Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Title: Truthwitch

Author: Susan Dennard

Series: The Witchlands #1

Genre: Fantasy/YA

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: January 5th, 2016

Edition: Kindle Edition, 416 pages

Source: Library

Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | BAM

Synopsis:

   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.

Review:

I really enjoyed this book. I tried reading it a few months ago, but I was in the middle of a really big slump and struggled with connecting to anything that was going on. So, now that I am no longer in a slump, I decided to pick it up again. And I really liked it.

I really loved the characters in this book. There are a handful who have such little page time I couldn't really form much of an opinion of them. (though Safi's uncle is a jerk).

Safi and Isuelt are great, and I love their dynamic. The trust and their friendship is something that needs to be in more books. Especially between female characters. 

Merik is another great character, though I hope to learn a little more about him in the next book.

Aeduan is by far my favorite side(ish) character. He is still mostly a mystery, but he also seems to have a great deal of self-loathing that I assume comes from his father.

This book is really fast-paced to the point where it was hard to follow parts of it. Everybody was constantly on the run, there was never time to really breathe.

The one, some-what, big complaint I have for this book and I might feel this way because of the fast pace of things; but I have no idea who the main antagonist is supposed to be for the series. Is it this mysterious "puppeteer"? The Empire after Safi? I guess in this book the more main antagonist was Aeduan. But based on the synopsis for the next book, he becomes more of an ally. 

I still did really enjoy this book, I just hope things become more clear as the series goes on.