Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)

by Susan Dennard

[paperbackjedi]

“I hate this. Both the storm and the plan. Why does it have to be ‘we’? Why not just me?"

“Because ‘just me’ isn’t who we are,” Iseult hollered back. “I’ll always follow you, Safi, and you’ll always follow me. Threadsisters to the end.”

Truthwitch, at its core, is a story about unconditional friendship. We meet Safi and Iseult as they’re trying to claim their freedom and build new lives. Their friendship rings heartily and true throughout the narrative and it’s refreshing to see both characters acknowledge their own flaws and each other’s and just be like, this is what we’ve got and what we’ve got is good, even with the messiness that sometimes comes from our actions and choices. They have very much chosen each other and continue to choose each other and will always choose each other at the end of the day. I particularly like how they complement each other; Safi being the impulsive, sometimes bordering on reckless, whirlwind of a girl and Iseult with her careful eyes and analytical quiet assessing their escape routes. It’s gorgeously rendered and a good anchor for the heart of the story.

It also features a strong and impressive cast of secondary characters (who actually feel like main characters with all the attention and love their given) with their own subplots, arcs, and narratives. In fact, I’m sure a few of these characters who dart in and out of the paths of Safi and Iseult (or sometimes doggedly pursue them *cough* Aeduan *cough*) will capture your heart just as swiftly and completely (*cough* Aeudan *cough*). Truly, this cast of characters is both rich and beautifully-rendered. It’s very rare that I care about every character in a book/series, but Dennard left me with little choice in the matter here and I expect you’ll find yourself in a similar situation.

Truthwitch is masterfully crafted with Dennard weaving multiple plotlines that come in and out of scope at the exact right time, rewarding the attentive readers with moments of AHA! that come back to tie up threads left dangling for a purpose. It’s incredible how seemingly insignificant things end up tying together nicely in future events. The tension builds slowly as the world and stakes unfold in front of us, watching two girls realize their destinies are much bigger than they had imagined try and figure out how to survive the danger of them.

The world of The Witchlanders is ripe with history and culture, which is a daunting task for any author, but Dennard handles it with grace and precision. At first, readers might be a little intimidated and confused at the sheer breadth of it; the different types of witches and the magic that accompanies them, the political conflicts and intrigues playing out across the landscape, and the references to events that create the history of the universe can be a lot to take in, but I promise if you take your time and let the story breathe with you as you learn it’s shape, you will have taken the exact journey Dennard intended for you to take at the exact pace and it’ll be a truly rewarding reading experience. And that ending? Will leaving you reaching for the next volume stat. All in all, this is an excellent book that begins a series that will blow your mind and tug your heart. Don’t let the dense beginning stop you from experiencing the world of The Witchlands. It’s a complicated, magical, smart, difficult beast, but one you will love and recognize in ways that will haunt you for months after you finish reading. Good luck and enjoy, my friends, you’re in for a ride.