Title: Witch King
Author: Martha Wells
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Publication Date: 2023
Format: Hardcover (Illumicrate Edition)
Length: 426
Read if you like: High fantasy, heavy world-building, political scheming, murder mystery, found family, friendship and betrayals

Rating:

Witch King was the May Illumicrate featured book and beyond being gorgeous, with sprayed edges and stunning artwork, the story itself was a beautiful mix of political intrigue, a mysterious murder, and a group of loveable, memorable characters. The high fantasy setting meant probably some of the densest world-building that I’ve read in a long time, but it was worth it to get to see the intricate societies and related characters that unfolded as the story went on.

Because of the dense nature of the plot, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the book until about halfway through, but then as the action kicked up I found myself completely hooked. This story was an epic tale of friendship, love, what it means to never really belong, and how much it can sting to feel the betrayal of those closest to you. If high fantasy, witty characters, and a complicated magic structure sounds appealing to you, I’d highly recommend giving this book a go.

Fair warning: spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t read this book.

The Book: Witch King by Martha Wells

Witch King is the story of Kaiisteron (also called Kai, and known as the Witch King), a demon prince of a realm called the Underearth. As a demon, Kai’s subconscious can plant itself into any human body. Originally, demons were called into bodies that were provided by humans, either at the end of their lives or as sacrifices, but once a war breaks out that kills all the human tribes who participated in those rituals, demons such as Kai find themselves forced into a situation where they must take bodies by force.

Kai awakens after a year of being dead in his most recent human body, alongside his best friend Ziede, who was also held in suspension for the year. He quickly learns that he and Ziede were betrayed by someone, though they are not sure by who, and when an expositor (a person who wields dark magic) comes to try to claim his body for his own as a slave, Kai quickly kills one of his companions, occupies his body, and then kills the expositor for the attempt.

After taking the new body, Kai takes the other human sacrifice, a small girl named Sanja, under his wing to join him as they go to rescue Ziede. Once Ziede is awakened, they make their way to the surface of the tomb they’ve been encased in and begin to try to determine what happened to them, and where they might find the rest of their crew.

They quickly become concerned as Ziede’s wife feels untraceable to them, leading them to believe that she too has been captured. Kai is not sure yet who tried to have them killed, but he knows that their first task must be to find Ziede’s wife Tahren and then find safety for all of them.

From here, Kai, Ziede, and Sanja all embark on an epic quest to find Tahren and her brother Dahin and determine what led to their deaths. The story unfolds through action in the present day, where they’re pursued by a group of magical peoples called the Immortal Blesseds, and also through flashbacks to how they all came to meet and form their revolutionary crew. To find Tahren and Dahin and secure their safety, their journey will take them on a tour of the places where their original quest began, and they’ll be forced to face betrayals not just of the present, but of the past as well.

The Review

This was such a beautiful book. From the composition to the world it was placed in, to the unique forms of magic and the intricate nature of the political aspects, it was so detailed and immersive that while I initially found it took a bit to get into, once I felt like I had my feet under me I was thoroughly engrossed with the story.

The writing itself was exceptionally strong, painting a complex picture of a society with many facets and peoples, all wound with different types of magic. The world-building was dense, but once you got through it, the story was so much richer for it. I loved being able to grasp the nuances of the society that Kai and his friends found themselves in and found it added to the mystery and the political scheming.

The characters themselves were also masterfully executed. Kai was strong yet vulnerable, while also being cunning, witty, and sharp. His banter among the other characters was thoroughly entertaining and I loved getting to see his dynamics with others in dialogue-heavy parts. The found family was so heartwarming and getting the dual perspectives of him and his crew in the present day, willing to do whatever it takes for each other, and how it came to be that way from past recollections, was a great way of giving extra weight to their relationships as the plot progressed.

By the end of this book, I was so invested that my heart was aching for Kai and his experience in the human world. He’d been through so much, and I loved that Wells chose to showcase his vulnerabilities alongside his strengths. It was easy to see how the world perceived him, and how he’d come to earn the moniker of Witch King, but getting to know him as an individual and the challenges he’d faced were the highlights for me.

I love the Illumicrate subscription because I’m finding the books aren’t necessarily ones I would have picked on my own but are so powerful in their own right. I’m glad I read this book and found the story to be completely enthralling. I’ll be picking up other books by Wells in the future.