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The Witchlands #4
Witchshadow
Susan Dennard's New York Times bestselling, young adult epic fantasy Witchlands series continues with Witchshadow, the story of the Threadwitch Iseult.
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.
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.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2021
382 people are currently reading
22079 people want to read
About the author
Susan Dennard
25 books9,397 followersSusan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), and the Something Strange and Deadly series, in addition to various other fiction published online.
Before becoming an author, she got to travel the world with her M.Sc. in marine biology. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.
You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Before becoming an author, she got to travel the world with her M.Sc. in marine biology. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.
You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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June 21, 2021⬇⬇⬇ Predictions | Theories | Recap | Questions ⬇⬇⬇
I decided to do this pre-review for my benefit as well as anyone else interested. The thing is I'll probably forget all these thoughts by the time this book comes out if I don't write them down somewhere. So I decided to do this since my memory is fresh from having just completed Bloodwitch. PLEASE DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST 3 BOOKS AS WELL AS SIGHTWITCH
What is known/minor recap:
What is unknown/Questions:
Theories/Predictions:
Other things to remember:
________
My reviews for:
Truthwitch
Windwitch
Sightwitch (A MUST READ. THIS NOVELLA IS VERY IMPORTANT)
Bloodwitch
I decided to do this pre-review for my benefit as well as anyone else interested. The thing is I'll probably forget all these thoughts by the time this book comes out if I don't write them down somewhere. So I decided to do this since my memory is fresh from having just completed Bloodwitch. PLEASE DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST 3 BOOKS AS WELL AS SIGHTWITCH
What is known/minor recap:
What is unknown/Questions:
Theories/Predictions:
Other things to remember:
That which is closest, she cannot see.
A strand fallen from the weave, cast adrift on winds of flame.
A knife with two sides.
Blood on the snow.
—from “Eridysi’s Lament”
Oak and grass to honor the winds,
Limestone and cypress for water,
Beech and granite, gifts from the earth,
Cedar and sandstone for fire.
Birch trees and snowfall, the birthplace of Aether,
In shadowy foxfire, Void waits,
While deep in the heart, where no sunlight reaches,
The Giant called Sleeper awakes. - song to remember all the wells
________
My reviews for:
Truthwitch
Windwitch
Sightwitch (A MUST READ. THIS NOVELLA IS VERY IMPORTANT)
Bloodwitch
August 6, 2021
4.5 stars
This book got so much grander in scope than I was even expecting and I did find myself getting a little lost at times, although I’m not sure if that was the book or because I’m still in a slump and this took a month to read. I loved some of the new developments and also how this book handles characters overcoming trauma. But I did find myself missing some of our characters because of the shift in focus.
Full review and discussion to come on my channel!
This book got so much grander in scope than I was even expecting and I did find myself getting a little lost at times, although I’m not sure if that was the book or because I’m still in a slump and this took a month to read. I loved some of the new developments and also how this book handles characters overcoming trauma. But I did find myself missing some of our characters because of the shift in focus.
Full review and discussion to come on my channel!
December 10, 2021
”You found me.”
“Always.”
#. Sightwitch ★★★☆☆
1. Truthwitch ★★★★★
2. Windwitch ★★★★★
3. Bloodwitch ★★★★★
too much plot, not enough iseult x aeduan 🤷🏻♀️
“Always.”
#. Sightwitch ★★★☆☆
1. Truthwitch ★★★★★
2. Windwitch ★★★★★
3. Bloodwitch ★★★★★
too much plot, not enough iseult x aeduan 🤷🏻♀️
May 14, 2019
I just want Iseult and Aeduan’s story to be honest. I could give a rat’s tail about the others 😂😂 😖😭😭😭
June 28, 2021
It pains me to admit this, but Witchshadow was my least favorite of all the books in The Witchlands series so far. Perhaps I was just too hyped for Iseult’s entry in the series and was simply cruising for disappointment. Whatever the case, I found Witchshadow to be a bit of an inconsistent and confusing mess with a lot of wasted opportunities. Though I did like the overall darker tone of this novel and the fact that characters were faced with higher stakes than ever, I found that Witchshadow actually made me like Isuelt, my favorite character in the series, less.
I think one of the biggest disservices that Witchshadowdoes to itself is starting in the middle of the story and flashing back to prior events that happened where Bloodwitch left off. Some of the most exciting events of this novel happen during these flashbacks and also serve as the impetus for many of the actions of the characters going forward, and it’s a shame that these events are designated to the background. Plus, Witchshadowjust can’t seem to keep these two timelines consistent. Countless times in the past, Iseult decides to initiate AND complete, to be the right hand, AND the left hand, and to throw off her fears regarding her powers and to leave behind her dedication to stasis, killing people with her Puppeteer powers and fearlessly striding ahead, only to almost immediately and repeatedly abandon her new outlook.
She has several of these “aha!” moments where everything is clear and she knows what she has to do, relying on only herself, not her Threadsister or Aeduan to move forward. Then the next second, she’s afraid again, fearing herself a monster, sinking back into her attempts at stasis and then the entire transformation process repeats all over again. It doesn’t feel like insecurity or understandable human fear, it feels like whiplash. I honestly have loved Iseult the most out of all the characters in The Witchlands, even over Aeduan, but found I liked her less after reading Witchshadow. I had looked forward to her coming into her own, embracing her powers, facing Esme, Corlant, and her mother’s preconceived notions of what she should be, but I found that all of these instances fell flat for me and that Iseult felt weaker than ever as a character. I also couldn’t help but to feel that Iseult had never blatantly thought of herself as a monster before either, simply viewing herself as more of a black sheep, who didn’t fit in as a Nomatsi or Threadwitch, but was too Nomatsi to fit in elsewhere. So I was surprised thatWitchshadow took her down this path of viewing herself as a monster, exactly like Aeduan’s journey. For someone who is so accepting of Aeduan's supposed monstrosity, you'd think she wouldn't see her own powers as one.
I also thought it was a shame that Iseult was not forced to deal with her frightening foil, the original Puppeteer known as Esme. I think that a big part of Iseult’s fear of her new power was her very valid concern that she would end up being someone like Esme, who cleaves people left and right, and has no problem torturing or killing to get what she wants. After Merik saved Esme’s life by putting her in the Origin Well in Windwitch , I figured that Esme would serve some greater purpose, maybe saving Iseult by sacrificing herself for her only friend. This sort of happens, in a very anticlimactic way, as Esme is turned into a weasel, of all things, and guides Iseult on her journey. As weasels are incapable of doing major bodily harm, Iseult just regards Esme as harmless, cuddling up to her and communicating with her through mental images. Yes, sometimes Esme suggests rather violent solutions to problems, but there’s really no struggle at all between these two powerful and strong-willed women, which was a pretty big letdown, as the series really seemed to be building towards a major conflict or showdown between them.
What is even weirder, is that Esme seems perfectly content to just remain a weasel and to help Iseult, which seems completely out of character with the bloodthirsty woman I’ve read about in the rest of the series. I don’t know how I am supposed to believe that Esme doesn’t want to take over Iseult’s body or something, or at the very least, take over another body that is not a weasel. I felt that Esme's transformation was a pretty big wasted opportunity of having Iseult and Esme alone. Iseult didn’t have to take any hard looks at Esme and herself in comparison, or make any tough choices, everything just magically worked out, simply because Esme was a weasel and lost mostly her entire personality in the process. I can’t help but to be disappointed that there wasn’t a single confrontation between them and was stumped that Esme's companionship was just brushed off by Iseult saying:
Surprisingly, my favorite perspective of Witchshadow was by far that of Safi’s, who is usually up there with Merik as one of my least favorite characters of the series. At the end of Bloodwitch, Safi is absolutely determined, for some reason, to save her Uncle Eron, whom she has despised for her entire life, and sets off to wed herself to Emperor Heinrick of Cartorra in order to do so. As always things do not go quite according to plan, and Safi ends up as the Empress, among other things, and Iseult is forced to flee for her life. I really enjoyed Safi’s scheming to free herself of Emperor Heinrick’s clutches, and how she allies herself with the mysterious Prince Leopold and the Hell Bards in order to do so.
I honestly found Safi to be more level headed than ever before in the series and was struck by her determination and grit to move forward. She has really had enough of everyone making decisions for her and doesn’t take no for an answer. I also enjoyed her contentious relationship with Leopold, and how she dictates their alliance moving forward. It is obvious Safi is done being anyone’s tool, and I wish the Iseult of this novel had half her presence of mind. I only wishWitchshadowhad spent more time on Safi’s storyline, in both the past and present timelines of the novel, as I couldn’t help but feel it was underutilized. I honestly think that each of these novels could be broken up into whole books, with less of a breakneck speed. And in the case ofWitchshadow, I think an entire book could have easily dealt with Iseult and Safi’s time at the Cartorran court, and Safi’s marriage to Heinrick, before moving on.
But by far far my biggest peeve of Witchshadow is everything pertaining to the Paladins and their reincarnations. The previous entry in the series, Bloodwitch, ended on a super empowering note for Aeduan, demonstrated by the following quote, “He was a tool no longer. He was a blade no longer to be wielded by others or brandished by Lady Fate. He was Aeduan. Just Aeduan, and he could choose whatever life he wanted. He could go wherever his will might lead.” So imagine my absolute horror and frustration when I found out that Aeduan was possessed by a freaking Paladin, off page of both Bloodwitch and Witchshadow. This possession, for lack of a better term, destroyed not only his free will and ability to act, but also made him work against Owl and Iseult, the people that were the catalysts for his entire journey as a character and development as a person, and not the monster he thought it was.
