Tag Archive | Tor Teen

REVIEW: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

truthwitchTruthwitch by Susan Dennard

Series: Witchlands #1

Read: September 14 – November 6, 2016

Format: Hardback

My Book Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Tor Teen

Genre: YA Fantasy

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

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.


REVIEW

TRUTHWITCH is a book I was fortunate enough to win a hardback autographed copy of.

The book follows two young woman in the Witchlands, Safi and Iseult, who are both gifted with magical powers. Iseult is a Threadwitch and Safi is a Truthwitch.

Even after finishing the book, I’m still a little confused as to what exactly being a Threadwitch entails. The author basically throws the reader into the story with no explanations – which I love! – but, and I rarely if ever say this, I think the story could have benefited from a little info dumping.

If you read this book, be prepared to not really understand how this world works in the beginning. Like I said, we’re thrown in, and at first I though I was actually going to dislike the book. And then the plot moved forward, things became more clear, I became more connected to these characters, and I stopped caring that I didn’t understand some of the witchy things.

I love the characters in this book. LOVE them! Safi and Iseult are Threadsisters and would do absolutely ANYTHING for one another. That’s a beautiful thing. Their friendship actually reminded me a bit of Rose and Lissa from Richelle Mead’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY series. They too had a magical bond where they would do anything for the other. One girl more serious; the other impulsive. Now, though there are similarities in my eyes of these two sets of characters, they are not carbon copies. I think they’d all be good friends though. There is definite character growth from start to finish as well, especially with Safi.

And of course, what do I love most in my teen novels? A little bit of romance. And let me tell you, the sparks were FLYING in this book. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife! I need more of this couple in my life, I totally ship them.

As for the ending, this is a cliffhanger done right. The main task – story arc if you will – comes to a conclusive end, and there’s a helluva cliffhanger to keep you aching for more. Is it January yet so I can get my hands on the sequel, WINDWITCH???

So, should you read this book? YES! If you enjoy strong characters that drive the story forward and grow and change throughout the book. If you like a unique magic system. If you like sizzling sexual tension. Read. This. Book. Go. Now. Book two comes out around my birthday in early January 2017, and I’ll probably be gifting it to myself.


Get the Truthwitch here:

Amazon | Nook | iBooks | Kobo

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Preorder Windwitch here:

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QUOTES

“Why always me? There are a thousand shoulders for a gull to crap on, but they always pick me!”

“Stay back, I’ll handle this!”
Safi ignored him—he was clearly an idiot.

Unambitious? Lacking initiative? Perhaps that was true when it came to living in a frozen castle amidst a world of power-hungry nobility and ever-watchful Hell-Bards, but not when it came to a life with Iseult.

“Allow me to serve you, Safiya. We have spent too many years apart.”
“And I have spent too many hours between meals.” A glare. “Give it to me now, Polly, or I shall castrate you with a fork.”
Now
his eyes bugged. “By the Twelve, have you heard the things you say?”

Safi estimated at least fifty men. Probably twice that, since she was gull crap when it came to math.

She refused to be what Eron—or anyone else—expected her to be. She was stuck in this body, with this mind, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t reach outside. It didn’t mean she couldn’t change.

“You don’t like me,” Iseult said. “And you don’t have to. Just remember that if you ever hurt Safiya fon Hasstrel, then I will cut you to pieces and I will feed you to the rats.”

“I’ll strip with you,” Safi offered, grabbing for her shirttails. “If anyone shows up”—the shirt slid over her face, muffled her words—”I’ll dance around and distract them.”

“I’ll always follow you, Safi, and you’ll always follow me. Threadsisters until the end.”