Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the ARC! In this new fantasy by Martha Wells. Kai is an immortal (mostly) demon who inhabits a new body after awakening from a suspended death. He reunites with Ziede and the two set out to discover how they were entombed and what happened to their comrades. The narrative is split between the current timeline and the events of the past (Kai's life in mortal bodies and the battle with the Heirarchs). The story is action-packed and engaing, with Wells great characterization. I was left with wanting to know more about the backstory, as well as wanting to follow Kai and his friends on further adventures, and their is certainly the option for that at the end.

DNF at 20%

At a fifth of the way through a book, I should at least care about some of the characters OR have an idea of what the point of the book is. Martha Wells drops us into this story and explains absolutely nothing as it trundles along.

From the blurb and premise, I was really excited to read this, but between being unable to buy into the story and the clunky, juvenile writing style (I’d never heard of Martha Wells before, but I was shocked when I looked the author up and this WASN’T a debut novel), I struggle to even want to pick this book up at all. A lot of the dialogue is cringey, and the repetitive language in descriptions (not for emphasis, just lack of synonyms it would seem) made this a really not fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with the ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Killer high fantasy. Wells creates an incredible world, and engrossing, lovable characters within it. This is a heart-pounding, kind of creepy adventure featuring dual timelines that both fills us in on what's going on and creates frustratingly great suspense. It's similar to the Murderbot Diaries in how full and immediate the world is, also how real the stakes are, and how much we want to root for the MC. It's not irreverent in the same way though, Witch King is more straight ahead with moments of levity. This book is a great time and I can only hope that it's the beginning of a series. Also I wouldn't mind seeing it on a screen, please and thank you.

Demon-Prince Kai and Air-Witch Ziede are on a quest for revenge on the people that have imprisoned them and to find Ziedes wife, a Fallen Immortal Soldier. On the way they pick up a little girl that was meant as a sacrifice and an enslaved Earth-Witch.
They travel through a desolate almost post-apocalyptic feeling world (it gave me strong Elden Ring vibes). The invaders have come and won, they left large amounts of the population dead and whole cities deserted, until they could be stopped. Now the continent is slowly recovering.
Martha Wells truly is the master of writing non-human protagonists whosomehow feel more human than all of us. Every one of the main crew deserve to have their own book. They are so interesting and fleshed out and so badass and unique.
You can truly feel the love and care the characters have for each other. Kais terror and trauma when his war camp gets destroyed feels real and impactful, as if you were there with him. His anger, and cruelty even, in his quest for revenge feel justified for the things he had to endure. But he never looses his sass and his humor; you can not help but root for him.
Theres also: Whale riding, necromantic-eldritch-horror creatures, ghost ships, Grandma is a demon queen, mute witches speaking in sign-language, unique races with their own magic system.
The book is very much character focused, pacing-wise its a bit more on the slower side.
I am rating this 4.5/5, minus half a star because the ending was a little underwhelming and I was a bit confused about the timeline.

I'd like to extend a big "thank you" to the team at Tor Publishing Group as well as NetGalley for sending me this e-ARC!

This was easily one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, so I'm really saddened that I ended up having to DNF it at 30%.

This book follows a witch (Or demon? I still don't really understand) named Kai who was abducted along with his friend Ziede. You get dropped straight into the action on page 1, and I commend the author for trying this method out, but it left me completely confused. I didn't understand who anyone was (you get a bunch of names thrown at you) and found it really difficult to follow along.

This book bounces back and forth between the past and present day, and I found myself preferring to read about the past, although majority of the book is based in the present. I liked getting to know Kai and understand his character better, so whenever I was brought back to the current situation, I was left reeling. He's a completely different person now than he was before, and I'm sure there's a great reason for that--I just couldn't stick around to find out that reason.

I absolutely hate DNF-ing books, so this was a major letdown for me. Maybe I'll try reading it again sometime in the future.

