Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Truthwitch
The Witchlands: Book One
Written by Susan Dennard
Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic
Published January 5th 2016 by Tor Teen
Add to Goodreads
★.5
In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

WARNING: UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME.

Kynndra's Thoughts

My dislike for this book is actually very high. I'd use the word hate, but I think that should be reserved for things that actually deserve hate. It was quite honestly nothing but a huge disappointment for me due to the fact that months prior to its release date, it was already receiving rave reviews. Everyone and their mothers had seen or heard of the infamous Truthwitch, it was praised in every direction on nearly every bookish platform. To be blunt, I just don't understand why it received such an astounding amount of praise. If I hadn't been buddy reading it, I would have dropped it at 5%. And I understand, we all have our opinions but hell this one was genuinely not all that great for me.

This is a fantasy novel, which means there should be a fair amount of worldbuilding. You should know where you are in the novel - you should know the important chunks of history. But you don't get that with Truthwitch. Perhaps I just wasn't paying attention (unlikely, but hey I'm only human). Perhaps I missed something. But I felt completely and utterly lost in what is known as the Witchlands.. I didn't know where the hell the characters were for about 60% of the novel. I didn't know why the world was the way it was. We get some unestablished factoid about some twenty year truce and some starving land and that's just about it. It was the most underdeveloped world I have yet to read in fantasy.

ASDFGH. THE CHARACTERS. Okay first off, let me say that these characters have such complicated names. I just called them by the breed of witch they were. I deleted the book off my ereader (I disliked it so much I had to free up the memory, whoops) But for the sake of this review I might seek out their names. First off: the MC, Special Snowflake herself, Safiya was a carbon copy of all those destined for great things kinda girl. She was bland. She was forgettable. Even her ability was lame as frick. She can tell when someone tells the truth and when they lie. Her magic purrrs to her guys. SO LAAAAME. I'd ask for a refund on my witchery tbh.

Speaking of witches and their abilities - THERE WERE SO MANY FUCKING TYPES OF WITCHES. Yet little to no information on what they can actually DO. Seriously. If you're going to have magical beings, actually have a concrete basis on their powers. Such little info actually hurts my fantasy loving soul. The only wicked or even slightly interesting character was the Bloodwitch (yoo no idea what his name is - Auden? Auiadan?). Other than him I personally didn't find Merik or Iseult engaging whatsoever.

The writing itself wasn't half bad, though it wasn't anything I would consider unique. I enjoyed a few of the action scenes, but due to some contract our special snowflake Safi can *never* get hurt which made my ability to suspend belief blow out the window. The plot however, was poorly established and.. unexciting? I can't begin to imagine how this will become a four book series. Which brings me to the ending of the book. It was rushed, confusing and all around baffling.

Although, I am not totally put off by this book. Near the midsection there were a few bits that kind of made me want to read the sequel when it comes out. I like to know what happens in a story, even if I'm not the biggest fan of it. We shall see, maybe I'll have forgotten I cared a year from now.

In Conclusion

I wish I never read this book. Imagine you couldn't swim. You were never taught. But one day, someone grabs you and throws you in the deep end and expects you to understand whats going on. That's how I felt when I read this. It felt more like a second or third book. I believe if Dennard had fleshed out her world, the witches and made the characters less generic I and Truthwitch may have gotten on better. But alas, that is not so and this book was sadly a waste of my slow turtle-like reading time. But hell, it's gotten so many praises that it seems I'm the odd man out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kynndra is currently sad because it has snowed, but she's sure it'll melt soon.


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38 comments

  1. When I first looked at your rating, I thought I was seeing things LOL! You're scaring me, Kynndra! I have this book sitting on my shelf. I bought it because, ugh, I fell into the hype, but I've been TERRIFIED to read it. And now you have just made that feeling worse. But ... thank you! I'm going to keep this in mind, and when I finally decide to read it, perhaps I'll be prepared for the confusing bits? I hate confusing fantasies, though. I mean, I guess they are all a little confusing at first, but being confused until the very end is no good. No good at all. I'm sorry you hated it, but I loved your review! :D

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    1. Ha! I honestly don't rate very many books low. I have to really not like them. I really did not enjoy Truthwitch unfortunately. I've seen so many people fall into the hype, and while that's alright - I genuinely don't think that this book deserved half of what it got. I'm sorry I have made you scared to read it ;_; I somehow hope that there's a miracle and you enjoy it a lot more than I did. It was so disappointing that the world was so confusing. Thanks so much, Sarah!

