Name: The Witch King
ISBN: 9781335212795

H. E. Edgmon

To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancé he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound. Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from--but a kingdom demands its king. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft...don't. Wyatt's betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt's newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what's more important--his people or his freedom.

The Witch King

kelsey

** spoiler alert **
           ”You have always been you. You just found the language to talk about it.

rep: trans gay mc, pan or bi li, bi native american side character, non-binary lesbian side character, polyamorous side characters

tw: deadnaming off page, misgendering, dissociation, death of parents, emotional abuse, gore, blood

when i started this i read mostly for the childhood best friends to enemies? to lovers and that part didn’t disappoint the slow burn, the hatred on wyatt’s part (but not Really hatred) and the tropes! knife to throat, sharing a bed! all beloved tropes of mine. they truly didn’t disappoint. and emyr’s love for wyatt 

also briar and wyatt’s friendship??? one of my favorite friendship ever written

”You are valuable, Wyatt. You. All on your own. For exactly who you are.”

and i wasn’t expecting tessa to be redeemed, the way she was at the beginning, complete asshole. but she apologized and learned from her mistakes. even helped wyatt and the witches. i wish there was slightly more development on her part though, or that it was on screen so to speak.

”Wouldn’t that make us stronger than them?” “Why else would they hate us so much?”

wyatt’s journey through the book is another i enjoyed. seeing him angry at the fae, angry at himself. then learning to trust a few of them, to forgive himself. or at least try. 

learning that his anger isn’t always all bad. learning that his magic isn’t just burning and destruction.

”But no one does anything alone.”

ingrid 

this just got better as you went 😌😌

also Wade is my favourite i love Wade Wade stan 4 life

To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancé he left behind. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft...don't. Wyatt's betrothal to fae prince Emyr North was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt's newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr again, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide what's more important--his people or his freedom.

tbh, still between if i’m gonna rate this a 3 or a 4 in the end.

duology pacing is SO hard to get right and this one… kinda got a little rough in the last 1/3. or maybe it was the sheer number of characters that i literally couldn’t keep straight (beside the like main 3 people). yeah… idk about this one yet. i do still want to read the sequel though to see the ending!

ash (smokedshelves)

tbh, still between if i’m gonna rate this a 3 or a 4 in the end.

duology pacing is SO hard to get right and this one… kinda got a little rough in the last 1/3. or maybe it was the sheer number of characters that i literally couldn’t keep straight (beside the like main 3 people). yeah… idk about this one yet. i do still want to read the sequel though to see the ending!

Sarah Sammis

** spoiler alert **
           Unfortunately nothing really jelled for me. Now, granted, I'm not the target audience as I'm about thirty years beyond the intended age range. If I were younger, I probably would have gushed over every angsty moment between Prince Emyr and Wyatt.

There's an unexpected twist at the climax that had I not just read another book that uses the same twist (To Coach a Killer), I would have been completely floored. It did add some excitement and opened up the second book to more romance and hopefully less angst.


I liked it but the execution could have been different. (Couple	Uhoria	Offroad	33CC66)

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

Mythos

3.6/5 stars

Summary: Wyatt is forced to flee to the human world after losing control of his powers. Years later, he is found by Emyr and forced to go back to the fae world. Emyr needs to marry in order to be able to keep his throne. Desperate to leave, Wyatt makes a deal with Emyr's enemies in hopes of being able to leave. As he gets closer to Emyr and condolences seem to worsen for the witches, he is forced to choose between his freedom and his people.

One of the main reasons I picked up this book was because of the main character's being trans. I was not disappointed in this book at all. Wyatt is a well-developed character and isn't just represented by being trans. He is shown to have very little dysphoria and is shown to be rather comfortable with his body. For a good chunk of this book, we can see his anger, which is understandable considering the situation he is going through or went through. We see how he can start to doubt himself as he remembers the mistakes he has made. We can also see how Wyatt tends to use self-deprecating humor in order to mask his emotions.

Briar was also a rather likable character in my opinion. She is shown to be very different from Wyatt. She is protective of him but, at the same time, is very open and excited to be in Asalin. She immediately does her best and gets along with most of the people there. I was not expecting the plot twist that included Briar. I understand why she hid that, and hopefully we will see more of her in the next book. Hopefully, she can repair her friendship with Wyatt.

