The premise and the story world are very promising but the story isn't written in a way where the narrative kept me interested. The characters, they all sound the same. Too much description and too many details I don't care at all about, too little tension or even a more substantial plot to keep me interested.
I don't know if this was meant to be cozy fantazy but it didn't work for me. I unfortunately didn't like this nearly as much as Murderbot.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Murderbot, and Martha Wells definitely brings the same world building and humanity to this story. The concept is really interesting, and I can see a lot of "epic fantasy" readers loving it. The world building takes time, the understanding of the plot takes time, but it's time well spent. The payoff is there. Kai and Zeide were my favorites, but the found family is just lovely.

Full disclosure: Liking Murderbot is not a guarantee you will enjoy this. They are very different, but in a wonderful way that shows off Wells' range.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

This took me a while to get into. Like a month. I started it and was just very confused about what was even going on. I ended up looking at other reviews to get more excited to push through this confusion. I’m glad I did-the book is very good! It just has a slow start.

tl;dr
Densely packed, unique world building with an exciting storyline that drives the narrative more than the characters do.

Thoughts
I initially was a little intimidated when I opened the book and was greeted with a list of names and titles from a world I didn't understand, but the characters are all described as they're introduced, such that I didn't ever need to page back to the list, so I worried for nothing. Martha Wells does an incredible job of fitting a lot of world building into a small space, doling out lore as necessary in a way that still sparks the imagination. And what a world it is! Layers of culture, powers, politics, and history unfold in two separate timelines with a scope that feels like a big adventure. Kai is a fun mix of snarky and competent, with other characters distinct, but not given quite as much attention. Overall, characters and their arcs to take a bit of a backseat to the plot and its mysteries. While this seems like it's probably a standalone book, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing these characters do more with a little more breathing room.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just couldn’t get into this book. I was very excited for it, but just did not care about the characters or the plot. There were moments were cool stuff happened, problem was just that I didn’t care enough for it to hit its mark fully. Might try rereading this with a physical copy, but I’m unsure if it’ll make me like it more. We’ll see

I've read Murderbot previously and didn't quite vibe with it, so my main purpose with picking up this book was to see whether I would like her fantasy more. Sadly, this didn't work for me either.

I'll start with the positives: I found the worldbuilding interesting and very original, and in particular I loved the demon's and how demon "possession" (sort of) worked in this world. It was very nice to see a sweet depiction of demons. I would've liked there to be more explanations of the world and magic though - usually I don't mind when authors don't hold your hand, but here it was very difficult to grasp what was going on with the world and history of it, especially with the double timelines. There was just too much going on, and when nothing gets explained its impossible to keep track.

I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. The potential was there, and I felt like it was just out of my grasp all the way to the last page - but that connection just never came. It was all a bit too surface level, and the sidecharacters were hard to distinguish. I got sort of a found family vibe, but there were so few scenes where the characters just existed and spent quality time with each other that I never bought the found family element.

The plot felt rather pointless by the end, and I kind of wish I dnf'd it around the halfway point. I still think this will be great for those that like the authors other works, but ultimately I have to conclude that her stuff just isn't for me.

Witch King by Martha Wells book review.
⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review.

I love Martha Wells and this was not a great time to find out that I dont like epic/high fantasy.
I like our MC, Kai, and his magick abilities are unique. He starts the story entombed in water, breaks free, and sets out to find out who did it and why. He is very good at killing, and he can inhabit different mortal bodies, he can drain lifeforce.

But the plot, political intrigue, betrayal was all boring to me.

If you like epic/high fantasy you will probably love this one more than I did.

I was so excited for this book, but I think ultimately it was a little too dense for me to get through. I kept trying to push through, but I didn't connect with the characters and got a little lost in the information. I think this is a great book for people who love intricate high fantasy, but I couldn't get into it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Tor, for providing me with this e-arc.

I could not get into this novel so I left was not able to finish it. It was confusing, too complex, and did not rope me in.

Ok, so don’t kill me for the 3 stars!

I know, I know, everyone is loving this book! And I so wanted to join in on the fun!

I’m a huge fan of the MurderBot series and was so excited to see this new Fantasy book from Wells. I really expected this to be a 5 star for me.

But, me head was actually hurting a bit trying to keep up with this one. Maybe it was things going on in my life at the time I tried to read this and not the actual book, but this felt really confusing and slow. Oh, so slow moving.

The story begins amidst a confusing action scene. Kai is dead and being resurrected. The rest of the story is about Kai, and his small group of cohorts, trying to determine who betrayed them.

There is tons of world building throughout the story, which is probably why it felt slow to me. The characters were wonderful but there was just so much going on with flashbacks and understanding this world that my brain just felt confused all the time.

While there was a bit of humor throughout, it was nothing like the MurderBot series sarcastic humor, and honestly, I really missed that.

I also felt like there was so much world building for what I believe is supposed to be a stand alone book. Why couldn’t more time have been spent on the characters in that case?

I may need to go back and try and read this at another time. Maybe then it will be easier for me to piece together and ultimately be more enjoyable.

Similar to most, this isn’t my first Martha Wells story. I read the first instalment in the Murderbot series. I don’t think this is an author i automatically gel with. I definitely have to force it, which isn’t authentic. Witch King was confusing and went over my head - completely.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC

Finally got around to reading this. As my first Martha Wells, I was intrigued but kind of wary because I've heard of Wells for her sci-fi and humour, but I haven't heard about her fantasy. I will say for me, it was a three star experience overall. Pros: the diversity and the enthnicity are very strong in this, and made it a joy to read. I literally haven't felt like this since NK Jemisin changed my life a year ago, and it was fantastic seeing POC rep in such a badass way.