I was pretty livid at this entire plotline, which singlehandedly undid all of the character work for Aeduan in Bloodwitch to the point of feeling like a retcon. For instance, at the end of Bloodwitch, Iseult saves Aeduan’s life by placing him in an Origin Well, which entirely heals him. He is grateful for this second chance at life and his ability to move forward on his own terms in Bloodwitch. But in Witchshadow we get a quick glossed over look that basically has Aeduan thinking, “something isn’t right” and Aeduan is then, we assume, taken over by a Paladin. This seems completely inconsistent to how Bloodwitch ended, when he was happily casting off his former life and focusing of reuniting with Iseult and Owl, and like this ending of the previous novel was changed! Frankly, I also really don’t understand how this soul transference or reincarnation happens. Both Kullen and Stix become a Paladin without dipping their toes in an Origin Well, but both Evrane and Aeduan apparently get possessed by being healed from mortal injuries in the Well sometime off page. Both Safi and Iseult have been healed in Origin Wells multiple times and never get the souls of previous Cahr Awhens or anything similar taking over their bodies and minds, so I can’t help but feel this is somewhat of a plot hole. Especially since the glass and blade, which seemingly sparked Kullen and Stix's transformation, seem to only allow others to view Paladins or to kill them:
What’s worse than these strange transformations, however, is that this possession of Aeduan was an affront to his work to find his own wants and needs and to cast off the chains of his past and to place what he wanted, his life with Iseult and Owl, first. He had already done the emotional work to accept his own feelings and relationship with Iseult, there was absolutely no reason to make him fight to reach them again and to overpower his oppressor with his emotions for them. Plus, Aeduan and Iseult were already separated at the end of Bloodwitch, which forced Iseult to act on her own once more and to face her own powers and identity at last. It would have been much more powerful if Aeduan had consciously fought every step of the way to get back to Iseult and Owl, maybe even further rejecting his father in the process. But instead, one of the best characters of the series, if not the best, was completely sidelined for this superfluous drama that not only stymies his personal growth, but forces him to relieve what he’s already accomplished.
Similarly, I was less than pleased by Stix’s transformation into a Paladin. Witchshadowook a powerful Waterwitch, capable first mate and advisor to a future queen, and made her completely impulsive and foolhardy. She never once listens to Ryber, who has the biggest idea of what in the heck is going on with all of this Paladin nonsense, and spends most of the book trying to fight in a Colosseum and freeing slaves for no more complex of a reason other than that slavery is bad. While this is obviously noble and all, Stix never stops to consider the consequences of her actions, and I honestly would have given up reading from her perspective in a heartbeat. I don’t understand why Ryber, the main protagonist of Sightwitch , and a very capable person, doesn’t get her own perspective instead and is relegated to a constantly ignored side character. I was also similarly confused by the fact that both Stix and Viva suddenly refer to each other as Threadsisters, which has never happened in any of the other books previously. In the past, they referred to each other as childhood friends, captains, best friends, Queen, and First Mate, but never Threadsister. I knew immediately when this Threadsister bomb was dropped that Stix was going to be friend-zoned by Vivia in favor of a relationship with Vaness. It’s not subtle, but it’s exactly what happens.
Honestly, it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Vivia's romance with Stix is over before it ever really begins. For both of Windwitch and Bloodwitch, Vivia was pretty darn obsessed with Stix, constantly searching for her or noting how much she missed her friend for whom she harbored feelings. Though I got the hint that Vivia and Vaness may be going down a romantic road in the future, Witchshadow kind of slaps me in the face with the two, making it seem like Stix remaining distant from Vivia is the only way she can carry out her true duty as a Paladin. Apparently this duty now requires all of these reborn entities, including Stix, to watch over the leader of their respective countries, something which has only been mentioned in passing in previous novels, even Sightwitch. Likewise, Witchshadow
I find that I really just don’t care for the direction the series is going in with the Paladins. Making a lot of the major characters in the book a Paladin reborn is super confusing, as most of these Paladins like to pretend that they aren’t the Paladin that they actually are. And if that weren’t puzzling enough, I also couldn’t keep all of the Paladins straight, even with having reread the entire series in the weeks leading up to the release of Witchshadow. I also just think it’s not the best narrative choice to make so many characters reincarnated Paladin because this often means that these characters aren’t responsible for their own actions as their past lives take over their bodies. And this is on top of other characters, who are magically noosed by Emperor Heinrick, who also aren’t in control of their own actions and characters who are controlled by Iseult’s Puppeteer powers and also have no free will.
That means tons of people are walking around betraying each other, or otherwise wounding one another, and everyone has to forgive them, because it wasn’t actually them piloting their own bodies. Somehow, everyone seems to just get over these wrongs committed by their friends and immediately moves on too, without any significant leftover trauma. It is also not lost on me that all of the characters in this series are now Paladins, Cahr Awhens, the sole Truthwitch, a Hell Bard, a Puppeteer, Well-Chosen, an Empress, a Queen, a Prince, the last Sightwitch, the only Bloodwitch, a General, a Crown Prince, or something else special. There is no longer a single average main character in the entire series. It’s almost like they’re all Mary Sues--a term I typically hate, but sadly and entirely fits the bill here.
Unfortunately, I just found Witchshadow to be a confused novel and plagued with inconsistencies, and as a result, lost sight of its focus and many opportunities for stronger storytelling. It’s especially telling that I found Iseult to be less logical than Safi in this novel, and that I couldn’t keep all of the Paladins straight despite rereading the entire series before picking up Witchshadow. I really could’ve used some sort of chart or appendix to help me out here with everyone’s new designations or reincarnations, because sadly, I don’t think the Paladin thing is going away any time soon. I’m still looking forward to seeing how The Witchlands series comes to a conclusion, but I definitely will go into that novel with lowered expectations.
It pains me to admit this, but Witchshadow was my least favorite of all the books in The Witchlands series so far. Perhaps I was just too hyped for Iseult’s entry in the series and was simply cruising for disappointment. Whatever the case, I found Witchshadow to be a bit of an inconsistent and confusing mess with a lot of wasted opportunities. Though I did like the overall darker tone of this novel and the fact that characters were faced with higher stakes than ever, I found that Witchshadow actually made me like Isuelt, my favorite character in the series, less.
I think one of the biggest disservices that Witchshadow does to itself is starting in the middle of the story and flashing back to prior events that happened where Bloodwitch left off. Some of the most exciting events of this novel happen during these flashbacks and also serve as the impetus for many of the actions of the characters going forward, and it’s a shame that these events are designated to the background. Plus, Witchshadow just can’t seem to keep these two timelines consistent. Countless times in the past, Iseult decides to initiate AND complete, to be the right hand, AND the left hand, and to throw off her fears regarding her powers and to leave behind her dedication to stasis, killing people with her Puppeteer powers and fearlessly striding ahead, only to almost immediately and repeatedly abandon her new outlook.
Read the rest of my review for Witchshadow here
I think one of the biggest disservices that Witchshadowdoes to itself is starting in the middle of the story and flashing back to prior events that happened where Bloodwitch left off. Some of the most exciting events of this novel happen during these flashbacks and also serve as the impetus for many of the actions of the characters going forward, and it’s a shame that these events are designated to the background. Plus, Witchshadowjust can’t seem to keep these two timelines consistent. Countless times in the past, Iseult decides to initiate AND complete, to be the right hand, AND the left hand, and to throw off her fears regarding her powers and to leave behind her dedication to stasis, killing people with her Puppeteer powers and fearlessly striding ahead, only to almost immediately and repeatedly abandon her new outlook.
She has several of these “aha!” moments where everything is clear and she knows what she has to do, relying on only herself, not her Threadsister or Aeduan to move forward. Then the next second, she’s afraid again, fearing herself a monster, sinking back into her attempts at stasis and then the entire transformation process repeats all over again. It doesn’t feel like insecurity or understandable human fear, it feels like whiplash. I honestly have loved Iseult the most out of all the characters in The Witchlands, even over Aeduan, but found I liked her less after reading Witchshadow. I had looked forward to her coming into her own, embracing her powers, facing Esme, Corlant, and her mother’s preconceived notions of what she should be, but I found that all of these instances fell flat for me and that Iseult felt weaker than ever as a character. I also couldn’t help but to feel that Iseult had never blatantly thought of herself as a monster before either, simply viewing herself as more of a black sheep, who didn’t fit in as a Nomatsi or Threadwitch, but was too Nomatsi to fit in elsewhere. So I was surprised thatWitchshadow took her down this path of viewing herself as a monster, exactly like Aeduan’s journey. For someone who is so accepting of Aeduan's supposed monstrosity, you'd think she wouldn't see her own powers as one.
"She will never be like her Threadsister. She will always be trapped in shadows."
I also thought it was a shame that Iseult was not forced to deal with her frightening foil, the original Puppeteer known as Esme. I think that a big part of Iseult’s fear of her new power was her very valid concern that she would end up being someone like Esme, who cleaves people left and right, and has no problem torturing or killing to get what she wants. After Merik saved Esme’s life by putting her in the Origin Well in Windwitch , I figured that Esme would serve some greater purpose, maybe saving Iseult by sacrificing herself for her only friend. This sort of happens, in a very anticlimactic way, as Esme is turned into a weasel, of all things, and guides Iseult on her journey. As weasels are incapable of doing major bodily harm, Iseult just regards Esme as harmless, cuddling up to her and communicating with her through mental images. Yes, sometimes Esme suggests rather violent solutions to problems, but there’s really no struggle at all between these two powerful and strong-willed women, which was a pretty big letdown, as the series really seemed to be building towards a major conflict or showdown between them.
"We are just alike, she used to tell Iseult. We must weave Threads when we can—and break them when we have to. Iseult had always shied away from those words. She had denied them and fought them and pretended they were not true. She was not like Esme; she was not a Puppeteer."
What is even weirder, is that Esme seems perfectly content to just remain a weasel and to help Iseult, which seems completely out of character with the bloodthirsty woman I’ve read about in the rest of the series. I don’t know how I am supposed to believe that Esme doesn’t want to take over Iseult’s body or something, or at the very least, take over another body that is not a weasel. I felt that Esme's transformation was a pretty big wasted opportunity of having Iseult and Esme alone. Iseult didn’t have to take any hard looks at Esme and herself in comparison, or make any tough choices, everything just magically worked out, simply because Esme was a weasel and lost mostly her entire personality in the process. I can’t help but to be disappointed that there wasn’t a single confrontation between them and was stumped that Esme's companionship was just brushed off by Iseult saying:
“‘Evil is not the enemy,’” Iseult quoted as she stepped into the cold dawn. “‘For without it, there can be no good. Chaos, however, is unstoppable.’”
