I have tried to finish this book for months. I have realized that it is not going to happen. I will be DNFing at 46%. I have loved everything from Martha Wells but never connected with any character in this story. I am a very character-driven reader, so it is nearly impossible to enjoy a story if I do not care about the characters.

I will note that I also did not care for the narrator and tried the print alone, thinking that would help, but it didn't.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book caught me by surprise...in a fantastic way!! Loved the characters and the setting. So unique.

I really enjoyed this one, even though it took me forever to get through it on audio. Part of that was being sick and constantly nodding off while listening and then having to rewind, but even when I wasn't falling asleep I had to rewind a lot to figure out what was going on. The "past" tags at the beginning of those sections helped, but it would have also helped to have a "present day" tag for when the storyline switched back.

The dual storylines were intriguing and kept me hooked throughout as the tension slowly ratcheted up in both as the story progressed. It was interesting how involved I was in a story that didn't have a clear beginning-middle-end progression. Even the final end felt more like a pausing point.

I really enjoyed the characters (despite having trouble telling a few of the less-important ones apart) and the obvious affection between them. Even though they were rebels and killers it was clear that they cared a lot about the people around them and they were easy to sympathize with.

The audiobook narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life and giving them easily distinguishable voices that were very expressive.

*Thanks to Tor Books for providing an early copy for review.

Martha Wells’ “Witch King” is a masterful blend of fantasy, political intrigue, and complex character development that captivates from the first page. The story follows Kai, a demon prince who navigates a richly layered world of shifting alliances, ancient magic, and deep-rooted betrayals. Wells’ ability to craft intricate, immersive settings is on full display here, pulling readers into a universe that feels both vast and deeply personal.

Kai is a refreshingly unique protagonist, with depth and emotional resonance that make him feel real despite his supernatural origins. Wells explores themes of power, identity, and loyalty in nuanced ways, keeping readers engaged through a plot full of surprises and tension. Her writing is sharp, her dialogue witty, and the pacing expertly managed, balancing action with quieter, reflective moments. Fans of fantasy looking for a fresh, thought-provoking read will find Witch King a standout addition to the genre.

I could not get into this book at all. I've tried too many times since I received it. Will be happy to review the 40 percent or so I was able to get through but that doesn't seem fair! Let me know if that's what you'd like!

From the first page Wells draws you in to an intriguing and complex world, feeding you bits of information a little at a time. The pacing was excellent and I never found myself confused about the past-to-present jumps that Wells was making. I genuinely hope she will return to these characters and the engaging world she’s created here, I’ll be first in line to read that book!

I’m a huge fan of her murderbot series so I wanted to like this look so much more. It was an interesting concept but it he magic system ultimately didn’t make sense. There were also issues with the pacing for me. Sci-fi seems way more her genre than fantasy

I've enjoyed other books by Martha Wells, but this one was a bit too confusing for me! I liked the "bodysnatchers" idea early on, and the writing was great, I just didn't feel connected to any of the characters. Unfortunately I decided to DNF after chapter 4.

It's definitely an unexpected book. It kind of starts in the middle of the story telling two parallel stories at the same time that are connected. The world building is fantastic and you can tell that Martha Wells is a seasoned author. There's no paragraphs full of background information it all seamlessly blends into conversations and thoughts.
From the title I expected some all knowing Witch King, but Kai is everything but that. He does have a lot of power, but since it is limited through water and they are around a lot of that, he's def not almighty. He feels more like a scrambling teenager than demon god.
The story was a little hard to get into because the characters were at home in it and knew so much more than the reader but I got comfortable pretty quickly. I like it when the author doesn't over explain everything, readers are not stupid.
I would definitely read more books in this universe!

This was great. I love this author and I will read everything they write. The world was fun and the characters were well developed. I can’t wait to see what this author does next.

An intricate story that used complex relationships and a interesting magic system to propel the story. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the use of flashbacks to help us learn more about the people and world.

I tried to get into this but ultimately I couldn't follow the magic system and had to DNF. Perhaps this wasn't the right entry point for me to try Martha Wells

Another amazing book from Martha Wells! I love her sci-fi novels so this was the first of her fantasy books that I tried and I really enjoyed it. Lots of cool world building and very interesting characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this one about 70 pages in. I was very confused and it had one of my least favorite elements: dual time lines.

I am a big fan of Martha Well's scifi series Murderbot so I was quite disappointed that I didn't enjoy Martha Wells' fantasy books.
This book is just okay, it didn't necessarily impress me nor did it make me feel a certain type of way.
It was just meh. I had hoped for more. I think if Martha Wells wrote more scifi stories I would prefer it more than the fantasy books.
The opening was great but it just fell apart from then on.

This was super high fantasy and I don't know that I even FULLY grokked the whole picture but I just love the way Martha Wells writes. Her humor, her point of view, her worldbuilding. It all super works for me. I adored the found family vibes here. I loved the incorporation of a signed language. Having two timelines is always iffy but they felt appropriately balanced to me. And I always enjoy some political intrigue and scheming. Obviously for fans of Martha Wells (though super different content from Murderbot), but also people who enjoyed A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.

Stars: 5 out of 5.

I adore Martha Wells' Murderbot series, but the two other books I read by her had left me underwhelmed. They were okay, but not up to the glory that is Murderbot. So I was understandably apprehensive to pick up a new series by her. But I am glad I did.

We start right in the middle of the story with our protagonist Kai in dire circumstances and no memory as to how he got into them. I fell like this was an excellent idea, because the confusion the reader feels, having to wrestle with new words and concepts in a brand new world, mirrors what Kai feels when he wakes up dead and entombed. This might discourage some readers, but I loved it.

One thing Martha Wells does really well is creating likeable characters. They are flawed and sometimes morally grey, but they feel "alive", and you can't help but root for them. I especially loved Kai. Who would have thought that a demon could be so "human". I also loved that the chapters set in the present are interspersed with chapters set in the past, back when Kai first came to the world above in his first body. You can really see how much he changed in the almost two centuries since that event, and you understand him a lot better as a person the more you see how the events unfolded.

I loved all the supporting characters as well. Ziede is baddass and witty and a perfect foible for Kai's often introspective and melancholic nature. Together they form an unstoppable force akin to a hurricane. Especially when they seek answers and their loved ones might be in danger. Kai's relationship with Sanja and Tenes shows his softer side, because even though he is a demon, he has compassion towards people who have been abused and enslaved. He lived through that, so he knows how it feels. I loved his relationship with Bashara in the past.

I also enjoyed going on the road trip with those characters and progressively discovering the world they inhabit. I loved seeing most places through the lens of what they are today and what they were at the time Kai fought the Hierarchs.

This book gives a pretty satisfactory conclusion to the main story. We find out what happened, and Kai and Ziede's loved ones are rescued. Kai is reminded of the purpose him and Bashara had when they fought the Hierarchs and hopefully finds the strength and will to carry on. But there are still a few threads that were left hanging, so I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a new series. I want to know what happened to the other demons Kai had liberated from the Summer Halls. Since none of them could return to their home underearth, are they still living in this world? Or did most of them dissipate after their borrowed body died? Will the Hierarchs be back? Why did they kill off an entire people just because they could reveal their origins? So many questions!

I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not care enough about this book to continue reading it. I didn’t liked the writing or the characters, nothing was happening so I had to DNF it at 20% in.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Witch King was a top read of my year last year! I felt like I had been dropped in the middle of a series and had to work for the world building, which I enjoy! The characters were new and refreshing!