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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
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
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
It was a fun book. The world building was something different from what we seen and there are similarities to the real world that tie in nicely. The characters feel lived in and I love how the author describes each and every one of them. Even the characters that aren't ment to be likeable they have a charm to them that makes you want to learn more about them. I usually don't like the main characters of my books and this was not an exception but even though I wasn't a fan of his personality I still understood him. The way he interacts with those around him feels so lived in that I really enjoyed how their relationships developed. What really makes thus book a high rating is also the different kinds of love displayed. From romantic to platonic to love between family or pets it is everywhere in the book. That and the fact that the author put trigger warnings in the beginning shows how much thought and care was put into this book. Can't wait to read the second one!
Content Warnings
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
bookishchef's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I wanted to love this so much.
And part of me does. The characters were great, I loved the representation and I thought Wyatt was a really enjoyable narrator. The writing style was good too...
But the plot was all over the place. The pacing was inconsistent. And the story couldn't seem to focus on literally anything. To the extent that the main plot point of this book doesn't get a resolution by the end.
I thought Wyatt acted a bit old for his age too. A 17 year old with multiple years of sexual experience and sexual partners? Like... it isn't impossible and I guess some teenagers do mess around a lot but idk.
And part of me does. The characters were great, I loved the representation and I thought Wyatt was a really enjoyable narrator. The writing style was good too...
But the plot was all over the place. The pacing was inconsistent. And the story couldn't seem to focus on literally anything. To the extent that the main plot point of this book doesn't get a resolution by the end.
I thought Wyatt acted a bit old for his age too. A 17 year old with multiple years of sexual experience and sexual partners? Like... it isn't impossible and I guess some teenagers do mess around a lot but idk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug use and Transphobia
Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Dysphoria
cryptidstar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
mxemma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
This book was enjoyable in some ways, but suffers from a whole lot of tonal dissonance. It felt like every couple of pages we swung from fluffy fanfic romance (there was only one bed!) to horrifying gore and betrayal. The writing itself is beautiful, but I think cutting a few lines and a couple plot-twists would have made the story flow more smoothly and strengthened the book as a whole. They may be setting up the sequel, but the ending felt rather abrupt because of it.
Content Warnings
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
stormeno's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? Yes
3.25
I thought the Witch King was an interesting take on the Fae and how they usually appear in fantasy novels.
Overall, I thought it was a fun story even though I had some issues with it.
First, I enjoyed that queerness was present and centered throughout the entire book and that it wasn’t added on or minimized like in other fantasy novels. I thought the magic system and the Fae’s origin was really interesting and it’s something I hope to read more about. I also really enjoyed the characters, I thought Emyr and Wyatt were so cute together and I adored Wyatt’s friendship with Briar. Although there were times that I felt that the story would have been better if the characters, especially Wyatt and Emyr were in their 20s instead of high school age but it didn’t bother me that much.
I did have some issues with the writing style and narrative. There were times where I thought the dialogue/Wyatt’s inner monologue were too juvenile for my taste, and it came off as very fanfic-y. It wasn’t necessarily what they were saying but rather the way in which they were saying it. A lot of the language used was so Gen Z/Tiktok slang and meme language and at times it was kind of irritating like it just took me out of the story. And I felt that the author tended to over-explain the symbolism, like most people should be able to see the parallels between transphobia and queerness with how the witches were treated in the fae world, but the author decided to literally spell it out for us. In regards to the plot (other than it was kind of a generic YA fantasy at times) I felt that the pacing was off sometimes and I thought the ending was rather rushed, especially with Wyatt and Emyr’s third act break-up and reconciliation (hate hate hate that trope). I still think it’s worth a read, it’s nice to have a queer fantasy that subverts a lot of the popular tropes in the genre. I do hope the next book will be stronger than this one, as I think the characters and story concept are really interesting.
Overall, I thought it was a fun story even though I had some issues with it.
First, I enjoyed that queerness was present and centered throughout the entire book and that it wasn’t added on or minimized like in other fantasy novels. I thought the magic system and the Fae’s origin was really interesting and it’s something I hope to read more about. I also really enjoyed the characters, I thought Emyr and Wyatt were so cute together and I adored Wyatt’s friendship with Briar. Although there were times that I felt that the story would have been better if the characters, especially Wyatt and Emyr were in their 20s instead of high school age but it didn’t bother me that much.
I did have some issues with the writing style and narrative. There were times where I thought the dialogue/Wyatt’s inner monologue were too juvenile for my taste, and it came off as very fanfic-y. It wasn’t necessarily what they were saying but rather the way in which they were saying it. A lot of the language used was so Gen Z/Tiktok slang and meme language and at times it was kind of irritating like it just took me out of the story. And I felt that the author tended to over-explain the symbolism, like most people should be able to see the parallels between transphobia and queerness with how the witches were treated in the fae world, but the author decided to literally spell it out for us. In regards to the plot (other than it was kind of a generic YA fantasy at times) I felt that the pacing was off sometimes and I thought the ending was rather rushed, especially with Wyatt and Emyr’s third act break-up and reconciliation (hate hate hate that trope). I still think it’s worth a read, it’s nice to have a queer fantasy that subverts a lot of the popular tropes in the genre. I do hope the next book will be stronger than this one, as I think the characters and story concept are really interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Transphobia, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
ryankaybee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
lyd41's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a super fun read. The protagonist is hilarious and I love the inner monologue from this writer. Literally I was laughing the entire book. Even with how funny it was, the plot and characterizations never suffered!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, and Police brutality
Minor: Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Stalking, and Pregnancy
karcitis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Dysphoria