Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)

by Susan Dennard

The first in the Witchlands series, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard is a brilliantly imagined coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Robin Hobb, Victoria Aveyard and Trudi Canavan.

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 meets Prince Merik and makes him 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.

Reviewed by Amber (The Literary Phoenix) on

4 of 5 stars

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I really enjoyed this book!

Truthwitch has a strong fanbase, although it's not as popular and hyped as Sarah J. Maas or Leigh Bardugo's novels. Still, devoted fanbases tend to signify a good book, and Truthwitch was no exception. The worldbuilding was spectacular and interesting. I really appreciated the variety of magic and the aesthetic of the setting - this did not feel like a traditional, western European-inspired fantasy. It had an oceanic feel, or Mediterranean, which a wide variety of settings. I really liked it.

The characters were fun as well. I didn't love all of them, but the banter between Safi and Iseult was a blast! The relationships between characters and their rapport was well-done. I also really enjoyed the way each character used their witcheries.

This definitely feels like the start to a series, but it was a good start with the right amount of creativity and worldbuilding. I'm here for the rest of the Witchlands series!

*As a note, I was warned by a lot of people that the narration of the audiobook wasn't great. It's definitely each to their own, but I listened at 1.25x and didn't have any problems. :) So if you're an audiobook listener, I'd say it's still worth a try!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 3 April, 2019: Finished reading
  • 3 April, 2019: Reviewed