I am rounding up from 2.5 and it breaks my heart. I am a big fan of the Murderbot series and Martha Wells. I hate to say that this novel was disappointing for me. Though the world is quite intricate I was surprised at how distant I felt from the action and the characters. I am still trying to figure out exactly why. I usually enjoy multiple timeline mysteries. Here. we follow Kai in the present as he works with a band of folks to discover how he was assassinated and entombed underwater (the only place a demon like him is vulnerable). The story begins with him waking up and goes from there. The second timeline gives us the events that lead up to his temporary demise in the past. It is a great concept, and yet it fell very flat for me.

Perhaps it is the limited third person narration that is focalized through Kai- it limits us to what he knows, which isn't much. I normally prefer third to first person, but here I think it is part of what creates such distance as we observe the events of the story more than feel them. There is a large list of supporting characters, but again, none really popped off the page for me and at times (especially with body hopping) it was difficult to keep track of everything, Still, there are hints of the humor and deprecation I enjoyed in Murderbot sprinkled throughout what is a very dark and complex story. It is possible I will enjoy this more when I am in a different mood and the timing was just not right, but I am sad about how indifferent I felt while reading. I expected to be far more invested. Had this not been Martha Wells, I likely would have DNF'd.

I was so happy to also have access to the audiobook of this and believed it would help me to finally get into the story, but I found it to be less of a help than it normally is for me. I found myself lulled by the narrator's voice and it was easy to dose off in the middle of a scene. But again, I think this had more to do with the words on the page and the distant characterization than it did with the narrator's performance. . Overall the audiobook is well produced, it just lacked the ability to pull me into the story or care more than I was able to muster with the book alone, which for me is a rare experience.

I am thankful to Netgalley, Tordotcom and Macmillan audio for access to arcs of the ebook and audiobook in exchange for a fair review.

DNF at 40%

The Murderbot Diaries is one of my favorite Sci-Fi series and thus this new book my Martha Wells was once of my most highly anticipated releases for this year and unfortunately this instead became one of my most disappointing reads.

While I did not find anything overtly wrong with grammar and syntax, I felt that the sentences did not really come together to make a cohesive story. It feels as if Wells handed me the middle of book 2 in a series without making me read both the first book or the first half of the second book. Even after 40% through, I cannot remember a single thing about the book, other than its meandering feel and over the top descriptions about everything. Nothing felt important enough and everything purposefully vague.

I was very lucky enough to get both the eARC and the audioARC and honestly, regardless of what format I read it on, it was an extremely frustrating experience. I picked up the ebook multiple times, zoned out and fell asleep mid-read. I then tried co-reading with the audiobook but I was just frustrated at having to concentrate too much. Then I also tried reading the audiobook on the go, which is the way I usually enjoy audiobooks, but it really highlighted that the narrator was just as bored as I was! His sentences were monotone and ended on the very same note. While I loved the tone of his voice, he seemed as detached as I felt.

I think the one thing I would’ve enjoyed most about this book were the characters and yet I never really knew who they were and what motivated them. As frustrated as I was about this book, I knew that pushing forward reading the book would be an impossibility as the rest of my reading experience was already quite jaded. I did love the first couple of pages of the book and the possibility of amazing characters but I didn’t find that it was worth any more of my time attempting to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan.Audio, Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom for both the eARC and the audioARC in exchange for an honest review..

I really enjoyed being dropped in the middle of the action! Kai’s story was clearly unique and interesting, but the book was a branch of fantasy that isn’t particularly my personal taste. I absolutely adore the Murderbot series mostly BECAUSE of how deeply human the characters are, and this just didn’t have that quality. Perhaps it wasn’t my current mood, but the pacing didn’t hold me as much as I hoped. It was beautifully crafted in a lot of ways, the plot just didn’t grip me. I may retry it when I’m in less of a “summer reading” frame of mind.

I love Wells's The Murderbot Diaries, so I was super excited to be approved for the ARC of her new standalone fantasy novel Witch King, a chance to sample some of her other work.

This is the story of a rebellion. Years ago, the Hierarchs came out of nowhere to make war on the world, cut down civilizations and take over. We see this process and the aftermath, including the rebellion, through flashbacks. In the present day, something has gone wrong: Kai, a demon from the now cut-off Underworld, and his band of friends escape imprisonment and they need to figure out who conspired against them.