Surprisingly, my favorite perspective of Witchshadow was by far that of Safi’s, who is usually up there with Merik as one of my least favorite characters of the series. At the end of Bloodwitch, Safi is absolutely determined, for some reason, to save her Uncle Eron, whom she has despised for her entire life, and sets off to wed herself to Emperor Heinrick of Cartorra in order to do so. As always things do not go quite according to plan, and Safi ends up as the Empress, among other things, and Iseult is forced to flee for her life. I really enjoyed Safi’s scheming to free herself of Emperor Heinrick’s clutches, and how she allies herself with the mysterious Prince Leopold and the Hell Bards in order to do so.
I honestly found Safi to be more level headed than ever before in the series and was struck by her determination and grit to move forward. She has really had enough of everyone making decisions for her and doesn’t take no for an answer. I also enjoyed her contentious relationship with Leopold, and how she dictates their alliance moving forward. It is obvious Safi is done being anyone’s tool, and I wish the Iseult of this novel had half her presence of mind. I only wishWitchshadowhad spent more time on Safi’s storyline, in both the past and present timelines of the novel, as I couldn’t help but feel it was underutilized. I honestly think that each of these novels could be broken up into whole books, with less of a breakneck speed. And in the case ofWitchshadow, I think an entire book could have easily dealt with Iseult and Safi’s time at the Cartorran court, and Safi’s marriage to Heinrick, before moving on.
But by far far my biggest peeve of Witchshadow is everything pertaining to the Paladins and their reincarnations. The previous entry in the series, Bloodwitch, ended on a super empowering note for Aeduan, demonstrated by the following quote, “He was a tool no longer. He was a blade no longer to be wielded by others or brandished by Lady Fate. He was Aeduan. Just Aeduan, and he could choose whatever life he wanted. He could go wherever his will might lead.” So imagine my absolute horror and frustration when I found out that Aeduan was possessed by a freaking Paladin, off page of both Bloodwitch and Witchshadow. This possession, for lack of a better term, destroyed not only his free will and ability to act, but also made him work against Owl and Iseult, the people that were the catalysts for his entire journey as a character and development as a person, and not the monster he thought it was.
I was pretty livid at this entire plotline, which singlehandedly undid all of the character work for Aeduan in Bloodwitch to the point of feeling like a retcon. For instance, at the end of Bloodwitch, Iseult saves Aeduan’s life by placing him in an Origin Well, which entirely heals him. He is grateful for this second chance at life and his ability to move forward on his own terms in Bloodwitch. But in Witchshadow we get a quick glossed over look that basically has Aeduan thinking, “something isn’t right” and Aeduan is then, we assume, taken over by a Paladin. This seems completely inconsistent to how Bloodwitch ended, when he was happily casting off his former life and focusing of reuniting with Iseult and Owl, and like this ending of the previous novel was changed! Frankly, I also really don’t understand how this soul transference or reincarnation happens. Both Kullen and Stix become a Paladin without dipping their toes in an Origin Well, but both Evrane and Aeduan apparently get possessed by being healed from mortal injuries in the Well sometime off page. Both Safi and Iseult have been healed in Origin Wells multiple times and never get the souls of previous Cahr Awhens or anything similar taking over their bodies and minds, so I can’t help but feel this is somewhat of a plot hole. Especially since the glass and blade, which seemingly sparked Kullen and Stix's transformation, seem to only allow others to view Paladins or to kill them:
"The glass allowed a person to find Paladins, to see which humans carried more than a single soul inside them. And the blade could kill a Paladin, ending their reincarnation—silencing their multiple souls—forever."
What’s worse than these strange transformations, however, is that this possession of Aeduan was an affront to his work to find his own wants and needs and to cast off the chains of his past and to place what he wanted, his life with Iseult and Owl, first. He had already done the emotional work to accept his own feelings and relationship with Iseult, there was absolutely no reason to make him fight to reach them again and to overpower his oppressor with his emotions for them. Plus, Aeduan and Iseult were already separated at the end of Bloodwitch, which forced Iseult to act on her own once more and to face her own powers and identity at last. It would have been much more powerful if Aeduan had consciously fought every step of the way to get back to Iseult and Owl, maybe even further rejecting his father in the process. But instead, one of the best characters of the series, if not the best, was completely sidelined for this superfluous drama that not only stymies his personal growth, but forces him to relieve what he’s already accomplished.
Similarly, I was less than pleased by Stix’s transformation into a Paladin. Witchshadowook a powerful Waterwitch, capable first mate and advisor to a future queen, and made her completely impulsive and foolhardy. She never once listens to Ryber, who has the biggest idea of what in the heck is going on with all of this Paladin nonsense, and spends most of the book trying to fight in a Colosseum and freeing slaves for no more complex of a reason other than that slavery is bad. While this is obviously noble and all, Stix never stops to consider the consequences of her actions, and I honestly would have given up reading from her perspective in a heartbeat. I don’t understand why Ryber, the main protagonist of Sightwitch , and a very capable person, doesn’t get her own perspective instead and is relegated to a constantly ignored side character. I was also similarly confused by the fact that both Stix and Viva suddenly refer to each other as Threadsisters, which has never happened in any of the other books previously. In the past, they referred to each other as childhood friends, captains, best friends, Queen, and First Mate, but never Threadsister. I knew immediately when this Threadsister bomb was dropped that Stix was going to be friend-zoned by Vivia in favor of a relationship with Vaness. It’s not subtle, but it’s exactly what happens.
"It used to be Stix opening that door for her. And Stix taking her commands. But Stix had disappeared a month and a half ago, and though Cam had explained a hundred times—backward and forward and every direction Vivia had demanded—that her former first mate and Threadsister was inside a mountain in the Sirmayans … that she’d had memories that were not her own and was now with a Sightwitch named Ryber … None of it had ever made any sense."
Honestly, it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Vivia's romance with Stix is over before it ever really begins. For both of Windwitch and Bloodwitch, Vivia was pretty darn obsessed with Stix, constantly searching for her or noting how much she missed her friend for whom she harbored feelings. Though I got the hint that Vivia and Vaness may be going down a romantic road in the future, Witchshadow kind of slaps me in the face with the two, making it seem like Stix remaining distant from Vivia is the only way she can carry out her true duty as a Paladin. Apparently this duty now requires all of these reborn entities, including Stix, to watch over the leader of their respective countries, something which has only been mentioned in passing in previous novels, even Sightwitch. Likewise, Witchshadow
“Merik wanted to lead Nubrevna, and I think he will make a good king. One day. But you make a good queen now, and wherever you lead us, I’ll stand beside you.”
I find that I really just don’t care for the direction the series is going in with the Paladins. Making a lot of the major characters in the book a Paladin reborn is super confusing, as most of these Paladins like to pretend that they aren’t the Paladin that they actually are. And if that weren’t puzzling enough, I also couldn’t keep all of the Paladins straight, even with having reread the entire series in the weeks leading up to the release of Witchshadow. I also just think it’s not the best narrative choice to make so many characters reincarnated Paladin because this often means that these characters aren’t responsible for their own actions as their past lives take over their bodies. And this is on top of other characters, who are magically noosed by Emperor Heinrick, who also aren’t in control of their own actions and characters who are controlled by Iseult’s Puppeteer powers and also have no free will.
That means tons of people are walking around betraying each other, or otherwise wounding one another, and everyone has to forgive them, because it wasn’t actually them piloting their own bodies. Somehow, everyone seems to just get over these wrongs committed by their friends and immediately moves on too, without any significant leftover trauma. It is also not lost on me that all of the characters in this series are now Paladins, Cahr Awhens, the sole Truthwitch, a Hell Bard, a Puppeteer, Well-Chosen, an Empress, a Queen, a Prince, the last Sightwitch, the only Bloodwitch, a General, a Crown Prince, or something else special. There is no longer a single average main character in the entire series. It’s almost like they’re all Mary Sues--a term I typically hate, but sadly and entirely fits the bill here.
Unfortunately, I just found Witchshadow to be a confused novel and plagued with inconsistencies, and as a result, lost sight of its focus and many opportunities for stronger storytelling. It’s especially telling that I found Iseult to be less logical than Safi in this novel, and that I couldn’t keep all of the Paladins straight despite rereading the entire series before picking up Witchshadow. I really could’ve used some sort of chart or appendix to help me out here with everyone’s new designations or reincarnations, because sadly, I don’t think the Paladin thing is going away any time soon. I’m still looking forward to seeing how The Witchlands series comes to a conclusion, but I definitely will go into that novel with lowered expectations.
It pains me to admit this, but Witchshadow was my least favorite of all the books in The Witchlands series so far. Perhaps I was just too hyped for Iseult’s entry in the series and was simply cruising for disappointment. Whatever the case, I found Witchshadow to be a bit of an inconsistent and confusing mess with a lot of wasted opportunities. Though I did like the overall darker tone of this novel and the fact that characters were faced with higher stakes than ever, I found that Witchshadow actually made me like Isuelt, my favorite character in the series, less.
I think one of the biggest disservices that Witchshadow does to itself is starting in the middle of the story and flashing back to prior events that happened where Bloodwitch left off. Some of the most exciting events of this novel happen during these flashbacks and also serve as the impetus for many of the actions of the characters going forward, and it’s a shame that these events are designated to the background. Plus, Witchshadow just can’t seem to keep these two timelines consistent. Countless times in the past, Iseult decides to initiate AND complete, to be the right hand, AND the left hand, and to throw off her fears regarding her powers and to leave behind her dedication to stasis, killing people with her Puppeteer powers and fearlessly striding ahead, only to almost immediately and repeatedly abandon her new outlook.
Read the rest of my review for Witchshadow here
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2021
Updated review—
Okay so…I debate giving this book more stars or not only because I feel like it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough Iseult, not enough Aeduan and NOT ENOUGH OF THEM TOGETHER.
The parts with Iseult were great and her development is incredible!
Like I’ve said before, I’m only finishing this series because of Aeduan and Iseult I freaking pray someday we’ll get a hot steamy make out scene!
WE ALREADY KNOW OUR BABY IS GETTING HER BOOK! Finally!
NOW JUST GIVE ME ISEULT AND AEDUAN MAKE OUT SCENES
Okay so…I debate giving this book more stars or not only because I feel like it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough Iseult, not enough Aeduan and NOT ENOUGH OF THEM TOGETHER.
