Book Review || Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard (My new fantasy series addiction)

Truthwitch 

by: Susan Dennard

Rating: 4/5 stars

  Summary: In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.


My Review: 

   Wow. wow. wow. wow. wow. Ok sooo I think its safe to say this book was flat out amazing. I went into it expecting a good book to fuel my YA fantasy cravings and instead got a fantasy so richly layered and deeply soaked in heart riveting characters that I completely dived head first into this book-- and barely had time to gasp for air.

   This book is almost written more like an adult fantasy with the rich writing style, action packed scenes, and multiple political countries woven into the setting-- but with all the fun and intriguing characters of a really good YA fantasy!!

“Sometimes justice was all about the small victories.”

    First off the world building is incredible. One moment your chasing through the streets trying to out run men with knives aimed at throats, and the next your smack dab in the middle of a dance floor laced with politically deadly alliances, and than your sailing away on a strangers ship to an unknown destination! Like omg Susan Dennard really knows how to keep you completely on your toes. With the multiple POVS (all of which I enjoyed but like all books I had my favs...) I was never bored and I felt they all added an extra layer of richness to this multi layered cake of a book. However it was occasionally a bit thick and took me a minute to get used to the writing style just because of all the things going on at once (plus Dennard’s writing style itself is a bit rich, but also very good and beautiful at the same time).

“He was good. The best fighter she’d ever faced. But Safi and Iseult were better.” 

  The characters were also incredible!! They were the kind of characters you couldn’t describe as anything other than epic. Right off the bat  I knew I would soon be idolizing and predicting plot lines in my head of what was going to happen next for these bookish daredevils. I mean you throw in two best friends, one the funny reckless fighter and the other the quiet outsider who is equally as deadly as her counterpart and I am completely hooked by this one half of the same coin female friendship!! Toss in a righteous prince and an bloodthirsty hunter who cant die and I am hands down IN THIS TILL THE END!!

“I hate this. Both the storm and the plan. Why does it have to be ‘we’? Why not just me?"

“Because ‘just me’ isn’t who we are,” Iseult hollered back. “I’ll always follow you, Safi, and you’ll always follow me. Threadsisters to the end.” 

    As far as favorites go I have to say Aeudan the Bloodwitch stole my heart. Most likely because he was the most bloody, honest, unforgiving bastard in the whole book. But he was also really multi layered and complex at the same time... and that had me wildly intrigued of course. I really liked his voice in his POV too because I feel like he was exactly what I expected him to be but at the same time completely different and I guess I just like characters who surprise me by not being what I originally thought *smirks*.

“Oh, the Bloodwitch named Aeduan was no longer bored. No longer bored at all. And now he had work to do.” 

  I also really liked Iseult, which I was not expecting. At first I thought for sure Safi would be my favorite, what with her constant wit and tendencies towards recklessness and acting before thinking it seemed the kind of character I typically connected with. However, Iseult kind of crept up on me and I found myself counting down the chapters until I got to read her POV. I found her powers linked with being a Threadwitch to be interesting and soothing to read at the same time (sounds kind of weird but somehow makes sense when your reading it??)

“I can feel their Threads waiting.” 

 Merik is also an intriguing little Windwitch whom I liked easily even though both his and Safi’s stubbornness could drive me crazy at some points (if you’ve read this book than you all know what I’m talking about ;) I also really liked Kullen Meriks thread brother. I knew instantly when they described him as being really tall with white hair and dangerously powerful wind magic that he would be a fav. Toss in the flaws in his powers and the fact that he’s a wind witch with weak lungs and I am already tossing Kullen on my radar!!

“How is that for service? Do you know how many men onboard would kill for the use of a spoon?"

"And do you know," she retorted, "how many men I can kill with a spoon?” 

  Also the ending was wild. I just love how all these characters from different places and different backgrounds come together. Some with dark political agendas and others with the minds of blood thirsty revenge!! ahh just so good!

   I love complex world building and vivid characters and this book did not disappoint!! My new fantasy series addiction I cannot wait to continue this!! Highly recommend to the YA fantasy lovers out there! If you like Game of Thrones or Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series than these books are for you!

 So what do you guys think? Willing to give this book a read? Read it already? LMK your thoughts in the comments below!

-BubblyBooks