natcommon's review against another edition
3.0
Not what I expected, it could have used more world building and a stronger beginning. I will try Windwitch to see if I want to continue the series.
Edit: read half of Windwitch and I’m DNFing the series. It’s not for me.
Edit: read half of Windwitch and I’m DNFing the series. It’s not for me.
roseybot's review against another edition
4.0
Hmmm. So obviously I had some troubles with this book given it took me three goes at it to get into it. I liked the world building, but found Safi and Isuelt to be too similiar in voice and it made me fairly confused about what on earth was happening most of the time.
I think the last 75% of the book really makes up for the beginning (... the first thank you is to Sarah J. Maas, who also seems to have this problem, SO I'M NOT SURPRISED), but unlike some people (*coughsjmcough*) I feel alright with it. Probably because the characters weren't flat as cardboard.
They still weren't AMAZING, mind you, but they were... fine.
I think I will read the next one, cause the world building was totally cool, and since I didn't want to murder anyone by the end (Aeduan was my favorite character tralalala) I feel alright with it.
///
I wanted to like this, I really did. But it's not working for me. I have tried starting it three times now, and each time it confuses me too much to keep going. I'm putting it down for now, and maybe I'll pick it up again, but probably not. Sadly, cause it looked like it was gonna be good.
I think the last 75% of the book really makes up for the beginning (... the first thank you is to Sarah J. Maas, who also seems to have this problem, SO I'M NOT SURPRISED), but unlike some people (*coughsjmcough*) I feel alright with it. Probably because the characters weren't flat as cardboard.
They still weren't AMAZING, mind you, but they were... fine.
I think I will read the next one, cause the world building was totally cool, and since I didn't want to murder anyone by the end (Aeduan was my favorite character tralalala) I feel alright with it.
///
I wanted to like this, I really did. But it's not working for me. I have tried starting it three times now, and each time it confuses me too much to keep going. I'm putting it down for now, and maybe I'll pick it up again, but probably not. Sadly, cause it looked like it was gonna be good.
maiamatson's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like Truthwitch. The books start is strong and the middle entertaining. However, as the book pulls to a close I lost interest. The moment were three of our main ch come together and secrets are revealed fell flat for me. I will probably come back to this and give it another try because I love the start so much. But for now Truthwitch remains an average read.
rache1p's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bigbear73's review against another edition
1.0
Actually DNF - had to step away and realized I had no desire to pick it up again.
a_ghostintheroom's review against another edition
5.0
I honestly started this book skeptical, thinking it would read too much like one written from the author's best friend, Sarah J. Maas, but I began to get pulled in by the twisting plot and truly exciting direction it took off in. I don't do this often, so I consider it high praise, but I'll be waiting eagerly for book two.
faraway84z's review against another edition
The narrator does odd voices for the characters and then speaks in a regular American accent. Very distracting, I'll read the ebook instead.
everthereader's review against another edition
4.0
Review Posted On Marvelous Eden of Books
Spoiler Free Review:
So,Susan Dennard being Sarah J. Maas's best friend, I was interested in seeing what her best friend had to offer. By the time I got to it, there were many negative and positive reviews floating around. After all the hype died down, I gave it a try and really liked it.
The writing style was very reminiscent of Sarah J Maas's writing, but it was still unique. One of my favorite aspects were that there were multiple perspectives. There was even chapters on the villain, Aeduan who was an exceptionally interesting perspective to read from. Typically, in most books I read, there are only chapters on one or two charcters, but we got multiple perspective and I loved being inside all of their heads.
The world building was also wonderfully fleshed out, but it was extremely confusing in the beginning. As many people mentioned, a glossary would have been so helpful. There was a crap ton of witches that controlled so many different elements, it was hard to keep up. I definitely found the world to be interesting to read about and how everything was run. I also liked how a part of the book took place on a ship. There were quite a few fighting scenes on the ship and it was freaking awesome.
Safiya fon Hasstrel was quite the stubborn,reckless character. She reminded me of Celaena, but like I said, this is different from Throne of Glass. I wasn't the hugest fan of her towards the beginning, but in the end, she totally made up for it and I really loved her character. I liked how even though she was a great fighter, she was also very intelligent, especially her decision towards the end. But I'll admit, I probably liked Iseult a little better. She was more insecure and not as determined, but I liked that about her. She reminded me of Ashyn from Age of Legends Trilogy By Kelley Armstrong. But unlike Ashyn, she wasn't thrown to the side and we got to see a lot of her backstory and her thought process. The friendship between these two characters was probably the best part of the book. There were both so loyal to each other and it was like they were each other's other half. The two weren't complete without each other. Female friendships, any strong friendship in general, is an amazing element in any book.
