*Disclaimer: I began reading this review book previously and decided to put it down. I then revisited this novel in the hopes of completing it but have decided to put it down completely*

I remember finding Truthwitch very typical the first time through, and revisiting the novel with an extra 10% of reading - which consisted of lots of talking, a fair amount of thinking about things and not doing any of them, and almost no plot progression whatsoever (one character literally had yet to move from spying on a street) - didn't fill me with any motivation to finish the novel. Unfortunately, there's such an over saturation of vaguely witchy-magicky fantasies that if there isn't anything new to add, you do get buried under the weight of a hundred other variations of the same thing.

My review will be posted on 22nd July 2020, and my vlog will be posted on 19th May 2020.

Do you ever read a book that you're SO. EXCITED. for and then come out of it wondering what the hell the bookternet is thinking by hyping it up? That's how I feel about Truthwitch.

I remember when Truthwitch was coming out and there was this whole big campaign alongside Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. I'm pretty sure it was one of the biggest book marketing campaigns I had seen, and it seemed as though everyone was talking about the book. I was sad I'd missed out by not getting in on the hype early on, and since then I'd kept putting off reading Truthwitch because I wasn't ready to dive into a new and addictive series.

I really shouldn't have bothered, though, because Truthwitch turned out to be such a disappointment. I don't think it was soley because I'd hyped it up in my head, as it seems as though this book series has a massive online fanbase. I don't really understand why.

My main issue with Truthwitch is that I don't care about any of the characters, and the reason for that is that they're badly written. We follow the POVs of four characters in the first book, all of which sound exactly the same. I struggled to differentiate between them, and I had kept forgetting whose head I was supposed to be in in the middle of chapters.

I don't think Truthwitch is very well written. It lands you straight into the world and does a bunch of info-dumping in the first half of the book, not giving you any time to settle in or get to know the characters. And then in the second half of the book you're expected to care about these characters and empathise with what they're going through, even though the author spent all her time in the first half info-dumping and distracting you from getting to know them.

It didn't make much sense to me.

In addition, it was clear to me that the author wanted this to be a fast paced and action packed story. And it was. To such an extent that the characters were all over the place. They were rushing from one scene to the next, from one location to another, and I had absolutely no time to settle down and enjoy the story because there was always another thing going on.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy fast paced plots. Slow plots can bore me. But if a plot is fast paced, the rest of the book has to find some sort of balance. I have to care about the characters who are running around, and I have to understand the world building and why they're running.

I wasn't a fan of Truthwitch, and I'm so disappointed that I hyped it up and waited so long to read it. I tried to read the sequel, but I ended up DNF-ing Windwitch and I won't be continuing with the series, unfortunately.

<a href="https://www.thebewitchedreader.com/2020/05/truthwitch-witchlands-1-by-susan-dennard.html">THE BEWITCHED READER: TRUTHWITCH (THE WITCHLANDS #1) BY SUSAN DENNARD</a>

Iseault and Safiya are two young witches and threadsisters who really like to get in trouble. Iseault is a threadwitch and a Nomatsi, she sticks out in a crowd and suffers from the overall xenophobia reserved to her people. Safi, is a truthwitch and a Domna of Cantorra, although she comes from a prominent family, she very much prefers her life in the city with Iseault and the rest of their threadfamily.

One day their trouble takes a step too far and they find themselves hunted by a dangerous bloodwitch, which can track beings with a scary degree of efficiency and velocity. They never thought that they would get into so much trouble with the Guildmaster who commands him, but now they must save themselves. When Safi meets Prince Merik of Nubrevna by chance - on one of the most confusing days of her life - little does she know how entertained their lives will be from then on.
Merik ends up being the best way to escape the bloodwitch. War is brewing, the old treaties are expiring, it is every kingdom for itself! All this happens as they depart on their attempt to save their lives, a kingdom and an identity.

One of the things that I like the most about this story was its focus. The main theme of the book is friendship. There is romance, adventure and fight scenes but it always comes back to friendship and about the family that you choose. Safi and Iseault complement each other: Iseault is the calm and wise ocean to Safi's thunderstorm. They are bound by much more than fate or circumstance, they are each other's family. The story also talks about acceptance and the importance of not judging and excluding others because of their outer appearances. Due to the rarity of her magic, Safi tries to hide her true powers from almost everyone: this way people can't use her as leverage. Only Iseault knows her truth. The girls both want to break free, one from the obligations at court and the other from the prejudice that constantly surrounds her just because she looks different. When they are forced to flee with Prince Merik aboard the Jana, they cannot predict the turn that their lives will take. Prince Merik has his own set of complicated issues: a poor country, a power-hungry family that only cares about profit and prestige, a sad and hungry people which he desperately wants to help.