The parts with Iseult were great and her development is incredible!
Like I’ve said before, I’m only finishing this series because of Aeduan and Iseult I freaking pray someday we’ll get a hot steamy make out scene!
WE ALREADY KNOW OUR BABY IS GETTING HER BOOK! Finally!
NOW JUST GIVE ME ISEULT AND AEDUAN MAKE OUT SCENES
June 19, 2021
So uh....I saw that I had early access to the audiobook of Witchshadow as a reviewer for PRH audio and I basically dropped EVERYTHING to read it immediately! And I'm going to tell you, Witchshadow might be a contender for my favorite book in the series. It's definitely up there.
And this is for sure a book I will need to re-read because I'm sure I missed some of the clues and details that got dropped. But so much plot and character development! So many revelations to questions we've had! I'm not going to put specific spoilers in this review but I can tell you I'm really eager to re-read the series knowing what I know now.
Okay, okay I'll tell you a few things we get the answers to, but not what those answers ARE.
1. We find out who Iseult's father is.
2. We find out who has that mysterious blood scent Aeduan hasn't been able to track.
3. We find out who more of the paladins are.
4. We find out more about the Rook
5. Not an answer exactly, but we get a queer relationship developing that I didn't expect! Just in time for Pride month.
And there's more. There's definitely more.
Are you excited yet??? Because OMG this book!!! I feel like everything has been leading up to what is revealed and the stage has been set for book 5. I cannot WAIT to see what goes down in the final book of the series!
And this is for sure a book I will need to re-read because I'm sure I missed some of the clues and details that got dropped. But so much plot and character development! So many revelations to questions we've had! I'm not going to put specific spoilers in this review but I can tell you I'm really eager to re-read the series knowing what I know now.
Okay, okay I'll tell you a few things we get the answers to, but not what those answers ARE.
1. We find out who Iseult's father is.
2. We find out who has that mysterious blood scent Aeduan hasn't been able to track.
3. We find out who more of the paladins are.
4. We find out more about the Rook
5. Not an answer exactly, but we get a queer relationship developing that I didn't expect! Just in time for Pride month.
And there's more. There's definitely more.
Are you excited yet??? Because OMG this book!!! I feel like everything has been leading up to what is revealed and the stage has been set for book 5. I cannot WAIT to see what goes down in the final book of the series!
December 8, 2021
Finally, a book about my comfort character.
Finally I have this book in my hands !!!!!
------
4.5 ☆
THIS WAS AMAZING AND PERFECT!
This was a beautifully crafted sequel to this series.
The world building, the characters development, the writing, the plot and the overall fucking greatness of this novel is just mind blowing 🤯.
Can't wait for the rest of this series and I'm so thrilled and excited and happy that this series exists!
This had everything that I want it to have.
I will say that there were some characters that I care 0% about and they didn't add anything to me in the story. But other than that , I have nothing bad to say about this series!!
Finally I have this book in my hands !!!!!
------
4.5 ☆
THIS WAS AMAZING AND PERFECT!
This was a beautifully crafted sequel to this series.
The world building, the characters development, the writing, the plot and the overall fucking greatness of this novel is just mind blowing 🤯.
Can't wait for the rest of this series and I'm so thrilled and excited and happy that this series exists!
This had everything that I want it to have.
I will say that there were some characters that I care 0% about and they didn't add anything to me in the story. But other than that , I have nothing bad to say about this series!!
July 22, 2021
“Evil is not the enemy, for without it, there can be no good. Chaos, however, is unstoppable.”
Witchshadow reminded me of chaos a lot. From the start, I was disoriented. By the end of Bloodwitch, I saw if not clearly but, at least, to what direction the story was heading. Witchshadow crossed out all my expectations.
We are thrown into chaos from the start. Turns out, between the last installment and the new one a lot has happened. We have glimpses of the lost time but overall they did not help with a massive infodump I found myself trying to navigate. More POVs, more characters, and the coziness I felt with Bloodwitch disappeared. I suppose the gap between releases of both books influenced the outcome but I wish it was different from the one we got.
Granted, I was happy to see how Iseult evolved in this book from an invisible angry girl into a strong confident woman. I liked her shared scenes with Owl; they were so sweet. But Iseult and Safi together repeated the same dance: meet, hug, part, repeat. It got a little bit old and annoying. As for Aeduan, I don't really want to go there because practically he was absent in this book, the same way as Merik.
Paladins, ancient beings - all of that was a little bit too much and too abrupt. I have no idea was to expect from the next book and I do not feel like waiting too much. I am disappointed. After the phenomenal Windwitch and Bloodwitch, this series had so much potential. But it is all a mess now.
I am still going to read the next book but I hope all my beloved characters would be back, and the storyline would straighten a little bit more.
“Toward the end with wide eyes.”
“All clear, all clear.”
February 18, 2023
I don't know if i wasn't in the mood or this book was so much epic that you couldn't really care about the plot?? I mean that sound cruel but i really wasn't getting it. Whatever the case, I found Witchshadow to be a bit of an inconsistent and confusing mess with a lot of wasted opportunities.
Though I did like the overall darker tone of this novel and the fact that characters were faced with higher stakes than ever, I found that Witchshadow actually made me like Isuelt, one of my favorite character in the series, less.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
It is so hard to figure out how to talk about books in a series, especially as you get further into the series. witchland series is very epic and plot wisely well written and I'm still on my words of how single-handley dennard manage to weave this stories and pov's into a big fantasy series.
That being said, I had my difficulties reading this series and I'm thinking if I had read this book over the years I would have find it easily forgettable. I am fascinated by the world building and characters but my least favorite part is the plot unfortunately. Or at least the way it's going on!
I think one of the biggest disservices that Witchshadow does to itself is starting in the middle of the story and flashing back to prior events that happened where Bloodwitch left off. Some of the most exciting events of this novel happen during these flashbacks and also serve as the impetus for many of the actions of the characters going forward, and it’s a shame that these events are designated to the background.
★ Characters
credit
This is Iseult book. So the main thrust of the story centers on Iseult's journey as a character, with everyone else's story coming into play, but Iseult has the most POV chapters. Yet i found that books with my favorite character's art (merik and iseult)on it was my least favorite in this series.
I did clarify that this series is one of those series with a way slow building and plot and it does still suffer from that. I had looked forward to her coming into her own, embracing her powers, facing Esme, Corlant, and her mother’s preconceived notions of what she should be, but I found that all of these instances fell flat for me and that Iseult felt weaker than ever as a character.
Safi story is and was my least favorite. I really can't connect with the plotline there and i know there's so many things going on but it's hard to care when tou don't care.however, I really do like that we got to see that how much Iseult loves Safi and is able to recognize that just because she is not like Safi does not mean she is not deserving of the boldness that Safi embraces. Their friendship's bound is very loud and clear. Again one of the things i would love to see is thiur true reunion in last book(Finally!)
Merick, where the hell was in this book I have no idea! I was so frustrated that we didn't get any information of his whereabouts and kullen. I know they were stuck in that ice thing but shouldn't at least we get to see what became of them??
(except for that extremely short chapter and I kinda did see it coming but found myself waiting pages to reach that part!!) And on the matter, he is my bloody favorite, i wanted to read about him ahhhhh. I don't know if i should trust and like the way dennard wrote his story but i wish to get a good ending for him as well.
The thing that I so wanted from Bloodwitch was more Stix; I adore Stix as a character. I was so excited that Stix has a much more prominent role in this book. But i was a little sad about the direction of one of Stix's stories Witchshadow took a powerful Waterwitch, capable first mate and advisor to a future queen, and made her completely impulsive and foolhardy.
She never once listens to Ryber, who has the biggest idea of what in the heck is going on with all of this Paladin nonsense, and spends most of the book trying to fight in a Colosseum and freeing slaves for no more complex of a reason other than that slavery is bad. , and i found the plot after that doesn't making sense.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
★ Romance
I didn't like the insta love of the first book. on the other hand, i really liked the slow burn of a relation we get for aeduan and isuelt and it was progressing interestingly. But i really do think it was getting painful here.(until absolutely the very last pages! Finally!) The amount of separation and gap between the characters specially safi and merik caused the romance to foreshadow in the whole series.
Yes i would really appreciate to get a good romance in this book and it just seems like it's was forgotten here! We do have other couples like ryber and kullen , and stix and vivia ,and i want to see their relation as well but again, this element is totally less and lesser! So if you come to see a very romance heavy fantasy, you are not getting it easily!
Honestly, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Vivia’s romance with Stix is over before it ever really begins. For both of Windwitch and Bloodwitch, Vivia was pretty darn obsessed with Stix, constantly searching for her or noting how much she missed her friend for whom she harbored feelings.
Though I got the hint that Vivia and Vaness may be going down a romantic road in the future, Witchshadow kind of slaps me in the face with the two, making it seem like Stix remaining distant from Vivia is the only way she can carry out her true duty as a Paladin. I mean i was totally into stix and vivia but maybe dennard has something else going on.anyhow i really do hope to get a good ending for vivia and stix.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
It's kind of clichè to always searching for a solid villain in a story but there should be a specific side or characters that are going in opposite direction and actually gives purpose to story.to know which side are you and whom are your enemies .and one thing i'm not sure if i get it correct or not is that i don't know what side or path are these main characters going?
What is the real purpose and goal of this book? Who are the enemies? We had vaness and kullen type of character and on the other hand henrick and Those possessed characters. So i was mostly baffled by this whole situation and i couldn't really find this series qualified
Another aspect of this book was those random flashbacks. 50 percent if the time it did fit to story and it made the story going smartly but sometimes it did make me disconnected to story and i found some flashbacks to be confusing. As much as i appreciate this style of writing, i did get irritated so again my opinion.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
To put it in short, Unfortunately, I just found Witchshadow to be a confused novel and plagued with inconsistencies, and as a result, lost sight of its focus and many opportunities for stronger storytelling. This is book four in a series, so if you haven't read the other three, I suggest you get a copy of Truthwitch if you like high fantasy, multi-POV stories that have a core relationship that is a friendship.
Also, a prophesy, a slow-burn romance, a very in-depth magic system, and lots of queer characters. I do think these series is epic, and worth reading but i had my up and downs with series and mixed feeling. I am looking forward to see how the story ends.
