Sightwitch (The Witchlands, #2.5)

by Susan Dennard

[Quirky Cat]

Sightwitch is an illustrated novella that fits into the Witchlands series. It’s technically 2.5 in the series. If you haven’t read it yet, but are planning on reading Bloodwitch, I’d suggest reading it in the meantime.
Sightwitch doesn’t quite follow the established rules shown in Truthwitch and Windwitch. For one thing, it’s set in the past. For another, the perspective shifts bounce back and forth between a character we know and a character from an even more distant past that we’ve yet to be introduced to.
You can probably guess from the title that I am of course talking about Ryber. I loved Ryber in Truthwitch, and really missed her presence during Windwitch, so I was thrilled to have a chance to see more of her again. Even better, this novella teaches us more about her, her abilities, and the way she was raised.



Sightwitch was an amazing read, and it was everything I could have hoped for from a novella like this. It told me everything I wanted to know about Ryber, and even included another character I hadn’t dared hope to see.
The novella is set in the past, before the events in Truthwitch. It’s set back before Ryber had found her hearttread, to give you an idea. It shows us how she lived during this time. How she was raised, and more importantly, how the sight worked and how it was given.
Remember, the sight is the only witch ability that we know of that one doesn’t have to be born with. I had wondered about the details of it, and now I know. I will say that I was not disappointed with the explanation that I was given. If anything, the full story exceeded my expectations.
There were so many things about this novella that I loved. Besides the obvious, of course (Ryber’s presence). I love the system that was introduced for sightwitches, the way their religion worked, and especially the risks and costs that were revealed later in the novella.
The artwork for this novella was fantastic, and all credit must go to Rhys Davies for that. I love how the artwork always complemented what was on the pages; from little sketches and drawings to full maps or anything else that was better shown than described.
The gradual building of the tension was brilliantly done. I had originally picked up Sightwitch for a bit of casual reading before dinner. Before I knew it I was fully sucked into the novella, happily going hungry in exchange for knowing what happened next. Once I got into it, I just couldn’t put it down.
I’m really happy that the novella was set in the past, and in a way I kind of hope that any future novellas follow the same rule. It makes for an interesting aside. There are some characters I wouldn’t mind learning more about…
Sightwitch has made me even more anxious to read Bloodwitch, assuming something like that is even possible. But we’re almost there!


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