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  2. Honestly let's be real.. I bought it because of the hype as well *puts head into lap* I"M SORRRYYYY!!! After seeing this review, it's kind of making me want to take this book from my shelf and throw it on the floor a billion times. I don't like fantasy books that don't follow the fantasy book rule. Thanks so much for sharing but I don't think I"ll be getting to this book... anytime soon.

    Alex // The Book's Buzz

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    1. Shh sh. It's alright, Alex. I read this one due to the hype + buddy reading it too. Lmaoo if I had a physical copy, I would have probably donated it or gave it to a homeless person by now (sorry, not sorry). I dislike fantasy that doesn't follow those rules either tbh. I wish I could prod you with well wishes, but the best I can say is that I hope you liked it a helluva lot more than I did! xP

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  3. I'm the odd woman out too Kynn, this book confused the fuck out of me. I felt like I'd been dropped in the middle of a storyline and left to work it out for myself. I thought the writing was decent too, but you just couldn't engage with it due to being so overwhelmed. I love authors who want to try something new, but for me this was just a mess and I ditched it before I could even reach a quarter of the way through. Brilliant review, I can feel your paaaaaaain.

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    1. Oh my fuckery, I know Kells. It was such shit, wasn't it? No disrespect to the author or anything, but this book really needed some help imo. I can't help but wonder what world the fans were in because I just didn't understand any of the hype. Thanks so much, bub <3 I promise you didn't miss a thing.

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  4. You're definitely not the only one who thought this book was crap and didn't deserve the hype. I was very wary of it because I HATED how her other series ended and also the hype was so crazy, it pushed me away. I'm so proud of myself for staying away, because this book would bother me so much. Especially the world building. It makes me so mad when I don't understand the world a book is set in. It makes me feel dumb as fuck and I don't feeling like that. And the characters sound super boring as well. I'm sorry this sucked balls, Kynn! On to the next book!
    Have you read The Impostor Queen? That was a fab fantasy book, imo! :)

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    1. AGGGH I WISH I HAD BEEN SMART LIKE YOU, NICK. I wasted so much reading time on this book, and while I respect that a lot of people loved it - I just can't bring myself to understand what the hell those people read that I didn't read. Kudo's to you for staying away Nick, seriously you dodged a bullet for sure!

      OOH no, I've heard of it but I have yet to read it. Will def have to get my hands on it soon.

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  5. Oh my gosh, this is the first negative review I've seen! And I've gotta say, I'm so glad I saw it! I wrote a positive review for it...but in hindsight I really disliked reading it! I definitely agree - it was filled with stereotypes, instalove, and the world building was just not up to par with previous fantasy books I've read before! Good on you for speaking your mind, Kynn!

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    1. Is it really? I'll admit I was so nervous to write a negative review for the almighty Truthwitch. It has a huge fanbase it seems (I don't understand it, but hell what do I know?) So I can understand your predicament, Geraldine. It was garbage in terms of fantasy if you ask me. Total letdown in all aspects you mentioned. Glad to see I'm not solo on that thought! Thanks a lot c:

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  6. When I first heard about this, I wanted to read it. And then ALL THE HYPE happened and I most certainly did not want to read it! Talk about putting me off a book, jesus. There was a massive overflow of 'omgzz this book is so goooood guuuuys read it!' that I would rather read my marine biology textbook (which I fell asleep reading earlier today lol)

    But I got a copy anyway. I'm not expecting much from it, because really. It doesn't sound like it was thought out very well (despite 99% of the bookish population loving it - did they really or were they swayed by a popular opinion?)

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    1. SAME WATTLE, SAME. I was so ready for this book when I heard about it in August. But then the following months there was a torrential onslaught of hype that just made me cringe. Some promotion for a book is just too much if you ask me. Truthwitch was already on my nerves before I read it. I lowkey think it was popular opinion swaying their minds, either that or I'm just a grouchy moose. Could be that. But I doubt it. I look forward to hearing what you think when you get around to reading it!