Though I did like the overall darker tone of this novel and the fact that characters were faced with higher stakes than ever, I found that Witchshadow actually made me like Isuelt, one of my favorite character in the series, less.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
It is so hard to figure out how to talk about books in a series, especially as you get further into the series. witchland series is very epic and plot wisely well written and I'm still on my words of how single-handley dennard manage to weave this stories and pov's into a big fantasy series.
That being said, I had my difficulties reading this series and I'm thinking if I had read this book over the years I would have find it easily forgettable. I am fascinated by the world building and characters but my least favorite part is the plot unfortunately. Or at least the way it's going on!
I think one of the biggest disservices that Witchshadow does to itself is starting in the middle of the story and flashing back to prior events that happened where Bloodwitch left off. Some of the most exciting events of this novel happen during these flashbacks and also serve as the impetus for many of the actions of the characters going forward, and it’s a shame that these events are designated to the background.
★ Characters
credit
This is Iseult book. So the main thrust of the story centers on Iseult's journey as a character, with everyone else's story coming into play, but Iseult has the most POV chapters. Yet i found that books with my favorite character's art (merik and iseult)on it was my least favorite in this series.
I did clarify that this series is one of those series with a way slow building and plot and it does still suffer from that. I had looked forward to her coming into her own, embracing her powers, facing Esme, Corlant, and her mother’s preconceived notions of what she should be, but I found that all of these instances fell flat for me and that Iseult felt weaker than ever as a character.
“‘Evil is not the enemy,’” Iseult quoted as she stepped into the cold dawn. “‘For without it, there can be no good. Chaos, however, is unstoppable.’”Aeduan was pain in my ass for most of this book. So i was just kind of waiting for him to come around specially stop being a douche and start caring for isuelt for god sake. I was liking his character arc in bloodwitch but here, he was foreshadowed to me. I'm looking forward to more of his character arc in last book.
Safi story is and was my least favorite. I really can't connect with the plotline there and i know there's so many things going on but it's hard to care when tou don't care.however, I really do like that we got to see that how much Iseult loves Safi and is able to recognize that just because she is not like Safi does not mean she is not deserving of the boldness that Safi embraces. Their friendship's bound is very loud and clear. Again one of the things i would love to see is thiur true reunion in last book(Finally!)
Merick, where the hell was in this book I have no idea! I was so frustrated that we didn't get any information of his whereabouts and kullen. I know they were stuck in that ice thing but shouldn't at least we get to see what became of them??
(except for that extremely short chapter and I kinda did see it coming but found myself waiting pages to reach that part!!) And on the matter, he is my bloody favorite, i wanted to read about him ahhhhh. I don't know if i should trust and like the way dennard wrote his story but i wish to get a good ending for him as well.
The thing that I so wanted from Bloodwitch was more Stix; I adore Stix as a character. I was so excited that Stix has a much more prominent role in this book. But i was a little sad about the direction of one of Stix's stories Witchshadow took a powerful Waterwitch, capable first mate and advisor to a future queen, and made her completely impulsive and foolhardy.
She never once listens to Ryber, who has the biggest idea of what in the heck is going on with all of this Paladin nonsense, and spends most of the book trying to fight in a Colosseum and freeing slaves for no more complex of a reason other than that slavery is bad. , and i found the plot after that doesn't making sense.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
★ Romance
I didn't like the insta love of the first book. on the other hand, i really liked the slow burn of a relation we get for aeduan and isuelt and it was progressing interestingly. But i really do think it was getting painful here.(until absolutely the very last pages! Finally!) The amount of separation and gap between the characters specially safi and merik caused the romance to foreshadow in the whole series.
Yes i would really appreciate to get a good romance in this book and it just seems like it's was forgotten here! We do have other couples like ryber and kullen , and stix and vivia ,and i want to see their relation as well but again, this element is totally less and lesser! So if you come to see a very romance heavy fantasy, you are not getting it easily!
Honestly, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Vivia’s romance with Stix is over before it ever really begins. For both of Windwitch and Bloodwitch, Vivia was pretty darn obsessed with Stix, constantly searching for her or noting how much she missed her friend for whom she harbored feelings.
Though I got the hint that Vivia and Vaness may be going down a romantic road in the future, Witchshadow kind of slaps me in the face with the two, making it seem like Stix remaining distant from Vivia is the only way she can carry out her true duty as a Paladin. I mean i was totally into stix and vivia but maybe dennard has something else going on.anyhow i really do hope to get a good ending for vivia and stix.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
It's kind of clichè to always searching for a solid villain in a story but there should be a specific side or characters that are going in opposite direction and actually gives purpose to story.to know which side are you and whom are your enemies .and one thing i'm not sure if i get it correct or not is that i don't know what side or path are these main characters going?
What is the real purpose and goal of this book? Who are the enemies? We had vaness and kullen type of character and on the other hand henrick and Those possessed characters. So i was mostly baffled by this whole situation and i couldn't really find this series qualified
Another aspect of this book was those random flashbacks. 50 percent if the time it did fit to story and it made the story going smartly but sometimes it did make me disconnected to story and i found some flashbacks to be confusing. As much as i appreciate this style of writing, i did get irritated so again my opinion.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
To put it in short, Unfortunately, I just found Witchshadow to be a confused novel and plagued with inconsistencies, and as a result, lost sight of its focus and many opportunities for stronger storytelling. This is book four in a series, so if you haven't read the other three, I suggest you get a copy of Truthwitch if you like high fantasy, multi-POV stories that have a core relationship that is a friendship.
Also, a prophesy, a slow-burn romance, a very in-depth magic system, and lots of queer characters. I do think these series is epic, and worth reading but i had my up and downs with series and mixed feeling. I am looking forward to see how the story ends.
March 26, 2021
DON'T TALK TO ME DON'T TALK TO ME DON'T TALK TO ME DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME.
....
I'm so angry and happy and all the feelings that I just want to jump out of an airplane and scream into the god damned void. *Stasis in my fingers and in my toes*...
This ‘review’ is non-spoilery. I will only give you my feelings...but nothing more.
And how I felt? I felt like my hair would turn grey with every page read--and no, not just a strand or two, but my ENTIRE head of hair. Susan continued—AS SHE ALWAYS DOES—to throws our precious children into absolute chaos, whether thats politically, romantically, or physically. Absolute chaos.
Throughout this book each of the characters are once again faced with their own interconnected challenges as they maneuver the world of the Witchlands and try to survive. They each face their own respective villains, lean some harsh truths, and undergo some heavy character development. Ugh and let me tell you, this book was so much more stressful than Bloodwitch, and I thought nothing could outdo Bloodwitch.
Susan also doesn't want to see us happy, she doesn't want to give us the satisfaction of a single tranquil moment, she doesn't want to give us a sense of relief, she doesn't love us. SHE JUST WANTS US TO SUFFER.
I cant even discuss the characters without spoiling the book...because that's a thing. Just know I would absolutely die for Iseult and nothing will change that.
And for the millionth time, if you have not started this series:
WHYAREYOULIKETHISGETYOURLIFETOGETHER!!!!!
....
I'm so angry and happy and all the feelings that I just want to jump out of an airplane and scream into the god damned void. *Stasis in my fingers and in my toes*...
This ‘review’ is non-spoilery. I will only give you my feelings...but nothing more.
And how I felt? I felt like my hair would turn grey with every page read--and no, not just a strand or two, but my ENTIRE head of hair. Susan continued—AS SHE ALWAYS DOES—to throws our precious children into absolute chaos, whether thats politically, romantically, or physically. Absolute chaos.
Throughout this book each of the characters are once again faced with their own interconnected challenges as they maneuver the world of the Witchlands and try to survive. They each face their own respective villains, lean some harsh truths, and undergo some heavy character development. Ugh and let me tell you, this book was so much more stressful than Bloodwitch, and I thought nothing could outdo Bloodwitch.
Susan also doesn't want to see us happy, she doesn't want to give us the satisfaction of a single tranquil moment, she doesn't want to give us a sense of relief, she doesn't love us. SHE JUST WANTS US TO SUFFER.
I cant even discuss the characters without spoiling the book...because that's a thing. Just know I would absolutely die for Iseult and nothing will change that.
And for the millionth time, if you have not started this series:
WHYAREYOULIKETHISGETYOURLIFETOGETHER!!!!!
September 14, 2021
Sometimes I get so angry all over again, like the kind of angry you can only feel when you once loved something very much.
I have thought about this rating for a long time. This was my most anticipated book of the year and my favorite series. It hurts my soul to rate it low, but anything else would be a lie. There were just so many things I did not like. Of course, there were things I liked, the writing was beautiful as always, Stix’s arc, but unfortunately the positive couldn't outweigh the negative. And I had a lot of negative feelings while reading this book.
The first thing that didn't work for me was the nonlinear timeline. The prolog takes place a few days after the last book ended. That was nice. Then the next chapter takes place one month after that event. That is already too big of a time jump for my liking. Characters were in certain places already, and you don't find out why, how, or when until later on. Usually in a flashback scene. It was so confusing. I want to know why someone is at this place now and how they get there when it happens, not through a flashback. This type of storytelling might work for movies and tv shows, but it's really difficult in books. The flashbacks also felt ill-placed. We already knew this plan went wrong because if it didn’t the character wouldn't be in the position they are in now. It could have just been described in a few sentences, instead of flashbacks that took up several pages.
Second of all, one of the MAIN characters was completely absent. This just doesn't make sense storytelling-wise. At all. He still has so much left to do and there is only one more book left. One 500 page book that is distributed into 6 povs. I really can't see how that's supposed to work. I can see how that character had to be gone for some time, given the events of the previous book, but that could have been solved with the usual 2 week time jump between books. Keeping the main character away for a whole book/movie/series just never works. Remember when Game of Thrones left out Bran for an entire season even though GRRM said that he is one of the key five? This is what this book felt like.
Another main character was barely in the book either. He was there, but he was not himself. He was literally possessed for 95% of the book, so in a way, two main characters were not part of the book.
