Martha Wells: Witch King

Hi everyone

Witch King is the first book in The Rising World series by Martha Wells.
I've read quite a few of her works now, but sadly, the only ones I truly enjoyed were The Murderbot Diaries.
I read this on my e-reader.

""I didn't know you were a... demon."
"You idiot. I'm the demon."
Kai's having a long day in Martha Wells' WITCH KING....
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
He’s not going to like the answers."

Unfortunately, this book was mediocre for me.

The characters were very forgettable; almost interchangeable. I struggled to keep them apart or give them distinct voices in my head. Not a single character stood out or captured my attention, which made it hard to stay invested in the story.
The plot wasn’t anything special, and the writing felt very YA and not in a good way. The tone of the conversations felt wrong for the time and setting of the story. It was off-putting, like the characters were talking too modern for the world they were supposed to be in. It just didn’t fit.

Because of this, I won’t be continuing the series. It’s a shame, because I love Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries, but this one just didn’t click for me.

Have you read Witch King? Did you feel the same way, or did it work better for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena