Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

20 reviews

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


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nightshaderoots's review against another edition

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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!

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chase0w0's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

3.0


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abarnakwn_ourcolourfulpages's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful fast-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

4.25


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mxemma's review against another edition

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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. 

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naomiysl's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

I am literally dying for lack of a sequel. Yes I know there is one, I plan to read it, it's on hold and my wait time is a whole month and did i mention I'm DYING. 

Slow burn romance of friends to enemies to lovers that hits all the right touch points. And the drama is NEVER about the trans character being trans, only about all the other things surrounding their relationship. 

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zoepagereader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring relaxing sad tense 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

5.0

I was so incredibly close to bailing on this. The few chapters of this book left me in a mix of wanting to read but feeling like everyone word was dragging me through molasses. In the end though, I stuck through it and after about 100 pages, the plot made it worth while.

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ashlislibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-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

4.0


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hobbithopeful's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

Magic, witches, queer characters, The Witch King has it all. H.E. Edgmon's story goes to dark places, but shining through each page is hope and a chance that things will get better. Wyatt is a transgender witch who thought he was free from the world and machinations of the Fae. Reality comes crashing down when his fiancée, Emyr discovers where he has been hiding and demands he return to marry him so he can ascend to the throne. Wyatt wants nothing to do with the cruel world he left behind, one that treats Witches like lesser beings and even typically will throw away witch babies that are born. Please be kind to yourself and check the triggers before reading because this book deals with heavy topics centered around healing from trauma, transphobia, and homophobia. Edgmon uses the symbolism of Witches and Fae to parallel what it is like to be queer in our world. There is so much discrimination that Witches face, and while some realize that they are all the same and should get along, others bully and hurt anyone they perceive to be too different.
I love when a main character is one you want to root for, and Wyatt is no different. Messy as he is, as flawed as he is, the growth and realizations he goes through on his journey of finally confronting his past was so beautiful to read. I felt his helplessness as he felt so lost and powerless, unable to control his future or his fate. His love for his best friend Briar was so warm to read, a welcome respite in the often difficult to read situations they found themselves in. I also found myself enthralled with all of the vivid and diverse character descriptions, every Fae and Witch had such a unique appearance it made me want to learn more about them and their lives. The Witch King is at its heart a story of fighting for what is right, and dealing with past shame and trauma. Although heavy handed at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it anyone looking for a fantasy queer read.
The Cover
Inkyard Press's covers are often hit or miss with me, but this one I quite like. Briar and Emyr pose on the cover, looking off into the sky while Wyatt appears to be stepping over and into foreground. The symbolism pertaining to perhaps him stepping into another world, hands out tentatively as if unsure what he will find. I love getting to see what the characters look like, especially Emyr's design. All his necklaces and jewelry add so much to the movement and composition. That being said I would have liked to have seen Briar with flowers woven through her hair, as is often mentioned in the book. Overall the color patlette is very cohesive, and I love the look of it. Though if I had to nitpick I wish the cut off for the white shape was lower, and not cutting the cover in half so much. 
The title font and cover works really well with the cover scheme, but the author font and blurb look a bit out of place and I don't think it matches the rest of the piece at all.
Cover art by Ryan Garcia 

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lyd41's review against another edition

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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! 

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