Summary of Truthwitch
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 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.
*Summary from Amazon
Review
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard is the very first book I have pre-ordered in my entire life, and I am so glad I did. If you've been following my blog, you know that it's rare for me to buy a book without reading it first. For the most part, I check out a book from the library and read it a few times before I buy it. Pre-ordering a book from an author whose work I've never read before is something I never thought I would ever do. I debated over whether or not to pre-order Truthwitch for a long time but ultimately what swayed me to pre-order was the fact that I love Dennard's writing advice on her blog and this book was touted as being similar to the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.
There was a lot of hype on Twitter about Truthwtich and I can tell you after reading it that I think it is well deserved. The world building was awesome (seriously, if you like Avatar: The Last Airbender, I think you'll like all the different witcheries in this book). I loved the idea of threadsisters, threadbrothers, and heartthreads, and the fact that Iseult can see these connections between people.
The friendships between Safi and Iseult and Merrick and Kullen also reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender because the connections between characters are so strong. I especially love reading books which put just as much focus, if not even more, on friendships between girls than on the romantic love interest. Truthwitch is a wonderful example of how friendships can be just as epic as love stories.
While I did predict a few of the plot points before they happened, I don't think it took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. Dennard did a good job of providing closure at the end of the book while still setting it up for the next book in the series, which can be hard to do.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, and I didn't want it to end. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Windwitch.