Prince Merik was yet another interesting character. Knowing he was a Windwitch, I expected to be an adorable cinnamon roll character. Yeah, he's far away from the cinnamon let's not even bring the roll in. He's more of a hot and spicy sauce. Merik definitely gave me the Prince Zuko vibes from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's the Sifu Hotman in case you're wondering: (You know with the burnt left eye)
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Yeah, that pretty much summed up Merik. He had quite a bit of pent up rage. It was intriguing to read from such an angry person and I surprisingly liked him? I didn't at first, I'm over the brooding (ish), anger issues dude. But, because of Zuko, I couldn't help but appreciate his character. Then there was the evil sister, Vivia who not surprisingly, wanted the throne. I mean, anyone else getting the Princess Azula vibes? 'Cause I sure am.
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We didn't get to see much of Princess Vivia, but she's another interesting character. Honestly would not be surprised if Susan Dennard got a bit of inspiration from ATLA.
Finally, we have our supposed villain, Aeduan. Honestly, I have not read about a good villain in quite a while, so reading about Ayudan really had me ecstatic. He was honorable, surprise, surprise (Yes, that was a Zuko reference, can you tell?). Aeduan is an extremely fascinating character and very well crafted. I'm really intrigued about his backstory. Highlight for spoiler: I am really, really hoping he has a redemption arc, please Susan Dennard.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I can't wait to see what the sequel brings, I've heard that it focuses more on Princey Poo Merik, so that has me excited. ;D
Rating: 4/5
Spoiler Free Review:
So,Susan Dennard being Sarah J. Maas's best friend, I was interested in seeing what her best friend had to offer. By the time I got to it, there were many negative and positive reviews floating around. After all the hype died down, I gave it a try and really liked it.
The writing style was very reminiscent of Sarah J Maas's writing, but it was still unique. One of my favorite aspects were that there were multiple perspectives. There was even chapters on the villain, Aeduan who was an exceptionally interesting perspective to read from. Typically, in most books I read, there are only chapters on one or two charcters, but we got multiple perspective and I loved being inside all of their heads.
The world building was also wonderfully fleshed out, but it was extremely confusing in the beginning. As many people mentioned, a glossary would have been so helpful. There was a crap ton of witches that controlled so many different elements, it was hard to keep up. I definitely found the world to be interesting to read about and how everything was run. I also liked how a part of the book took place on a ship. There were quite a few fighting scenes on the ship and it was freaking awesome.
Safiya fon Hasstrel was quite the stubborn,reckless character. She reminded me of Celaena, but like I said, this is different from Throne of Glass. I wasn't the hugest fan of her towards the beginning, but in the end, she totally made up for it and I really loved her character. I liked how even though she was a great fighter, she was also very intelligent, especially her decision towards the end. But I'll admit, I probably liked Iseult a little better. She was more insecure and not as determined, but I liked that about her. She reminded me of Ashyn from Age of Legends Trilogy By Kelley Armstrong. But unlike Ashyn, she wasn't thrown to the side and we got to see a lot of her backstory and her thought process. The friendship between these two characters was probably the best part of the book. There were both so loyal to each other and it was like they were each other's other half. The two weren't complete without each other. Female friendships, any strong friendship in general, is an amazing element in any book.
Prince Merik was yet another interesting character. Knowing he was a Windwitch, I expected to be an adorable cinnamon roll character. Yeah, he's far away from the cinnamon let's not even bring the roll in. He's more of a hot and spicy sauce. Merik definitely gave me the Prince Zuko vibes from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's the Sifu Hotman in case you're wondering: (You know with the burnt left eye)
Yeah, that pretty much summed up Merik. He had quite a bit of pent up rage. It was intriguing to read from such an angry person and I surprisingly liked him? I didn't at first, I'm over the brooding (ish), anger issues dude. But, because of Zuko, I couldn't help but appreciate his character. Then there was the evil sister, Vivia who not surprisingly, wanted the throne. I mean, anyone else getting the Princess Azula vibes? 'Cause I sure am.
We didn't get to see much of Princess Vivia, but she's another interesting character. Honestly would not be surprised if Susan Dennard got a bit of inspiration from ATLA.
