Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Tordotcom for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After Kai is murdered, he wakes up and must figure out why he was murdered in the first place and who is after him and his friends.

One thing I did love was the banter and I wished I could have made it through just for that alone.

When I heard Martha Wells was releasing a fantasy I was very excited, however this fell flat to me. I really could not get into the book at all and was confused the entire time I was reading it. It can only be described as dense and confusing. I think I am simply too dumb for this level of worldbuilding and complicated storylines.

Overall, this is a good read for more advanced readers of fantasy and fans of Martha Wells. I will definitely try her other books.

Storygraph review to be posted on 3/5/2023.

The witch king was confusing at first. But that's usually the case with all fantasy books for me. I'm a bit delirious and trying to find solid ground. But when you spend enough time with the characters, you understand them more. It was a well written book, a great fantasy.

Reading the witch king brought back my feelings of when I read a really good fantasy. The mystic and the magic. I got the feeling of walking with the characters and being in the story. I was a bit confused at times but after a bit you usually get caught up with the story. The world building was well done. I enjoyed my time reading this.

Genre: Fantasy

Kai, Witch King and Fourth Prince of the demons, wakes up in someone else’s body. This isn’t exactly uncommon - demons can transfer to another body when the old one they inhabit dies. He’s been trapped in this new body, a body far too young for death, by a mage trying to seize his power. But Kai hasn’t lived for generations without knowing how to master his own power, drawn from reserves of his own pain. The Witch King seesaws between present and past, as Kai unravels political threats and fights against the injustice imposed by the Rising World Coalition.

Witch King is my very favorite kind of worldbuilding, where you find yourself in the middle of the story, and the middle of a character’s psyche, and yet nothing feels underdeveloped because as the storyline progresses, the relevant parts of the fantasy world are revealed. You don’t find out everything you need to know about demons all at once, but Wells reveals the information we need when we need it. This style of worldbuilding isn’t for everyone, but for those of us who grew up with the winding epics of the 90s and 00s, Wells’s writing feels like a homecoming. Just in a 400-page package with gender inclusive themes, rather than an 800-page meandering story from a colonial or male perspective.

For those who came to Martha Wells via Murderbot, this will have an entirely different flavor, which clearly demonstrates Wells’s versatility as a writer. Kai and his companion Ziede are a vibrant pair on page, bickering and adventuring… but in a very different manner from Murderbot and ART. While the past versus present timelines in Witch King can be difficult to follow, it allows us to see aspects from Kai’s past that contribute directly to his current situation. Some books have a past timeline that feels stagnant compared to the present action, but these blend smoothly, with character and plot progression happening simultaneously in both.

If you are looking for a quick hit of snark (like Murderbot), this isn’t it. It’s a meaty and compelling fantasy world that we are only getting a narrow glimpse of, and it leaves us wanting more.

Thank you to Tordotcom and MacMillan Audio for an eARC and ALC for review - it was a perfect multiformat experience for me. Witch King is out 5/30/23.

I absolutely could not put this book down. Frankly this may be my favorite book I have read so far this year.

This book jumps back and forth between two timelines - the past and present. As the story unfolds they sync up in strange and miraculous ways. The present often echos the past and vice versa. The story really comes together at these crossroads. Well's writing style truly shines with this type of story telling. The plot comes through and information seeps in through all these small junctures that truly make sense in the world she has created.

There isn't much info dumping in this book. The reader discovers things more organically through the actions of the characters past and present and their relationships with one another. The characters themselves are all wonderful in their own right. Nobody is perfect, everyone makes mistakes - but they stick together as a found family of outsiders and support each other no matter what.

I also haven't seen it brought up much in other reviews or people talking about this book but it is VERY queer! Gender is an abstract concept and is often bent and skewed. Almost everyone is gay. Two of the main characters are a sapphic couple. This isn't a romance book but queerness is woven through it in wonderful ways.

This book is a departure from the tone and almost sardonic attitude of the Muderbot series but I implore anyone who is even considering giving it a shot to pick it up. I do not think you will be disappointed.

