Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)

by Susan Dennard

[Nicole Lynn]

Thoughts to come :)
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This review previously appeared on my blog, PopCrunchBoom Books.
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My Review

"She could bend and shape the world.
And it was time to do so." (p. 394)

Today's review is on the much hyped book: Truthwitch. I read this book back in February as part of a read-along! If you're interested in my Discussion Question Answers for each week you can check out the posts here: week 1, weeks 2 & 3 and week 4. Even though I shared some of my thoughts on the work in the posts mentioned above, I still wanted to review the work and give my final thoughts on the novel as a whole. So check out below for all my likes and dislikes of Truthwitch!


So this book definitely had major hype surrounding it. All I keep thinking of is the mad dash at BEA last year for people to grab an ARC of it. It was cray cray! Any way, as I mentioned above, I was super excited that someone was hosting a read along just after I had purchased the book. Reading a few chapters a week and then answering some discussion questions really helped me absorb the book and enjoy reading it.


Truthwitch follows two best friends, Safiya and Iseult and their life (mainly mishaps and adventures) in the Witchlands. Safiya is a truthwitch, which she, Iseult and their mentors, strive to keep secret so that her powers are not taken advantaged of. In order for that not to happen, Safiya and Iseult are driven to various paths and experiences. They both encounter people from their past as well as new allies. They also make multiple enemies. In the first book of the Witchlands series, Susan Dennard introduces readers to a new world with two strong female characters that you're rooting for from the start!

By the end of the book, I really ended up enjoying this story. I haven't read fantasy in forever and I was super excited to jump back into the genre with this read. And while I wasn't disappointed with the book, I wasn't going cray cray over it either. It was just a relatively fast-paced, enjoyable fantasy read for me. I will most definitely be continuing on with the rest of the series, but I wouldn't call this an all time favorite of mine.

With that all said, Dennard does a lot of things really well with this story. I felt the world building was really well done, especially since she didn't rush too much into all the other lands or 'witch powers.' I felt she really eased that information into the book. Additionally, she wrote really strong main characters. Both Safi and Iseult were distinct in their voices and personalities (I'm very much more like Iseult!). I loved how they balanced each other and how they each have their own individual storylines/story arcs. Safi and Iseult definitely have growing to do, but I'm excited to see that growth. I think a lot of the growth they have to do has to do with their co-dependency on each other. While I super duper dig the friendship and bond both the girls have, I definitely think that they need to learn to survive without each other and grow stronger individually--which Dennard does a great job of introducing by the end of this book.

The secondary characters were strong as well. I loved seeing the different Witchland powers through these characters--both "good" and "evil." There was some definite twists with these secondary characters and I loved seeing the multiple layers to them. Not every book makes secondary characters so multi-layered or developed and I really applaud Dennard for doing so with her characters. I can't wait to learn more about these secondary characters - Merik, Aeduan, Prince Leopold, and Kullen--and see what future roles they'll be playing this series!

The only real problem I had with this book was the switching points of views (POVs). I don't mind swapping POVs, but I felt like too many people were telling the story. While mainly the POV was from either Safi or Iseult, the POV also shifted to Merik, Aeduan, and Leopold. I think one or two others might also have had some time as the narrator. Either way it just seemed like a lot for me and I would have preferred less shifting POVs. I definitely understand why Dennard chose to include so many shifting POVs. It definitely allows for more insight into the characters and their actions/motivations, but it just threw me as a reader. With this said, this was really only a minor overall problem for me.

In the end, I'm excited to read more in this series! I'm definitely happy I picked up this book and also for taking part in the read along this past February. Depending on when the next book is due out, I might reread this before it releases (like I did for the Harry Potter books). However, right now it's still fresh in my mind so it will most likely stay sitting on my shelf looking all pretty ;) I most definitely recommend this to any YA lover especially if you're into fantasy! This was such a great jump back into the fantasy genre (as a whole) for me and I can't wait to read more of the genre!