Truthwitch (The Witchlands, 1) by Susan Dennard (Epub)

Description

Two best friends use their magic to save the world from war and corruption in Susan Dennard’s New York Times bestselling YA fantasy, Truthwitch.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 Safiya’s hotheaded impulsiveness. Safiya 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 privateer) 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.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Susan Dennard has worldbuilding after my own heart. It’s so good it’s intimidating.”―Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen“Truthwitch has all of the elements I savor-a richly imagined magical world, ruthless politics, steamy romance, and characters who grab you and won’t let go. At its heart, a partnership between two strong young women who might change the world.” ―Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Realms series“Featuring vibrant characters and an innovative system of magic, Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch is a fast-paced adventure and a wonderful tribute to the power of the binding ties of friendship.” ―Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the Kushiel’s Legacy series“Sometimes, from not even halfway through a book, you know that you’re going to make everyone you know read it. It’s a book that, by the time you get to the end you crave the next book as if it were the most addicting chocolate on the planet. Truthwitch is that book for me. Gorgeously written, elegantly built, and perfect for ANY reader-Truthwitch is something you will not want to miss. Seriously.” ―Rachel Strolle, Andersons Bookshop“Full of magic, unbreakable friendships, and purpose, Truthwitch is absolutely everything I look for in a fantasy. Dennard’s stunning prose weaves a lush and wonderful adventure tale that has already hooked this reader and will utterly enchant everyone else.” ―Gaby Salpeter, Books of Wonder About the Author Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. Working in marine biology, she got to travel the world — six out of seven continents (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 Something Strange and Deadly series, as well as the Witchlands series, which includes the New York Times bestselling Truthwitch and Windwitch. When not writing, she can be found hiking with her dogs, slaying darkspawn on her Xbox, or earning bruises at the dojo.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐There are a few reasons we read fantasy: to escape to another world, to live an adventure only possible with magic, to ponder our own situation through the lens of one far off and sorcerous, or just because we like it. Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch is for those of us in the final camp. If worldbuilding so detailed and engrossing is your entry into the genre (a la Sanderson or Jordan), Truthwitch’s YA pacing and vaguely European/Mediterranean setting may not be rich or otherworldly enough to hold you. If it’s the story that keeps you coming back, this book may fare better, but it doesn’t feel like a single quest with an epic finale (a la Brent Weeks or Pierce Brown) so much as two or three episodes strung together with a showdown tacked on at the end. If the metaphorical implications of magic for human nature are what tickle your fancy (see Beagle or Pratchett), Truthwitch is likely to come off a little thin, both in the elegance of the magic system and the ways it’s used to reveal human nature. But if what you like is witty dialogue, fast-paced action, and magical battles in far-off lands (see Robert E. Howard or Anthony Ryan), plus perhaps a smattering of romance, you’re likely to love this book.Because this is not so much fantasy as fantastical romance: for all the elements of fantasy Dennard leaves thin in the book, the relationship between its two best-friend female protagonists and its dreamy-but-edgy male protags is much thicker than in most fantasy novels, and that’s a breath of change. Not the supernatural-here-and-now of shifter romance or the just-barely-not-this-world romance of Madison Faye, Dennard manages a true blend here. Meaning if you generally like fantasy, you will generally like this—and ditto for romance.If you happen to like both, Truthwitch is some serious paydirt. You might also go in thinking you like fantasy, only to find out you love romance.In full disclosure, we fall on the fantasy side of things (no surprise, since this is written for TopNewFantasy dot com and not a romance review site!). That said, the entire book has a rushed feeling, and the romance is no different. The magic system felt like, with a little more development, it could all link together and make sense as another set of natural laws. The world and polities, too, felt developed a step beyond stereotype but not quite to the historical specificity we love from the worldbuilders mentioned above. The romance is at least not the well-worn triangle, but rather a foursome more reminiscent of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (to mention another talented author who blends magic and romance well). The opportunities for swapped and mistaken affections abound but… still it felt clear from early on who would end up with whom. Likewise, a few too many of the battles serendipitously involved these affectionates ending in close and compromising quarters to easily suspend disbelief.Still, a solid read for those of us who are happy with any fantastical romp, and I’d assume the same for those who like romantic relationships to be the focus. And if you have a foot in both camps, Truthwitch may just sorcel its way into your heart.

⭐I couldn’t put this book down last night. The action doesn’t stop from the first chapter to the last few chapters. So why only three stars?There’s a lot to take in. This world has so much potential. You only get a very little bit of background because everything is so plot driven. That goes for characters too. Iseult, for example. There’s a bit about her mom and her past. A very little bit. A chapter maybe. And then she’s back to following Safi.There’s Aeduan. Very interesting character but a lot of his info is a mystery.Merrick and Safi you get a little bit more history but still, it doesn’t seem like enough.I read this like I watch most anime (not the really good anime). The fight scenes are a bit ninja-anime-like and the characters are platonic. But it’s fun to watch for the time it’s on. I want to read the next book but I don’t know if I like this style of so much action to propel the story with very little actual storyline.PS. The point of views change between these four main characters, though it feels like Safi and Merrick get the most “screen time.”

