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A review by erinys
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
4.0
I've been trying to check out some of the newer voices in fantasy! Susan Dennard has been working in the field for around ten years, and I decided to have a look at both of the popular series she's worked on. This world and its characters definitely appealed to me.
This book has multiple viewpoints, but it mainly focuses on four main characters. They're well-drawn personalities with their own strengths and weaknesses, but they're also stock characters of epic fantasy in many respects: two are noble/royals, one is from a despised nomad culture coded as Romany, one is a member of a cult of mercenary monks. They are all exceptional people with passion, strength of mind and a sense of purpose.
The real star of the book is the world-building, which is interesting and complex. There's a map of different nations and cultures, there's a deep magic system to wrap your head around and try to understand, and the powers and abilities of different magic users are divided neatly into elemental classes, a la Avatar the Last Airbender or any video game you could name.
It's a good start to a good series. I enjoyed it.
This book has multiple viewpoints, but it mainly focuses on four main characters. They're well-drawn personalities with their own strengths and weaknesses, but they're also stock characters of epic fantasy in many respects: two are noble/royals, one is from a despised nomad culture coded as Romany, one is a member of a cult of mercenary monks. They are all exceptional people with passion, strength of mind and a sense of purpose.
The real star of the book is the world-building, which is interesting and complex. There's a map of different nations and cultures, there's a deep magic system to wrap your head around and try to understand, and the powers and abilities of different magic users are divided neatly into elemental classes, a la Avatar the Last Airbender or any video game you could name.
It's a good start to a good series. I enjoyed it.