Welcome to my book reviews of The Witchlands series by Susan Dennard. Please be aware that there may be spoilers for earlier books in the series in later reviews.

Truthwitch Review

Two best friends use their magic to save the world from war and corruption in Susan Dennard's New York Times bestselling YA fantasy, 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 reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safiya’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safiya 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 privateer) 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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Truthwitch has been on my TBR for a very long time, and I’ve just been stuck waiting for it to become available for me to read.

I won book two, Windwitch, in a competition several years ago and didn’t realise then that I’d entered a competition for book two. Since then, I’ve been impatiently waiting for book one and trying to get one of my local libraries to add it to their e-book library. It finally happened, and I snapped it up as soon as I could.

Some books have a reputation for being good and don’t always live up to the expectations built by other people’s standards. I’m happy to report that Truthwitch is as good as I’d heard. I instantly fell in love with the headstrong Safi and cautious Iseult, and all the other characters we meet along the way. Every single one is full of life and three-dimensional, and the world-building of the Witchlands series is phenomenal. It’s such a treat to read!

Windwitch Review

Filled with magic, heart-wrenching romance and high-stakes adventure, Windwitch is the second fantasy novel in the Witchlands series, and is the action-packed sequel to Truthwitch.

Sometimes our enemies become our only allies . . .

The Windwitch Prince Merik is presumed dead after a lethal explosion. However, he's scarred but alive. Determined to expose his sister's treachery, he haunts the streets of the royal capital as the Fury, a mysterious vigilante fighting for the weak.

Meanwhile, Iseult is cornered by the Bloodwitch Aeduan. She proposes a deal: she’ll return what was stolen from him if he locates Safi, the Truthwitch. Yet unknown to Iseult, there’s a bounty on her head – and Aeduan intends to claim it.

Meanwhile, Safi and the Marstoki Empress become entangled with ruthless brigands after surviving a shipwreck. And their captors plan to unleash a brutal war upon the Witchlands . . .

Praise for the series:

'Susan Dennard has worldbuilding after my own heart. It’s so good it’s intimidating' – Victoria Aveyard, author of the Red Queen series

'This book will delight you' – Robin Hobb, author of The Farseer Trilogy

Compared to the first book, I just wasn’t as blown away with Windwitch as I was with Truthwitch (pun completely intended). While Truthwitch was given a five-star rating from me the second book only managed to gain a three-star.

It wasn’t quite a filler book, but compared to book one and book three (Bloodwitch) there just wasn’t as much action nor as much intensity in Windwitch which I know the author was capable of. It’s still an interesting enough book, it just feels like all the characters are constantly moving from A to Z in this one and doing it oh so very slowly. It’s a book of journeys and while they are necessary ones for the overall story and the characters (a lot of character building, soul-searching and the like happens) it just gets a tad repetitive after the third or fourth time it happens.

Bloodwitch Review

The brilliantly imagined coming-of-age fantasy series, Witchlands, continues with Bloodwitch.

'Susan Dennard has worldbuilding after my own heart. It’s so good it’s intimidating' – Victoria Aveyard, author of Red Queen.

Here, loyalties will be tested as never before . . .

The Bloodwitch Aeduan and Iseult the Threadwitch race for safety, desperate to evade the Raider King. His attempts to subdue the Witchlands are gaining momentum, as his forces sow terror in the mountains, slaughtering innocents. Despite differing goals, Aeduan and Iseult have grown to trust one another in the fight to survive. Yet trust is a tenuous bond . . .

When Merik sacrifices himself to save his friends, he’s captured by the Fury. However, Merik isn’t one to give up easily, and he’ll do whatever it takes to protect those he loves. Then, in Marstok, Safi the Truthwitch is helping their empress uncover a rebellion. But those implicated are killed and Safi becomes desperate for freedom.

Perhaps if Safi and Iseult were united, their powers could bring peace. However, chaos is not easily tamed and war has come once more to the Witchlands. Fate’s knife will come for them all, and the Bloodwitch Aeduan can no longer hide from his past.

Bloodwitch is the third book in the Witchlands fantasy series, following Truthwitch and Windwitch. Continue the adventure with Witchshadow.

