Witch King

Plot: .5
Writing: .5
World building: .5
Characters: .5
Themes: 0
2/5

This story would make a great movie! As a book, it was roughhh. I can't believe I was able to finish it. I've heard great things about Martha Wells and this was my first but unfortunately I did not enjoy this one. I love world building. It's typically the thing I enjoy most about a story. We were just thrown into this world and expected to understand everything.

Not only was the world building rough, I had a hard time understanding what was going on in the plot. All the body hopping and moving from place to place made it hard for me to know what was going on at a given time.

I did a light DNF and decided to finish it, hoping it would get better.

The characters seemed interesting I just didn't feel any strong emotional connection to any of them.

Maybe it was listening to the audiobook, but I felt unmoored a lot of the time. The narrator was fine but I'm not sure it added anything to the story.

I wanted to like this one so much. I really did. I went into it wanting to like it. No one wants to read a book they don't like. I think there is an audience that will enjoy it. It's just not me this time.
This would be great for someone who likes high fantasy/sci fi world building and doesn't mind taking the time to comb through all the information to understand everything.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Listener copy of Witch King. This is my honest review.

Tnanks to Macmillan Audiofor the copy of this ALC!

I picked this up after hearing from friends how good the Murderbot series is, but knowing that this book is also going back to Martha Wells' fantasy roots. I'm always ready for a dark fantasy + witchy read and this one starts off with a bang, but unfortunately I DNFed at 40%. For an epic quest, I was honestly really bored. I can see how a lot of people will really enjoy this one, and I absolutely intend to try the Murderbot series, but this one just wasn't for me. I did really enjoy Eric Mok's narration,

Thank you Net Galley for the Audio ARC!

I loved this book, it was immersive, had high stakes, dual timelines, political intrigue and a large cast of characters. The narration was fantastic, but the book itself (with the two timelines) was sometimes difficult to keep up with. I would loved to get a physical copy and reread this.

Different… but not for me.

Starting out as a disembodied being in the dark just wasn’t the easiest POV for the opening scene. I typically am quite good at following the plot, character development, and world building of fantasy books with ease; not so much with Witch King. Despite the author’s talent, I just couldn’t get into the book. “Enjoyable” is all I can say. I enjoyed the author’s writing, the magic was ok, demons and witches were somewhat interesting, the character dynamics (MCs) were good, but nothing grabbed me. The plot seemed murky, the politics not very intriguing, I had to push myself to return to the book each time.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided an audio arc of this book via Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, as always all opinions are my own.

I thought the narrator did a good job with the narration, however I wish I had also had a print version of this book while listening along. There is list of characters at the beginning of the book that would have been really helpful to flip back to to keep track of all of the characters. Hopefully the final audiobook version comes with a PDF so you can refer to the cast of characters and terms used in the book. The ARC didn't have that available and I didn't have a print ARC. This does have a large cast and a complex world and magic system and only listening to this book was a bit confusing without that as reference. I still enjoyed the storyline once I was finally able to figure out what was going on and who everyone was.

As I mentioned this has a complex world and magic system, and it flip flops between the present time and the past. I found that a bit confusing while listening to the book and it was hard to keep track of what was going on. I think had I read the book in print I would have been able to keep track a bit better because I would have been able to easily look things up or reference past chapters. That isn't as easy to do with audiobooks. After about the 50% mark I was finally able to keep track of things and really engage in the story, but I think I would have enjoyed this more in print. Personally I tend to enjoy really complex books with large casts of characters in print versus on audio. This is one I need to reread in print to get all the things I missed the first time.

This follows Kai, the Witch King, after waking up without his body. Weird right? You see he's an immortal demon that can possess the body of another and he's got other pretty interesting powers. He then sets out to find the culprits of his lack of body situation and sets out on quite the political and magical adventure with some old and new friends.

Overall I enjoyed this story and plan on rereading it soon. I'm not sure if this is a standalone or the start of a new fantasy series. I enjoyed the characters and the world and would be interested in more.

World building is developed by flashbacks, something I didn't know I enjoyed until it was done well. Characters are well done, though the magic is a bit hand0wavy.

I was super excited to get an early copy of this audiobook to review but I am so torn between goving it a 4 star or 5.