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  7. Yikes. I never did buy into the hype that Truthwitch was selling to begin with because of the fact that witches aren't my thing. And reading underwhelming reviews after its release only sealed it for me. I hate the exaggerated build up of a character's powers that never comes through. And the fact that the world building was lacklustre doesn't help its cause. I'm so glad I was determined to give this one a pass. Good luck with your next read, Kynndra.

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    1. You're a lucky one, that you are Joy. The exaggerated build up is what really got to me. It was so blown out of proportion to make the MC look special when really all she did was jack shit. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to you personally. You dodged a bad egg for sure imo. Thanks so much, Joy <3 you too.

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  8. Ah, weird books like that have the best reviews though! XD It sounds like it was hell trying to read it. I can't believe it's getting so much hype - which is sort of self-prophesying, I guess. Books that receive a lot of hype almost always end up worse than what you expect, but it seems like this one just took the biscuit.

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    1. SO TRUUE. 100% TRUE, MAWA. It was absolute hell dragging my eyes across the pages. It felt like ages before I was finished honestly. The hype is what kills my soul a bit though. Oh well, not every book can be a winner or else reading would probably be boring xP

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  9. This is the first truly negative review I've seen for this book! I like seeing the opposite side. Thanks for being honest

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    1. Yeah, I was definitely a black sheep on this one. Anytime, Alyssa!

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  10. OMGGG ME TOO! ME TOO!! THIS IS EXACTLY 100% MY THOUGHTS AS WELL. *sobs in relief that you felt the same* It was horribly hopeless. I didn't like any of the characters (i mean, the bloodwitch WAS the most interesting, but he had so little page time) and I was promised a "strong female friendship" and...where was it?! Iseult spent half the time WOUNDED and useless. -_- And Safi was just downright irritating. Plus was it just me or did no one even act like a teenager?!? ARGH. I was 100% done with this book and will not be reading sequels. :P

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    1. I CRY. I HATED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, CAIT. I'm actually quite relieved that you too had similar issues with this book. The characters were such a drag. The bloodwitch, like you said was interesting and def should have had more presence within the novel (maybe then it wouldn't have sucked so much >>) LMFAO she was wounded or dreaming for 95% of the book if we're being honest with one another. SAFI THE SPECIAL TOAD WAS ANNOYING AS FRICK. I stg I was so happy to be done w/her. I'm still meh about the sequels. We'll just have to see I guess. NOBODY acted like teenagers, which whatever but it's YA for pete's sake. Maybe their all just VERY mature *rolls eyes* xP

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  11. I've actually heard quite a few negative reviews so I don't think that I'll read it anymore. Cait @ PaperFury (just above/below my comment. Hi Cait!) posted a similar review. Tbh the plot seemed a little strange to me. Because, seriously. A truthwitch. Why is she so valuable? I'd burn her at the stake and get a vaporises-everything-she-wants-to-witch. And also what is with all these names. All these awkward double vowels and dodgy consonants like "k" and "y". I've always had something against "k"s in the place of "c"s and "y"s in the place of "i"s. Anyway. Great review. I like to think that all snowflakes melt and die, even special ones ;)

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    1. THE NAMES CAN FUCK OFF AND BUUUURN. That was probably aggressive but jfc, these names were the bane of my existence. I couldn't tell you half of them. They made me so salty. And yaaas, no kidding. Who the heck wants a Truthwitch? sure as hell not me. Aha, yes all snowflakes do melt - I hope that Safi disappears soon c; Thanks a ton, Paul!

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  12. OH GOD I'M SO NOT READING THIS. Like I'm so picky with fantasy, because I'm more of a contemporary person. Which means I'd probably hate this even more than you, honestly. UGH and what a horrible gift to have. I'd want a refund too :')

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    1. I wish I had been smart and skipped out on this one like you too, Em. It was terribad. I'd reckon you'd probably hate it too c':

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  13. Haha ... oh man. Sounds lovely. :D I didn't have much interest in the book to begin with, soooo .... thanks for making me feel okay about skipping it.

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    1. Lmaoo 100% lovely. It's all good, skip this hype train. There's no shame in that Christy c:

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  14. Oooo girl! We got an unpopular opinion. Honestly THERE WAS SO MUCH HYPE over Truthwitch that it scared me off. I'm so glad you've written such a detailed review so I can see the other side of the coin, rather than all of those gushing reviews. This review really helped me figure out whether or not I want to give Truthwitch a try (and tbh I don't really want to haha).

    Truthwitch has poor worldbuilding? Hahahah what even, when it comes to fantasy novels having good world building is like the most crucial element tbh. It's why people READ fantasy novels, to get immersed in a world unlike our own. Lol it'd be preferable if this was done in a more detailed fashion rather than something vague and simplistic which seems to be the case in Truthwitch.

    Oh god a special snowflake MC too oh my god what. What an overplayed trope ugh I can't believe it still exists. Guess perfection is appealing to some *insert eye roll* LOLOLOLOLOL I'm crying though... her magic purrs!? Like a fucking happy cat? Hahaha what an odd description. When random and weird writing occurs in a novel it can be so jarring haha.

    Honestly this book doesn't sound like it's for me. Thank you so much for writing such an critical and detailed review of a book. It's so refreshing among the gushing hype monster aha. Lovely review girl

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    1. The hype for this book was absolutely staggering. Honestly, I couldn't go on Twitter without hype being shoved down my throat. Initially I was excited, but after awhile it got so fucking annoying. I really think a lot of people went with what a majority of the crowd was saying. It wasn't anywhere near as good as what people make it out to be imo.

      The world building. OMFG LARISSA IT WAS BAD. I read fantasy, LOVE fantasy actually for a nice rich world. I didn't get that with Truthwitch at all. It's vague and empty is what the Witchlands were.

      Safi is the definition of a special snowflake. The only one with her "power", she can't bleed or the deals off with some prince. She always causes shit but everyone is always like "lol its okay". I just.. I couldn't.

      I would be surprised if this book would be for you tbh. Certainly wasn't for me! Thanks, bub!

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  15. I was curious about this one because of the hype, so I got an audiobook copy from the publisher and kept putting it off because it's so long. I deleted it from my phone after seeing your rating on GR, and I'm so glad I didn't waste the time! This book sounds like a very long and boring mess, no thanks!

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    1. You just saved yourself a good chunk of memory for a much better book if you ask me, Nereyda :D

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  16. Wow that’s strong emotions, though negative. Well sorry to hear you disliked it so much. I haven’t read it, since I don’t often venture in this genre, being a contemporary reader; but I can see why you have problems with it. I don’t like when the author drop me in the middle of a story and I’m left confused. Great honest review, Kynndra!

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  17. I've seen too many people that don't like this book! Makes me very nervous xD I own it so I'll read it someday but yikes! :/

    Molly @ Molly's Book Nook

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  18. HAHAHAHHA OH THIS IS THE BEST REVIEW I HAVE READ OF THIS BOOK. Personally I liked it, but I wonder what would have happened if I read it after all of the freaking hype. Because I don't think it deserved THAT much hype, really.

    Awesome review Kynndra! I loved it :)

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  19. The hype with this is like, frightening. I am pretty sure that people were trampled to death in the BEA line (by Val, probably), because it was that out of hand. I won a copy, and now I am like... meh? Because you are NOT the only one who didn't love this. I mean, I don't know if a lot of people hated it quite as much haha, but lots of apathy, at least from people I have spoken to.

    I am weird with fantasy. I actually NEVER read it until after I started blogging. Now I enjoy much of it. But worldbuilding and characters are KEY. If the world building confuses me, I am out. If the characters are boring, why even bother? Ugh, someday I will read it. But not today hahah. Sorry it was such a mess- and that you had to listen to the hype for like, 10 freaking months. But I am sorry for all of us when it comes to that ;) Great review!

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  20. Oh man, after all the raving it's actually really refreshing to read your review Kynn! Safiya sounds like a really frustrating special snowflake. And a shame that there was a lot of witches but not much world building - what? I'm glad that the action was good though, and that you ended up enjoying it in the middle.

    Thanks for your review Kynn!

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    1. The raving kills me. I will never understand why. But I guess we all have our thing xP Safi was annoying and so empty. She was typical and boring.

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  21. I totally agree, Kynndra! I felt like I was tossed out into the ocean with no understanding for the world. There was no easing into it. No matter how much the book went on, I just couldn't shake the confusing starting!

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    1. This book was downright confusing. I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one to think so! :/ it's like you're tossed in the middle of the ocean.

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