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eviethebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War
deb_is_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ohh I had a really good time with this. I was so hesitant to pick this up because the summary didn't sound too appealing.
First of all I think this book is a little bit of a deviation from the last. The first book had a lot of plot movement but this felt more like character journey and world expansion. I personally love that but I think quite a few other fantasy readers don't like that.
I personally love the amount of new bonds formed in this one. Merick gained a friend after losing one, Safi gained allies, and Iseult relationship with another individual transformed into something else.
Also getting Vivia's new perspective was so great. I had no love for her in book 1 but I'm glad that Dennard is giving us multi-layered individuals.
First of all I think this book is a little bit of a deviation from the last. The first book had a lot of plot movement but this felt more like character journey and world expansion. I personally love that but I think quite a few other fantasy readers don't like that.
I personally love the amount of new bonds formed in this one. Merick gained a friend after losing one, Safi gained allies, and Iseult relationship with another individual transformed into something else.
Also getting Vivia's new perspective was so great. I had no love for her in book 1 but I'm glad that Dennard is giving us multi-layered individuals.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
nytephoenyx's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
While I felt like Windwitch was scattered, I still enjoyed the book. Folks who like a solid beginning/middle/end may struggle with this second installment in Susan Dennard’s Witchland’s universe. Nevertheless, the vibrant world, interesting magic, and complex characters continue to impress and I intend to continue further into the series.
The most structured story is Merik’s. The prince was presumed dead after an explosion, and his POV storyline takes us through his quest for vengeance against his sister, Vivia, whom he presumes his murderer. We also follow Safiya and Iseult, but so much of their story takes place on the road that it takes extraordinary patience and interest to suffer through their POVs. Windwitch is primarily a bridge book, refining its characters and setting up the next big event in the series.
Susan Dennard excels in her world building. As a book with a lot of journeying, it would be easy to fall into information dumps and over-describing the landscape. Instead, she does an excellent job of surrounding us with the world and letting us uncover, bit by bit, the cultures and current politics. Fantasy is particularly vulnerable to over-description but Susan Dennard’s balance is excellent. I love the Witchlands as a fantasy world. While I’m listening, I am constantly thinking about how I can learn from her and improve my own writing.
The best part of this book was Cam. I’m not qualified to say one way or the other if they are a good representation of a transgender character, but I appreciated their existence as a principally important character. Cam’s unspoken background makes me what to learn more about what drives them. As a warning, though, they are deadnamed in the middle of the book, just once.
Should you run out and pick up a copy of Windwitch? Honestly… no. I really liked it, but a lot of my liking it has to do with my interest in the world and the fact I genuinely like Susan Dennard’s characters. Objectively, it’s not a very focused book and plot line is a really important fundamental. Nonetheless, those who enjoyed Truthwitch shouldn’t necessarily let it stop them from continuing the series. I may know that, from a technical perspective, Windwitch is not amazing. But I also really liked it. The heart wants what the heart wants.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Transphobia, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism
noxxmog_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deadnaming and War
Minor: Mental illness, Transphobia, and Fire/Fire injury
shrimpasta's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
just as good as the first read! found myself laughing at the travels of safi and vaness's gang and smiling at iseult's ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
Minor: Medical content
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 ⭐s. Oofffff things are heating up in the Witchlands!!! I'm loving this series so far, I'm so glad I picked it back up. A perfect crossover YA/adult fantasy series with the most loveable ensemble cast.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Transphobia, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and War
hawkrose18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
CAWPILE: 8.36
I really wish that it hadn't taken me so long to really get into this book because I really enjoyed the first one, but my reading slump was just not overly kind to me because I just didn't want to read. I can't wait to continue this story and see where all the characters end up. There is rep for lesbian and trans-male, but from my understanding, it was not done extremely well. For the lesbian representation, most of it is just brief mentions of a character being attracted to another, but there isn't anything that develops from that (in this book). As for the trans representation, it was not awful, but I am not an own voices reviewer in this sense so I cannot claim whether it was done well or if it harmful. The character is important and does get misgendered multiple times due to lack of a conversation on the main characters part. Overall, though, I did enjoy this book and the characters and I can't wait to see how my feelings might change in regards to the characters.
I really wish that it hadn't taken me so long to really get into this book because I really enjoyed the first one, but my reading slump was just not overly kind to me because I just didn't want to read. I can't wait to continue this story and see where all the characters end up. There is rep for lesbian and trans-male, but from my understanding, it was not done extremely well. For the lesbian representation, most of it is just brief mentions of a character being attracted to another, but there isn't anything that develops from that (in this book). As for the trans representation, it was not awful, but I am not an own voices reviewer in this sense so I cannot claim whether it was done well or if it harmful. The character is important and does get misgendered multiple times due to lack of a conversation on the main characters part. Overall, though, I did enjoy this book and the characters and I can't wait to see how my feelings might change in regards to the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder