The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of the Something Strange and Deadly series!
On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery,” a magical skill that sets them apart from others.
In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble–as two desperate young women know all too well.
Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to … well.
Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.
Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her–but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.
Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.
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This book is action packed from page one and pretty much stays that way until it’s conclusion. It stars two ‘sisters’ who are somewhat oblivious to the world they live in but over the course of the story mature into the heroines you want them to be. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.
It was one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. Susan is an excellent world builder and story teller. In Ireland we would call her a Seanchaí: story teller of old. You absolutely need to read this series!
I really, really enjoyed this book.
To be honest it took me a good 50-75 pages to get into the world and understand it. But once I was past that I loved it.
I loved the world she created even though it took me a bit to get into it but I loved the characters even more. We do get multiple POVs in this book and that really made it so much better.
I really enjoyed the strong female lead and their friendship above all. I also loved that even we get a few guys in, that they don’t have to take over the story and war.
I love Safi and Iseult. I love that they both have strengths and weaknesses, which they are very aware of and play of each other. It comes up in their banter a lot. Both of them have snark, which is really enjoyable and made for few laugh out loud moments.
I really enjoyed seeing some things from Iseult’s POV with her as a threadwitch, it was really fun to see what she sees.
Aeduan, was my bae in this book and I wished we would have gotten more of him and his sneaky thinking, I’m also curious to learn more about his background and his family but even more so his history with Evrane, I think there is more than we are led to believed.
Speaking of Evrane to be honest I dint fully trust her in the beginning but I really did enjoy her and what she brought to this book.
Merik, my admiral / prince was also my bae I enjoyed him way too much. He was one of the few who didn’t have a fair deal in this book and had to deal with a lot of crap. I loved his humor but also his honor. I think what I enjoyed the most about him was his relationship with his crew.
Kullen we don’t get much of him but what we get I loved and made a big impact on the book and story.
Overall I really loved this book and the characters and was happy that I already had book two handy since it does leave you with a semi cliffhanger.
This book had everything I love in a book, strong female lead with a strong friendship, lots of action, humor and even more twist and turns.
I only give it 4 because it took me a while to get into the world but after that I absolutely loved it and pretty much devoured this book.
Incredible start to a series that I’ve been hearing is fantastic – I am so late to the party with this one, but glad I have several books to read in it now, so I don’t have to wait. Just amazing world-building and characters.
What an interesting novel. It’s a fresh story that offers readers a unique experience as they delve into this mystical land of witchery and political intrigue. The worldbuilding is magnificent and the world is truly unique because here there are some a world where magic is available to select people, not for any reason other than genetics. It’s not used as a separation of classes but rather a separation of trades. It’s such a small detail in the world defining, but its this one quality that is excellent in shaping the world that this story is being told in. There’s a danger to having rare witchery, and distain for not being strong enough in a witchery. It’s a nice element in the plotline that gives the internal narratives some added tension and dimension.
There’s also something to be said about the characters in the novel. Safiyah is amazing because she has this almost Robin Hood like feel to her. She’s a high-born woman but she hates that role in her life. She’s a very tomboyish and spunky character, with the attitude of a cat. Her tone and actions make her such a vibrant and spunky character, making the reader invested in her. Iseult is the perfect foil for her, more tempered, thoughtful and strategic. Of course, both characters have their flaws, everyone is flawed, which is part of what makes this novel riveting. They come off as more realistic in the fantasy novel.
As for the pace of the novel, it’s a fast-paced novel. From the opening chapter, the characters are on the run, And the story progresses to follow these characters on the run. But the reasoning evolves, the method changes, and then the political drama creates intrigue for the characters, plots within plots.
The story evolves, over the course of 400-pages the story evolves, and the characters grow. There’s humor, action, and the character dynamics are rich and vibrant. The subtext in the scenes give the overall plotline dimension and makes those few scenes really stand out for the reader and give some history to the characters. It never slows down so the reader is glued to the pages because everything just happens bam-bam-bam, which is amazing. The writing is solid enough that the reader can’t get lost in the details. So overall, it’s a great starter to a new series.
I enjoyed this one.
4.5 stars but rounded up for a good general, all-over storyline. The blood and violence (mostly with the Cleaved) wasn’t really my thing, but I enjoyed the characters—even the Bloodwitch villain and his point of view. He was nicely rounded; I really liked that plot thread and his character development. There were a number of twists and turns throughout, and lots of fantasy action with “sea foxes” and other various unique elements and abilities. The worldbuilding was nicely detailed. I liked the Voicewitches, who kind of acted like telephones to contact other people in far-off places. I enjoyed the deep friendship between Safi and Iseult, as well as between Merik and Kullen. Some plot threads were tied up at the end; the rest were left for a sequel.
I wish I had read this sooner. Upside is that I don’t have to wait for the next book since it’s up to book three. Even better is that I shared my second copy with my own Threadsister and we got to read this together (and we both loved it)
At first I really wasn’t sure how I was feeling. I want to say for maybe the first quarter ( take this measurement with a grain of salt…I can read. I can’t do math. LoL) it was slow but not slow. I was trying to gather information. The world, the people, the magic system ( which I love btw), But once it kicked into high gear for me…it kept going and did not stop.
The characters are not without flaws (which is fine. I personally don’t want to read a book where every character is perfect nor where everyone is a complete fool. I’m looking for flaws but also growth within the characters). Safiya is kind of reckless. She just does things without thinking anything through (being young and reckless is normal. IRL and in fantasy) and it isn’t until she sees someone hurt or the mess her actions cause does she really begin to grasp that she is absolutely the cause of half of the messes she’s in. Iseult is her best friend and the opposite of Safi. I felt that they balanced each other out. Something that did frustrate me was that neither of these girls really tapped into the potential of their witchery. They could absolutely fight though. I felt that Dennard was heading in the direction of growth through out the book so hopefully that gets expanded in the next books.
I loved the twists and turns. I was also really surprised by a couple of the side characters. I don’t need a book for every one of them but I definitely want to see them more or get more backstory on them.
My FAVORITE thing though? All the women were kick ass
This review MAY contain spoilers.
This was such a masterpiece! Dennard weaves an impressive tale of adventure, friendship, and hope that was such a pleasure to experience. This is my first Dennard book and I am now a lifelong fan!
The world building is just gorgeous! It is intricate, layered, and a thrill to experience through the pages. The magic system that is presented in this book is complex and well thought out. The plot is very driven by the different countries and empires this world is made of. There are a lot of world-specific terms and different languages. I really admire Dennard for her creativity where the world building is concerned. The only criticism that I have is that the world building almost seemed too much at times. Especially at the beginning of the story. This wasn’t a deal breaker by any means, but a simple dictionary or guide at the back of the book would have solved this completely.
The characters in this book are extremely noteworthy. I love the different backgrounds they have and the way that their chemistry is when they all come together. It is an interesting and magical mix of personalities. I also love that the characters are complicated and full of flaws and skills alike. I love the powerful concept of friendship that shows up throughout the book.
I loved the slow burn romance. The one trope that I am usually not on board with is instalove. Thank that stars that there was none of that in this book. The author provided enough emotion-jarring scenes to give the reader the right amount of feels. The romance was attraction, rage, vexation, and respect. It was a coming together after seeing someone for all of their strengths and faults. I am eager to see what blossoms forth in the next book.
The plot was really outstanding. The foreshadowing was written into the story beautifully, and I can only imagine that things will pop up in the next book that were hinted at in this one. There are so many pieces on the board, and Dennard plays them all with a clever prowess. She reveals just enough to make you want to read more and connect the dots. I like where the story is going and how it was shaped throughout the book. And that ending definitely makes the reader want to continue to the next book.
Overall, this was an exciting story with plenty of adventure and mystery. The fantasy world is immensely creative and will draw you right into the story. The characters are instantly likable and really grow on your heart the more that you read. If I had to describe this title by comparing to other books series I would say it is a combination of The Grisha Trilogy and the Throne of Glass series. If you like either of those series or books like them then I have no doubt that you will love this one as well!