Finally, we have our supposed villain, Aeduan. Honestly, I have not read about a good villain in quite a while, so reading about Ayudan really had me ecstatic. He was honorable, surprise, surprise (Yes, that was a Zuko reference, can you tell?). Aeduan is an extremely fascinating character and very well crafted. I'm really intrigued about his backstory. Highlight for spoiler: I am really, really hoping he has a redemption arc, please Susan Dennard.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I can't wait to see what the sequel brings, I've heard that it focuses more on Princey Poo Merik, so that has me excited. ;D
Rating: 4/5
mabs_grace's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I know this was technically a reread for me but only the first 4 chapters were at all familiar…
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
The minute I knew that Susan Dennard was going to be writing another book it was on my to be read shelf. First, I loved her Something Strange and Deadly series. Second, she writes fantastic stories. Third, this book has elemental magic with a wide variety of characters. If I had to guess, this was the most wanted book at BEA and I happened to be one of the lucky ones who got my hands on a copy. I forced myself to hold off on reading it for a few months because I am an impatient reader by which I mean, the second I finished this, I knew I was going to want book two in my hands. I’m fairly positive my review will not do this book justice so if you take one thing from the details below, let it be the fact that you NEED to read it.
Truthwitch opens immediately with action and Dennard carries that throughout the entire book. From the very first page I was pulled into Safiya and Iseult’s story. I loved that both of these character’s points of views were covered and they are equally main characters to this book even though we do get more of one than the other, I thought they were set up to be equally important…if that makes sense.
It is easy to see why these two get along as they truly do balance each other out. Where Safiya tends to act rashly and figure things out when she realizes she’s in trouble, Iseult is the cool headed one that tries to think things through and ultimately helps Safiya get out of tight situations. The friendship between these two is fantastic and it was great to see how these two were willing to do whatever they needed to in order to keep each other safe.
I found the magic in this book interesting. You have a threadwitch, a truthwitch, a windwitch, a bloodwitch…and so many more I am sure. I loved learning about the structure of the world that Dennard has built out here and centered around the magic. The world itself is structured well and the segmentation that Dennard has built out between the types of magic and people made it interesting. Whether the characters were running through a city, floating on a boat, or trekking through unfamiliar territory, the descriptions and world building was fantastic.
There are a number of other characters in this series and I don’t want to say so much but I’m excited to learn more about how all of them will connect. Already in book one there are some paths crossing that I didn’t see coming and some characters that were introduced had limited page time and I can’t wait to learn more about them. It would be remiss of me to not mention the boys in this book…especially Prince Merik. I thought he was fantastic. His introduction to Safiya was perfect and then as the story continued to progress, I couldn’t wait for more of the interactions between them. He is also more than just a potential love interest as he has a motivation and story which I loved.
So I don’t want to say too much about the actual story because I don’t want to give anything away. I think from the first few chapters you will start to see what is going on. I am so excited that Dennard has created another amazing series and I can’t wait to read what she writes next. Take my word for it, this book has something for everyone. There is magic, action, fantastic characters, an intriguing story, and some romantic tension…and, and, and. I could probably go on and on here but I won’t. Instead I will encourage you to get a copy of this book when you can while I sit over here waiting for 2017 to roll around so I can get my hands on book two.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
Truthwitch opens immediately with action and Dennard carries that throughout the entire book. From the very first page I was pulled into Safiya and Iseult’s story. I loved that both of these character’s points of views were covered and they are equally main characters to this book even though we do get more of one than the other, I thought they were set up to be equally important…if that makes sense.
It is easy to see why these two get along as they truly do balance each other out. Where Safiya tends to act rashly and figure things out when she realizes she’s in trouble, Iseult is the cool headed one that tries to think things through and ultimately helps Safiya get out of tight situations. The friendship between these two is fantastic and it was great to see how these two were willing to do whatever they needed to in order to keep each other safe.
I found the magic in this book interesting. You have a threadwitch, a truthwitch, a windwitch, a bloodwitch…and so many more I am sure. I loved learning about the structure of the world that Dennard has built out here and centered around the magic. The world itself is structured well and the segmentation that Dennard has built out between the types of magic and people made it interesting. Whether the characters were running through a city, floating on a boat, or trekking through unfamiliar territory, the descriptions and world building was fantastic.
There are a number of other characters in this series and I don’t want to say so much but I’m excited to learn more about how all of them will connect. Already in book one there are some paths crossing that I didn’t see coming and some characters that were introduced had limited page time and I can’t wait to learn more about them. It would be remiss of me to not mention the boys in this book…especially Prince Merik. I thought he was fantastic. His introduction to Safiya was perfect and then as the story continued to progress, I couldn’t wait for more of the interactions between them. He is also more than just a potential love interest as he has a motivation and story which I loved.
So I don’t want to say too much about the actual story because I don’t want to give anything away. I think from the first few chapters you will start to see what is going on. I am so excited that Dennard has created another amazing series and I can’t wait to read what she writes next. Take my word for it, this book has something for everyone. There is magic, action, fantastic characters, an intriguing story, and some romantic tension…and, and, and. I could probably go on and on here but I won’t. Instead I will encourage you to get a copy of this book when you can while I sit over here waiting for 2017 to roll around so I can get my hands on book two.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!