3.5 stars rounded down

This book had an interesting premise of whodunit mystery with a demon that felt had the vibes of a more cozy fantasy than apic fantasy. I felt that this was more cozy than epic because the story moved at a very slow pace and focused a lot on the politics of the characters rather than the plot.

I personally had a hard time getting into the book and just felt like the writing style didn’t speak to me. It didn’t make me feel anything towards the characters and I felt like the descriptions of the magic were a little lacking and flat to me. The book has a lot of cantrip and intention style magic that wasn’t that interesting to read about for me.

I felt like this book reminded me of The Red Scholar’s Wake because it had the same slow pacing and emphasis on the politics of a unique fantasy world. However, this book did not have a romance element nor the interesting magical imagery. I did think this book had a slightly better ending than The Red Scholar’s Wake but not by much.

I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a slower paced fantasy read with a mystery element. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for complex characters or character growth or who don’t enjoy books about politics.

Thank you to tordotcom and Netgalley for a digital advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review!

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the chance to read and review the ARC for WITCH KING. As a huge fan of the Murderbot Diaries, I could not wait to get my hands on this one!

Sadly, it's a DNF for me. I tried and tried to push through, but this one is not engaging me enough to continue. The first chapter, while interesting, dropped me in what felt like the middle of a story. That's okay, I was content to pick up in the middle and figure it out as I went. Unfortunately, the names of the characters, the swapping between past and present while also learning the history and this bargain between demons and humans was very confusing. I was left confused at every turn. I tried to focus, take more detailed notes but because the pacing is also quite slow, I found myself bored and my mind would wander.

At 25% of the way in, I just found myself no longer wanting to pick this one up, so I made the decision to DNF.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

I wished for so many things and I got them at one point or another. Witch King follows the story of Kai, a demon who can inhabit other people's bodies and how he came to be known as a Witch King in a world where people were hunted by the Hierarch, a group of individuals who hated the world and wanted to see it burn.

The story is fluid, I liked how everything fall into places I never thought about, but at the same time it had a pace I wasn't comforable with. Since the start we are dropped into Kai's story with nothing to go with. We are bombarded from everywhere with worldbuilding so complex I lost so many information on the way because I couldn't force myself to pick the pieces together by the end of the book. They were to many to begin with. I liked Kai's history and I was 100% there for his past with the others and Bashasa. I loved his relationship with the prince and how they became so much more in so little time and how Martha Wells portrayed their feelings in such innocent but intense way.

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐈 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆:
The beautiful and complex worldbuilding, but maybe too complex for me.
The magic system and how many different made cultures were brought together.
The relationship between the characters.
The complexity of the history revolving around the MCs.
How vivid everything was and how detailed the fighting scenes were.
The past-present divided characters that put showed the character growth and how they went from slaves to something more.
The humor, I laughed at so many quirky remarks.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: I didn't had many things to complain about and I really liked how the characters played out to be. We have Kai, who's sensible but powerful when needed, who can inhibit other people bodies, we have Ziede, a Witch who can order the wind-devils aka the wind itself, a Immortal Marshall who betrayed her people for her brother safety and other characters that I liked how they were made.

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆:
I felt like it was to much sometimes. I liked it a lot but not everything stayed with me until the end.

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴.

Review of Witch King by Martha Wells
I loved the concept of Witch King when I first heard of it was over the moon when I was granted an ARC by Netgalley!
Short blurb: The Witch King has awakened to the revelation that he and his loved ones have been betrayed, thus starts their journey to find out who left them for dead. But the land they return to is changed, and soon the Witch King and his friends are fighting for more than just the truth, they're fighting for their lives.
It took me a long time to fully come to grasp with the setting and the world order of the book. This caused me to lose interest in some of the characters, and I found the time changing to be more confusing than they were necessary. I loved what the book aspired to be, but I just think it fell a bit short for me and I struggled to truly care about the characters and their journey.
Positives: | loved the originality of the story. I also think the intrigue of politics and how it can so suddenly change one way or the other was great. I also think Martha Well's writing was smooth and easy to read!
Two stars for me.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me the arc in return for an honest review!