⭐5 stars! The world, the magic, the story. And most importantly, the characters! I loved everything about this book. If you love YA fantasy, if you love female friendships, this is your book.What is Truthwitch about?Truthwitch follows two main characters, Safiya and Iseult. Safiya grew up as a domna, expected to eventually rule her uncle’s estate. She’s a truthwitch who can tell a truth from a lie, a fact she keeps hidden to avoid being used politically. Iseult is of the Nomatsi tribes. She left her tribe to apprentice in the city but can’t escape the persecution that she faces because of her culture. She’s a threadwitch meaning she can see the connections between people. The two best friends want nothing more than to live a simple life, though for them a simple life involves a bit of conning and thievery. But a failed robbery involving a Bloodwitch, and her uncle’s involvement in the possible end of the twenty-year truce, throw that plan into chaos.What I LikedBasically everything?This book is as much about the characters as it is about the story. Safiya and Iseult have such an amazing friendship. It’s so refreshing to read a book where the friendships are so much more important than the romance (not to say that there isn’t some great romance!). They’re also very different people which makes it easy for any reader to find one of them you can identify with.I LOVE the magic in this book. While every witch falls into a category, they may have different strengths and weaknesses in that category. It’s a very practical take on magic with witches joining trades based on their talents. So much of the technology is magic based which is awesome. It’s just so cool seeing new types of witches and seeing the creative ways that they each use their power and that the world has adapted to the power existing.

⭐I’m genuinely surprised to be giving this such a high rating. I nearly didn’t buy Truthwitch. In all honesty I thought that I wasn’t going to like this but I thought, hey ho, I want to read more witchy books and where better to start than this one that everyone seems to enjoy.I hate to add to the hype but this novel was just fantastic. I haven’t heard the best things about Susan Dennard’s ‘Something Strange and Deadly’ series, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Truthwitch , but Dennard really blew it out of the water (pun not intended). Her writing was great, and I feel like she really flourished when writing about the world and how it responded to magic – good and bad. I liked the magic system, though we don’t learn a lot about how it works. I liked that using magic seeped the energy of a witch, and I really loved the different kinds of witches, which was something I actually thought I was going to dislike. The Origin Wells are interesting, and I hope we learn a little about how they affect the world in the next few instalments in the series.The characters in this were actually very refreshing. Especially the women. They were all so complex and badass, and there wasn’t a single love triangle in sight! I’m so pleased! The main female characters weren’t telling us that they were kick-arse then being continuously saved by the men, they were being kick-arse. They all worked as a team, as equals, and I just revelled in it. I really enjoyed the different personalities and cultures that we were introduced to. The female friendships are top notch, even the male friendships, which I honestly haven’t seen a lot of in YA either, were nice to read about. Also the names were great. Slightly off topic but Iseult is one of my favourite names ever.Then there’s the story itself, which was so freaking entertaining. Every time I sat down to read this I flew through it, devouring each page. This story is so fast-paced. Even with their journey across the sea and then across a continent it never seemed to slow right down, like novels of this sort usually do. It was also nice to see all of the witch types introduced without getting an info dump and while showcasing their powers in scenes that were actually relevant to the story’s events. I’m curious to know more about the rarer types of witch (truthwitch, bloodwitch, voidwitch, etc.) and why they’re considered so valuable. Since this is the first in a four (I think) book series there’s a lot of questions left unanswered, but it just makes me all the more excited for the next book.Truthwitch was honestly just such a lovely surprise. The only thing that swayed me to buy this was that some big fantasy authors were giving it five stars, so even though I was completely sceptical I caved and bought into the hype, and I’m so glad I did. One of the easiest five star ratings I’ve ever given

⭐Original review found at my blog ‘Wandered Souls’Okay, so I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book so was really unsure what to expect. Some people love it and some hate it- it seems to be the marmite of the YA Fantasy world. I know there was a massive hype for this book when it first came out but somehow I missed that so I didn’t have any prejudgements of the book itself which is always a good sign. But I was hoping it was going to be good.The plot follows two witches, Safi who is a rare Truthwitch and Iseult who is Threadwitch meaning she can see others emotions/feelings and their connection to the world. So basically the coolest witch. Can you tell I am biased? Safi and Iseult are both Threadsisters and I found it interesting because Safi is much higher in terms of her status whereas Iseult seems to be very low. The book follows them being chased by various bad guys around a world which seems very medieval. You can tell this book is meant to be a set up for a series for sure but it also does a great job of that.At first I found it really hard to get around the world building because there seemed to be a lot of words but not a lot of explanation. You really are shoved at the forefront of all the action as a reader. But I really did love this world! I just had to give it some time. I think this is because everything is very unclear to begin with such as the types of witches, who Safi and Iseult actually are and an impending war (I still don’t know how it began).However, I think which really made the novel was after the first 200 pages everything really started to come together and when Safi and Iseult are both separated there is real development within their characters. I liked that romance wasn’t the forefront of the novel either- you don’t often get a girl/girl friendship being the main vocal point of any novel never mind fantasy.The one POV which I really enjoyed because there was a lot of POV’s was of Aeduan. He is the Bloodwitch and plays the ‘bad guy’. We all love a bad guy. His witchery was also totally badass. He quickly became my favourite character and I just wanted to know more about him. I was left with so many questions at the end of the book. It wasn’t fair!All in all, I did enjoy this book and will be getting the sequel, Windwitch, soon. So a big thank you to Anna and Sakina for recommending it to me!

