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Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (Witchlands #1)

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Truthwitch by Susan Dennard // VBCTruthwitch (Witchlands #1)
Susan Dennard
Published: Jan. 5, 2016 (Tor Teen)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: purchased

Reviewed by: Krista

Rating (out of 5): 3 stars

Safiya Fon Hasstrel is a young noblewoman who has been training and studying for years under the direction of her uncle and select tutors. Unbeknownst to the Emperor, she has not been learning to be a proper noblewoman; instead she has been mastering sword craft, multiple languages and cultures, sleight of hand, and various other nefarious skills. She is also hiding a dangerous secret: She is a Truthwitch. Witchery so rare and powerful that kings and queens have killed to possess it.

Safiya doesn’t want to be a noblewoman and she doesn’t know why her uncle is forcing her to complete all this training. Not that she doesn’t enjoy the training and knowledge, she just wants to know why she needs it. Really she yearns to be free of the responsibility facing her and the threat of her witchery coming to light. All she wants is a life of her own with her thread sister Iseult. (Thread family is family of choosing and not of blood).

Unfortunately Safiya and Iseult almost immediately mess up all the plans that her uncle and his allies have put in place (although we still don’t know what their goals are). The girls are separated for a short time in which Safiya gets betrothed to an emperor and then kidnapped minutes later. Iseult outruns a bloodwitch on their trail, but is then caught up in her mother’s tribe revolution.

I enjoyed Truthwitch. The characters were extremely fleshed out and detailed. The action scenes were intricate and fast paced. A battle at sea with the huge grey sea foxes was awesome, and I had flashes of Dancing with the Stars in my head during a ball sequence. There is the beginning of a romance between Safiya and Prince Merik, but it is very early on in their will-they-won’t-they relationship.

The world, characters and story threads were set up well, but at times I felt weighed down with all the details. Everything was so specific in description that I wasn’t allowed to let my imagination paint its own picture. This book was just a bit too heavy handed.

If you are a fan of fantasy and are looking for something new, I would recommend Truthwitch. The series has potential to be great. If the reins are loosened a bit and the story finally begins to fly I believe it will be an excellent addition to the genre.

Sexual content: kissing

One Response to “Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (Witchlands #1)”

  1. Ssloo13 says:

    I loved this book! One of my favorite reads so far this year. This was a 4 or 4.5 start one for me!

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