The story is good and the narrator is absolutely phenomenal! However the entire book switches back and forth between current time and the past. Had I been reading a physical copy, I don't think that would have been a problem as I am able to be more focused on just the story and if I got confused about which timeline I was in, I could easily skip to the front of the chapter and see. This may also be solved when the book is released if the chapters are marked on the platform with titles and dash past or present. But for the audiobook as it stand now I'm going to have to dock a star for that one. Also if you are like ne an use audiobooks to make boring tasks more enjoyable, like driving, dishes, laundry ect... this book may be better for you in a phyiscal book or ebook. Due to the jumping timelines the book requires more focus then your average audiobook. That being said, the story is fun and interesting and I do think it's worth the read. And as far as narrators go this book could not have had a better one! I truely can't stress how much I enjoyed his reading, his voice is fantastic and his inflections are perfect.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking out for more from Martha Wells.

DNF @ 42%. This was DEFINITELY a case of it's not the book, it's me.

From the part I did read, I know it'll be an epic hit. Martha Wells is a phenomenal author, and her literary dexterity is on full display in Witch King. She has a true gift of creating new and complex worlds that feel accessible and familiar despite the differences.

I've loved other books by Martha Wells (I'm looking at you, Murderbot), and I was excited about Witch King, her newest fantasy offering. I may eventually circle back to this one later, but this complex fantasy with intricate world-building and a novel magic system was too much for my brain right now. I've had higher pain levels recently (I have autoimmune conditions), and my brain couldn't handle all the details right now. I needed something easy and predictable, and Witch King isn't predictable. If I do pick it back up, I hope I'm in a better headspace and can really enjoy all its beautiful, magical-ness.

The narrator was fantastic. As much as this shocks me to say, though, this may be a book I need to sit down and read in order to focus enough to truly understand and appreciate it.

I loved the Murderbot series so I was excited to read more from Martha Wells.
An epic fantasy with a demon of the underworld had me sold.
Felt like I fell into this world without a guide and was disoriented at first. This is definitely a story that you need to pay attention to understand what happening. Told in dual timelines as we follow this ragtag group through their adventures as Kai searches for his betrayer.
Loved Kai so much but the rest of the characters didn’t stand out as much. An intense and fantastic fantasy adventure that can be challenging to keep up with at times.

The Witch King, Kai, is having a very bad day. He is a body-jumping, life-sucking demon and he has been betrayed, But who would do this to the Witch King? After awakening from his watery grave, (water limits his powers extensively) Kai and his second-in -command, Zaide must figure this out and why, Then there's the whole second timeline regarding the revolution that helps give some background to this. You also get Kai's inception in the mortal world to said revolution. But all the body-jumping can get confusing and Wells doesn't slow down to explain who is who or what is what. The world-building is vast and fast. You're kind of just expected to know what's going on but with all the body-jumping and strange-sounding names, it's difficult to keep track.

*Special thanks to Net-Galley and TorDotCom for this e-arc.*

1.5 stars rounded up

*sigh* Listen, I've loved everything else I've read from Martha Wells and I had very high hopes for Witch King. Unfortunately it just didn't hit for me the way I wanted it to, which is disappointing. The premise and the world are interesting, but the story is told in such a convoluted way and never really cared about the characters.

A convoluted plot CAN work for me (see Ruin of Kings) but I have to be attached to at least some of the characters and more invested in the payoff of said plot. Witch King offers an inventive world of demons, body-swapping and big picture political machinations. There were ideas with potential, but we rarely got to see a deeper, more emotional side to Kai and his relationships with other characters aren't all that fleshed out. And because he is this immortal being, you really need that emotional impact to care about his story. The stakes are unclear and the flipping back and forth between past and present feels unnecessarily convoluted. I think it's intended to create suspense and mystery, but I just found it confusing and frustrating.

