ricottae's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really strong first book. Every part of it from the characters to the world to the plot were expertly crafted and delivered. I did feel like the majority of the book was all setting up for the rest of the series (which, obviously), but there wasn't really a big event or climax of its own, which I like having in a series. Every book has its own internal events that all build toward the big series finale! This was lacking for me in Truthwitch, which is why I only gave it four stars. But it was an amazing read. Safi and Iseult are totally badass characters both together and independently, and the supporting cast is excellent (and not superfluous) as well. I'm eager for more description of the witcheries, because there seem to be so many and a big range of both abilities and power levels. There is plenty of deception and hidden scheming to keep the story interesting, and at the end of the book we're left with some questions, which left me excited for the next book in the series! I would highly recommend picking this book up.
jnunchucks's review against another edition
3.0
Okay so I was really really really excited to read this book but it ended up just being kinda mehhh for me.....I feel like I was just missing SOOOOO much information. There were just so many questions that weren't answered which would have help form the back story to the series as a whole. It was really hard to visualize the story, characters and setting in my head as I read and I thought maybe I just was reading too fast but I don't think that was it.
How do they become witches? Are they born witches? Why does everyone hate Iseult's people? Why was there a 20 year treaty in place in the first place? Who's going to be in the war? How does their magic actually work? Why do witches have to be marked? SO. MANY. QUESTIONS!!!
ALSO I wish we got more of Safi & Iseult's friendship!! I wish she explained how the Threadsister bond works more (or explained it at all really).
And the "budding romance" between Safi & Merik confused the hell out of me.....Like are they Heart-Threads or what? When you find your Heart-Thread do your threads automatically connect even if you don't want them to? What is a Heart-Thread? Lol. Again....SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Did I love it. NO. Did I hate it. NO. Would I read it again. Probs not.........I have a Windwitch ARC so hopefully it gets better!
How do they become witches? Are they born witches? Why does everyone hate Iseult's people? Why was there a 20 year treaty in place in the first place? Who's going to be in the war? How does their magic actually work? Why do witches have to be marked? SO. MANY. QUESTIONS!!!
ALSO I wish we got more of Safi & Iseult's friendship!! I wish she explained how the Threadsister bond works more (or explained it at all really).
And the "budding romance" between Safi & Merik confused the hell out of me.....Like are they Heart-Threads or what? When you find your Heart-Thread do your threads automatically connect even if you don't want them to? What is a Heart-Thread? Lol. Again....SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Did I love it. NO. Did I hate it. NO. Would I read it again. Probs not.........I have a Windwitch ARC so hopefully it gets better!
megalynnee's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
unnecessary_pixels's review against another edition
3.0
Iseult e Safi sono due amiche. Una ha il potere di vedere le emozioni delle persone e l'altra di discernere tra verità è menzogna. Sembra l'inizio di un fantasy politico e invece le nostre due protagoniste non sono solo i loro poteri e la storia sarà una fuga rocambolesca piena di avventura. Il rapporto di amicizia tra le due è la base della storia anche se la sotto trama del "colpo di fulmine" non potevamo evitarcela. Il mondo è chiaramente molto più definito di quanto sia dettagliato e avrei apprezzato molto di più qualche capitolo per approfondire le protagoniste e l'ambientazione. L'inizio in medias res non gli ha, purtroppo, fatto un buon servizio.
Mi ha lasciato però la curiosità di leggere il seguito, sperando abbia più tempo per gli approfondimenti, anche a discapito di qualche scena d'azione.
Mi ha lasciato però la curiosità di leggere il seguito, sperando abbia più tempo per gli approfondimenti, anche a discapito di qualche scena d'azione.
stephnsketch's review against another edition
4.0
3.75
I finally started reading this series. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise as well as the two main characters.
At some points, the fast pacedness left me very confused, and the world-building left me with the same feeling. It was scattered, only the two main characters linking it all together in half-hazard chase scenes. Even though there were questions purposefully left unanswered to draw the reader in, it felt more unfinished than anything. When Throne of Glass hinted at the main plot, it was a very small piece. This book is littered with it, but there's barely any real information to grab on to. If that makes sense. Side note, I was actually very angry at TOG for doing that after I read the series. At least this book hints at what you're getting into.
But I can see the different threads weaving throughout the story (intended pun), and I am excited to see where they go from here. I'm hoping that the questions in this book will be answered in the next one. And maybe it will slow down in pace a bit?
I finally started reading this series. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise as well as the two main characters.
At some points, the fast pacedness left me very confused, and the world-building left me with the same feeling. It was scattered, only the two main characters linking it all together in half-hazard chase scenes. Even though there were questions purposefully left unanswered to draw the reader in, it felt more unfinished than anything. When Throne of Glass hinted at the main plot, it was a very small piece. This book is littered with it, but there's barely any real information to grab on to. If that makes sense. Side note, I was actually very angry at TOG for doing that after I read the series. At least this book hints at what you're getting into.