That brings me right to my next point. Way too much focus on side characters I couldn't care less about. This was supposed to be Iseult's book but it felt more like a Hell Bard book. Again, I don't understand why. They are side characters but they felt so present in the book while other characters that are much more important to the story were absent. I wanted this to be a Nomatsi book. A book about the history of the Nomatsi. Why are they hated? How did they live before they came to the Witchlands? I was so sure that all those questions would be answered in this book but all we got were a few folktales and a history in hell bards. This was supposed to be Iseutls book, not theirs. They are not even that important to the plot and a big chunk of their plot could have been given to maybe the two missing main characters. That would have been pretty epic. The hell bard loom was never mentioned before, Midne, the first hell bard was never mentioned before, but they take up such a big plot in ISEULT’S book? Why? It felt so random. Esme’s loom was important to the story in the previous book, but it was barely mentioned in this one. And Esme, oh God. This was supposed to be this super powerful, badass villain, and then she is turned into a weasel just like that. It felt so off and weird.
Furthermore, at this point, Safi has more development with the hell bards, SIDE CHARACTERS, than she has with any of the main characters. She had 1 book with Merik, her love interest, 1 with Iseult, her best friend, and 0 with Aeduan, Vivia, and Stix. This is the second to last book. I really don’t understand how she didn’t get to interact with all these important characters more or at all so far.
Things also didn't add up. It's implied that Safi is 18 in this book when she has been 19 for the last two books. Leopold suddenly becomes younger too. In the first book, Safi says he is the same age as Merik, who is 20, now he is 18. Or it is implied that he is. It’s confusing. It doesn't make sense.
There is a very weird scene that borders on romance and made me dread reading further. It's said in the beginning of the book that these characters are thread FAMILY. Thread SIBLINGS. Yet one thinks about the other as very handsome and they are only inches apart and holding hands in a scene. IT'S WEIRD. If they are supposed to be family then why was this scene written? If you consider someone your sister or brother from another mother you don't do this kind of stuff.
The Vivia/Vaness romance came out of nowhere. The Vivia/Stix being thread siblings came out of nowhere and made 0 sense. They were supposed to be the mutual pining childhood friends to lovers ship, now they are family. Vivia was jealous in Windwitch when she thought Stix had slept with someone. This is not sibling behavior! The set up for Vivia/Stix was right THERE and so present! Whereas Vivia/Vaness came out of nowhere. I don’t understand what’s going on anymore. Please don’t foreshadow things that you don’t mean to go through with. I hate this.
To quote Iseult: “Nothing felt real. Nothing made sense.” That sums up the entire book for me.
The characters felt so off to me. Safi comes up with this ridiculous plan to noose the Emperor while kissing him, and OF COURSE, it goes wrong. It was such a stupid plan, and Safi at this part of the story would have never done this. It felt like a step back for her and made zero sense. She is supposed to be smarter than that now.
Iseult felt so off at the beginning of the book, I didn’t even realize it was her at first. She was all ‘I kill people and regret nothing, I am the badass puppeteer, don’t fuck with me’ and then she went back to her old self in like a blink and never returned to her ‘dark self’.
There is a scene where Safi walks into the Emperor’s room while he has sex with his mistress, IT WAS SO WEIRD and uncomfortable. Literally, why was this scene necessary. Like she wanted to steal something from his rooms but she could have done this at night while he was sleeping. While everyone was sleeping.
Safi’s original plan was also to noose Henrick during their wedding night. That was so whack. He is 3 times Safi’s age, please. Like I get that she honestly believed she would be forced to consummate the marriage, so she thought hmm might as well get my revenge on this bitch then. But when Henrick said he had no intention of taking Safi to his bed, she was not relieved at all? She was like no, no, no, you have to take me to your bed. It felt so unrealistic. Safi is literally a teenager. Any teenage girl would be glad to not have to sleep with a man old enough to be her father. She should have been relieved that she wasn’t forced to sleep with an old man, and glad that that would mean she had more time to come up with a more fleshed-out plan to kill him. And Iseult would have never let Safi go through with her original plan. Never.
This book felt so, so different from the other books of the series that I love so much, and not in a good way. I don’t think I have been so disappointed and upset since the last season of Game of Thrones aired.
I want to go back in time when the main characters of this series were still main characters. At this point, I have so little hope for the last book. Maybe I am wrong, I would be glad to be wrong, but this book feels like a bullet hole in my chest and I am not sure it can be fixed.
I have thought about this rating for a long time. This was my most anticipated book of the year and my favorite series. It hurts my soul to rate it low, but anything else would be a lie. There were just so many things I did not like. Of course, there were things I liked, the writing was beautiful as always, Stix’s arc, but unfortunately the positive couldn't outweigh the negative. And I had a lot of negative feelings while reading this book.
The first thing that didn't work for me was the nonlinear timeline. The prolog takes place a few days after the last book ended. That was nice. Then the next chapter takes place one month after that event. That is already too big of a time jump for my liking. Characters were in certain places already, and you don't find out why, how, or when until later on. Usually in a flashback scene. It was so confusing. I want to know why someone is at this place now and how they get there when it happens, not through a flashback. This type of storytelling might work for movies and tv shows, but it's really difficult in books. The flashbacks also felt ill-placed. We already knew this plan went wrong because if it didn’t the character wouldn't be in the position they are in now. It could have just been described in a few sentences, instead of flashbacks that took up several pages.
Second of all, one of the MAIN characters was completely absent. This just doesn't make sense storytelling-wise. At all. He still has so much left to do and there is only one more book left. One 500 page book that is distributed into 6 povs. I really can't see how that's supposed to work. I can see how that character had to be gone for some time, given the events of the previous book, but that could have been solved with the usual 2 week time jump between books. Keeping the main character away for a whole book/movie/series just never works. Remember when Game of Thrones left out Bran for an entire season even though GRRM said that he is one of the key five? This is what this book felt like.
Another main character was barely in the book either. He was there, but he was not himself. He was literally possessed for 95% of the book, so in a way, two main characters were not part of the book.
That brings me right to my next point. Way too much focus on side characters I couldn't care less about. This was supposed to be Iseult's book but it felt more like a Hell Bard book. Again, I don't understand why. They are side characters but they felt so present in the book while other characters that are much more important to the story were absent. I wanted this to be a Nomatsi book. A book about the history of the Nomatsi. Why are they hated? How did they live before they came to the Witchlands? I was so sure that all those questions would be answered in this book but all we got were a few folktales and a history in hell bards. This was supposed to be Iseutls book, not theirs. They are not even that important to the plot and a big chunk of their plot could have been given to maybe the two missing main characters. That would have been pretty epic. The hell bard loom was never mentioned before, Midne, the first hell bard was never mentioned before, but they take up such a big plot in ISEULT’S book? Why? It felt so random. Esme’s loom was important to the story in the previous book, but it was barely mentioned in this one. And Esme, oh God. This was supposed to be this super powerful, badass villain, and then she is turned into a weasel just like that. It felt so off and weird.
Furthermore, at this point, Safi has more development with the hell bards, SIDE CHARACTERS, than she has with any of the main characters. She had 1 book with Merik, her love interest, 1 with Iseult, her best friend, and 0 with Aeduan, Vivia, and Stix. This is the second to last book. I really don’t understand how she didn’t get to interact with all these important characters more or at all so far.
Things also didn't add up. It's implied that Safi is 18 in this book when she has been 19 for the last two books. Leopold suddenly becomes younger too. In the first book, Safi says he is the same age as Merik, who is 20, now he is 18. Or it is implied that he is. It’s confusing. It doesn't make sense.
There is a very weird scene that borders on romance and made me dread reading further. It's said in the beginning of the book that these characters are thread FAMILY. Thread SIBLINGS. Yet one thinks about the other as very handsome and they are only inches apart and holding hands in a scene. IT'S WEIRD. If they are supposed to be family then why was this scene written? If you consider someone your sister or brother from another mother you don't do this kind of stuff.
The Vivia/Vaness romance came out of nowhere. The Vivia/Stix being thread siblings came out of nowhere and made 0 sense. They were supposed to be the mutual pining childhood friends to lovers ship, now they are family. Vivia was jealous in Windwitch when she thought Stix had slept with someone. This is not sibling behavior! The set up for Vivia/Stix was right THERE and so present! Whereas Vivia/Vaness came out of nowhere. I don’t understand what’s going on anymore. Please don’t foreshadow things that you don’t mean to go through with. I hate this.
To quote Iseult: “Nothing felt real. Nothing made sense.” That sums up the entire book for me.
The characters felt so off to me. Safi comes up with this ridiculous plan to noose the Emperor while kissing him, and OF COURSE, it goes wrong. It was such a stupid plan, and Safi at this part of the story would have never done this. It felt like a step back for her and made zero sense. She is supposed to be smarter than that now.
Iseult felt so off at the beginning of the book, I didn’t even realize it was her at first. She was all ‘I kill people and regret nothing, I am the badass puppeteer, don’t fuck with me’ and then she went back to her old self in like a blink and never returned to her ‘dark self’.
There is a scene where Safi walks into the Emperor’s room while he has sex with his mistress, IT WAS SO WEIRD and uncomfortable. Literally, why was this scene necessary. Like she wanted to steal something from his rooms but she could have done this at night while he was sleeping. While everyone was sleeping.
Safi’s original plan was also to noose Henrick during their wedding night. That was so whack. He is 3 times Safi’s age, please. Like I get that she honestly believed she would be forced to consummate the marriage, so she thought hmm might as well get my revenge on this bitch then. But when Henrick said he had no intention of taking Safi to his bed, she was not relieved at all? She was like no, no, no, you have to take me to your bed. It felt so unrealistic. Safi is literally a teenager. Any teenage girl would be glad to not have to sleep with a man old enough to be her father. She should have been relieved that she wasn’t forced to sleep with an old man, and glad that that would mean she had more time to come up with a more fleshed-out plan to kill him. And Iseult would have never let Safi go through with her original plan. Never.
This book felt so, so different from the other books of the series that I love so much, and not in a good way. I don’t think I have been so disappointed and upset since the last season of Game of Thrones aired.
I want to go back in time when the main characters of this series were still main characters. At this point, I have so little hope for the last book. Maybe I am wrong, I would be glad to be wrong, but this book feels like a bullet hole in my chest and I am not sure it can be fixed.
October 27, 2025
So, Susan Dennard did it again. I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest and crushed right in front of my eyes and yet I'm so thankful for it. It's amazing how these books just get better and better and better with each new installment.