I’m DNF’ing this. I really enjoyed the beginning chapter or two and then it got SO confusing. I’m nearly 50% through and have no idea whats going on.

I hope to come back to it at a later date but I keep trying and keep getting more confused.

The best comparison I can make with <I>Witch King</i> is that it feels like jumping into <I>Game of Thrones</I> around book three or four without reading or watching anything that came earlier. Fans of Martha Wells' Murderbot books that are specifically into how pared-down and earnestly simple those books are, with the protagonist frankly and clearly explaining its responses to things, are likely to be kind of lost here, given the density of the storytelling, the huge number of characters in play, and especially the complexity of some of the emotions going on. But for fans of her Rakshasa series (like me), this is a hell of an interesting challenge: Just being thrown into the deep end of a rich and realized fantasy world, and told to catch up.

The book begins with Kai (the Witch King of the title) waking up in a trap, after a plot to contain and control him, and then trying to escape and find his scattered allies. It takes much of the first several chapters to figure out what he is, what he can do, who those allies are, and why anyone would scheme against him. It takes the rest of the book to clarify what's actually going on, with a whole lot of flashbacks and reveals, both involving a ton of political players vying against each other in a series of changing alliances. There's a library of characters at the beginning, but it doesn't help all that much, given that the real question about pretty much everyone in this book is whether they are what they seem to be, or whether they're being honest about their agenda. And given how many political agendas are at work, a library of the major factions would have been a lot more useful.

I struggled a fair bit to keep up with the story at times, mostly because of that factor — all the names and details being thrown out at once, including a ton of stuff that doesn't become relevant in this novel, and feels like it's being banked for future novels. But much like Murderbot or Moon in the Rakshaka books, Kai is an appealing protagonist, strong on the outside (his powers often seem nearly infinite, leaving everyone around him at a disadvantage once he decides on a move) and struggling on the inside in some interesting ways. Maybe the thing I enjoyed most about the book is the way it tracks some of the major changes he's been through that he can't communicate to anyone but the reader, because they're so based in cultural expectations and his origins that he doesn't even bother to describe them. (Characters who can't/won't talk about their angst because it just doesn't occur to them to complain or try to share is pretty much a Martha Wells hallmark.)

I could have used a fair bit more about Ziede, his constant companion and ally (and not in any way a romantic contender; she's entirely focused on finding and rescuing her missing wife, who I also could have used more about). We get to see where Kai and Ziede met, but I never felt like I understood their bond, or saw the clear transition between "two co-combatants in a sprawling faction in the past" and "boon companions who feel closer than a romantic couple" in the present. And it feels like there's a lot missing here about Kai's relationship with Bashasa, which also mostly winds up between the lines.

There are certainly a lot of threads here to pick up in a future book. I hope this becomes a series — it's certainly a complex and dense enough world to support more novels, and more intrigues, once readers finally have their feet under them with everything they learn in this novel. <I>Witch King</i> doesn't expressly end with any kind of cliffhanger or "to be continued" that make a sequel inevitable or necessary, but it certainly seems like there's a lot of room left for discovery — and for conflict, given where the political situation ends.

Witch King by Martha Wells is a complex and absorbing fantasy story that is highly recommended for fans of epic fantasy with a supernatural twist. The book features a cast of memorable characters, including Kai, a charismatic demon from the Underworld, and Zaide, who has some wonderful skills like controlling the wind and peeling people's skins off layer by layer. The story is written with alternate sections of the past and the present, which cleverly feed information to the reader, although it may require the reader to stay alert. While some readers may find the pacing odd, and that the book could have benefited from being shorter (and keep in mind, the novella might be my favorite length for fiction), it is still a highly recommended read for fans of epic fantasy. The book has an ending that could stand alone, but also leaves the way open for more.

