Reviews

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

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whybeereads's review against another edition

DNF I'm afraid.

Let me preface this by saying that I understand this is a debut novel and every author is going to grow and improve with time. Edgmon isn't without promise, and the concept was strong, but the execution was where the whole thing fell down.

You know the phrase 'show, don't tell?' this book does the opposite, never trusting the reader to read between the lines, never allowing the reader to figure things out organically, just straight info-dumping exposition right up front.

The breaking point for me was when the narrator just flat out informs the reader that the way witches are treated in the fae realm is parallel to how queer kids are treated in the human world. Yes, I got that my dude, it's almost like that was the entire point. Please... Just learn to trust your audience to understand what a metaphor is.

The dialogue was likewise completely unbelievable, exchanges between characters that literally only exist in insular queer pockets of the internet. All the characters spoke with the same voice, that voice being the voice of a Tumblr user with an anime profile pic.

I wanted to like it. We need more literature in the world written by queer authors and for queer readers. But my God I had to DNF at about 100 pages in.

queerfatloud's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

mistakensmiles's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

91798310's review against another edition

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Couldn't get into it, too fantasy and teen

sobolan's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5☆

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

2.5

“I am not the golden goose. I am more like an actual goose, hissing and honking and attacking small children who just want to give me bread.”

➽ I finally ended up reading The Witch King! I've had this book on my TBR for so long. The story follows Wyatt, a witch who ended up fleeing his arranged engagement and is now hiding in the human world. After his fiance finds him, he's forced to go back to the Fae, who treat his kind like outcasts. I liked the general idea of this setup so much that this book made it on to my anticipated releases list. There was potential in this story, especially as it discusses Wyatt's feeling of being other both as a witch and a trans boy who doesn't fit into the rigid bioessential expectations of the fae. While he was messy, I liked him for the most part, as he was the most interesting character in the story! Unfortunately, I didn't end up liking much else about The Witch King, which was a big disappointment for me!

➽ The romance didn't work for me at all. It's a soulbond, arranged (more like forced) marriage type of relationship which can always be a hit or miss. I didn't like how it was executed here and thought that Emyr's and Wyatt's relationship was unhealthy. They weren't good for each other, something the story even somewhat acknowledged, but in the end, it's what 'makes them perfect for each other'. The beginning of the story is already iffy as it consists of Emyr hunting down Wyatt and forcing him to come back to the Fae to fulfil the marriage. He threatens and blackmails Wyatt, so he doesn't have much of a choice as Emyr promises to keep hunting him down if he flees. The way he talked about Wyatt like he was a pawn was so uncomfortable. He's literally like 'because I might lose the throne, you have to marry me and carry my babies' without considering if this is what Wyatt wants, especially now that he has come out as trans. Emyr immediately makes a bad impression with how he decides everything for Wyatt and then has the gall to say that Wyatt came willingly. He was trying too hard to absolve himself of any lingering guilt by insisting Wyatt find happiness with the Fae.

➽ It was so icky how he kept saying he wouldn't let Wyatt go (so he's basically a prisoner) and use their marriage contract against him. It didn't help that the contract kills whoever breaks it. The whole situation was so iffy and uncomfortable. How am I supposed to root for Emyr as a love interest when he manipulates Wyatt into fulfilling the marriage and point-blank admits to killing him if he attempts to escape? The fact that Emyr has a one-sided soul bond with Wyatt was even worse. Their meant to be the perfect genetic match, but Wyatt can't even feel the bond, so it's just strange. The second half of the story wasn't as bad, because we learn more about Emyr and he stops being so overbearing. However, it was difficult to reconcile his earlier actions and believe he genuinely cared about Wyatt beyond the bond. Everything was just too messy for me and I wish the author had deconstructed the soulmates trope!

➽ I didn't get along with the writing style. It utilized too much modern slang, including memes and phrases that sound like they come straight from a Tumblr post. I enjoy pop-culture references and the occasional modern slang, especially in an Urban Fantasy book. However, the Witch King was oversaturated with these kinds of references to the point that it made me cringe. The writing itself could have been much better if it hadn't tried so hard to sound cool.

➽ I also wasn't invested in the plot itself. I appreciated the discussion of many real-life issues, coupled with the in-universe discrimination of witches. However, everything was so heavy-handed and lacked any subtlety. I wish the author had trusted the readers to understand what was being said. Unfortunately, the book ended up sounding preachy instead and I think it would have been better if it had focused on fewer topics but then done so more in-depth. There was definitely potential in the Witch King, but combined with the writing, it missed the mark.

Content Warnings