Lattes, Lipstick & Literature: Truthwitch; Susan Dennard

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Published: January 5th 2016

"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."

RATING

Hello Fellow Readers,

I've had this on my list to read for a while but it has been checked out at my library and I was unsure if I wanted to buy it because lately I can't seem to really like any of the fantasy YA books I have read. I'm glad I finally got to check this out. I won't lie, I really liked this book. From the beginning I really liked Safi and Iseult friendship, they work really well off of each other. Safi being the one that takes risks and Iseult being the straight shooter who helps keep Safi focused. Of course when Safiya leads them into a bit of trouble that causes a chain reaction of things do things get interesting. The book starts right into the thick of things, leading to a blood witch named Aeduan to stay on their tail. Considering that Safi is a rare Truthwitch this turns out to be very dangerous.

Dennard does an amazing job at keeping you interested in the different character point of views, I can honestly say that I did not dislike any of the main characters and there was not one point of view that I loved more than the others. The tension between Safi and Prince Merik was great and I really found myself rooting for them to get together. I liked Merik so much that I think I'll be adding him to my list of top book boyfriends.

The reason I didn't give it a 5 out of 5 was because it was a bit on the predictable side for me, and I kept wanted to reach in and knock some sense into Aeduan to stop acting like a jerk since he showed time and time again he had redeemable qualities and his interactions with Iseult was so interesting.

I will be getting Windwitch as soon as it's available in the library.

About The Author

Susan Dennard is from Georgia and has a master's degree in marine biology which has allowed her to travel to almost all continents. She has since settled down and decided to write full time. Her first novel Something Strange and Deadly was published by HarperCollins and is currently available in stores. When she is not writing she is taking walks on the beach with her dogs Asimov and Princess Leia.

Website: http://susandennard.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4499623.Susan_Dennard