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4 stars! This review is spoiler free!
Synopsis:
This book is too complicated for me to explain on my own, so here’s the actual synopsis.
“Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.
Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her―but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure.
Safiya and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and privateer) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.”
Thoughts:
Truthwitch did not disappoint. I heard a lot of hype about this series. However, I didn’t let the hype get to me here AND I didn’t know much about the story before going in and I think that mind set made it so I could truly enjoy this book and the story it told.
Safi and Iseult and their introduction as well as the world’s introduction honestly felt like A LOT at first. I read the first 10-15% of this book TWICE because I just felt so lost the first time. I personally needed a second round to fully understand everything.
Safi and Iseult were very full, very interesting characters. I loved the fact that these girls knew their worth, knew their skill, and really knew each other. They would have died for each other and that is the kind of F/F friendships that I love to see in books. Not to mention, they don’t need NO MANS to take care of them, nope. They can handle themselves, we love badass women.
The world building was immense. Not only did Dennard do an amazing job of immersing you in a fantastical world with political intrigue sprinkled in, but she also brings to light all the many different types of magic (Truthwitch, Windwitch, Threadwitch, etc) all in a action-y way — aka not info-dumpy at all.
The romance was slow burn enough for me for YA and sooooooo good. I was invested in them. And invested in the ships I hope to come.
The plot is COMPLEX. There was a main plot for the first book that was followed through and throughout the story there are little nuggets mentioned here and there for new plot lines and new characters that I imagine will have an even bigger impact in the books to come. The plot just kept building on itself and I have no idea how it will all come full circle at all because it’s all so intricately intertwined. I’m so excited to see what will happen next.
The ending though was heart breaking! It was intense, it was suspenseful, it was full of edge-of-you-seat action. And Dennard wasn’t messing around when it came to character deaths. Though it makes me sad to read it, I love it when authors are not afraid to kill off characters in opportune moments. But WHAT A CLIFFHANGER.
Overall:
I mean, I immediately started Windwitch, so yes I’m clearly continuing the series. The hype did not disappoint. I enjoyed this one and am pretty in love with these characters and this world. The only thing is, though I love the complexity and layers to the plot and magic system, it was kinda confusing in the beginning and I did have to go back and reread the first 10-15%. But by the end I was definitely hooked and shipping all my faves. Onto Windwitch now!