Unfortunately I DNF’d at 70% because after spending almost the entire book confused, it was at that point I realised that there were two timelines - and only because I checked the contents page of the ebook.

The audiobook doesn’t put nearly enough emphasis on the fact that there are dual timelines, considering those timelines contain the same characters, in the same
places, doing very similar things, which led me to continuously feel like I had missed something important and rewind, only to realise I hadn’t. I would suggest putting some kind of note at the beginning of the audiobook, or more emphasis on the ‘The Past’ sections to ensure readers aren’t confused.

I feel this is a shame for the author, as I liked the premise and the magic system of the book, and if I had read the ebook I suspect I wouldn’t have been so confused.

Unfortunately I can’t bring myself to go back and read the first 70% of the book again as an ebook to assuage my confusion, and I don’t have enough concept of what is going on in either timeline to continue with the audiobook.

I can see myself coming back to this as an ebook in the future, however I would urge audio readers especially to be aware there is a dual timeline, otherwise you may find yourself extremely confused, as I was.

I've been meaning to check out Martha Wells for years so when I heard she was coming out with a new fantasy novel, I thought it might be a good place to start.

Witch King is the kind of novel that expects the reader to do a lot of reading between the lines, making inferences about what's happening between the bits that we get to see. It tells some of the story of the eponymous Witch King, Kaiisteron, as he unravels a conspiracy against him in the book's present. Alternating with the present storyline are chapters from Kai's past which reveal details about both him and the world around him.

The characters are interesting, particularly our point-of-view character, Kai. But to reveal nearly anything about him would be a spoiler. The setting is well-drawn and I was left wanting to know a great deal more about it.

The plot unfolds in languid impressionistic brushstrokes that leaves as many questions as answers by the end. Recommended for fans of slow-moving introspective high fantasy in the vein of The Goblin Emperor and Priory of the Orange tree.

I will definitely be buying and rereading Witch King and I hope the author plans to write more in this world.

CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
✅ well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional

PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown

WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
🔲 nicely detailed
✅ meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story

ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book

PACING
🔲 dragging
✅ inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down

It wasn't bad, but I expected more :\

If you are around for a while you might know that I adore the Murderbot series by Martha Wells, so naturally I was super excited when her new fantasy book release got announced. Now, let's start with the obvious: this book was very different from Murderbot. It's a full-length novel, it's epic fantasy, and it follows multiple timelines. What stayed the same though, was the heart-warming found family trope - if you loved that in Murderbot, you will probably love it even more here.

The biggest surprise for me was the amazing world-building. Considering that this is a stand-alone, there were so many details about the different countries and their people, the cultures, the magic, and the history of the world. I also loved how unique it all felt instead of being another classic Western-inspired fantasy. Also also it was so delightfully queer!

The characters and the plot were alright in my opinion, they didn't quite blow my mind away but there was nothing wrong with them either.

The reason this book is not a five-star read for me is the pacing. Maybe the author is just not used to writing longer formats anymore, but this book felt so excruciatingly slow. While I was always enjoying what I was reading, I never felt like picking it up again. I liked the plots of both the present time and the flashback, but maybe it was because of the order of chapters, the momentum of the plot could never build up. It might be a me problem, but I definitely struggled with finishing the book because of this.

Overall, I think this was an enjoyable read, but it won't be a new favourite for me sadly. Still looking forward to picking up whatever the author comes out next with though! 😊

Martha Wells is a Professional Writer. And I don’t mean this to be damning with faint praise. Indeed, as a reviewer, this is one of the highest bits of praise I can offer. That means that Martha Wells delivers exactly what she promises. Witch King says “come with me, on an epic adventure across the seas and lands of a fantastic world. I will sweep you off your feet, make you forget your cares awhile, and take your breath away with images of impossible cities and alien landscapes.” And it delivers. When reading Witch King I was not lying on my couch ignoring piles of laundry yet to fold. I wasn’t stealing half an hour on my bus commute to work. I was soaring over ruined cities, fighting alongside legendary warriors as they clashed for the survival of their countries, and descending into the depths of inhuman oceans. Martha Wells knows how to deliver on the fundamental pact between author and reader--give me your attention, your time, and your imagination, and I will give you something extraordinary.