Emyr is a character that becomes more likable as you get to know him. When we are introduced to him, he is shown to be rather selfish but understanding. He’s selfish because he wants Wyatt to come back to Asalin to marry him in order to keep the throne. He doesn’t give Wyatt a choice but accepts that Briar comes as well. He uses all of Wyatt’s correct pronouns and tries to make everything as comfortable as possible for him. As the story progresses, we see him get closer to Wyatt, but every time he tries to open up to him, Wyatt just shuts him out. This is likely partly due to Wyatt's being in denial of having any feelings for Wyatt. Even with this happening constantly, we learn a lot about Emyr, including the fact that he receives a lot of opposition.

Spoilers Ahead: He was adopted because the Queen couldn’t bear children. We also learned that the Queen was killed, and it took a large amount of magic to bring her back from the dead. Wyatt keeps being in denial until the blood bond is broken by Emyr’s death. He manages to bring him back to life and realizes how he can control his powers. Although it is clear that Emyr has feelings for Wyatt, he is still letting him go because he wants him to be happy. He goes from being selfish and somewhat understanding of Wyatt to being able to let him go and do as he pleases. We see that he cares about his people and will place their needs first before his own.

Other characters that are worth mentioning are Tessa, Wyatt’s sister, and Jin, the nonbinary lesbian witch activist dragon handler. I understood Tessa’s anger at Wyatt as she lost everything she cared about in one night. I feel like the way they repaired their relationship was rather quick. I would have liked to see them take more time in order to make up. Jin was a cool character to see, but it fell flat. In terms of characterization, they never got past a certain point and felt more like a plot device. The book can get to be really slow at times, and at times it felt like there was too much going on. As a result, I can’t give it a 4-star rating.

I love Wyatt and his anger and his fear and his joy and his desperate need to be safe and his fuck ups and his successes. Queer anger and especially trans anger is just so fucking cathartic to read about sometimes, especially when it results in things getting burnt to the ground. I truly cannot wait to see what Wyatt and Emyr and Briar and Jin and Tessa cook up in the next book because it is going to be incandescent.

H.E. Edgmon

To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancé he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound. Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

Flavia Louise

I haven't really been into fantasy lately but this was great.

Lauren Sullivan

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[arranged marriage (now against one MC’s wishes), death of parents in a fire, anxiety, deadnaming (name not on page), misgendering, panic attack, PTSD, suicidal ideation, drug use, attempted sexual assault, arson, death, parent with fatal illness, genocide, fantasy violence, parental abuse and neglect, ableism, arrest and imprisonment  (hide spoiler)]

I loved this book. There’s going to be inevitable comparisons to Aiden Thomas’ Cemetery Boys as both are written by trans authors and star magical trans characters. But besides that, they both feature excellent world-building, extremely relatable main characters, and emotionally resonant storytelling. I cried during the preliminary author’s note (that’s a record for me, even for Inkyard Press books) and my heart was sold from then on. It’s also addictively readable – I went back to pull the quotes from this review and next thing I knew it was an hour later and I was a chunk of the way through the book again!

After his magic started a fire that killed his parents, Wyatt fled the fae realm of Asalin for the human world, and now three years later he lives with his (human) best friend Briar’s family. The last thing he expects is for fae prince Emyr (aka his betrothed) to track him down, or for him to still insist they get married. Derek, his cousin, is scheming for the throne, and Emyr thinks fetching his errant fiancé back home will help, mainly to parade him around as the “normal” person who now co-ruled Asalin, and, uh, also to provide heirs. With Asalin stuck between the conservatives who want the fae to remain the same – and aren’t afraid to use violence – and Emyr and his reforms, does Wyatt still believe the only place for him is in the human world?

“Then why would you be offended by a compliment?” His irritation is growing more obvious. Good. Let him be irritated. Let it sink in properly that 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 loved Wyatt. While parts of his childhood could be considered idyllic – he did have an elevated status due to his betrothal with the prince – much of it was not, and a lot of that owed to him being a witch. While witches are born from fae parents, unlike fae, they look human and have different magic than them. They’re second class citizens, mistrusted and mostly ignored at best or subject to fae harassment at worst. The human world, even with its own problems with race and LGBT people, is far safer and friendlier to him, especially Briar and her family. Even the safety of the palace and his friendship with Emyr had soured shortly before he left. Because while Emyr recognizes him as his mate, a fae bond that is supposed to connect the most genetically compatible people, Wyatt sees it as just another way in which he’s convenient but not really wanted, or at least, not for himself. And to be honest, Wyatt never considered the impact his being away would cause on Emyr and the mate bond. They’ve both changed and grown in the three years they’ve been apart, some good and some bad, and watching them both learn from and accept their past mistakes was both heart-wrenching and heart-melting.