But I can see the different threads weaving throughout the story (intended pun), and I am excited to see where they go from here. I'm hoping that the questions in this book will be answered in the next one. And maybe it will slow down in pace a bit?
jessica22's review against another edition
2.0
I think I have to read this again at at a different time. I really wanted to like this but I just couldn't get in to it. I finished it thinking maybe it would get better but I still just didn't enjoy it .
rachel917's review against another edition
4.0
[b:Truthwitch|21414439|Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)|Susan Dennard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428675822s/21414439.jpg|40715259] was action-packed from start to finish. Safi and Iseult were instantly likable, although I feel like Iseult seemed a little more valuable and powerful than Safi. I'm hoping the next book expands on Safi's "truth telling".
I loved reading about Aeduan and his redeeming qualities, and I would love to read a novella about Safi's uncle.
I loved reading about Aeduan and his redeeming qualities, and I would love to read a novella about Safi's uncle.
missprint_'s review against another edition
3.0
Magic is as common as breathing in the Witchlands. But not all witcheries are created equal as two Thread Sisters know all too well.
Safiya is a Truthwitch able to use her magic to tell when someone is lying to her while Iseult is a Threadwitch able to see the threads that bind everyone together--except for her own.
Together, they have spent years keeping Safi's witchery a secret, knowing that it could be seen as a valuable tool or a dangerous weapon. Safi and Iseult are used to getting into trouble as they prepare for the life they'd like to lead together free of societal obligations and pressures.
When a Bloodwitch catches Safi's scent, both girls are forced into hiding as fugitives. With the help of their witcheries and unlikely allies including a Nubrevnan captain (and Windwitch) named Merik, Safi and Iseult might be able to survive the storm that is coming. But only if they can manage to stay together in Truthwitch (2016) by Susan Dennard.
Truthwitch is the start of Dennard's new Witchlands series.
This book is written in alternating close third-person perspectives. The majority of the story follows Safiya and Iseult although Merik and Aeduan (the Bloodwitch) also carry key parts of the narrative.
In any ensemble book, there is the risk that one character will be more appealing than others. That risk is compounded when the character is decidedly not the center of the narrative. Given the strong theme of friendship and camaraderie, it's easy to argue that Safi and Iseult are equally important to the story. On the other hand, in a book called Truthwitch, perhaps it isn't surprising that the story revolves around the decidedly less interesting Safi instead of Iseult.
Many novels are based on the idea that the main character is unique or important. Safi, as a rare Truthwitch, is both. She is also, like many of these same unique and important characters, essentially the worst at what she does. Safi tries to keep her witchery a secret. She fools no one. Safi tries to save her friend. She almost gets that friend killed. In other words, Safi is reckless and thoughtless and shows almost no growth by the end of Truthwitch.
Breakneck pacing and a shoe-horned romance (plus fairly clear foreshadowing of future "ships") flesh out the story without much nuance. While Dennard has created a complex world with well-researched details, Truthwitch never lingers long enough on any one piece to let readers appreciate these details.
Truthwitch is an interesting start to a new series sure to appeal to readers looking for new lighter fantasy fare. Ideal for readers seeking an action-heavy, plot-driven story.
Possible Pairings: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst, Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen, The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey, The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
* An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
Safiya is a Truthwitch able to use her magic to tell when someone is lying to her while Iseult is a Threadwitch able to see the threads that bind everyone together--except for her own.
Together, they have spent years keeping Safi's witchery a secret, knowing that it could be seen as a valuable tool or a dangerous weapon. Safi and Iseult are used to getting into trouble as they prepare for the life they'd like to lead together free of societal obligations and pressures.
When a Bloodwitch catches Safi's scent, both girls are forced into hiding as fugitives. With the help of their witcheries and unlikely allies including a Nubrevnan captain (and Windwitch) named Merik, Safi and Iseult might be able to survive the storm that is coming. But only if they can manage to stay together in Truthwitch (2016) by Susan Dennard.
Truthwitch is the start of Dennard's new Witchlands series.
This book is written in alternating close third-person perspectives. The majority of the story follows Safiya and Iseult although Merik and Aeduan (the Bloodwitch) also carry key parts of the narrative.
In any ensemble book, there is the risk that one character will be more appealing than others. That risk is compounded when the character is decidedly not the center of the narrative. Given the strong theme of friendship and camaraderie, it's easy to argue that Safi and Iseult are equally important to the story. On the other hand, in a book called Truthwitch, perhaps it isn't surprising that the story revolves around the decidedly less interesting Safi instead of Iseult.
Many novels are based on the idea that the main character is unique or important. Safi, as a rare Truthwitch, is both. She is also, like many of these same unique and important characters, essentially the worst at what she does. Safi tries to keep her witchery a secret. She fools no one. Safi tries to save her friend. She almost gets that friend killed. In other words, Safi is reckless and thoughtless and shows almost no growth by the end of Truthwitch.
Breakneck pacing and a shoe-horned romance (plus fairly clear foreshadowing of future "ships") flesh out the story without much nuance. While Dennard has created a complex world with well-researched details, Truthwitch never lingers long enough on any one piece to let readers appreciate these details.
Truthwitch is an interesting start to a new series sure to appeal to readers looking for new lighter fantasy fare. Ideal for readers seeking an action-heavy, plot-driven story.
Possible Pairings: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst, Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen, The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey, The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
* An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*