Witch King is told in two braided timelines looping around eachother as they tell Kai’s (a demon who is trapped in a mortal body, and betrayed by a comrade) rise and fall, and then what comes next. What I love is how rich and how inhabited the world Martha Wells has constructed in this book is--one of the characters is a historian, and his research feels real and asks probing questions that I hope will be answered in future books set in this same world. I also hope that someone will throw stupid amounts of money at an adaptation of this only for the amazing set piece scuba adventure that happens at about 2/3 of the way through this book.

If you are looking for a larger than life, epic fantasy quest, with world building to die for and battle scenes to take your breath away--you could do worse than picking Witch King as your next read. I especially recommend this book for fans of Brandon Sanderson, Tash Suri, or C.L. Clark.
I was provided with an Advance Copy in exchange for this honest review.

Again, we are enthralled by the genius of Martha Wells in this fast paced, political intrigue mixed with fantasy! Deliciously dark, you will root for demons and cry over betrayal. I look forward to reading more in this series.

My only critique is that I felt emotionally exhausted by the amount of action in both timelines. I had to stop and take breaks because of how much was happening.

As a huge fan of the Murderbot Diaries, I had high expectation for Witch King. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I know it will appeal to others which is why I rate it a 3 star-- definitely pick this up if you're an epic fantasy fan that loves piecing together all the factions and the characters amidst the two timeline POVs. I simply didn't have the brain space to appreciate it as much as I wish I could have. A huge thank you to Tor and Netgalley for a copy of this eArc!

4.75 I absolutely love Kai and Zeide. I kept thinking of Mal and Zoe from Firefly — though I think Kai is a gentler soul than Mal.

The book hooked me right away with Kai disembodied trying to piece together how he got there. I thought it was such an intriguing opening scene.

I felt like the book really found its footing around the 50% mark. Before that point, I’ll admit I skimmed past a fair amount of world building that ultimately didn’t feel entirely necessary - particularly all the descriptions of what people were wearing.

But my love for the characters was enough to keep me reading and I would definitely read more about them if there was ever a sequel.

Just don’t go into Witch King expecting Murderbot. I love them both, but they’re very different.

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

2.5 / 5

Witch King by Martha Wells was on my radar as soon as it was announced: the intriguing synopsis, the cover, and the author's popularity all made me really want to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped it would.

In Witch King, we follow Kai, a very powerful demon prince whose magic is pretty badass. He has the ability to possess mortals, their bodies remaining in a preserved state that can heal almost instantly. He also can drain the life out of anything with just a touch, feeding his power reserves even further. Kai wakes up in a tomb with no recollection of how he got there - his consciousness returning to him only because a group of magic wielders have arrived and woken him up. Kai soon realizes that this group is there to try and transfer his soul into a small, wounded girl, making him easy for them to wield in her form. Kai, of course, makes quick work of these beings; but the question still remains... why was he entombed, and by who?

To begin with the good: Martha Wells absolutely knows what she's doing when it comes to crafting an interesting magic system and a lovable group of characters. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of these characters are queer in some form - perhaps this is a regular thing in Wells' writing, but she's new to me so I appreciated it a lot. She is a great writer and this book really shined in the action moments where Kai wielded his magic.

However, to be honest: I never really knew what was going on this entire book. It felt like a sequel; so many political factions, places, people, and motivations are barely explained. While I can enjoy this style of fantasy writing, and have loved it many books previous, it was simply too confusing in this book for me to ever grasp the plot or feel invested in the rising political suspense. Things would be uncovered that I thought should've been a big "woah!" moment but they didn't really land for me. It was a struggle not to DNF.

This is my first Martha Wells book, and while this wasn't a big win for me, I don't think it'll be the last.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.