Truthwitch (The Witchlands, 1) Paperback – January 10, 2017

Favorite Quote:"If our paths cross again, make no mistake: I will kill you.""No, you won't," she whispered as the door clicked shut.I was pretty hyped up about this one and I'm quite happy to say it met all my expectations and then blew them away. Truthwitch grabbed hold and just did not let go. I never wanted to stop reading it. The book was thrilling, quite fast paced, and had a mix of so many elements that I love.Where to start. So since it's in the title I suppose I'll begin with the "magic" type element of the story. The magic in this book is called "witchery". There are multiple types, poison, fire, water, iron, truth, thread, blood, curse, etc. I found this quite interesting as it had more than just the typical elements involved. A bloodwitch could control the blood running in your veins, a threadwitch can see your emotions threads that they could see coming out of you. Different colors meaning different emotions. Tidewitches seem pretty self explanatory. What was also interesting was it wasn't complete control of a whole element. If you controlled water maybe you could only influence the tide, or maybe you could only heal the fluids in a body. With air maybe you control air currents but not the air people breathe in their lungs or create storms. I found the witchery element fascinating and well thought out. As more and more types of witchery were introduced I was pulled further in. I want to know more and more.The world itself (including the witchery) was incredible. The way Susan wrote I could really envision the world and the different places that we got to visit. I was surprised by how many places were involved without making the book feel like it had too much going on. Everything flowed so smoothly and the reasons for going or leaving a place all made sense to the plot. Susan's writing is quite descriptive and really made you feel like you were right there with the characters.Oh the characters. We had a rather large cast but I rather like that myself. The group was rich with different personalities and different allegiances. I actually found myself loving every character. This was multi POV so we got to follow Safi, Iseult, Merrick, and Aeduan. Safi was our books namesake, the truthwitch. I wasn't sure I would like Safi at the beginning. I figured she would be the reckless, probably stupid and yet somehow anyone and everyone would fall in love with her typical heroine. Thankfully I was quite mistaken. She is very down to earth and works towards her flaws. She is beyond loyal and was quite refreshing. I know that Susan was going for the strong friendship element along with the romance element and I love love love that. Her friendship with her threadsister (which I may start calling my bestie that now) was beautiful to read. Iseult, her resident threadsister was also fun to follow. She is physically strong and tries to be emotionless when she is so full of emotion. She had some serious struggles and I can't wait to see more inside her mind.I'm also quite glad we got to see the two main male characters thought processes as well. This made the romance side of things more interesting because it gave Merrick a huge personality and a lot of life. He was a strong male lead and even when I wanted to throttle him, I still rooted for him. Also seeing Aeduan, the closest to a villain we got to see was also very interesting. He had dark thoughts but still seemed to do whatever he needed for his own goals. He is also quite conflicted and made for a very three dimensional villain.Along the lines of the romance aspect I am QUITE happy with how this went. It wasn't BAM INSTALOVE OMG LET'S BE TOGETHER FOREVARRR. Yes they had a sizzling attraction but from there Safi and Merrick had a lot of ups and downs. For a good portion of the book I wasn't sure we'd even get a kiss from all that tension and having different goals and ways of achieving those goals. They were definitely mad at each other more than cuddling up to each other. Also was there a couple hints of possible Aeduan/Iseult? WANT WANT WANT. I certainly hope so.Hahaha my boyfriend just asked if I was writing a book review or a book so I'll wrap this up. The plot was FANTASTIC. I love it when there are so many twists and turns and not knowing who is involved with what. I couldn't see what was coming next and I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. I know this is a four part series and I need more post haste. I need it like we need air to breathe. Unfortunately I think I have quite a while to wait.

