REVIEW; Truthwitch
4:00 pm
“He was good. The best fighter she’d ever faced. But Safi and Iseult were better.”
Truthwitch - Susan Dennard
Publisher: Tor
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic
Pages: 412
Format: Paperback
Goodreads // BookDepository
SYNOPSIS:
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.
SPOILER FREE
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard had been on my tbr list since its release last year, so when I saw it, along with Windwitch, at BigW for a bargain price I was beyond happy and purchased them without a second thought. Other than being about witches (duh) I had no idea what to expect from this book, though from the love it’s been receiving on social media I pitched my bar quite high.
I’m pleased to say I was not disappointed.
Truthwitch follows the story of Safi and Iseult, two strong female Threadsisters (kind of like Parabatai, for those who’ve read Clare’s Shadowhunter novels) who wind up on the run after a heist gone wrong. The story also follows Merik, a Windwitch Prince of a dying country, and Aeduan, a Bloodwitch who is hunting them. Within the first 10% of the book I was already consumed, delighted by the third person writing style and multiple points of view.
The lore of the world isn’t directly explained but needed to be picked up along the way, which keeps the story flowing. However, whilst I enjoy not having to wade through dumps of information I found myself dissatisfied with the world building. Still, I cannot get a proper grasp on the world, why the nations were at war and needed a twenty-year truce, and who each nation/nationality was. Why are the Nomatsi frowned upon and linked with the Void? Who is in league with who? I don’t know, its one of the few things that irked me about this book, but I’m hoping it will be explained and more fleshed out in the next novel.
The plot of the book was not thick, but had the foundations to be built upon in the sequel - it was literally Safi (and Iseult) fleeing from the Bloodwitch the entire time? There were some great fantasy elements alongside the witchery, like the Sea Foxes and the mysterious Cahr Awen, but I found it predictable and the romance forced and quite cringy.
I did, however, adore the friendship between Safi and Iseult. Not often do we see a strong female friendship in YA lit, love seems to be explored only when it is the romantic sense, so I found it refreshing to read about. This also applies to Merik and his Threadbrother Kullen, though their connection seemed to be overlooked in comparison.
It’s never a young adult book without a love story, and an insta-love at that. Merik and Safi, whilst constantly at each other’s throats, had an insta-love moment early on in the book, setting up their ‘romance’. For me, the use of the Heart-thread connection (basically a mating bond) has made the author neglect the need to build a relationship between the two characters properly, making it forced and disinteresting.
Safi was a stereotypical ‘special snowflake’ protagonist and I found myself not enjoying her chapters, however, she did have great character development, learning from her mistakes whilst not losing her characterisation. Iseult was intriguing to read about, as was Merik, Susan did a good job depicting each character’s motivations and fears, but of all of the cast in the story, I found myself most interested in Aeduan. I love multilayered and morally gray antagonists, and I couldn’t wait until I could find out more about him. Definitely my favourite so far, along with Prince Leopold, who is also a mystery.
I find I often pick at the negatives of books and neglect the positives - so contrary to my nit-picking above, I thoroughly enjoyed Truthwitch even with its basic plot and not so fleshed out world. I’m excited to see where the story is building up to go and the unfolding relationships between characters.
*fingers crossed for Aeduan x Iseult or Aeduan x Leopold*
It was an enjoyable book, and I can’t wait to read the next.
★★★★☆ - 4 STARS
Love, Natalia
xx
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