One of the strongest assets of this book is its amazing set of characters. While they are a rather large group, each of them is beautifully complex and well developed (and also a somewhat relatable). Dennard shows how a person can have good and bad actions, show regret, change and evolve with their experiences in life. The author uses the characters' faults as opportunities for reflection and It is also very hard not appreciate fierce female warriors that strike fear those who watch them fight, they impose respect through their actions. The story is told in four different points of view (POV): Safi's, Iseault's, Merik's and Aeduan's (the bloodwitch). This only made the characters feel more real since you could see what the characters were thinking, what were their motivations, perceptions and reactions to their surrounding environment. I love this especially because you know someone's true motivations but you can see how they sometimes need to hide them and the others do not realise the truth: this made me root so much more for certain characters!

There is no raging cliffhanger by the end but a lot of questions are let loose to hang in the air and I will admit that I cannot stop wondering what will happen next. It was a little hard to get into the story, since the very beginning is full of information about the world, the magic, the people, the geography, amongst others. However, I was eventually able to immerse myself in the story and fully appreciate it in all its beauty.

<a href="https://www.thebewitchedreader.com/2020/05/truthwitch-witchlands-1-by-susan-dennard.html">THE BEWITCHED READER: TRUTHWITCH (THE WITCHLANDS #1) BY SUSAN DENNARD</a>

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I very much enjoyed reading this book, I completely understand the hype. It's very refreshing to follow a close female friendship, we don't get that very often. The magic system still kind of baffles me - it seems endless in its combinations? And different uses of the same element? I could have done without the romance though, and I would have loved a bit more lore and/or descriptions of the world, as we get a lot of information but I struggled to keep it all sorted out in my head. I will defnitely be reading Windwitch - and not just because I already have a copy! As much as I don't care about some of the relationships, I am intrigued to see how the overarching plot will develop.

This was a really enjoyable fantasy novel with a very interesting magic system and a wonderful friendship at its core. It tells the story of Safi, a truthwitch and her best friend, Iseult, a threadwitch. They are trying to make their way in the world but both are dragged back into the machinations of their respective families and a compelling adventure ensues. I thought Dennard did a very good job with the world building, giving us enough to be able to follow the plot, without throwing too much at us to slow the pacing down. I appreciated the fact that she trusted the reader to use their imagination to fill in some of the details and that she has left herself with scope for future instalments. There are a couple of romances here, one of which is very slow burn and the other of which doesn't overshadow the story, which I enjoyed. There were also some great reveals and cliff hangers which definitely have me anticipating the next book. Overall this was a good, fun read.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was rather excited about this book initially. It started fab but it quickly lost me. So much going on all the time I had to keep going back and checking I was following. I finished it but I found it quite hard work

It's been a while since I first read this, and despite a few minor quibbles I enjoyed it and would recommend. It reads deceptively light and has a definite young adult tone with the two teenaged main female characters making it another of those fantasy series straddling the adult and teen market. There is a lot of characters, a large world and ever expanding details and history of said world and cultures that adds more depth than you'd usually find in a teen fantasy, although this does slow the story down in places. The second book was pretty good as well and I plan on reading the third soon.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

This book and series has received a huge amount of hype and has a very loyal gang of fans, so I was expecting something spectacular.
Unfortunately I was disappointed. This was a good, not great book. It was enjoyable but not unique. Another ya fantasy.
I can see why some people may adore it however it just wasn’t for me. I think my expectations were too high.

I’ve been hearing amazing things about the Witchlands series for ages, but had never picked it up. With the release of Bloodwitch, the third book in the series, in February, I decided to pick up the first book in the series. I’m kicking myself for not reading this sooner -- Truthwitch was an absolute delight and one of my favourite YA fantasies this year.

The worldbuilding in Truthwitch is unbelievably lush and gorgeous. Dennard has a real talent for creating a vast world and telling the reader everything they need to know about that world without piling on boring and distracting descriptions. She artfully weaves the different history, cultures, and settings into the narrative and you really get a full picture of the world of the Witchlands. In addition, the magic system was so clearly constructed and interesting -- I love a good magic system and this is one of my new favourites. I loved how diverse the witcheries were all while falling within a structured system. This is so clever because it allows for different kinds of power and ability within that structure, making the magic so much more interesting and diverse. I would love an encyclopedia of all the kinds of witches and powers seen in this book.