I can’t tell you how excited and grateful I was to receive this book. I have never not absolutely loved a book from Tor, as fantasy and science fiction are very much my thing.

That being said, I had a difficult time easing into this book and never quite felt “at home” while reading it. The novel starts en medias res which I’m fine with and have enjoyed in the past. The problem was I was never quite able to get my bearing; I felt like I was thrown into the deep end of the pool with no way out.

I put the book down several times and earnestly did my best to come back to it; I took notes and drew rough maps in order to try to understand what was going on. I was fully convinced this was book 3 in an epic series, and that the internet was lying to me about this being book not being a sequel.

I did find some merit in the characters and the premise of the novel. I loved the idea behind the book, but I couldn’t quite fully get into it.

As I was not a super fan of Muder Bot this book gave me a different look at the Authors writing style and I really enjoyed this fantasy world. I would call this more high fantasy and would only recommend this to others who are interested in a more complex read. I thought the world building was sufficient and the story was interesting.

Overall this was a decent middle of the road fantasy novel. It was nothing like her previous works I've read. While it was an enjoyable read I foods have some issues with pacing and the jumps in the timeline. They didn't feel cohesive and they really liked me out of the book.

The pacing was super slow and I really didn't feel like a lot was happening. There was a ton of inner monologue without a lot of showing through character action. I felt like I had to get really far into the book before I got any decent character development. I didn't get enough explanation of the different groups of people or political sects. Overall, I found the world building to be lacking.

I did like what info on the characters I got. I wish I got a deeper dive. Kai was an interesting character but I still don't quite understand who he was or his motivation. Maybe her fantasy writing style wasn't for me.

I would recommend this fantasy for beginners to the genre. There's not too much to keep track of and while it's missing some key elements for me to be interested it might be perfect for someone just starting to read fantasy. It's an interesting story overall.

REVIEW: Witch King by Martha Wells

Fantasy. Adult. Adventurous. High Fantasy.

(Summary) Witch King by Martha Wells starts off quickly as the main character, Kai, wakes up from a long sleep to find that his spirit is no longer connected to his body. As if it couldn’t get any worse, a lesser mage is trying to steal Kai’s magic for himself. Fortunately, Kai still has some tricks up his sleeve, and his best friend Ziede to help craft an escape. With his best friend by his side, Kai is now faced with more questions than answers: Who betrayed them? And what happened while they were sleeping?

(Review) The summary of Witch King tells you just enough to intrigue you but not enough to let you know exactly what to expect from this book. If you would prefer to keep it that way I will leave you at the summary. My thoughts below don’t contain any direct spoilers but delve a little deeper into the plot pacing, the world building, and the characters.

Martha Wells is a seasoned writer, maybe most well known for the Murderbot books. Even though I haven’t read Murderbot, fantasy wise, this is one of the most original worlds I have read. Action packed plot aside, I found each unique culture fascinating and I loved the historical details of this world.

Since getting to a point of understanding with the world building was slow for me, I would only recommend this book to a fantasy beginner if they are up for a challenge involving fantasy politics. Additionally, while Martha does a great job of character call backs I still struggled to keep up in the beginning. I found myself reading quicker only once I decided to read larger chucks of Witch King at a time as it made it easier to remember character names and cities.

Witch King utilizes a back and forth time leap element. I personally liked this approach as the reader is immersed in two different story lines at the same time while learning about the characters and the magic system. I thought the action scenes, while gruesome, were fast paced and well written.

The plot of Witch King keeps readers completely on their toes. I also thought the character’s motivations were well defined. Even though there are a lot of characters, Martha makes each character shine. Martha seems to have a knack for writing humorous characters, especially the main character, Kai. Not only did Kai deliver some of the best one liners but he did it in such an intelligent way. Martha writes some of the most kind hearted characters even in the face of terrible circumstances and the humor specifically made me excited to read Martha’s other works.

Overall, I thought Witch King was a great fantasy stand alone novel with an amazing atmosphere. I haven’t heard any news to make this a series but I would love more of this world and Kai! Martha Wells delivered the elements that I look for in fantasy and wrapped it all up in a well crafted package. I would recommend Witch King to fellow fantasy readers!