Wells has created quite a complex world for her novel and I appreciated that, but it was almost too complicated for me. I had to read with so much attention for the first half of the novel that it became a bit of a chore. I think a lot of people will see this as a positive, but too many long, hyphenated names and complex regional lore weighed me down. Sometimes it got in the way of enjoying what was actually a really good story.

I’m glad I persisted, because the last third of the novel gripped me. The story flowed easily, perhaps because I’d gotten the rhythm of the names and places, but also because the narrative truly gained momentum.

I think that Wells writes characters really well. I loved MC Kai so much, with his stoicism and difficulty negotiating demon-human relationships. Kai’s compatriots were also well drawn, and truly made this book. I’d absolutely read a sequel to this novel to revisit Kai and the other characters.

In all, a mixed bag for me. I’m super glad I read this, and loved the characters. It was just all a bit effortful in the first half. I think a fantasy-lover would see this as a positive, though. In summary, a fantasy novel that was a bit complicated for my taste, though I ended up liking it overall.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and Martha Wells for giving me an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited and privileged to be granted this opportunity.

I have to start by saying I'm one of those readers who came to Martha Wells because I really loved her Murderbot series. But boy am I glad I've stayed for her fantasy.

Witch King is a very complex, intricate fantasy book, with a unique world and plot which really keeps the reader on their toes. It has two different timelines going at once, one of which is in the past and helps explain how the characters got to where they are, slowly revealing the plot while also helping with worldbuilding, and the other of which literally starts when the characters wake up to find themselves trapped.

Martha Wells does an incredible job building both complex characters and a complex world from the ground up. Some people might find the level of world building confusing, but because the characters were compelling I found myself keeping up with the story without too much fuss. And then, when the classic Martha Wells battle / action scenes hit, I knew I was going to love this book even more.

This is the kind of book that makes you glad you invested time and energy into learning about the world in which it's set, because now you get to follow these fully-fleshed-out characters around it for a lot longer, enjoying and feeling very engaged by the atmosphere.

There was so much more to learn about the world of Witch King, but I learned about it in bits through the context of Kai's story, and the story of demons in this world. It was compelling, and kept me going. When it was over, I wanted even more.

What's more, this book deals with queer themes very well, normalising queer relationships and introducing us to a main character who, despite identifying as male, finds himself in various different bodies of different sexes over the course of the book. As usual, fantasy gives us such an interesting lens through which to see the world.

* I was provided an ARC copy from Tor, and am so happy to have had the chance to review this amazing book. Thank you!

Demon witch king's quest for revenge.

The story is told in dual timelines in the POV of title character, the Witch King, Kai. The morally gray (and sometimes lovably murderous) life sucking, body-jumping, prince of hell was betrayed. He wakes in a tomb in the middle of the ocean with no memory of how he came to be there, and he wants answers. He reassembles his found family to find the truth. The worldbuilding is dense but stunning and keeps up with the action scenes throughout. Magic. Mayhem. Betrayal. Demons. Pirates. Mages. It's a spectacular story with varied characters, each with their own motivations. Highly recommend for epic fantasy readers who enjoy rich, complex, and untold worlds.

Book Summary:

Waking up can be surreal in the best of times. Finding yourself locked in a tomb (yes, you read that right) will certainly not be a good time. Yet that is precisely the situation Kai finds himself in, as he wakes to realize he has been murdered and locked away.

Who could have locked Kai away? Whomever it was would have to know how to do so, which limits the number of people significantly. Which begs the question – who betrayed Kai, and why?

My Review:

I've been a fan of Martha Wells for quite some time. One of the things I love the most about her writing would have to be her expansive worlds. The second thing I love about her work? Just how unique and creative each world she creates is.

On that note, Witch King is nothing like MurderBot Diaries. Don't enter this read expecting a science fiction romp featuring a robot with an existential crisis. This is a high fantasy novel, and it is pure excellence. Kai's journey is complex and intricate, and I loved every minute.

The story bounces around between two points in time. Effectively, there's the present (post-murder/betrayal), and then there's the past. The two weave together in beautiful and surprising ways. There were times when I found myself more invested in the present and times when I was upset to leave the past timeline. In other words, the tension was balanced pretty evenly between the two.