The problem is, I didn't get the chance to play video games when I was younger, and as an adult, I never got the appeal. So whilst everything was fast paced, action based and super magical, I just felt like it was quest after quest after quest. This might already be looking up to everyone else, interesting to you and appealing: SO GO AHEAD AND READ IT. It just wasn't for me :)

Witch King was a lot like jumping into the deep end of the pool and forgetting your floaties. Readers are immersed in the world from the get go. Eventually the pieces come together and a more comprehensive view of the world emerges. There are also a myriad of characters and a back and forth jump in time. For this reader, it was a tad overwhelming. I think this isn't a casual read. I found myself struggling at times and constantly jumping back to the list at the beginning of the book to refamiliarize myself with the information. It is also a lengthy book. While it is a solid read and I enjoyed the journey from beginning to end, Wells' writing is superb. That being said, I don't think this book was necessarily for me. However, I think the writing and story does stand out and is one that readers will enjoy. Overall, a good, solid read.

Witch King starts off with a bang that really draws you in. We immediately meet the Witch King, Kai, a demon who is able to switch his consciousness into other bodies. He wakes after being murdered, imprisoned in an underwater trap with his friend Ziede. Neither of them know what happened to leave them trapped, so we follow them as they try to find the other members of their group and puzzle out what happened. The story is told in two timelines, one in the present and one from Kai’s past.

The world building is intricate and lovely, but it is dense. There’s a lot to parse through and remember as you read. Wells definitely does not spoon-feed the lore to her readers, and it can be confusing at points. There is a listing of all the people in the story at the front, but I think this book might have also benefitted from a quick explanation of the different places/groups, as I found those much more difficult to keep track of.

The characters are all very lovable in my opinion, but Kai and Ziede are my favorites. Their humor and banter is great and I found myself laughing out loud at a few of Ziede’s lines.

I really hope this is the start of a series, as there are still many unanswered questions and characters to be explored. I’d like to read more about all of the character’s pasts in general. If it is going to be a series, I will definitely continue reading more from this world!

ARC Provided by the Publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review- thank you!!

I read this book over the weekend and honestly really enjoyed it. For me it hits the right beats of darker fantasy and doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard to be edgy which is an issue that a lot of these “dark fantasy” novels stumble into. Kaiisteron is a lot of fun and compelling as a character; I personally am a huge fan of the overpowered main character trope so I really loved him and his action scenes!

I felt that the found family trope/ ensemble cast was relatively well done; though other than Ziede I didn’t feel that the other characters were super fleshed out in comparison. I wish more time had been spent with the present day’s group dynamic.

The ‘journey’ aspect of the novel is done well, I enjoyed the lush descriptions and felt immersed in the changing scenery.

The only reason why this is a 4.5 stars and not 5 is it didn’t really have that wow factor, the plot was extremely fun but didn’t shock me and or give me anything to think too deeply about but that also was the enjoyment of it. Not everything has to be super deep. And again the depth of the cast other than Kai and Ziede felt very skin deep.

I had only really been familiar with Martha Wells' works through Murderbot which I loved, I think this had a very different tone but I also really enjoyed Witch King overall.

Overall, I ended up loving this book! It had three main things that worked for me:

First, I am an absolute sucker for powerful, traumatized, snarky characters, and Kai completely fits the bill! He was an excellent leading character, expertly crafted by Wells.

Second, this books is full of interesting character interactions and banter. It’s got great dialogue and compelling dynamics between characters.

And finally, the world was rich and expansive. It feels like a fully developed setting, where there is always more to learn, and more things going on in other places.

All those positives aside, I do understand why this book may not be for everyone. I honestly think that making this a longer series, and adding more POVs would have let this book live into its full potential. The expansiveness of this setting feels a bit underutilized.

I also feel like sometimes the book relies on the tension from the “past” perspective too much, without more fully developing the “present” conflict/danger/goals to the same degree, which led to some inconsistent pacing and leaving readers less invested in how things would develop.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of reading this, despite sometimes feeling less drawn to pick it back up than I would like. If you enjoy Wells’ prose, stories driven by interesting characters, and aren’t daunted by some dense world-building, I think this is well worth the journey!

When Kai wakes after his murder he harnesses his magic to find another body and search for the person who thought they could imprison him. Who would be stupid enough to think they could keep THE demon confined?

Martha Wells is a master storyteller and this is a sweeping high fantasy steeped in world-building. This epic adventure is riveting, but you may need to refer to the cast of characters in this sweeping adventure.

I love the Murderbot books by this author, and I've read a couple of other fantasy books by her as well and enjoyed them, but unfortunately, I just didn't care for this one all that much.

In some ways this was quite different from what I usually read, but even so, I was initially drawn into this book right from the beginning. Unfortunately, after getting through a few chapters, I'm just not feeling it any more. I think Martha Wells can write spectacular beginnings, and this one was, but it just didn't keep me interested. I think part of the problem is that I felt like I was just dropped into the world and there wasn't enough explanation about what was going on. Also, the going back and forth between past and present wasn't really working for me either. The chapters in the present were more interesting to me than the ones in the past, at least in the beginning. I found it hard to switch gears and go to the past when I wanted more of what was happening in the present.

So, another one for the abandoned pile. Maybe I'll revisit it one day when I'm in the mood for something different.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with and ARC of this book.

Dnf 30%

The first time i saw the cover and the description, i was like oh this would be good! I really like the early chapters.

Sadly after i tried 3 times to finish it, i still couldn’t. The thing is i couldn’t understand the world. It seems hard to invested on the world despite the characters is quite interesting. And the back-forward times makes more difficult to understand the world.

But i will try to read it again later, i really want to enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishers

I recently read fantasy books written by Martha Wells and loved them as she's a talented storyteller and writes page turner in any type of genre.
This is a great fantasy, I was hooked since the beginning and loved what I read.
A page turner, entertaining and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine