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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
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.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Police brutality, Dysphoria, and War
nightshaderoots's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deadnaming, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
hazel_oat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Genocide, Hate crime, and War
tinysierra's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“I open the back door to let the dogs out, and Nadua's got her gardening shears buried like a knife in one of my fiancé's wings.” pg 1
I love Wyatt as a narrator. He is so funny.
Book 10 for the
#TransRightsReadathon2024
CW: Wyatt is a vomiter when stressful things happen
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use and Racial slurs
mxemma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Deadnaming, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria
kaisbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War
zoepagereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Gore, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
broccoli_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Fae fantasy is a trend for quite some time now, but it’s mostly written in a very white, cishet setting.
The witch king takes all the tropes, the fantasy settings and the beautiful, royal fae that we already love and just adds a rebellious young trans main character.
Wyatt is a loveable, relatable and cute main character. His past is written with trauma and that also reflects in his actions. When his fiancé forces him back to his birth world Asalin, we expect a cliché fated mates, enemies to lovers storyline. But the relationship between those two and their individual personalities are just so well written.
The side characters are also very well written and diversity is well incorporated into the story.
I’m excited to start the second book soon!
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault and Death of parent
aexileigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and War
orion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing and Drug use
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, and War