Can't Wait Wednesday: Sightwitch

I'm switching over from Waiting on Wednesday's to Can't Wait Wednesday, a meme hosted by Wishful Endings. The idea is basically the same, but it looks like the official hosts of Breaking the Spine have shut down the meme so it's time to move on. Description and cover image taken from Goodreads.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Windwitch, an illustrated prequel novella set in the Witchlands setting up the forthcoming hotly anticipated Bloodwitch.
Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch follows Ryber Fortiza, the last Sightwitch Sister as she treks deep underground to rescue her missing best friend. While there, she encounters a young Nubrevnan named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he wound up inside the mountain. As the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, and as they brave one close call after another, a tentative friendship forms between them—one that might one day grow into something more.
Sightwitch is told through Ryber’s journal entries and her sketches, as well as through supplementary materials (such as other journals, pieces of songs, clippings from history books, flashbacks, etc.). Though meant as a companion novella, this story serves as a set up to Bloodwitch as well as an expansion of the world.

Why I'm Waiting

Look another WOC on the cover! I'm so excited by all the new covers coming out with such great representation. On the book itself: I love Ryber. She's definitely one of the most enigmatic characters in the series and I can't wait to learn more about her and also how she met Kullen. This is definitely one of those series where I never expect what will happen next or how the story will unfold but I enjoy it the whole time.

Sightwitch releases January 23rd, 2018

Book Review: Windwitch

THE WITCHLANDS, BOOK #2
AUTHOR: SUSAN DENNARD
RATING: 5 STARS
TRUTHWITCH

There will be light SPOILERS for book one and for the beginning of book two in this review so tread lightly. For those who haven't begun the series yet: it's definitely worth the read and book two is even better than book one, even though book one was pretty great.

Where to start with this one? It was immediately obvious that I was going to thoroughly enjoy it when one of my all time favorite tropes appeared at the end of the prologue, Merik faking his own death. I could write a whole post (and maybe I will) about my love for this trope, but it mostly has to do with the reveal when the character is found to be alive again. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the direction being a dead man took Merik on. While I did like him, and yes, swoon over him a bit, in Truthwitch I wasn't quite convinced about his character beyond him being a prince and love interest for Safi. Being apart from the majority of the cast helped shape him as a character and I liked the other characters that were introduced to play in his arc, such as Cam (seriously, what an amazing character) and Vivia. Speaking of Vivia, I was thoroughly pleased that we got to get chapters with her POV not only to balance Merik but to overall enhance how epic the ladies are in this series.

While Merik's and Vivia's storylines may have been my favorite I was no less interested in Safi's storyline and Iseult/Aeduan's storyline. The former was great for both expanding the world, geographically and politically (I absolutely LOVE the Hell-Bards, and in particular Caden), and prompting Safi to learn from her mistakes and begin to take responsibility for her actions. While she hasn't done too much growing throughout the series (there is a lot of her planning to grow and change though... a writing tactic I rather dislike) I am looking forward to seeing where her character goes. The only disappointment, really, was that we didn't get a Vaness POV (maybe next book?...). Iseult and Aeduan was a plot I didn't really expect to turn out the way it did but I enjoyed their journey together. Of anyone, Iseult has become my favorite in the series. I think she's the most complicated character and the most interesting to read about- for me she's a wild card and I enjoy it. I definitely like Aeduan more than I did in book one, but he's definitely a mystery and I'm looking forward to seeing his character peeled away more.

The three different storylines were so well balanced that I never got tired of one and longed for another. I read each chapter as eagerly as the last, and I don't just think it's because the characters are interesting but because the writing is so well done! Between the three plots there was also a lot of really cool mirroring happening. I don't want to spoil anything because they tend to be rather important plot points, but it was with a deft hand that Dennard was able to beautifully intertwine the characters' journeys in this way.

For me the real mark of a good book comes in two ways: it makes a good reread (and it's a tad early to reread these books) and it follows you around even after you've finished it. I can absolutely say that even while I was at work I couldn't help but think about Windwitch. I kept going back over my favorite scenes in my head and it should be more than obvious that I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Now, the real question, how does one play taro?

Book Review: Truthwitch

THE WITCHLANDS #1
AUTHOR: SUSAN DENNARD
RATING: 4 STARS

I've had people tell me on and off to pick this one up for a while but I've been hesitant because there have been several mixed reviews and after reading Something Strange and Deadly I wasn't sure how Dennard's writing style would translate to epic fantasy. Well, thanks to a twitter poll (and special thanks to Brittany Jackson for being the tie breaker) I finally picked it up and I don't regret it at all.