“I began seeing the fae for what they were and doubting the life that was planned for me. Emyr and I started fighting, the childhood friendship and blooming something between us warping as I began to question my place in his future. As I started to realize he saw me the way all the fae saw me. Not for who I was, but for what he could do with me.”

Wyatt and Emyr’s relationship before he left was more a childhood friendship than anything romantic. Plus, Wyatt’s growing realization that the only reason he was accepted at all was because of that tie to Emyr caused fractures in their relationship before he left. And then to pick back up with Emyr basically forcing Wyatt back to Asalin, a place that holds deeply traumatic memories for him, and back into that relationship? Oof. What saved me from completely hating him, though, is how he generally seemed to care about Wyatt, about how he supported him once he actually understood what Wyatt needed. And, to be honest, Wyatt isn’t initially even sure what he needs, whether it’s to get himself back to the human world as quickly as possible or to see whether that spark he still feels for Emyr is worth fighting for. It’s tropey as heck, too, with the usual arrange marriage, forced proximity, just one bed, childhood friends… It’s a lot but it mixes up very well.

“Anyone else tired of listening to straight men speak?” Wade asks, shaking out his fist and looking down at his knuckles. Tessa tsks, taking his hand in hers.

Not only the main romance is decidedly gay, but the rest of the secondary characters are delightfully gay as well, from another trans character (gasp! you mean books can have more than one?!?!) to his bi (and endlessly optimistic) best friend Briar (I desperately want her “bi furious” pin), and that’s not counting Jin (a self-described “theydy” – trans nonbinary lady, very lesbian) and their girlfriend Clarke. Then there’s Wade, Clarke’s brother, who deceptively snuck on me and became my favorite side character, because he’s awesomely sarcastic. In terms for another almost-as-unwelcome-as-Emyr blast from Wyatt’s past is Wyatt’s sister, Tessa, his mirror for if he’d been born fae, been born “right.” There’s understandably a lot of anger and distrust between the two of them at first, but as Derek’s attempt to unseat Emyr advances, they find out that the other is not the person they believed they were.

The world building is a fascinating take on the fae-hidden-in-the-human-world genre. Wyatt himself makes comparisons between how the fae treat the witches with how oppressed groups are treated in the human world. There’s also the parallels between his parents refusing to let him learn anything about his magic and how he had to learn and work through his gender on his own. It’s a bit on the nose, but it’s well done and it felt organic. I’m cis, so I can’t really speak to the trans rep, but everything about Wyatt – his anger, his acceptance of himself, his humor – felt authentic and real to me. I wished there was a bit more about the magic system. The three types of fae magic are well-explained, but there’s not as much about witches. It’s a deliberate reflection of Wyatt’s lack of knowledge, though – his parents refused to let him associate with other witches, so he’s completely untrained – and he does learn more about it as the book progresses. What’s there is fascinating, though, from the descriptions of Wyatt’s aura to the magic cellphones.

“The chaotic energy of me entertaining gay thoughts right now is unmatched.”

Overall, easily one of my top five books of the year so far. This is apparently the first part of a duology and I cannot wait to see what happens next with Wyatt, Emyr, Briar, Jin and Asalin as a whole!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Kiki

The review that made me finally buy this book was a one star review that primarily complained about the fact that this book was written like a bunch of tumblr posts. 
And I can’t say that I disagree much but honestly it’s more like funny tumblr humour than actual posts.

The pacing is what makes it only four stars for me because it gets exiting about halfway through. The part where I didn’t want to put it down started later, which was a little disappointing.

BUT I loved the story and Wyatt I loved that he was flawed and it was ok, he didn’t need to become a better person just a mentally healthier one. I loved that a trans character was allowed to be flawed and feral and sad and he was still loved. I loved the scenes between him and Emyr and how their intimacy was portrayed. 
And while the witch = queer people analogy was not hard to draw it wasn’t too much on the nose. 