You want to know what there is a distinct lack of in Fantasy in my opinion??? Strong female friendships. I’m not talking about sisters or girls who grew up together but real friendships where you feel so strongly for that other person that no one could ever come between that. Not some boy or culture or a coming war.The beauty of Truthwitch for me was the relationship between Safi and Iseult. Each would die for the other without a second thought to it. They would follow the other anywhere in the world and they are stronger together than they ever are apart even though they are from such different backgrounds.***Safi had her title to protect her, and Iseult had her heritage to damn her.***I loved how indignant and angry Safi got every time that someone judged or insulted Iseult because of the color of her skin and where she was from. Even when Iseult accepts the prejudices of others and lets it roll off Safi never does. They are best friends and maybe more (magically speaking not romantically speaking) and they are incredibly fierce in their protections of each other.☸ There are plenty of other things to like in the story though. ☸✧ Interesting new magic.✧Some of the magic reminded me a little of the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo. In that there are people who can control the Wind, Storms, Tides, Blood, Iron etc…. But it is different because there are people like Safi who is like a human lie detector and can tell when someone isn’t being honest. But Iseult’s power is the one I really wanted. She can see the emotions of people. Different colors mean different things and she can see them as threads around the individuals seeing who is tied to whom.***For a heartbeat … then two, the space between Merik and Safi—the Threads burning between them—ignited into a full flaming Thread of scarlet. But Iseult had no time to distinguish the exact shade—if it was a growing Thread of love or one of unforgiving hate—***✦ A little bit of romance ✦I almost always need a little smidgen of romance in the books I read. I don’t necessarily want it to overshadow the entire story but I love the slow burn of a romance if it is done right and so I very much enjoyed the dance between Safi and Merik. Don’t worry Safi never goes all damsel in distress and becomes a bumbling idiot just because she has an attraction to a man. Instead she buts heads with him, meets his dance move for move and keeps him on his toes wondering what she will pull next. It is a slow burn through to book but when they ignite it is HOT.***Something had happened between Safi and Merik during their dance. Something as powerful as the wind and the music that had gusted around them. A shift in the air that preceded a storm.***I’m also going to say that there is another potential couple I really like the idea of and it is Iseult with Aeduan. Although since he is the enemy in this book it might take some time to bring him to their side. But more on Aeduan later.✧ Brand New World ✧One of the things I really love about fantasy is that you always get a new world to explore. Truthwitch has all that in new lands, cultures and peoples. I enjoyed learning a little about them in this book. We only get to see a few of the places in this world but I’m sure that it will grow even larger as the series continues. We have only seen one of the 5 Magical Wells mentioned so far but I can’t wait to see what happens to this world if Safi and Iseult can figure out how to get them working.✦ The Bad Guys ✦There are a few and they all seem very dangerous. There are also a few people that I’m not sure what side they are playing on yet and so it will be interesting to see if they end up being a friend or a foe. Aeduan is the main bad guy we get to see. As a Bloodwitch he is very dangerous as he can control the blood in others bodies and his own. That makes him incredibly hard to kill and extremely powerful. But I can’t help but hold out a little hope that somewhere along the way in this series he decides to be a protector of Safi and Iseult instead of hunting them.***“My life-debt is paid, Threadwitch. If our paths cross again, make no mistake: I will kill you.”“No, you won’t,” she whispered as the door clicked shut.Aeduan forced himself to stay silent. She deserved no response—it would be her mistake if she thought he would spare her.***And now I can’t wait for them to meet again and test who will be right.✧ Intense Ending ✧Things were just starting to pick up for me and get really good and then the story was over. This is the bad part about finding a series right when it is starting out. You have to wait for all then next books. But I was ready to jump into the next one right after this finished had it been available.***All that physical training, Merik had said, plus a witchery men would kill for. Think of all you could do. Think of all you could be.***Well I can’t wait to find that out.☸ What might not work for you. ☸It took quite a while for this to get really rolling for me and since there isn’t any info dumping I initially kept getting the girls and their powers mixed up until about 30% in. I wish there was an index with the different names of the various types of witchcraft and a few of the characters and or places in the book. There is a pretty good map and that was helpful though.The other thing is this seemed to be pretty character driven for the most part. There is a plot but for me this was a set up book. Here are the main characters that we will be following and a little bit of their history. But there isn’t a huge quest the girls are going on. In fact Safi is only trying to escape her responsibilities and fate for the most of the story. Not in a bad I’m a brat kind of way but more in a I’m just trying to live my life and everyone is out to use me kind of way.☸ Overall ☸I’ve really shied away from YA lately because so many of the tropes seem to bug me and they are so overused. Susan Dennard did a great job of telling a story through the eyes of multiple characters and taking the reader on a journey with them. She built tension and drama and gave a lot of hints of things to come in the story without ever treating the reader like they are stupid and need to be told everything up front. She had extraordinary friendships that you believed in not because you are told they are best friends but because through every action and deed the reader sees it.This is definitely an introductory book but I for one look forward to seeing where she takes the story from here.

Truthwitch follows Safiya fon Hasstrel and Iseult det Midenzi who are best friends and Threadsisters despite being polar opposites. While Safi is a Domna of Cartorra, basically our equivalent to a Lady, Iseult is an outsider from a Nomasti tribe, feared and avoided by people of Cartorra. While Iseult prefers staying calm and planning things through, Safi rushes in, sword swinging. And yet, they play off each other's strengths and weaknesses, love each other despite their flaws, understand and care for on another's well-being. They’d follow each other anywhere and are willing to die for each other if It comes to that. That’s not something we get to see in YA fantasy often, so it was a wonderful treat.I loved Merik Nihar, the Prince of Nubrevna. His desire to establish trade with other countries to feed his people was both admirable and noble and made me love him all the more. His friendship with his Threadbrother Kullen was equally beautiful and heartbreaking. And whenever Merik was on page with Safi, I couldn’t help shipping those two so hard. Even if she riled him up and sent his witchery out of control. (Please don’t tear them apart, I beg you Susan Dennard!)And Aeduan, our villain. He’s the Bloodwitch hunting down Safi on behalf of the Emperor in exchange for gold, but who ultimately plans to hand her off to his father. He’s terrifying, being next to invincible, and selfish. But I honestly felt bad for him at times, and somehow also wanted him to succeed too. It’s crazy, I know! He had a sense of humour, and as I got closer to the end, I saw he has a heart too. There’s truly more to him than meets the eye. I can’t wait to read more about him. Also, I might also ship him with Iseult.Susan Dennard throws you into the world right from page one and you’re left reeling, trying to understand what the hell is going on. I know that might put some readers off, but I loved every second of it. She trusts you to pick up yourself and keep up with her. And how can you not? Her world feels real and lived in. Each country and each group of people having their own unique beliefs, their own culture. This world feels so rich and I feel like we’ve only scraped the surface. Give me more!So yeah, I’m very happy I decided to pick up this series. And yes, I’m definitely going to turn a blind eye to my ridiculously huge TBR and pick up book two right away. Don’t mind me.If you’re looking for a YA fantasy with epic friendships, romance, magic, sword-fights, chases, sea-battles, and lots of conflict and tension, I urge you to pick this up too. You won’t be disappointed.