'Epic fantasy, epic adventure, epic friendship' – Kate Elliot on Truthwitch

After the slight letdown of book two, I needed this book to be on par with what I experienced in the first book, and I’m happy to say that Bloodwitch fully delivered.

As you can expect from the title this book offers us more of an insight into the Bloodwitch Aeduan and his past, just as Windwitch did with Merik and the Nihars. It is also a book where all the stories, all the journeys and adventures of the previous two books come together at last. All that waiting as a reader finally pays off in this book, and it’s exactly what I was hoping for – with a few extra surprises along the way.

The best fantasy epics for me are the ones that throw out some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and Bloodwitch has its share of those. Some are a delight and others are ones that will make your heart ache. I wasn’t quite reaching for a box of tissues, although I’m sure as The Witchlands series continues I’m probably going to be. This is a series that is not going to pull its punches.

Witchshadow Review

Susan Dennard’s New York Times bestselling fantasy series continues – with the story of Iseult, the Threadwitch.

War has come to the Witchlands . . . and nothing will be the same again.

Iseult has found her heartsister Safi at last, but their reunion is brief. For Iseult to stay alive, she must flee Cartorra while Safi remains. And though Iseult has plans to save her friend, they will require her to summon magic more dangerous than anything she has ever faced before.

Meanwhile, the Bloodwitch Aeduan is beset by forces he cannot understand. And Vivia – rightful queen of Nubrevna –finds herself without a crown or home.

As villains from legend reawaken across the Witchlands, only the mythical Cahr Awen can stop the gathering war. Iseult could embrace this power and heal the land, but first she must choose on which side of the shadows her destiny will lie.

Witchshadow is the fourth book in the Witchlands series by bestselling author Susan Dennard.

‘Truthwitch by Susan Dennard is like a cake stuffed full of your favourite fantasy treats . . . this book will delight you’ – Robin Hobb, author of Assassin’s Apprentice

Please note
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programmes I earn a small commission from items purchased using links featured in this post at no extra cost to you. Click here to learn more. Every purchase you make through Just Geeking By helps keep this blog running.

Like all Witchlands fans I’ve been waiting impatiently for this book to come out after finishing Bloodwitch and somehow I managed not to skip all my other book reviews to run straight to Witchshadow. Now it’s time to find out what’s in store for Safi and Iseult and the rest of the Witchlands cast, and part of me isn’t sure if I’m ready??? (Or ever will be?)

I went into this book ready for Safi and Iseult to kick some ass and… got really confused. First I wondered if I was reading the wrong thing or if I’d missed a book without realising it because Witchshadow does not start how any of us expected it to. I have to be honest I was pretty damn angry with Susan Dennard because here I was ready for the girls to get together at last and I was forced to a halt by flashbacks?! It’s a writing technique and not one I have to say I was overly fond of, especially when it took over 62% of the book before events finally matched up and things finally got to where I expected the book to actually start.

And yet, I’ve given the book a full five stars.

Yes, that is how damn good the remaining 48% of the book is. As irritated by the technique Dennard used I can’t deny that it ramped up the drama and anticipation to a boiling point, and then when everything started to happen… wow. I couldn’t take my eyes off the pages. I had expectations for certain things to happen in this book, and some of them happened, and then there are things that I never saw coming. They weren’t even in the same solar system let alone in my mind.

I am still reeling at the implications of some of the reveals in this book and what they mean. I finished Bloodwitch with a certainty of what would happen next and honestly? I have no bloody clue what to expect next. With Witchshadow Dennard has not just pulled the rug out from underneath this universe for me she’s taken the rug away and burned it. The whole board had been wiped clean. In a way, it’s a brand new world and yet in so many ways, it’s really not. There are the same characters we know and love fighting the same fight they always did, but the forces at play that were lurking in the background are no longer lurking. They’re right in the middle of things and there’s no sticking one’s head in the sand anymore.

As usual, Dennard’s evocative writing brings to life the struggles and joys of her character’s stories, and as the cover denotes Witchshadow is Iseult’s book. It explores her coming to terms with who and what she is, learning about the power she has and a lot more things that I can’t say because of spoilers. As with all the books in the Witchlands series you’re in for a treat.

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