So, I have many thoughts and too many emotions, so for now I'll say this: Aeduan and Iseult are one of the best ships ever written and I will stand by that forever. I love them. I would die for them. And I accept no criticisms towards them, because they are perfect.
Full review to come.
REREAD 2025
Honestly, rereading this right before I'll finally get to read Witchlight feels incredible. I'm so amazed with everything Susan crafted in these books and with the threads (ha) that are finally aligning and reaching for the conclusion. I caught so many new things in this reread of the series and I can't wait to see how everything will end in the last book. Only one week to go, we made it.
So, I have many thoughts and too many emotions, so for now I'll say this: Aeduan and Iseult are one of the best ships ever written and I will stand by that forever. I love them. I would die for them. And I accept no criticisms towards them, because they are perfect.
Full review to come.
REREAD 2025
Honestly, rereading this right before I'll finally get to read Witchlight feels incredible. I'm so amazed with everything Susan crafted in these books and with the threads (ha) that are finally aligning and reaching for the conclusion. I caught so many new things in this reread of the series and I can't wait to see how everything will end in the last book. Only one week to go, we made it.
Want to read
August 31, 2020***Edit***
Funny that I was so anxious about the wait for this book, and it turned into a February 2021 release (from January 2019)! So I guess I'll be 25 when this book publishes!
The wait for this book will be all sorts of cruel torture. I'll be, let's see... I'll be 23 at that point (January 2019).
O_O
Funny that I was so anxious about the wait for this book, and it turned into a February 2021 release (from January 2019)! So I guess I'll be 25 when this book publishes!
The wait for this book will be all sorts of cruel torture. I'll be, let's see... I'll be 23 at that point (January 2019).
O_O
July 19, 2021
I have..thoughts...
Want to read
February 4, 2021I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2021
More like 3.5 stars.
Witchshadow is the fourth book in the Witchland series and Iseult book. I thought this book was going to be about Aeduan and Iseult’s relationship but I was so wrong and for that I’m so glad.
“‘Evil is not the enemy, For without it, there can be no good. Chaos, however, is unstoppable.’”
This book followed the same premise of the previous books, this is Iseult’s book so most of the book is in her POV and about her. The other characters are still here and still have POV.
There are lots of revelations and I finally know about the Paladins, rook king and all the other mysterious things mentioned in the previous books.
I love the pace of this book, plot progression was tremendous here unlike the previous books. The writing and world building improved greatly.
Character development is always something I admire in book series and this book did a good job, I was not expecting how they all changed from their whiny selves to this matured version of themselves. Iseult and Safiya’s character development are awesome. I like Leopold though he is annoying, Vivia and Vaness, I admit I didn’t like Stix and Ryber at first but now I do, Stix’s POV is enlightening.
Witchshadow is the fourth book in the Witchland series and Iseult book. I thought this book was going to be about Aeduan and Iseult’s relationship but I was so wrong and for that I’m so glad.
“‘Evil is not the enemy, For without it, there can be no good. Chaos, however, is unstoppable.’”
This book followed the same premise of the previous books, this is Iseult’s book so most of the book is in her POV and about her. The other characters are still here and still have POV.
There are lots of revelations and I finally know about the Paladins, rook king and all the other mysterious things mentioned in the previous books.
I love the pace of this book, plot progression was tremendous here unlike the previous books. The writing and world building improved greatly.
Character development is always something I admire in book series and this book did a good job, I was not expecting how they all changed from their whiny selves to this matured version of themselves. Iseult and Safiya’s character development are awesome. I like Leopold though he is annoying, Vivia and Vaness, I admit I didn’t like Stix and Ryber at first but now I do, Stix’s POV is enlightening.
February 19, 2022
I am pissed off and at the same time I cannot wait for the last book.
June 13, 2021
An arc was provided by the publisher via TeenInk in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
Buckle up Witchlander fans! The epic sequel you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived! Witchshadow by Susan Dennard (the fourth novel in the brilliant Witchlands saga) takes place about two months after the events of Bloodwitch, following the same cast of characters. In general, this fast-paced fantasy focuses on: Safiya, a girl with a power empires will kill to possess; Iseult, Safiya’s friend who teeters on the edge of morality; Vivia and Vaness, queens without thrones; and Stix, a fighter plagued by persistent voices. Together, these women spread across a continent will traverse a deadly world in hopes of preventing an ancient evil from awakening.
In general, the Witchlands saga has stunning worldbuilding and Witchshadow is certainly no exception. The world has complex politics, history, and a well developed magic system, yet the author does an excellent job of expanding the world slowly. At no point in the story does she shove unnecessary information down the reader’s throat, so the snippets of included history are appreciated instead of ignored.
The plot--despite its tendency to jump around--is fast and easy to follow, though the dual timeline was slightly confusing for the first hundred pages. The action scenes are well crafted, as are those that focus more heavily on strong character development. Speaking of which, each character in this universe is unique and dynamic; they could easily step off the page. Iseult, around which Witchshadow revolves, had a very interesting arc. Morality has been such an important aspect of this series, so delving into Iseult’s created a thread that could be followed all the way back to book one.
What really sets this novel apart from others in the genre is the strong friendship between Safiya and Iseult. These girls would go to the ends of the world for each other, and though their bond is tested, it does not break. It is rare to find such well-developed female friendships in YA High Fantasy, making this book even more unique.
As to critiques, it is clear Witchshadow is a turning point for the rest of the saga. The original storyline has been left behind as the series sets out for unchartered waters, meaning the earlier plot was lost in this book. This novel did a lot of setting up for what is yet to come, and though that is important, it also caused the plot to drag in places because of how much foreshadowing was being done.
The writing of Witchshadow was exceptional. The vivid descriptions easily capture the attention of the reader, whisking them away to settings that seem real enough to touch. The dialogue flowed naturally between characters and the relationships that developed were genuine and well thought out. Despite the substantial worldbuilding and foreshadowing, the characters remained the stars of the books.
Witchshadow is YA Fantasy near its best. Die-hard fans of Throne of Glass, The Grishaverse, and Falling Kingdoms will want to get their hands on the Witchlands saga immediately.
June 24, 2021
this book launched the series from high fantasy to straight up epic fantasy and i’m more angry than ever at whoever told susan to make this series young adult than the adult series she planned it to be and the adult series it deserves to be. this series deserves all the accolades adult fantasy books get and yet it’s being wasted away in the young adult section, always looked over in favor of poorly crafted books who could never reach this level of world, plot, and character arc building. it’s almost scary how this is probably the best written book in the series, probably susan’s best written book yet, until the next book comes out, which will likely top it because susan only gets better with each book.
also susan, please be expecting my therapy bills in the mail. i think i’ve been broken for other books that will release this year.
also susan, please be expecting my therapy bills in the mail. i think i’ve been broken for other books that will release this year.
April 16, 2025
I will always mourn what could have been if Susan Dennard hadn't had to combine two books into one for Witchshadow. Can't believe I get to finally read the conclusion to this series now!!!
Original review, February 1, 2021:
So Witchshadow did a lot of things that shocked and hurt me, but I still wasn’t expected to be so attacked by a character I hadn’t really paid much mind to before. Damn it, this was brilliant. Best one yet.
Original review, February 1, 2021:
So Witchshadow did a lot of things that shocked and hurt me, but I still wasn’t expected to be so attacked by a character I hadn’t really paid much mind to before. Damn it, this was brilliant. Best one yet.
July 16, 2021
⭐4.5 stars⭐
Ah, but doubt is good. It means we question our choices. It means we look for better solutions.
"They who see only one way forward are they who step off the cliff."
Ah, but doubt is good. It means we question our choices. It means we look for better solutions.
"They who see only one way forward are they who step off the cliff."
December 21, 2021
I'll review and rate this later, when I've collected my thoughts, but wow. I feel a bit like I've just been thrown out of a moving train, straight onto a rollercoaster, and then dropped off a cliff.
Actual review:
What started off as one of my most anticipated books of the year has quickly dive-bombed into my most disappointing book of 2021. And maybe I'm being melodramatic, but as a long time fan of The Witchlands who has made countless fandom content and pored over the series to try and piece together this elaborate story, I'll reserve the right.
The series itself is complicated enough on its own, and while I'm normally a huge proponent of this — I have, on multiple occasions, praised Susan Dennard for her ability to weave together such a large and intricate plot — there is such a thing as too convoluted. Witchshadow introduces so many new topics and characters that have never been mentioned before, let alone foreshadowed (I checked!), in a non-linear writing style, I thought I was reading the wrong book.
For a series that prides itself on easter eggs and details and rich character arcs, I'm so baffled by how this novel turned out. It feels like we skipped two whole books to get to this point because the development is simply not there. Dennard either forgoes mention of them (read: the out of left field new characters) or she retcons them and expects the audience to act like nothing happened. Exhibit A:
But my biggest gripe about Witchshadow is that it feels less like a book about Iseult and more like an ill-conceived love letter to the Hell-bards. Everything about this book goes back to the Hell-bards. Safi's story is about them. The Paladins' story is about them. The crux of Iseult's abilities is somehow about them.
I came here to learn more about Iseult — her Nomatsi heritage, her relationship with her biological and Thread family, her budding romance with Aeduan, her newfound abilities and title as a Cahr Awen. I wanted to see her foil in Esme (you know, the one with the loom we were actually told about). I wanted to know about Iseult. Which I realise is a lot to ask for…from Iseult's book.
Maybe I just have fundamentally different expectations of where this series is supposed to go, but almost everything in this book is frustrating to me. I have so many unanswered questions which I thought would be answered by now, since there's only one book left, but who cares about tying loose ends, right?
I had a lot more to say about this months ago, when the book first came out, but I've been so gloomy over how badly everything turned out that I just couldn't find the energy to write about it until now. I'll probably check out the final book just to see how things settle, but damn, I can't believe I got Game of Thrones'd again.
Actual review:
What started off as one of my most anticipated books of the year has quickly dive-bombed into my most disappointing book of 2021. And maybe I'm being melodramatic, but as a long time fan of The Witchlands who has made countless fandom content and pored over the series to try and piece together this elaborate story, I'll reserve the right.
