Book Review: Windwitch by Susan Dennard

Release Date: January 10th, 2017
Read: July 8th-18th, 2017
Publisher: Tor Teen
Series: The Witchlands, #2
Format: ARC, 384 pages
Source: Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review

Description from GoodReads:

   After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

   When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

   After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

Review:

   It is always easier to blame gods or legends than it is to face our own mistakes.

   I had picked up Windwitch a week or two after reading Truthwitch, with the first book not having impressed me much, I didn't really care to pick up the sequel. But eventually I did, and it took me just as long to get into this one as it did its previous book.

   Windwitch had a different vibe than Truthwitch did, going right into the book you knew that it'd be different than the first in the series. The vibe went from magic and survival to revenge and power. Comparing the books, Windwitch was certainly easier to get into than Truthwitch, I didn't find myself bored constantly, and when I was unhappy with a point of view I could easily read through the chapter and move onto the new point of view. I even found myself enjoying the opposite perspectives than I did in Truthwitch. It was like the characters I found boring before finally became interesting, and the interesting characters became boring.

   I feel as if Dennard built up this anticipation in Truthwitch, but completely dropped that antiquation when we opened the first chapter of it's sequel. So much happened in the end of the first novel, and we barely encountered any more information that furthered the plot along in Windwitch. It didn't help that the first chapter of the book literally just threw us in a random storyline without any background information to how we got there. The beginning of the sequel felt as if two or three chapters were missing, I was not satisfied, and couldn't explain how confused I was.

   Windwitch was the third Susan Dennard novel in which I've read, and I continue to think that her books are just not for me. I can not see myself picking up anything else of hers in the future.
   

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"Mhe varujta. Trust me as if my soul were yours."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Witches, Royalty, Powers, Death, Betrayal