Huge thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for letting me read this in advance!

One of the strongest aspects of Witch King is its characters. Wells has a talent for crafting compelling characters that readers can easily connect with. From the naive but determined student to the hardened warrior, each character brings their own perspective and experiences to the story. The author does an excellent job of weaving together their individual stories into a cohesive narrative that drives the plot forward.

Another strong point of the novel is the world-building. Wells has created a rich and detailed world filled with intricate politics, fascinating magic systems, and complex social structures.

The plot itself is also well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. While some of the plot points may seem familiar to fans of the genre, Wells puts her own unique spin on them, making the story feel fresh and exciting.

Overall, Witch King is an excellent addition to the world of fantasy fiction. With its well-crafted characters, rich world-building, and engaging plot, it is a must-read for fans of the genre. Whether you are a long-time fan of Martha Wells or are just discovering her work, this book is sure to leave you wanting more.

I hate to do that, since I really enjoyed other books by the author, but I read 16% and I am abandoning the book for now. It's not working for me. Maybe I'll try again in another moment

3.5 stars
This book started off a little rocky for me. I was so confused with how the magic worked and what was happening I had to start over after about 25 pages. Once I did that though everything clicked and I sped through. Despite that initial issue I ended up really enjoying it. I loved the characters and the general concept. However I did find the pacing strange. The jumping back and forth between past and present didn’t really work for me some of the times. Mostly I got lost when it came to the overall structure of the world a few times. But again I love the way the characters were written and the writing in general is fantastic.

“Witches are here, witches are with us”
A tale of found family set in a complex and intricate world-building, this story takes some time to get into, particularly with the change in timelines between chapters which can especially be confusing at the beginning of the book. I would have preferred faster pacing with this, as at times, it felt somewhat dragged out unnecessarily. The characters were interesting and their relationships, heartwarming with their loyalty and determination to find one of their own, unflagging. You find yourself invested in the search and to understand why they were captured in the first place. That being said, this was not the book for me unfortunately as I need books with faster pacing and more happening. I may be used to simpler world-building but this complexity slowed down my reading and made me reluctant to pick this up.
Pick this up if you are a fan of intricate worlds and complex magic systems and for an ending that is quite unexpected, similar to Piranesi.

This book has so much potential. However, it’s really hard to get into because the back and forth between the past and present timeline while trying to learn who the various characters are and how the magic system and their world works is a lot. It was hard for me to keep track of what was going on and I struggled to get into the story because of it.
I ended up DNF at 20%.
I think if you have the time to really focus and maybe take notes while reading to keep track of everything, or perhaps have a physical copy of the book in hand where you can easily refer back to the character reference at the beginning of the book it may be an easier read.

I do think it’s a good read for those that love expansive world building and it has diverse LGBTQIA+ representation in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the copy of this eARC.

Hankering for an epic fantasy with a sweeping but somehow still intimate scope, deeply compelling characters and relationships, and delightfully original worldbuilding? WITCH KING does all this and more, and I can’t recommend it enthusiastically enough!

It’s got found family! It’s got a witch on a quest to find her wife! It’s got fascinating magic systems and fantasy societies! It’s got a “drop you in and let you figure it out as you go” approach! It’s got a main character who is both actually queer, and also experiences isolation and alienation in the ways that many queer fantasy readers identify with, unrelated to his queerness! It’s got politics in moderate doses! It’s got a great balance of two separate storylines (a past and a present)! It’s got so much atmosphere!

In short, Martha Wells has taken basically everything I look for in a fantasy read, and fitted each of these pieces together like it’s effortless. Truly I have nothing bad to say about this book, except that I wanted it to be longer. And it was already decently long. (Failing that, I badly want more books set in this world — there is SO much left to explore, and I want to spend more time with all of the characters and dig even further into the wildly creative worldbuilding!)

Thank you so so so much to Tor and Netgalley for the ARC; I’m SO thrilled I got to read this one early! WITCH KING comes out 5/30, and I highly, highly recommend it.

