of it. I want to watch Wyatt and Emyr spar more. I want to see Emyr in battle with his sword. Tessa, Wyatt’s sister, has great ideas and a new role. Wade totally needs a love interest. Plus, there are still mysteries to be solved and I have some guesses.

Edgmon has created a world you want to delve in and stay awhile as long as the goblins don’t spot you. I want to hang out with Boom, eat popcorn, and watch more of the drama in and beyond. The Witch King feels like a beginning that you will want to get in on.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Rating: 4.5 stars

"The Witch King" had everything I love in a fantasy; amazing world-building, diverse characters, soulmate trope and fae. I wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did and I seriously can't wait for book 2!

Wyatt, the main character, is amazingly complex. He is angry, chaotic and rash but also loveable and loyal, he has so much depth and goes through so much growth throughout the book!

The writing style was amazing, we start off all action which I love, and there is hardly any info-dumping at all. The author managed to weave in the world-building so beautifully and I could picture everything in my mind perfectly.

The friendship aspect was really nice to see. Wyatt and Briar have such a strong bond and would do anything for each other, I really liked how friendship was a driving theme throughout this book. I also adored the romance between Wyatt and Emyr, their banter was amazing and I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers vibe, especially as this had the added element of a soulmate bond and arranged marriage!

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you love YA fantasy with diverse characters, witches and fae!

I wrote in another book review earlier this year that I’ve been craving more gender and sexual diversity in YA fantasy novels. I could not possibly be more pleased to report that for the second time in a row I got exactly what I wanted, in H.E Edgmon’s The Witch King, which Netgalley was kind enough to offer me an ARC of in exchange for an honest review. 2021 is certainly delivering on queer YA fantasy.

The Witch King takes place in a world where the fae have fled their homeland and settled in a kingdom called Asalin, which is located in the human world, but away from any human beings. Our main character, Wyatt, is a witch: someone born to fae parents, but not fae, and possessing magical powers. Before the story begins, he has fled his life in Asalin – and his engagement to his childhood friend, Prince Emyr – to live in the human world instead. But when Emyr finally tracks him down and brings him back to Asalin, Wyatt realizes that his old kingdom needs him, badly. Forced to confront his traumatic past, as well as his lingering feelings for Emyr, Wyatt must choose between his own personal freedom, and the freedom of all witches in Asalin.

This book is fun and interesting and charming and so, so witty. I wish I could quote all the lines that made me laugh out loud, but there were too many of them, and it’s probably best if you experience them yourself. Wyatt is an incredibly complicated but likable main character, and his narration is one of the highlights of the novel. The supporting cast is diverse and fun. Wyatt is not the only transgender character in the book, Indigenous knowledge is incorporated into the story in a way that I thought was really interesting, and generally, each character’s identity is treated with care and attention. By the end I was just as invested in the storylines of the supporting characters as I was in Wyatt’s.

It can be hard to kick off a fantasy series and have it be interesting and easy to follow right from the start. The Witch King doesn’t feel too bogged-down by worldbuilding, though, and the writing style makes it engaging and easy to read right from the start. It’s very much a character-based story, but by the end of it you’re sure to find yourself interested in the overarching plot.

The relationships are a standout, too. When I was about halfway through, I wrote down that I really enjoyed how the author focused on friendships instead of romance, especially when it came to Wyatt, because at the time I couldn’t care less about the relationship between Wyatt and Emyr. And yet, by the end of the book, I shipped these two so hard that I was happy to read about their romance. All the relationships in The Witch King were so well done.

The Witch King is both heartfelt and fun. It will make you love all the characters to pieces, question your own understanding of the world, and laugh out loud at the witty narration. I could not possibly rate this book more highly. Pick it up on June 1st.

The Witch King comes out June 1st, 2021.

4.2 stars! how gloriously gay and feral this book is. thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc! crazy how that happened. this book had me cackling and raising my eyebrows at the hot, gay mess that is wyatt croft.

this book is centered around wyatt, a trans witch from a fae kingdom named asalin, who ran away from his traumatic past and his royal fiancé, emyr north, the childhood friend he left behind. wyatt values freedom above all else, but the story starts off with wyatt finally being found by a distant emyr, who never stopped looking for wyatt, and takes them back to the kingdom of asalin, hoping to seal the engagement or risk losing the throne. let the gay times commence.

although the transition between scenes and the pacing could've been better (the pacing with the plot was really rocky with me; plus, the buildup of certain plot twists could've been arranged better), the vibrant, mystical imagery was stuck in my mind and the inner monologues about privilege and bigotry were deeply thought-out and settled heavily into my own mind like stones thrown into deep water. this is also an own-voices story, for people who didn't know! reading through wyatt's development and his thoughts about his body and how he personally views it was eye-opening for me as a person who identities with the gender and sex assigned to them at birth. it also brought into account the privileges i myself have, even as a lgbt+ identifying woman of color. i'll be sure to read about more about this topic and support those who are underrepresented in this industry. but damn, how this book met my expectations.

