"THE WITCH KING", by H.E. Edgmon┇☆☆☆☆☆

I've been waiting to read this book for months, so my expectations were quite high, and I gotta say that it didn't disappoint. "The Witch King" deals with some heavy, deep and/or uncomfortable topics, but the tone is almost always lighthearted, which made the reading easy and still addicting. The plot also bewitched me, focusing on the sociopolitical scenario in Asalin, the fae kingdom Wyatt, the main character, was born in.

Now, I'm going to talk about the work with the characters and the dynamics between them, as it tends to be my favorite part of every book: it was just stunning. The characters feel multifaceted and real, commiting real mistakes that you get angry at them for, but they have redeeming qualities (most of them). All the characters in this book have flaws, something that makes them painfully human (even the... well, the technically non-human characters). I've changed my mind about character many times throughout this book, starting with hating them and ending up loving them, and that felt refreshing.

Now, I just need to talk about the representation. Wow. Just... wow. Wyatt is a trans boy, and my heart just fluttered when the stereotype of trans people hating their bodies was mentioned, while Wyatt explained that this isn't necessarily true for *all* trans people, and that there's a difference between hating your body and being afraid of the way people will perceive it. Not only that, most of the characters in "The Witch King" are queer: Emyr and Wyatt being gay, Briar being bisexual, and the one that meant the most to me, a nonbinary lesbian character. As someone who shares this identity, it felt so good to see it in this book, that even mentioned the connection to womanhood that's basically secondhanded in nonbinary lesbian identities.

This is not only a beautifully written book, but it's also one that it's so, so much fun, probably because it's noticeable in every line that Edgmon enjoyed writing it. If you're considering reading it, then I have to say you most certainly should. (I read it as an ARC, so mark the date, June 1st, when it's going to be released.)