Dearests, 5+ seems like it will become a category of its own, “Utter perfection with a sprinkle of marvelousness”.

What a fantastic piece of literature that combines modern elements of literature with older elements of high fantasy. Perfectly paced, told & unveiled. This could be a standalone BUT I MUST see the Hierarchs destroyed!

@illumicrate @owlcrate @fairyloot I will await your special editions before purchasing this in hardback. Thanker.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: THE Witch King
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿: A L L 😍
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: E A S Y
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Novel
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: High fantasy adventure😍
5+/𝟱

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Perfect pacing, patient unravelling, delicious fighting scenes
~ Mariners, dead body possession & different types of magic
~ “I’m not going to eat you, we’re friends”
~ Evolving mystery in fantastic world that we are thrown into 😍

Kai is a demon prince who has been travelling the world with his companions since his first mortal body was destroyed after leaving the plains of the Saredi…. that is, until he awakes after being entombed a la sleeping beauty. Clearly SOMEONEs have made terrible choices & they must be reminded that when you fkkk around with the Witch King, you ALWAYS find out. 😏

✨𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

🌱THE MEH
~ I need the next book N O W 🥲

Kai wakes up in a watery tomb with an expositor trying to use him as a power source. After inhabiting a recently killed body, Kai took out the expositor and his team, then rescued Ziede from her own tomb. Then they were off on a quest to figure out what happened before they ended up in the tomb and find Ziede's wife. Tahren. Martha Wells provides the backstory by running a parallel story line set in the past that highlights how Kai, Ziede, and Tahren became friends and work together. Working the two story lines, Wells keeps the anticipation level high and makes the book an enjoyable read! Definitely not Murderbot, but a very fun tale set in an interesting universe.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this story!

Witch King is one of those books where you're dropped straight into the middle of the plot and the reader spends a lot of time trying to figure out what is going on. The premise is intriguing, though I was more interested in some of the side characters, like Ziede, instead of the main character, Kai. The book spends each chapter alternating between the present and the past. The problem is that, by the end of the book, I still don't understand what a Hierarch or expostior or Immortal Marshall is and what the difference is between all of them. I know there is an invasion, but am still fuzzy on the back story. It felt a little like I was reading a second book in a series instead of the first. The writing, as always, is great but the plot was hard to keep track of. As much as I wanted to love it, it just didn't hit quite right for me.

3.5 stars
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I picked this book up because I love Martha Wells murder-bot series...a lot. It's quick. It's witty. It's sarcastic and clever. This book isn't Murder-bot.

I sometimes struggle with fantasy featuring a fully developed world building where the reader is dropped in the middle of a story which has a complex history and geography and has to figure out who fits where and why events are occurring as they read, so I'm willing to concede that part of my review could be a poor reader match.

My other struggle is that this book is a very slow burn with little character development. The front end stagnation is going to deter many readers, and was a challenge for me as well. While the characters are interesting enough that I'll probably read the second installment, I want to know more about all of them beyond what they are doing or have done. Motivation and internal monologue are almost non-existant in this story and it leaves it feeling a bit flat.

My best advice is reader beware. Just because you like Murder-bot, doesn't mean this book is for you.

This is a standalone(?) adult fantasy in with we follow Kai, a demon, and Ziede, a witch, after they wake up in a prison and pieces together what happened.

This story uses the parallell timeline trope to tell it's story, a trope that I typically don't like. It still worked for me since the timelines didn't blend together, I never felt as if I was interrupted and had to go back to the "boring" timeline. The different timelines does make the story move more slowly though, at least for me, but I was still enjoying myself.

I loved the characters. To follow Kai in the different timelines, one in which he has control over himself and one where most things are new, made me feel a lot more connected to his story. Ziede with her sarcasm was brilliant and I really liked the take on witchcraft.

I will end by saying that I'm a huge Murderbot fan and my glee when I was approved for this ARC can't really be explained in a written way. However, if you love the Murderbot diaries because of the fast pacing, this might not be for you.

Recived this as a review copy from Netgalley.