But as a fantasy lover and gender queer person this book had brief awkward writing choices but all in all was very validating and interesting and well thought out. 

I loved it. 


Gabriel Noel 

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review

I did not expect to get this invested in this book but WOW. When I first started reading The Witch King I was a little bored and put off my the abrupt start and bluntness of the characters. The beginning took a while to get going but by the middle I was hooked in. The character's became multidimensional, Wyatt's struggles tore through me to the point of near tears at times, and Emyr was so interesting and diverse.

The worldbuilding was surprisingly robust but a downfall is that there is SO MUCH MORE to learn about it that we didn't get in while reading this. (The ending was fairly open-ended so perhaps we can expect a sequel?)

Some thoughts:
(view spoiler)[Tessa's shift felt abrupt but I'm glad it happened.
Briar's reveal was (in my opinion) presented too late in the book. If it had happened earlier I would have been more invested.
I love that Wyatt's deadname is never written. I also love that he owns his body as it is and isn't ashamed of it. I think the use of his scars is a powerful metaphor for underlying dysphoria though and trans readers with dysphoria will be able to relate to Wyatt in that way. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, a very good read!

Lily D

new fave alert right here yes that is your sign to plz read this book and while im talking about this book i need it's sequel thank you very much

Camille Shea

A book I wish I got to read as a teen. As much a book about social justice, colonialism, imperialism, bigotry, and bashing fascism as it was about love.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Witch King

Author: H.E. Edgmon

Book Series: The Witch King Book 1

Diversity: Trans MC ownvoices

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: ya readers, fantasy, fae

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: June 1, 2021

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 432

Recommended Age: 16+ (Deadnaming, Panic attacks, Dissociation, Violence, Gore, Drugs usage, Misgendering, Transphobia, Child abuse, PTSD, Murder, Death, Sexual assault, Fantasy racism, Sexual content)

Synopsis: In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world.

Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

Review: Overall, I liked the concept of this book and I liked how the character, who is very angry and a little off-putting at the beginning, quickly comes and warms your heart and makes you want to comfort him. The book did excellent developing the characters and did very well on the world building. I really liked this fae take and thought it better suited me than some other fae books. I also love all of the diversity and how the book discusses systematic oppression, colonialism, and power imbalance.

My only criticisms of the book are that the pacing can be a bit wonky in the book, slow and fast parts, and that the book takes awhile to get into. I'd say about 30-50 pages in is where you should be hooked if this is your type of book.

Verdict: It's great and I need more!

[The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.]

CN: violence, gore, blood, murder, death, mentions of parental death, transmisia, misgendering (accidental and intentional), off-page deadnaming, fantasy racism, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual assault, panic attacks, trauma

I didn’t know how much I needed this book until I read it. Seriously, "The Witch King" changed my life in more ways than one. I have already read it twice before it was even out, and I can't wait for my next re-read!

“The Witch King” is literally my dream book. It has everything I ever wanted - and more! A very relatable and angry gay trans main character who really deserves a hug, a best friend who is both cute and badass, a sweet and charming love interest, lots of queer side characters, the “friends to enemies to lovers” trope, found family, tarot cards, soulmate bonds, so much diversity, discussions of racism, systemic oppression, colonialism, power imbalance and (anti-)fascism, shocking plot twists, a unique fantasy world, a beautiful mlm love story that actually made me cry… And it's so funny!

I loved everything about “The Witch King”, and my review doesn’t do it justice. Everyone needs to read this book! Please pre-order it or request it at your library if you can!

Like Anniek says in this review, "The Witch King" deserves a huge fandom with merch, fanart, memes and fanfics. Let's make that happen!

And please also check out Adri's beautiful review and their interview with the author!

Erica LeBlanc

Meagan

I’m currently trying to process all of my emotions as I just finished this book and WOW. I can’t believe I have to wait for this next book in this series. I am 100% OBSESSED with this world and its characters. I absolutely adore Wyatt. And I adore him because he isn’t perfect. So many YA books I read are about the lead having supposed problems but ultimately being sassy and perfect. Now don’t get me wrong- Wyatt has PLENTY of sass. I laughed out loud so many times. But he makes mistakes, he has lessons to learn and healing to do. I felt so invested in Wyatt’s character. The author truly made me love him in all of his imperfections and chaotic choices. His relationships with Briar and Emyr are something almost tangible with the way the author weaves this story. 