I'm not going to lie - Witch King is a dense read. It's 432 pages (I believe), and it has a plot that is just as thick. That said, I seriously recommend this book to anyone who enjoys high fantasy, epic tales, and rich worldbuilding. Witch King is that and so much more. I quickly grew to love many of the characters and sincerely cannot wait for the next installment of this series.

Highlights:
High Fantasy
Complex World
Friendship & Betrayal

Trigger Warnings:
Violence
Death
Enslavement

I am a big fan of the Murderbot series and know that Martha Wells' roots are in fantasy so I was excited to try a stand-alone fantasy novel of hers but, sadly, this wasn't my cup of tea. We are immediately immersed in the world building without much build up as well as alternating timelines so there was a lot of confusion throughout for me. Sometimes, I am just not in the right frame of mind for undertaking the task of absorbing all the new aspects of a world to be able to fully read and enjoy some fantasy books. This one took a lot of effort but didn't have as much payoff as I wanted. Martha Wells is still on my TBR list and I will definitely try again with some of her fantasy books down the road. Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is very different from the books that I read and I had quite a hard time reading it tbh, but all this said I’m sure that it’s a great book for those who read this genre

When one of your most anticipated release turn into your most disappointing read of the year.

Like many people, I fell in love with the Murderbot Dairies by Martha Wells. So when I saw Witch King in a list of 2023 releases, I immediately added it to my ‘Want to read’. Unfortunately, the storytelling style used in Witch King didn't work for me at all.

Right from the start, the reader is thrown into a scene with next to no context, backstory nor explanations. And while it can be intriguing and engaging when done well, in this book it didn't work for me at all and didn't improve as I progressed through the story. It was as if the author had decided to give the minimum information to the readers to make their book more complex than it really is. I would have DNF this book very early on if it hadn't been an ARC.

I had no idea what was going on 99% of the time. Between the scenes of the present and the scenes of the past (which were always cut as soon as something interesting was going to happen), the reader must guess who is who or go back to the (long!) character sheet at the beginning of the book every two pages. No matter what format you read this book in, it's not practical or enjoyable at all! And that inevitably leads to a lack of connection to the characters and the story.

Witch King had a lot of potential, especially in its world building. From what little we see, the world is very complex and vast, but so little is shown to us that it's like someone is talking about the most delicious ice cream in the world but never letting you taste it. Frustrating. And I'm not even talking about the magic system.

I lost all hope of ever caring about the characters and plot halfway through, and a book I should have read in days took me weeks to finish. To say I was disappointed is an understatement for all the frustration this book brought me. I wouldn't recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I feel like 25% of this was just way over my head. But the 75% I did understand, it was awesome!

The world building is so interesting, and I loved exploring the life of a demon who lives in different bodies. It something that seems so scary and unnatural, but Wells really explores this concept, fleshes it out (oh no was that a pun?). There are whole cultures in this world who have incorporated demons into their religion and way of life and I found this so compelling.

Kai is a great character - funny, violent, with a soft side, of course.

You're really just plopped into this world without a ton of explanation. Things unfold slowly as you go. This was one of the hardest books I've read in a while, prose-wise. I enjoyed this challenge though! I just mention because if you're looking for an easy fantasy read, this isn't it. The complexities and layers do pay off if you're willing to settle in for a long ride.

Wanted to love this one a lot but it was truly just too confusing for me to continue plowing through.

We know nothing about the MC or his past for like thr first 20% and I just couldn't keep going.

Maybe one day I'll come back to it but not now.

DNF @ 45%

A jumbled, sterile mess. It was told in a very convoluted way but didn't earn it's convolution; I couldn't be bothered to care about anything going on or when in the timeline we were or why any things were happening. All the characters were boring and the demons were sometimes different names depending on who they were inside...just dial it down, Martha.

3.5 ⭐️
This started out so interesting, the world building and characters were intriguing…but by half way through it just started to drag and I had a hard time getting through it. I felt like it was lacking in character/emotional development, it just turned into a series of things happening without much to make you actually care about the characters or their story, unfortunately. Very much a case of telling instead of showing everything that’s happening and it’s in such a like…detached, clinical way, that (for me, at least) there was just no emotional attachment to keep me engaged. This was one of my most anticipated spring releases, so, sadly, I was pretty disappointed.

Witch King-Martha Wells
DNF 40%

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
He’s not going to like the answers.

