Author: Susan Dennard
Book Summary:
“In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its
fate in their hands.Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.
Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.
In a chance encounter at Court, Safi makes a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.”
Safiya is the high-bred hot-headed
side of this dynamic duo, and it comes as no surprise to her Threadsister,
Iseult, when they find themselves in the midst of danger. Again. When
a terrifying Bloodwitch catches the scent of Safi’s blood, it becomes clear;
the secret of her magic might finally be revealed. In a desperate attempt to stay together and
escape discovery, they rush to outrun the Bloodwitch. When Safi’s drunk Uncle decides to pay an
unexpected visit, these best friends must find a way to navigate the hurdles of
political society while protecting the only thing that matters to them: each
other.
I really love the premise for Truthwitch: two best friends who can
seriously KICK SOME BUTT and a wild pursuit across the lands (and seas!) What’s
not to love about that? Throw in some
amazing magic, smoldering men, and the constant threat of war after a 20 year
respite and, Yikes, I had to get my hands on this one!
After actually reading this book, I
am confused as to how I should feel. Excited?
Check. Confused? Check. Frustrated?
Check. Now this review is hard to put into words
because I absolutely love SO many things about this story… and yet, there are
parts that just leave me standing around looking for the actual story.
What I struggle with in the story is
twofold. The first problem is that there
is so much new information presented to the reader at all times. There are powers, witches, types of
Threadconnections (Threadsister, Heartthread, etc), names, titles, places,
dates, war history, and different supernatural objects and events. Normally, this would be difficult to keep
track of BUT, when each chapter follows a different character and what is
happening to them, there is all of this information overload multiplied by 3. It's exhausting, and there are sooo many pages that require looking back to
earlier parts of the book just to get the names straight or to try and figure
out who was talking! The second problem,
is with Safi’s magic. It is not obvious why
it is considered so super special. This
could be a result of the aforementioned confusion about most of the
world-building, but it is hard to understand why Iseult can’t also detect
deception with her ability to see threads. With the magic of seeing threads, she can tell
when people are nervous or frightened and that sounds like a very useful tool towards
detecting deception—it’s what we try to rely on today with modern lie
detectors. Taking this into account,
coupled with the fact that Safi’s gift can be confused if the speaker BELIEVES
they are telling the truth, her whole gift seems filled with problems.
Aside from the inability to keep all
the places and names straight and a lack of understanding of the extent of the various
powers, I really do LOVE many things about this book. The friendship that the two girls display is
undeniable and powerful. This is so raw
and right that I can’t help but connect with it. This is the type of friendship that is instantly
relatable to anyone who has ever had a close best friend and the envy of those
who haven't. Everything about their
friendship is glorious. The way they both
sacrifice themselves for the other person and place their friendship over
romance. *Sigh*
Another thing that I adore about
this book is the uniquely identifiable personality for each of the characters. With each person's perspective, I feel myself shift and step into their
mindset and problems. I distinctly hear
each character’s voice and love watching each of these personalities mesh and
clash throughout the book! Overall, this
story is a brilliant new addition to the fantasy world, and I cannot wait to
experience the next chapter. (Especially
now that I have some terms under my belt!)
The Cover:
I give Truthwitch a 3.5 out of 5 hearts: Good Book
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