Although I love the world and story, the characters are what really shine in this book. Although there are a number of different points of view, I didn’t find one more interesting than the others. Iseult and Safi make a fantastic, completely believable team and I love that they had a strong, established friendship before the novel begins.They’re both completely individual, distinct characters but also have an absolutely delightful relationship -- I can’t get enough of these two. Iseult is my favourite character from the novel, however Aeduan is a close second. How could I not love the vicious, persistent Bloodwitch bounty hunter? It’s like he was written specifically to appeal to me. The only character I struggled with, although he eventually won me over, was Merik. I really didn’t enjoy his temper and struggle for complete control, particularly when it came to Safi. However, he began to redeem himself in my eyes as the story continued and I'm looking forward to seeing how he continues to develop as a character.

Truthwitch is an incredibly fun, deceptively complex, and promising start to this series. I was completely enthralled by the story from the first pages, and I continue to think about this book long after I finished it up. I’d highly recommend Truthwitch if you love female friendships, a diverse cast of characters, a strong magic system, or a fun, fantasy adventure.

4.5/5 stars

Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. Safiya is a powerful truthwich and many would kill or enslave her for her magic. After clashing with a powerful guild master Safinya and Iseult must flee and hide.
A great story of whiches and magic, a whole new world to delve into. It’s is a wonderfully written world and you come to love the characters.

There were a few points in this book where I got bored, namely the beginning and just before the big conflict at the end. The boring part of the beginning caused me to stop reading it for a while until I forced myself to pick it up again. Thankfully, it started getting more interesting from there - I enjoyed the relationship between the two girls versus the narration of the 'hunter' (not going to go into more detail on him in fear of spoilers!) which held a different vibe. This book had a good story line, but there was a lot of unnecessary scenes which made it a little hard to read at times. There were about 50 characters introduced at the beginning, which meant it took me until the end of the book to work out who is who. I know the author wants a well rounded world in which all characters have names, but some were just a bit pointless to the story and added confusion rather than a wider world. I did enjoy all the locations, the boat, the spring of water, one of the girls' homes. I could picture everything very well and enjoying being there with them - I just think it could have benefited from some more savage cutting. Kill your darlings as they say!

Overall it was a good read and the main characters were interesting and likeable, but I would have liked more explanation of the whole magic thing instead of adding in unnecessary characters and scenes. 3 stars.

I’d heard so much about this book but felt truly disappointed with it. The main characters were always in trouble for something and Safiya seemed to just expect Iseult to help with everything. In fact everyone just bowed down to Safiya and it was her annoying character that let the book down.

A fast paced light fantasy read full of adventure, romance and surprises, I throughly enjoyed this light fantasy and i cant wait to read the next in the series,
It might not be for every fantasy fiction die hard but still worthy of being on fantasy fiction to be read lists.

I really wanted to love this book, there was so much hype around it, but I found it so slow going, and I didn't know where I was coming or going with this book, the writing just seem to be so fractured.

I did love Iseult, I thought she was such a fantastic character, (she was the reason the book got the 2 stars rather than a 1 star).
I really wasn't a fan of Safi, I found her to be so selfish, and just led Iseult everywhere, She seemed to be such a bossy character, and just did what she wanted, no matter the consequences (hence why they were on the run in the first place).

Overall it was an OK book, and I do want to read the next one, as I really do want to love this series, so I'll give it another shot.

Safi and Iseult inadvertently make waves in a plot they know nothing about meaning the story gets off to a cracking start. Unregistered witches, hiding their powers becomes harder as they journey along.

Safi and Iseult appear to be opposites – one from an influential family and the other from a traveller tribe that’s settled down and experiences prejudice. They are both awesome characters and fabulous Threadsisters!

At the Continental Truce Summit it becomes clear that the 20 years of peace is only a pause in the war…

I enjoyed the quest when they were together and when separated. Such a tense time with the Blood Witch stalking Iseult although I have to say it was just as nerve wracking with Corlant leading the Nomatsis tribe. The antagonism between Safi and Merick singed the air. Unfinished business…

I’m in awe of the world building in Truthwitch. The legends and history that may not be the truth, the different empires and diplomats, the Origin Wells, the diverse powers of witches (and the different sensory experiences), the mercenary Carawen monks, the Cleaving; on the sea and land. So much depth. Not only did the setting feel real to me but it was so easy to get absorbed in this world, losing time 🙂

If you enjoy magic, politics, intrigue, betrayals, secrets and the best and worst of relationships you’ll love Truthwitch.

I don’t usually compare authors but I am going to say that if you’re a fan of Jen Williams you will love this world too.