First off thanks to NetGalley, Tor publishing and the author for a free E Arc of the book. I was genuinely excited for this book and feel bad about Dnfing (mainly cause I never dnf I usually push through) but I just couldn’t keep trying to read this story. I’m sure for others it’ll be great but I just found it so boring. I love the Murderbot stories from the same author but this doesn’t keep me interested from the very beginning like those do. I still 40% through have really no clue what’s going on or what the magic system is. The only thing I know is Kai’s a demon in a human body, someone murdered him and he’s looking for his friends wife. There are some interesting parts but then I just get confused again (maybe it’s me lol) and continue to be bored, I would rather move on them keep trying to get into it. So unfortunately it’s a DNF from me.

Martha Wells has written an exciting, unique, and engaging adventure in her newest book, The Witch King. As a longtime fan of her work, I was eagerly anticipating this latest addition to her growing collection of novels. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

Wells has a unique way of crafting a world that feels both wholly original and yet grounded in familiar tropes. Her characters are always richly drawn and complex, and The Witch King is no exception. Kai, the protagonist, is a fascinating and flawed character who I found myself fascinated by from the very beginning What I particularly enjoyed about The Witch King was the way in which Wells explores power and friendship, magic and the mundane, past and present, the human and the nonhuman.

One of the things that sets The Witch King apart from Wells’ other books is its focus on pain magic and demon main characters. While it may sound grim, the way in which Wells weaves this type of magic into the story is both inventive and captivating. It adds an extra layer of tension to an already gripping plot. It’s a unique and fascinating system, and weaves into the worldbuilding very well.

While I thoroughly enjoyed The Witch King, there were a few moments where the pacing felt a bit slow and some plot threads I felt were not entirely tied up. I also am not the biggest fan of time jumps unless very clearly labelled.

Comparing The Witch King to some of Wells’ other books, I would say it’s on par with her prior epic fantasy work in terms of both world-building and character development. That said, it’s a departure from her more well-known scifi novella series, Murderbot, but still excellent in a new way. Wells’ characters are always particularly alive, unique, and relateable, and I enjoyed reading about Kai in The Witch King.

Overall, I highly recommend The Witch King to any fans of fantasy, especially those who have enjoyed Wells’ previous work. It’s a captivating story with richly drawn characters, and it left me interested in more. As her first fantasy publication in a long time, I’m excited to see where she goes with this new world.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Martha Wells has a true gift for writing fascinating, complex main characters. In this fantasy novel, the reader must pay attention to fully appreciate the intricate plot and the way Wells slowly reveals the story through a split timeline. This book is not a palate cleanser or a light read, but it rewards the reader with a rich world and a host of engaging characters. The Murderbot books are so much fun and so easy to tear through that I can see why this book is getting a more mixed reception, but I ended up really loving it and thinking about the novel long after I finished it. The book drops you into a world and you just have to trust the process and not worry too much about the details. Kai awakes from imprisonment to find a mage trying to harness his magic. He doesn't know what has happened to him or how long he's been held in an unconscious state, but he gathers his friends and they set off to get answers. Meanwhile, every other chapter or so, we get a piece of the past which illuminates each step of the journey. A satisfying, engrossing, and thoughtful read. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a digital review copy.

I absolutely loved this book. It was rich in detail, and with a fantastically woven storyline. The characters were brilliant, and I couldn’t put the book down. Highly recommend!

DRC provided by Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Martha Wells is a powerhouse. Witch King destroyed me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an advanced reader digital copy of this book!

We are dropped into the middle of Kai's story, where he wakes up after being murdered and have to piece things together along the way to determine how Kai and his friends got to this point in time. It is a slow-burn fantasy with an intricately detailed world that is filled with magic, mystery, and a bit of mayhem. Wells not only gives you characters that you can see and hear, but the detail into their cultures and their experiences surpasses expectations. There is so much depth and complexity in the world of Witch King that one can get lost in it.

Wonderfully crafted, epic fantasy. It is quite dense initially, and some of the magic/concepts of the world can be a bit confusing. It was a bit too complex and for my personal tastes, however I still found it charming. However, once immersed into the world of Kai and the mystery surrounding his murder I could not put it down. I have never read a novel such as this where the reader is dropped into the story with no prior context as to what has happened. It is a unique method of storytelling and it only adds to the question, what happened to Kai and his friends?