The writing style was so easy to read. I really felt like I was in Wyatt’s head at all times by the way it read. I also need ALL of the fanart of Wyatt, Briar and Emyr. ALL. OF. IT.

I think everyone should read this beautiful book. It’s been a long time since a book made me cry but this one did it. I can’t say enough about how much I loved this so now I’m going to get sleep and try to recover from this book hangover now.

Finally posting this review! This book was one of my favorite reads of 2021. I even added it to my Fave Books Ever shelf because I am so obsessed with the world and its characters. If anyone knows me, they know that I am absolute trash for a good romance and this book delivered romance BUT it delivered SO MUCH MORE AS WELL. 

Romance fans- this book is HAWT. I love Emyr and Wyatt SO much that I just want to read about them for 5ever. The way that Emyr treats Wyatt throughout this book is so tender, adorable and SO MUCH RESPECT. So 10/10 I vote for Emyr as King 2021. *Hangs flag in the yard*

Representation/Diversity: There is so much happening in this world of the fae and witches. We have so many different representations of the LGBTQ+ community in this world and I legit wanted to become a witch so bad just to hang out with this crew. We also have a well developed community of all different types of people/races/body types/sexualities that kept the book full a variety of characters. 

This book was also extremely HILARIOUS. I found myself laughing so many times at Wyatt being a smartass. Wyatt is so imperfectly perfect that he is incredibly relatable as a character. I also believe that he is so important as a character for both members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. He reads as a character that feels so genuine to those of us in the queer community while also teaching a lot to readers that may not have known so much about that same community before. I'm not sure if what I just said makes sense but it's basically me saying, though it is not the queer community's job to teach anyone about themselves and their lives, this book balances on such a great level that I think everyone needs to read this book. EVERYONE. You will experience all sorts of emotions, highs, lows, sadness, healing, coping, etc. Truly a book worth everyone's time.

Katerina Thorson

3/5 
Instagram | TikTok

Content Warning: This book contains violence, gore, murder, mentions of parental death, transphobia, misgendering (accidental and intentional), off-page dead-naming, emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault, trauma, racism (fantasy)

Also, please read reviews by own-voice reviewers. While I am able to speak to the plot, the character development, etc. I cannot give a voice on how well the author brought in trans-topics/certain LGBT topics. On a few of the LGBT topics of which I can speak to, the author did an absolutely amazing job and I definitely felt a part of myself in certain characters. Especially when it comes to coming out and not being accepted.

Okay, that took a minute to read. Reading slumps are the worst and I feel like my reading slump starts up after I finish a book and attempt to start another one. I am so picky with my books lately that I feel like nothing captures me and thus I am giving low ratings. Or maybe the book just isn't the greatest but who knows.

I had a lot of expectations for  The Witch King. I absolutely loved the idea of a trans-witch and a fae prince having this weird bond and being betrothed and all of that forbidenness! Like how cool is that! But there was just something about this book that just felt lack luster. I wanted more than what we got. 

First the first 200 pages or so all we get is Wyatt angry and pissed at the world and playing pranks to piss people off. Now, he does have a right to be angry, hell I would be too if my betrothed showed up after 3 years and demanded by a blood contract to come back and be their baby maker. Um hell no; however, Wyatt came off as petty. He also pulled the "omg he is beautiful, but I hate him but he is smoking, but I despise" him trope for most of the book and it kind of got old.

There were also holes in the plot that just made certain situations easy. However, there were a few good plot twists that came along that I never expected so that was nice. The last 50 pages or so were also nice and actually fast paced so that was a plus too! 

The character development was there, especially with Wyatt but there definitely feels like a lot of stagnant movement. It's like the plot would have continued with or without him because so many more things were moving in the background that he was never a part of but really should have been.

I hated the love interest/betrothed Emyr. First off, he started off on the wrong foot with me to begin with when he pretty much told Wyatt that he will marry him and have his babies and be a pretty obedient husband. Umm, Wyatt identifies as a boy and won't be having babies. Also, it sounded so forced and Wyatt had no choice. Throughout the book Emyr would say or do things that were just down right not okay and in the end he was not a favorite character of mine. But his horns were cool and he redeemed himself sort of at the end but we shall see. 

All in all, I think it's a good start to a great series and I look forward to what Edgmon does in the next installment. I thought the ending was pretty funny so yup!