The chaotic energy of me entertaining gay thoughts right now is unmatched.

wyatt is fooling himself because that chaotic energy is with him 24/7. the amount of one-liners in this book that made me cackle out loud because it was so damn relatable is too many times to count, thanks to wyatt's feral ass. i'm pretty sure he balances between chaotic neutral and chaotic evil. and as much as this story discusses heavy topics, such as intergenerational trauma and prejudice (between fae and witches in this world), it balances those scales because the amount of secondhand gay panic this book puts me under? unforgiveable.

and as much as i enjoyed cackling at the story, there was one line where my entire body wanted to cry because it felt like a personal attack. it came right for my type 3 wing 2 ass.

Your value as a person is not based on how much you can do for other people.

i expected gay times and facts being thrown, but when i read that line? immediate breakdown. i stared into space for a while, rearranging the contours of my mind to make space for this quote that'll stay with me for a good long while.

overall, i enjoyed reading this gay, little book that made me cackle and spiral into questioning my whole existence. thank you again to the publisher for giving me an arc! i'm excited to see how things will end up in the second book. can't wait for y'all to read it at the start of pride month!

I sat down to read this with pretty big expectations and it really did live up to them. I started reading it one morning and finished it by the end of the day because I legit couldn't put it down. To start the world building was very well done, you could tell right from the beginning how fleshed out everything was. I don't think there was ever a moment where I felt like i missed something and had to back or that there were elements that were never explained. I have read a lot of urban fantasy and this definitely sets its self apart. For starters how magic worked felt very organic and original. It never seems to be trying to recreate something from another series instead its able to create its own identity. It also manages to balance a wide cast of characters surprisingly well. Each character is written with their own voice and is able to hold their own against each other. There is dynamics to each personality and their motives even if often times they are flawed. No character is morally correct all the time and the reader gets to learn this along side Wyatt. I will say it is very refreshing to read queer characters written by a queer author. It is authentic representation instead of tokenism which I greatly applaud and thank. The second that I can I am going to be adding it to our districts collection. And I eagerly await the next book in the series.

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon is part one of what I think will be a very popular fantasy series. The Witch King is about Wyatt, a 17 year old trans man witch born to fae parents. In the secret fae kingdom Wyatt was born in, witches are seen as second class citizens and are often abandoned by their fae parents. Although Wyatt was not abandoned by his parents, his parents were awful, abusive people. As a child, Wyatt discovers that he is the soulmate of the fae prince, Emyr. Wyatt eventually ends up running away from the fae kingdom into the human world after his uncontrollable magic fire ends up killing people and destroying the village. The story begins when Emyr shows up at Wyatt’s adopted home in Texas. Wyatt is forced to go back to the fae kingdom to marry Emyr. Shenanigans ensues.

This book has such amazing representation. I loved Wyatt. He’s both hilarious and full of so much pain and darkness. I think Edgmon did such a great job creating a main character that truly feels like they are actively working through lots of trauma. I also like that, as a reader, I grew to really love Emyr cuz I was not a fan in the beginning lol. There were also some great twists I wasn’t expecting. Overall, great queer Rep, mental health rep, and Native American rep (Wyatt’s adoptive human family is native).

Holy smokes, this book is phenomenal! Wyatt is a trans guy living in the human world but he’s originally for Asalin, the place where Fae and witches have lived since Faery became inhabitable. Witches are the children of fae but they’re treated as lesser as they’re different, different magic and different appearances. After the death of Wyatt’s parents from an accidental fire his magic started, he ended up in Laredo where Nadua found him and brought him home. Nadua, Sunny, and their daughter Briar became his family for the last three years, before Wyatt’s fiancee and crown prince of Asalin shows up to take him home to fulfill the engagement and become king and king.

There are so many truly wonderful things about this book. I loved how queer this whole book is and how diverse the characters were. One of my favorite characters was Jin, who is a nonbinary lesbian. That’s not rep I see often and while they are a secondary character, it still felt so good to see a character self described as a nonbinary lesbian. I also adore the friendship between Wyatt and Briar. They’ve been friends so long that they’re able to communicate silently and Wyatt often describes it as an open door between their thoughts that connects them. I also appreciated seeing them declare their love for one another - normalize best friends saying they love each other! And Emyr! He’s such a good guy with so many good intentions, and his interactions with Wyatt were so layered and full of their shared history and the time they spent apart where they’ve grown individually.

I just honestly love this book so much on so many levels and the characters and the world are all just wonderful. I really hope many people plan to read this because gah it’s phenomenal! And I cannot wait for the sequel, especially after that ending!!

A really wonderful cast if diverse characters and a very enjoyable storyline. While I wasn't immediately drawn in it did get better and even though there was some weird statements I did find myself enjoying the story. All in all an enjoyable read.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

Ultimately I can't recommend this book. I found all the characters unlikable, and the story was poorly-paced. There was one line in it that just... ruined the whole experience. "It's a good thing I'm gay, so no one expects me to be good at math." I can't quite articulate why that offended me to deeply, but it did. There were other throw-away lines throughout that hit a bad nerve for me, and I couldn't enjoy the story because of them.