Unfortunately I just didn't have a good time with this one. I also didn't like the audio narrator very much. He was a bit emotionally flat and not great at giving different characters personality, which only added to the problem. I'll continue to read other things from Martha Wells, but this was a miss for me. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Martha Wells starts off her return to fantasy with a BANG! Kai wakes up after having been murdered and having his consciousness kept dormant for an unknown amount of time. Thus begins our adventure with the present moment Kai trying to put the pieces together and past Kai telling the story of how we got here in the first place.
Similarly, to many other readers I was introduced to Martha Wells through her Murderbot series, which I fell in love with years ago, needless to say as a predominantly fantasy reader I was excited yet cautious to get an early copy of the Witch King audiobook. Wells did not disappoint as she once again proved her ability to craft complex characters that you can’t help but root for. While the back-and-forth movement through the timeline was done with brilliance, I must admit that at times it did lead to some confusion on my part. I also have to give credit to Eric Mok for his narration which was just as captivating as the words he was reading. Overall, a delightfully complex fantasy.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes fantasy books have so much complexity that it’s almost impossible to ingest them via audiobook format. When the very first “chapter” of the audiobook is literally three and a half minutes of listing characters and their descriptions which just leaves you so confused that it might as well have been in a foreign language, that isn’t a good sign. After suffering through that I was continually lost listening to chapter after chapter where characters, places, and factions were casually dropped into conversations with unfamiliar sounding names that were difficult for me to remember, no less keep track of. I truly think my reading experience would have been greatly improved had I read this via hard copy or ebook instead. But alas, I only received the audiobook ARC from Netgalley and so I couldn’t switch to one of those other formats as this book hasn’t been published yet. But when it does get published, don’t make my mistake and avoid the audiobook for this one. The narrator did a fine job, for me it was just the sheer volume of new unfamiliar names and terms that made it prohibitive to listen to this. And I say that as someone who loves 900+ page high fantasy books.

3 starts for Witch King by Martha Wells!

I enjoyed this book a lot, the concept was incredible and I loved the characters (Kai). I found some of the pacing in the middle a little slow and it unfortunately didn't quite hit the mark I wanted it too based off of the synopsis. I wanted to know more about each of the characters and I felt a little in the dark about some of them. More on page character development and backstory would've been amazing. That being said it was still a good book ( I love a body snatching demon), the writing was great and I look forward to more from the author.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

You saw her sci-fi, now get ready for Martha Wells' fantasy.

Witch King by Martha Wells is a standalone fantasy novel that follows the (after)life of Kai, who was previously murdered, after his consciousness has been reawakened following his prolonged dormant state. He awakens to find a lesser mage trying to harness his magic. Which doesn't end well of course. With a new body, Kai must navigate this new world in an attempt to understand all that's happened since his death. And most importantly, why he was trapped.

This book is so wild and weird, it's hard not to love. And to save everyone from spoilers, as the description does it no justice. Read this book! Go read it right now!

Witch King jumps straight into the plot and action which grabbed my attention but also soon lost me. So much happened with dual time lines, magic system, and many characters, that I felt like I was coming into the second or third book of a series and trying to grasp at some element I missed. I really wanted more exposition and intro to the world and Witch King to help me follow along and feel the connection I wanted to with the characters and the conflicts. I do think the plot was unique, especially the Witch Kings' situation at the bottom of the ocean and his abilities, but even with that I got bored and struggled through skimming the last bit.

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.

DNF 52%
I had previously read All Systems Red and wasn’t into but saw potential in how the author formulated her characters. As a result, I this book a chance. It starts off well. The beginning of being trapped will the area is getting flooded strongly brought memories of the movie Tangled. Unfortunately this book wasn’t engaging. I kept holding out hoping that I could actually care about the plot but I couldn’t. The reader is thrown into this narrative and can’t simply care for these characters or their agenda.

This isn’t an easy plot to pick up from the start, you kinda just have to go with it and hope you understand more later. There are a lot of characters and while there is a list at the front, it did make for slower reading. I did really like the creativity to this though and thought it was really unique (if a bit confusing) world building. It is a slower pace plot, but I think with the complexities of the story I appreciated that as I tried to grasp what was going on. There is a dark humorous tone to it that I appreciated and would have loved to see a bit more of even. There were too many descriptions, especially of clothing which was described in great detail for all characters - color, style, culture and sometimes gender info for that style. It just didn’t add much to the story and took up a lot of page time.

The book bounces back and forth between past and present and mostly succeeded. I had both the audio and physical copies of this one but found the audio was confusing early on as I tried to remember who everyone in both timelines was. The narration was well done, but I read more of the physical book and needed the character list from it even when listening to the audio.