Als ich angefangen habe, das Buch zu lesen, faszinierte mich die generelle Grundidee des Romans sofort. Auch wenn die Handlung etwas länger gebraucht hat um mich auch in ihren Bann zu ziehen, schaffte sie es und ich wollte schnell immer mehr über diese Welt lesen. Die Nachfolgebände sind fast noch besser aber dieses ist ein sehr guter Start in die Reihe!

Amei do começo ao fim. Personagens muito bem escritos, cenários de tirar o fôlego e uma história épica e original.5/5 ⭐️ because this book was everything and more, amazingly written, beautiful characters, strong females and friendships GOALS.Everyone need to read this book.

Strong female leads who kick ass and rule the whole awesomeness thing going on are my favourites. Strong female leads who are best friends and kick ass together are even better. Give me more of this in YA fantasy, please!I enjoyed Truthwitch immensely. I’ve had it on my TBR for almost a year and a half, and I would keep passing it on the bookshelf, each time contemplating whether to pick it up, but never actually doing so. I honestly don’t know why I put off reading Truthwitch for so long, for it was just what I love: a lovely high fantasy story filled with a unique magic system, brilliant characters, complicated webs of plots and schemes, and a vivid, intricate plot that you can’t help but be hooked onto.For the first 150 pages or so, I was a little lost, because the introduction to the world was a little confusing. I was scrambling to get all the countries, histories and witcheries straight in my head. The story also takes some time to kick in for real, but if you can power through the beginning, you will most certainly fall in love with the rest of it.Safi and Isuelt, to keep it short, are a freaking brilliant team. Their friendship is heartwarming, and I love how they put each other above everyone and everything else. Safi would always choose Isuelt when it came between Isuelt and Merik. It’s not often I see such friendships… and I have to say seeing more of it would be AMAZING. Let’s have a petition for less romance and insta-love in books while having more of other kinds of relationships, because romantic love isn’t the only kind of love.That being said, I also have to make it known that I have nothing against romance in books, and romance done right makes me ship ships with a vengeance unparalleled. You just have to have a right blend of everything. And Susan Dennard does nicely. Safi and Merik have this spark that grows on you. In the start, I was hesitant about the almost instant attraction, but like I said, it grew on me. Maybe because I was half in love with Merik already?Merik Nihar, Prince of Nubrevna, windwitch, and Admiral of the Jana, was a person easy to fall in love with. I don’t know, but I was sort of getting Nikolai Lantsov vibes from him, since he’s a clever prince second in line for a throne in a country suffering from a war and sails the seas? (Not that he’d ever be as good as Nikolai, because Nikolai is the epitome of “swoon-worthy male protagonist”, and I would die for him). Apart from that, his devotion to his people, and putting his duty before Safi were what I loved most about him.And Aedun, dear god, we didn’t see much of him at all, but he’s already probably my favourite? That Bloodwitch is a cinnamon roll deep inside, and I assure you, if that doesn’t come to pass, I will accept defeat and refrain from making assumptions again (but only because I know it’s true). Whatever happens though, I don’t think I can hate him at all!Safi and Isuelt are complete opposites. Safi is headstrong and quick to jump into anything without another thought. She’s fiery and brave, and loves as easily as she laughs. Isuelt on the other hand, is more held-back and quiet. She keeps a hold on her emotions and thinks everything through before deciding on a course of action. She’s extremely clever, but finds it hard to trust other people. They both complement each other in every possible way, however different they are.The Witchlands are not lacking in terms of diversity or variety. Each country had it’s own races, histories and agendas! This makes for a very colourful and vibrant setting, and keeps you wanting to go back to learn everything about the world. I cannot wait to read Windwitch, and continue with the rest of the series! Fingers crossed that I’ll love the rest as much as I loved this one!

Et on arrive au bout avec une seule envie - lire le suivant ! Amateurs de pouvoirs magiques, histoires d’amour et d’amitié dans des mondes « qui n’existent pas », n’hésitez plus ! Lisez !