As you may have noticed, I am pretty much obsessed with The Witchlands Series (Truthwitch and Windwitch) by Susan Dennard. I have posted many thoughts and even flailed over Truthwitch and Windwitch over the past year and a half on Twitter, Instagram, the blog, and beyond. Admittedly, I am a member of the Waterwitch Babes, part of the street team for Susan Dennard’s The Witchlands series. This is a series that I am passionate about because it is simply a well-written, jaw-dropping, action-packed series that contains some very bodacious and awe-inspiring characters.
Title: Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1)Series: The Witchlands #1
Author: Susan Dennard
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genres: Fantasy
Publication Date: January 5, 2016
On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery,” a magical skill that sets them apart from others.
In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.
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, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.
Safi 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 ship’s captain) 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.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Truthwitch Review
Fans of high fantasy will love all that Truthwitch, the first book in The Witchlands Series, holds. The main characters are wonderfully developed and so relatable, there are epic battle scenes, and a friendship that is so strong and admirable. Also, the whole concept is just incredible with its witcheries and world-building that just blow the reader away.
Relatable Characters
The first aspect that always draws me into a book or series are characters that I can relate to and ones that are respectable. Right from the first chapter of Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch, the reader is immersed in a humorous and exciting heist gone wrong. Immediately, the story sucks you in and keeps you engaged in what the main characters, Safi and Iseult, are up to. It is a book chock full of girl power and best friends that will do anything it takes to help one another.
Female Empowered
One thing that sets this book apart from most other fantasy novels is the fact that the battles are often fought by women. Not only are we reading about fierce females who can stand up for themselves, we are also finding that they are skilled at self-defence. These are my favourite scenes in the book and it is very apparent that Susan Dennard is writing from personal experience, as she is quite an expert in martial arts herself.
A Unique Fantasy Series
If I haven’t convinced you yet to pick up this book and move it up on your TBR, perhaps you will love the whole idea of The Witchlands and all of the various witcheries that it contains. The world is very loosely based on the Venetian, Ottoman, and Habsburg empires of Europe and each empire has it own sets of witches and magics. While this first book in the series just touches on a few, the idea of a Truthwitch who can discern truth from a lie and a Threadwitch who can sense the ties that bind living things together are so unique.
Title: Windwitch (The WItchlands #2)
Series: The Witchlands #2
Author: Susan Dennard
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: January 10, 2017
Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…
After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.
When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?
After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Windwitch Review
The second book in The Witchlands Series, Windwitch, will completely shock and surprise readers in the absolute best of ways. The book has a slightly different tone from the first and takes the reader deeper into the fantastical world that has been introduced in Truthwitch. This story begins to give the series the feel of an epic saga, as it contains various points of view, characters, and subplots. There are numerous diverse characters as well in Windwitch, making this book both interesting and distinctive, since I rarely see diversity in fantasies.
Characters are Desperate
The entire mood of Windwitch is a sort of desperation of all the characters, which is also present in Truthwitch. However, the danger of the entire continent becomes very clear in this second instalment. Although the different characters have their own sets of problems to overcome in their subplots, the impending war between the empires seems to be at the heart of all that is endured. The battles and excitement continue in Windwitch and their descriptions are so vivd that they seem real.
Amazing Format
The format of this book is so wonderful, as there are many stories told at the same time. There are multiple perspectives and a dramatic serial style to Windwitch that leaves one subplot to begin the next. It sounds as though this style might be confusing, but it actually makes the reader desperate to keep reading and get back into each of the storylines. The fast-paced style also propels the different stories and keeps everything moving along.
A Diverse Read
What is most incredible about Windwitch is the inclusion of so much diversity. Fantasy novels are really blank slates for any type of character, and Susan Dennard has created a cast of new characters that some readers will find relatable and inspiring. Without spoiling the story, I will just say that this is one aspect of this book that will really enlighten its readers.
The first two books, Truthwitch and Windwitch, in The Witchlands Series are epic, exciting, and bursting with an eclectic cast of characters. If you are a fan of high fantasy, battles, and adventure, I highly suggest this incredible series. I cannot wait to discover what happens in the next two books, since the first two have definitely got me hooked!
About Susan Dennard
Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. With a masters degree in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.
She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Witchlands as well as the Something Strange & Deadly series. When not writing, she can be found slaying darkspawn on her Xbox or earning bruises at the dojo.
I have heard mixed reviews for Truthwitch, so I hadn’t picked it up, but I’m glad you enjoyed both the books! I’m definitely going to give it a try this year. Great review!
I hope that you enjoy it if you do give it a try! 🙂
I just recently discovered The Witchlands series on twitter/instagram. I have yet to read them but I think I will see what all the fuss is about. Sounds good👌.
It is such a great series! 🙂
I didn’t realise that women were the characters fighting in this — and I am impressed Dennard has translated her own skills to the page so well. I think I may have stayed away from these because it got to the stage that it was a bit too overhyped for me. Probably time to change that lol
I can totally understand the hype dissuading you! There was quite a bit of it! I hope that you love the series if you do have the opportunity to read it. 🙂
Truthwitch is one of the favorite reads! I’m so excited for Windwitch! 😀
I really need to check this out. Maybe I’m just in a reading funk, but the covers look great and so do the blurbs yet I have no enthusiasm right now. *sigh*
I’m so glad you loved them though, that makes me happy 😀
Awww! I hope that you find your reading groove again! 🙂
Great review! I am very excited to read book 2 (I loved book 1 so much!)
I think that you are going to love this one just as much as the first! 🙂