Giving Windwitch all the stars!

This series is truly one of the best things that's happened to YA fantasy in the past few years.
It truly reads much more like high fantasy than YA - I'm not trying to bash YA (after all, that's pretty much all I read), but most of the books tend to be on the underdeveloped side.

Just like in the first book, I absolutely adored Aeduan and Isault; but with this one I gained appreciation for Safiya and her new love interest(?) Am I sensing a love triangle? That's a trope I normally detest, but if it comes to that, I'm pretty sure Susan Dennard can surprise me. . Merik, unfortunately, wasn't as great as he was in Truthwitch and I still cannot put my finger on why that is. I know a lot of people kind of disliked him even before this book, so I don't feel particularly bad for not being in his fanclub anymore.

The plot is complex, the POVs change fluidly and there aren't plot holes, which is always good and not always something that comes by default.

It was nice to have these first chapters of the novel, I can't wait to read the whole novel!

This was an extract and it was not enough for me to give a complete and honest review as I barely got into it.

I tried reading this some months ago, but I quickly realised I'd need a re-read of book 1. I didn't have time for that until now, which is after the publish date but never mind.

So far I've only read a few sentences past the end of this extract and that was mostly an accident...but I can easily for get that for this First Impressions.

My first impression is The Heck?!
This books is beginning to show us just how interwoven everything is and it's way more than I was expecting! There's the Big Bad's nefarious plan interwoven throughout everything, of course, and the 'fated' legendary stuff that seems to be going on, but suddenly there seems to be another plan showing up. Things have been put in place to put people is each others way and align things up and I really want to know who that was!

Also, I'm embarrassed at how long it took me to work out who the Paladins were likely to be...

We have the added POV of Merik's sister. Vivia which has just added a whole new dimension to the saga. Forget everything you thought you knew.
Actually forget everything you thought you knew about everything really.

Rather stupidly, I did not realise this taster was in fact for a second book in a series. I haven't read the first one yet but I certainly will track it down now. Based on what I've seen I really like this book and look forward to reading it entire. Dennard's prose and worldbuilding are clear and yet fantastical - a superior example of YA fantasy.

Just like Truthwitch before it, this extract of Windwitch left me conflicted. Once again there were stories I loved; I will contest until my last that Aeduan and Iseult would cause the book to fare far better, were they the only POV characters. Safi and Merick I found decidedly lacklustre, their stories barely capturing my attention.

There is, as I have said before, a great foundation here. The idea of Witchery and the forms in which it comes is a good basis for a solid fantasy series. However Dennard seems to almost lose control of her characters, carving out mediocre pathways for them instead of forging plot forwarding journeys.

I am interested to read the rest of this, as Iseult and Aeduan on a road trip together is too good of a deal for me to pass up. However has this sample added anything to my experience? Not enough to up the rating or change my lukewarm review.

Windwitch by Susan Dennard is a sci-fi and fantasy read.
Merik Nihar prince of nubrevna is thought of as dead.
Even though this is only an extract it was a good but slow read. I liked the story and the characters. But I just couldn't get into it. I enjoyed enjoying put it down and tried again later. I did try and I managed to read it. 3*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.