Truthwitch follows several characters, most notably thread-sisters Safi and Iseult, as they become enmeshed in the center of a political mission that will lead to either war or peace.

First off, what I didn't like: the beginning. I thought it felt rushed, it took me a little to get my footing, and the motivations for the characters made little to no sense. I almost DNFd it because I really didn't like anyone, nor did I think the world was anything special, and it in fact felt messy. It was probably somewhere near the 100 page mark where I realized that I hadn't been able to put it down in sometime and no longer had any of the problems I'd had early on. I will say that even towards the end I had some questions about motivations and what exactly got certain balls rolling, and I'm not too sure if the logic worked out all the time, but it didn't end up being a big deal and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of things are answered later in the series.

Because I had a hard time with the motivations early on I had a hard time with the characters early on. I also never really wrapped my head around all the anger Safi and Merik held onto; I couldn't see exactly where their tempers were coming from all the time, but in the end it didn't bother me too much because their characters grew throughout the story. Overall I liked all of the characters, and most of the ones who didn't get narration chapters have left me incredibly curious as to what's next. I particularly liked the relationship between Safi and Iseult, because they were seriously best friends and the way their friendship was depicted was not something I have seen between two female characters in a fantasy book before. Normally two men will have that relationship, or a man and a woman, and this was so refreshing and well done. I also adored how badass they were and the fact that they could easily take on other men and women and their gender was never brought up as a problem.

At first both the magic system and the world building was hard to grasp, but as soon as I started getting a grip I really enjoyed them both. The magic is interesting and fun, but I agree with many of the reviews I've seen which have said they wished there was some sort of chart to keep track. There are so many facets of witcheries that I often got lost when it came to non-important characters or passing references. I also want to know a lot more about the Origin Wells, because I'm not too sure how those work (but it also wasn't a distracting problem and I'm something I'm sure will come up later). As for the world, it was complicated but not unduly so. I liked the politics of it and I liked that it was easy to follow the relationships between most of the kingdoms and that those relationships felt real and mature, as if they had been around for a while. The map is a godsend, though, because without it I would have no idea where and how people were traveling across this world.

Overall, it's definitely a fantasy to pick up. It's got badass characters (particularly badass women) and a fighting style that's super cinematic. The fantasy elements are well done, even if it does lead on the wrong foot with some info dumping. If you've been debating this one like I was it's time you pick it up.

Book Review: Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly, #1)

Author: Susan Dennard

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Edition: Hardcover

Buy Links: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Book Depository

Goodreads

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Confession time: I have a paperback copy but I decided to just buy a hardcover copy anyways because I am a glutton. The paperback copy has been sitting on my shelf for several years, now, and I've always said I would read it next month when indeed that next month never came. Now that they're all getting new covers (just as pretty as the original in my opinion) I was spurred to finally pick it up. And I'm kinda glad I did.

Something Strange and Deadly is a zombie steampunk set in Philadelphia and follows Eleanor Fitt, the youngest member of a once wealthy family that has fallen on hard times. When she discovers that her brother has been kidnapped by a necromancer she begins a search that leads her to the Spirit Hunters (who are kinda like Ghost Hunters) and into a romance with Clarence, someone who's shady past makes it hard for her to trust. 

Steampunk is my favorite genre, for reasons, and while this didn't go all the way with most steampunk elements it did brush up against that genre and for that I did appreciate it. However, I was expecting more from the world building in general. The zombie element of the story, though, which I honestly would consider part of the setting, was so well done! I wasn't completely convinced right off the bat but by the end I was legitimately afraid of these zombies and how brutal they were.

As for the characters, besides Eleanor and Daniel, to an extent, everyone felt kinda like a stock character for most of the time. Again, near the end, things started to feel more realistic and I even began to like everyone more, but I wish the development of the characters had gone further. Hopefully the next book will help remedy this.

My favorite part, though, and what surprised met the most with this book, was the ending. Oftentimes the consequences for actions, whether heroic or villainous, don't always seem realistic, but this book really did manage to grab the real consequence and make them happen. I won't say what, but the consequences did end up being quite the twist and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the series will progress after this twist.

TL;DR?

It's not perfect, and in fact a little shallow, but it begins to make up for it near the end and things look like they'll be looking up for the rest of the series.

Waiting on Wednesday: Truthwitch

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  Click here to be taken to their most recent WoW post.

This week I'm waiting for Truthwitch, by Susan Dennard.  It's the first in her new series, Witchlands, and drops on January 5th, next year.

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 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. 

Why I'm Waiting: It has an awesome cover and description!  While I haven't read anything by Susan Dennard (yet), I've heard fantastic things about her books.  This one has a lot of early excitement, especially on Twitter, and I'm hoping for the best.