As far as pacing -- there's a line of dialogue (literally, like one sentence) and then three or four paragraphs of exposition, and then another single line of dialogue, followed by more exposition. I end up spending several minutes trying to remember wtf the topic of conversation even was. Either give us a bunch of exposition so we're caught up, and then have the characters talk. Or have them talk, and then explain. But doing both at the same time? That takes a level of nuance that is not present here.

There's a lot of really awesome content here though in terms of diversity and marginalized groups, which made me even more upset that there were offensive lines like the math one. I loved the idea of Wyatt's found family, and the struggles he persevered against. I adore the representation of marginalized groups throughout the whole story. There's so much great content here -- but it's just ruined by Wyatt's dismissive inner dialogue, and the poor story telling.

I did not expect to get this invested in this book but WOW. When I first started reading The Witch King I was a little bored and put off my the abrupt start and bluntness of the characters. The beginning took a while to get going but by the middle I was hooked in. The character's became multidimensional, Wyatt's struggles tore through me to the point of near tears at times, and Emyr was so interesting and diverse.

The worldbuilding was surprisingly robust but a downfall is that there is SO MUCH MORE to learn about it that we didn't get in while reading this. (The ending was fairly open-ended so perhaps we can expect a sequel?)

Some thoughts:
Tessa's shift felt abrupt but I'm glad it happened.
Briar's reveal was (in my opinion) presented too late in the book. If it had happened earlier I would have been more invested.
I love that Wyatt's deadname is never written. I also love that he owns his body as it is and isn't ashamed of it. I think the use of his scars is a powerful metaphor for underlying dysphoria though and trans readers with dysphoria will be able to relate to Wyatt in that way.

Overall, a very good read!

I’m currently trying to process all of my emotions as I just finished this book and WOW. I can’t believe I have to wait for this next book in this series. I am 100% OBSESSED with this world and its characters. I absolutely adore Wyatt. And I adore him because he isn’t perfect. So many YA books I read are about the lead having supposed problems but ultimately being sassy and perfect. Now don’t get me wrong- Wyatt has PLENTY of sass. I laughed out loud so many times. But he makes mistakes, he has lessons to learn and healing to do. I felt so invested in Wyatt’s character. The author truly made me love him in all of his imperfections and chaotic choices. His relationships with Briar and Emyr are something almost tangible with the way the author weaves this story.

The writing style was so easy to read. I really felt like I was in Wyatt’s head at all times by the way it read. I also need ALL of the fanart of Wyatt, Briar and Emyr. ALL. OF. IT.

I think everyone should read this beautiful book. It’s been a long time since a book made me cry but this one did it. I can’t say enough about how much I loved this so now I’m going to get sleep and try to recover from this book hangover now.

loved this book. exciting worldbuilding. complex relationships. beautifully diverse. left me wanting more.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm still sorting through my feelings, but I definitely enjoyed it and highly recommend it! Although Wyatt and myself are very different with very different experiences, he was incredibly relatable, almost to the point of irritation (because I just wanted to shake him and scream "JUST TALK TO PEOPLE, USE YOUR WORDS, DAMMIT!" xD). He was very much a believable teenage boy angry at everything because of his past trauma, yet more angry at himself for all of his perceived shortcomings. As he begins to *really* process his life and comes to accept that running away from his problems isn't a permanent or fair solution, it's a wonderful yet harsh thing to witness on the page. There is significant emotional growth from the Wyatt of the first page to the Wyatt of the last (but still with that lil shit attitude that's hilarious to me).

There are certainly some very heavy themes and concepts in The Witch King, but at its core is a story about accepting yourself, your mistakes, and learning how to forgive yourself and others. And beautiful inhuman fae, dragon riding, and a giant-ball-of-fluff hellhound ^_^

I received an ARC of this book from #NetGalley
A good read for those looking for wider lgbtq representation. While an interesting and intriguing concept I felt the drive to include such a diverse cast resulted in a lack of fully fleshed out characters beyond their lgbtq status and preferred pronouns. As a result it was very difficult to get into the book. This problem was compounded by the sudden starting point that left me feeling like I had missed a prologue or something until about a third of the way into the book.
That said its still a fun fantasy read and I would recommend it to readers looking for something outside of the cis gender hetero norm with the caveat that the reader will need to be patient and read to at least the halfway point before deciding whether to finish or not.

This was a captivating story and I think a great start to the series. I look forward to visiting these characters again soon!

I WANT TO WRITE THIS ENTIRE REVIEW IN CAPS. WHY? BECAUSE THE WITCH KING IS EVERYTHING THAT I WANT IN A STORY. MAGIC. FAE. REAL STAKES. EMOTION. LOSS. TWISTS AND TURNS. A STELLAR PLOT. THE AUTHOR HAS CREATED SOMETHING SO AMAZING. AND, SHALL WE DISCUSS THE MAIN CHARACTER? OMG. WYATT! I LOVE A STORY THAT HAS A CHARACTER WHO'S GENDER IDENTITY IS TRULY PART OF WHO THEY ARE. WAY TO GO! I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK 10/10 IF I COULD!