26 April, 2017

#BookReview :: Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard

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. 


If you know about Sarah J Maas then it is impossible for you to not know Susan Dennard and vice-versa. They always appear in each other’s social feeds and they are even writing a story together on Tumblr. I am a huge fan of Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series and so I ended up picking this one up as I wait for her next release.

Safiya and Iseult are thread sisters who, even with their very different backgrounds and personalities, are inseparable. When Safi’s secret puts their strength to test and life on the run, a reluctant ally is all they have to hold on to. As their magic are tested and bonds strained, will they be able to getaway and live a life of anonymity as they desire or will they embrace their true destiny?

Let’s go over the good things first. The first thing that catches a reader’s attention is the action. The book is fast paced and there is a lot of action going on throughout the book keeping the readers engaged. The characters of Safi, Iseult and Prince Merrik are quite well done. I love Iseult and Merrik as individuals, but it is Safi and Iseult’s relationship that attracts me the most in the book. Their friendship feels really special. The concept of thread-family sounds beautiful and intriguing at the same time. I hope the author will reveal more about it in the coming books and that Safi’s uncle will play a bigger role in them. I am really curious about him.

However, rest of the things was a bit up in the air. I cannot say that the world building was bad, but there wasn’t much of it. Usually in the first book of a series, any author concentrates on it the most so as to build up for the coming book. I missed that in this. I am not very sure about the line of power or the different heritages yet. Then there is the romance between Safiya and Merrik that did not really interest me. I mean just because I am told that Safiya affects Merrik’s magic doesn’t mean that I see the chemistry happening. 



 Review Copy received from Pan Macmillan India

No comments:

Post a Comment