⭐Really enjoyed this book, although it’s marketed as Young Adult I read it as a thirty-something. It’s got all the magic, sword-fights and intrigue you’d expect of a fantasy novel, but the worldbuilding is outstanding and the concept original enough that the book felt fresh. The YA tag really shows in the fast pacing; you barely have time to draw breath, and there were enough twists and turns in the plot to keep interest.It’s real strength though, was in the characters and their various relationships. Not just the romance (which did not over-dominate like it can in some YA books) but the unusually strong focus on friendships such as that between the main pair of characters, Safiya and Iseult, which was really the driving force for the whole story.In summary: both Safiya and Iseult are unregistered (read: illegal) witches in a world where witchery is based around elemental affiliations and each witch has a particular talent such as wind, tide, glamour or poison. Safiya is a Truthwitch, a rare and powerful gift which would place her in both demand and danger were it known, while Iseult is a Threadwitch, with the ability to see people’s emotions and connections to each other – but not her own. The girls get into trouble within the first few pages of the book, earning themselves an enemy in the form of a powerful Bloodwitch, and as if their own problems weren’t enough they’re soon entangled in the politics of empires and nations as war threatens. The supporting characters they meet along the way are as compelling and well-developed as the main pair, and add a lot to the book’s appeal.The plot races along to a thrilling conclusion, but as you’d expect from the first in the series it raises as many questions as it answers.

⭐I enjoyed this book so much. Its quite a long young adukt seriesThe start did take me a bit to get into as your thrown in on the action straight off and it took me a while to get the characters straight. So would give it a few chapters to get into it. This would probably be my only critasim though. Oh and at times as it jumps from character perspectives you can lose track of where everyone’s at. This happened about twice both times in battle scenes. So not sure if I skipped an important sentence of if the author forgot to say but will see if I feel the same after a re-read.Every main character I felt such a connection with their motivations felt so real. As Safi and Iseult as are so diffrent one impulsive and one controlled it’s nice to read from each girls perspective to get a better understanding of each girl. It also helps as each girls witchery can only be seen and felt by them. The other perspectives help keep everything fresh. The characters are what makes this book so enjoyable so if you don’t like them you will end up hating this book.I like that this story’s not a straightforward good and bad, black and white type of story. Every time you think you know where it’s going more is revealed to you and you realise you were wrong. It keeps you excited to see where it’s going. Though this book does have its problems I’m excited to see how this story continues.

⭐I adored this book. It has so much heart; the plot is fast paced, fun and exciting; the characters and character development are phenomenal; the worldbuilding is top-notch. I also think it’s a great series opener. The plot in Truthwitch is broad and complex, not exactly self-contained, yet there are arcs for each character, and the plot itself follows a consistent arc and builds to an electrifying, hugely satisfying ending that still promises more in the following book. New character arcs and relationships are hinted at and unlike some series that end each book with a huge, unwieldy cliffhanger, Dennard clearly knows how to write a satisfying ending and still build anticipation for the next book. There’s careful development of both character and world in Truthwitch, and it rewards the diligent reader.The characterisation in this novel is, as I’ve said, stellar. Safi, Iseult, Merik and Aeduan are compelling leads and each of them carry their own POV chapters with distinct voices, each with their own unique, often conflicting perspectives on the huge world they inhabit. And Dennard deftly uses these perspectives to explore a wealth of ideas, problems and themes that build into the Witchlands but also have their counterparts in our own world, from racial prejudice and the disparity between rich and the poor, to the reality of what it means to be young and have everyone telling you the world is at your feet.The secondary characters are not forgotten either. With just a few scenes, Ryber’s character is established, with layers of depth that promise plot twists to come. Leopold is another fascinating character who’s not what he seems, and Evrane is saintly, kickass, and not your average wise woman – definitely more than just a convenient holder of useful information for the benefit of Safi and Iseult.Overall, this book is a fantastic start in an exciting new fantasy series set in a huge and diverse world, the Witchlands – and it also features one of the most fun and inventive magic systems I’ve seen in a while. Highly recommend.

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