I received a free ebook version of this through Netgalley. Thankyou to both the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this! My review is still honest.

Not sure how to feel about this one. I'm kind of into it, but kind of not. It could be that it's just another casualty of my waning interest in YA!
Truthwitch follows two best friends and threadsisters with special powers, on of whom can tell truth from lies and so is considered very valuable. They attract the attention of a bloodwitch, who is hired to track them down.
One thing you can say for this is that it is action packed. There's so much going on! There's always a tension and edge to the story that was really cool. I also actually was into the romance, I thought the tension was done really well and I enjoyed that love/hate thing they had going on. The female friendship was a strong point for a YA book, and there was what I thought was a good portrayal of racism in Iseult.
Despite it being so action packed, however, it took me a while to get into it and I didn't have that much interest in picking this back up. I got confused pretty often, and I read a lot of fantasy so I don't think it's me. In those action moments, I had trouble keeping track of who was where and what was going on, and what country was what. It was a bit of an infodump from the start, but this did smooth out towards the end.
Overall, I am actually satisfied by how much I enjoyed this. It may only be a 3 stars but I am actually really excited to read the sequel and I did spend quite a good day reading this.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard is a wild ride into a new world of myth and magic. Welcome to the Witchlands. Safiya and Iseult are two unusual witches. One- Safi- bears the burden of a rare type of witchery. She is a Truthwitch, her magic granting the ability to tell truth from lie. Iseult is a Threadwitch of the Nomatsi, though one who cannot create Threadstones, and cannot control her emotions like a proper Nomatsi Threadwitch. She fled her tribe years before, unable to follow in her mother's footsteps. The pair are more than just best friends. They are threadsisters. Only Heart-threads are closer.

A caper gone wrong, and a plot years in the crafting, sets the pair on a life-altering path. Pursued by a deadly Bloodwitch named Aeduan for the attempted robbery from one of the Dalmotti Guildmasters, the pair are separated when Safi's uncle Eron demands her presence at a banquet hosting the nations of the Twenty Year Truce where the Cartorran Emperor has an important announcement to make. Unwelcome due to her Nomatsi heritage, Iseult makes her way back to the Midenzi Nomatsi enclave. However, neither girl's night goes as expected. They manage to meet back up, only to be attacked by Aeduan. Rescue comes in the form of the fiery Admiral Merik of Nubrevna, much to Safi's dismay. The Admiral has a much needed trade contract dependent upon getting Safiya to the port town of Layna without her blood being spilt. Sea foxes, Bloodwitchery, and other mishaps, many created by Safi herself, make this increasingly difficult for Merik. Can he succeed in his objective or will his agreement fall to ruin?

I fell in love with this world from page one! With rich worldbuilding, and compelling characters, Dennard has opened the door to a storyworld you'll want to visit again and again. I can't believe I've not read this yet! I liked all the major characters, though I did often want to thwack Safi for making things more difficult than needed for Merik. It took her seeing Nubrevna for herself to understand just how vital the trade agreement was for him.

I hope Corlant and the Midenzi are revisited in a later book. That storythread seemed to have a major part, but it wasn't explored deeply in Truthwitch. I also want to know more about the inherited Nihar rage Merik suffers from. He seems able to control his temper for the most part, though sometimes it gets away from him. Is it related to his magic? Vivia, his sister, doesn't have the same Witchery. Nor does Kullen, Merik's threadbrother and first mate, seem to be plagued with rage. Pulmonary problems are another story… Poor Kullen. Temper aside, or possibly because of it, Merik was my favourite character. It's clear he cares for his crew and his people. He's an honourable man, and one who sticks to his word. Even when that word is to lock up Safi for disobedience that endangers his crew. He's not as heartless as she thinks at first. And Aeduan! I want to know more about him!!

I do wish we'd learned more about how Witcheries manifest in the young, how they are trained, what dictates the type of Witchery a person has. It seems a person is born with their specific brand of magic, rather than having generic magic that is then honed to specific Witcheries. The fact Merik and Vivia have magic, but different Witcheries makes it seem specific types do not follow bloodlines, though likely the predisposition towards Witchery in general does.

If you love magic and intrigue, this series is well worth checking out! Can't wait to read the next in the series!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley and Pan Macmillan/ Tor for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the start of what looks to be a promising fantasy series that will definitely act as a transition to 'heavier' fantasy series for those that have come to the genre through a young adult route.

So I loved this! Anything with lead female characters and magic and a struggle to overcome all odds is definitely my kind of book. I read this in a couple of days (sadly had to go to work) but if you like Sarah J Maas and Tamora Pierce i'd recommend this series.