The series itself is complicated enough on its own, and while I'm normally a huge proponent of this — I have, on multiple occasions, praised Susan Dennard for her ability to weave together such a large and intricate plot — there is such a thing as too convoluted. Witchshadow introduces so many new topics and characters that have never been mentioned before, let alone foreshadowed (I checked!), in a non-linear writing style, I thought I was reading the wrong book.
For a series that prides itself on easter eggs and details and rich character arcs, I'm so baffled by how this novel turned out. It feels like we skipped two whole books to get to this point because the development is simply not there. Dennard either forgoes mention of them (read: the out of left field new characters) or she retcons them and expects the audience to act like nothing happened. Exhibit A:
But my biggest gripe about Witchshadow is that it feels less like a book about Iseult and more like an ill-conceived love letter to the Hell-bards. Everything about this book goes back to the Hell-bards. Safi's story is about them. The Paladins' story is about them. The crux of Iseult's abilities is somehow about them.
I came here to learn more about Iseult — her Nomatsi heritage, her relationship with her biological and Thread family, her budding romance with Aeduan, her newfound abilities and title as a Cahr Awen. I wanted to see her foil in Esme (you know, the one with the loom we were actually told about). I wanted to know about Iseult. Which I realise is a lot to ask for…from Iseult's book.
Maybe I just have fundamentally different expectations of where this series is supposed to go, but almost everything in this book is frustrating to me. I have so many unanswered questions which I thought would be answered by now, since there's only one book left, but who cares about tying loose ends, right?
I had a lot more to say about this months ago, when the book first came out, but I've been so gloomy over how badly everything turned out that I just couldn't find the energy to write about it until now. I'll probably check out the final book just to see how things settle, but damn, I can't believe I got Game of Thrones'd again.
October 23, 2025
I don’t know what happened.
It felt like I missed a book between book three and four because suddenly we have much greater stakes and higher beings getting involved.
I did actually double check there wasn’t even a short story - 3.5 - I had missed because the characters spoke and acted as if this was common knowledge suddenly.
I also felt betrayed because, despite the epic ending of book three, everything fell apart very quickly in this one. Another reason I felt something was missing. This is told in flashbacks alongside a present day timeline which just added to my confusion.
Despite that, Dennard has such an addictive way of writing that I binged this in two sittings. The characters are completing, the pacing is exciting, and there is slow-burn everywhere. Romance, friends, threadsisters, intrigue…
I am hoping book five will be a strong finish, but I am slightly worried as I finished this book feeling simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
It felt like I missed a book between book three and four because suddenly we have much greater stakes and higher beings getting involved.
I did actually double check there wasn’t even a short story - 3.5 - I had missed because the characters spoke and acted as if this was common knowledge suddenly.
I also felt betrayed because, despite the epic ending of book three, everything fell apart very quickly in this one. Another reason I felt something was missing. This is told in flashbacks alongside a present day timeline which just added to my confusion.
Despite that, Dennard has such an addictive way of writing that I binged this in two sittings. The characters are completing, the pacing is exciting, and there is slow-burn everywhere. Romance, friends, threadsisters, intrigue…
I am hoping book five will be a strong finish, but I am slightly worried as I finished this book feeling simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
August 7, 2021
Oh, wow there was so much in this book! We finally got answers and explanations about the world, history, and some of the Paladins. I’m itching to start a re-read of the series just to see how much foreshadowing there was in the earlier books. Also, there are so many names… some characters have like three different names at this point, which can be quite confusing (I recommend making a list :D)
What I enjoyed:
- getting more information about the Paladins and starting to see the connections to our main characters and current plotline
- learning more about Iseult and her magic
- the last 150 pages were so interesting and a great pay-off
- the characters! (except maybe Vivia... I'm not that interested in her storyline)
What I did not enjoy:
- there was so much travel and running away in this book. Some people might like the constant action, but I was missing some slower character moments. Especially because most characters have been running away and travelling since book one.
- I wasn’t a big fan of the time-jump at the start of the book. At the end of Bloodwitch I was so happy to see certain characters reunited but then we practically skip the part where they are together and only get some flashbacks of what happened during that month…
Overall, I’m still a fan of this series but I expect some great things from the last book and not another repetition of the formula we’ve seen in the previous books.
What I enjoyed:
- getting more information about the Paladins and starting to see the connections to our main characters and current plotline
- learning more about Iseult and her magic
- the last 150 pages were so interesting and a great pay-off
- the characters! (except maybe Vivia... I'm not that interested in her storyline)
What I did not enjoy:
- there was so much travel and running away in this book. Some people might like the constant action, but I was missing some slower character moments. Especially because most characters have been running away and travelling since book one.
- I wasn’t a big fan of the time-jump at the start of the book. At the end of Bloodwitch I was so happy to see certain characters reunited but then we practically skip the part where they are together and only get some flashbacks of what happened during that month…
Overall, I’m still a fan of this series but I expect some great things from the last book and not another repetition of the formula we’ve seen in the previous books.
April 2, 2024
#1) Truthwitch ★★★★☆
#2) Windwitch ★★★☆☆
#2.5) Sightwitch ★★★☆☆
#3) Bloodwitch ★★★☆☆
the best book in the series since truthwitch. fight me.
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March 10, 2019another year to release this masterpiece? kill me already please.
Susan, just for you I'll wait.
Susan, just for you I'll wait.
August 28, 2021
I am so so disappointed here. I wanted to love this so much and I expected so much more from this that I just didn't get. And I think I need to stop thinking this is going to a place it so clearly isn't anymore. I thought that Dennard was plotting some big catharsis moment where things start to click but at this point in the series, I need to stop thinking that is going to happen.
Things I was not happy about:
- The structure of the book. It starts out with a huge time jump that is just exactly the opposite of what this series needed at this point. I want to see the characters catch up with the readers on our knowledge about the series and the end goal here. Instead, I got yet another moment where characters we thought were together get ripped apart immediately. At this point, the characters are about as in the dark as they have been for three books now. It cannot be like that in order for the series to start to get wrapped up. The ending is not going to be satisfactory if this keeps happening.
-The inability of the characters to DO anything. This problem stems from the above problem. Because the characters don't all know enough information, they are just running around and chasing or being chased. All of the characters at this point are passive. Unless they aren't and they are active OFF PAGE. At this point in the story, characters that are supposed to main ones are benched, the characters that aren't benched are not playing the right game, and the ones that are moving at a snail's pace to move the plot forward because THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!! Things keep happening around the characters but they are all so inactive in the sense that all they can seem to do is chase or be chased and I'm tired of it because it has been the same for three books now. Please, I beg, move the plot forward.
- The reveals. The brand new answers we get in this book were things we could infer but that are now concrete answers. But they are things that at this point don't offer us anything to move the plot along because we don't know what the plot is!!!! I have a suspicion that the information we are getting is going to be monumental once everything is out in the open about the plot but really, 4 books in (5 if you count the novella which I do since its the best thing in this series) we should know what the heck the point is or at least what the end game is. Why are these characters doing this? What are they SUPPOSED to do and why? And not only should we know this, but the characters also should. Otherwise, these reveals don't mean much.
- The characterization of some of my faves. Not only did we yet again get no group staying in the same place as they were but the characters are wildly different from when we last saw them. The character dynamics that I liked before are nowhere to be seen here because either they are not themselves literally or they are not acting like themselves for internal struggle reasons. Mainly, Isuelt. She is a whole different person here and while the reason makes sense, it seemingly came out of nowhere because of the time jump. She is only one example of that in here but again, at this point in the series, you can't just have this huge switch in character because now I lost not only the plot but the characters too. So what am I reading this for if not for those two things? The world-building? No, because...
- The world-building doesn't expand. The political plot gets more intense in this book but because the end game for the plot isn't revealed yet, the political aspect feels like the only thing that carries weight, and yet it isn't explained too well because again, the characters aren't up to speed on where things are at in the book. The two parts, the fantasy/myth/lore and the political war, are at odds with one another and are both vying to be the main plot. Instead of neatly integrating together, it just goes haywire. I wish these two things were more clearly tied together because they obviously do influence one another but because the characters have no idea what's going on, we as an audience also don't understand or see the implications of these two world-building aspects.
So what did I like about this that it's not one star? The idea of it. I know that there was so much potential to be great but I think this is one of those times where the story should have been outlined in its completion before being written book by book. I thought Dennard knew where this was going so well that she was building to this A-HA moment, this moment of catharsis where all the puzzle pieces fit together but she is hiding so much that instead, we are at a point where that catharsis moment can only be a letdown. I thought that this would all make sense at one point but now I think this was too many books because all of this seems to be delaying the actual plot from moving forward. Now I'm just sick of it and want to see how it ends so I can feel like I didn't waste my time reading 5 books thinking one of them was going to finally make me go "OMG THIS ALL MAKES SENSE NOW" because I know there is no way one final book is going to wrap this up for me in a way that is satisfying and ties this all together nicely. I think I overestimated where this amazing idea could go. I see the potential and I like the plot in theory (hence two stars) but the execution is not good and I have to stop thinking that it's all part of some master plan because it's increasingly looking like it really really isn't.
Things I was not happy about:
- The structure of the book. It starts out with a huge time jump that is just exactly the opposite of what this series needed at this point. I want to see the characters catch up with the readers on our knowledge about the series and the end goal here. Instead, I got yet another moment where characters we thought were together get ripped apart immediately. At this point, the characters are about as in the dark as they have been for three books now. It cannot be like that in order for the series to start to get wrapped up. The ending is not going to be satisfactory if this keeps happening.
-The inability of the characters to DO anything. This problem stems from the above problem. Because the characters don't all know enough information, they are just running around and chasing or being chased. All of the characters at this point are passive. Unless they aren't and they are active OFF PAGE. At this point in the story, characters that are supposed to main ones are benched, the characters that aren't benched are not playing the right game, and the ones that are moving at a snail's pace to move the plot forward because THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!! Things keep happening around the characters but they are all so inactive in the sense that all they can seem to do is chase or be chased and I'm tired of it because it has been the same for three books now. Please, I beg, move the plot forward.
- The reveals. The brand new answers we get in this book were things we could infer but that are now concrete answers. But they are things that at this point don't offer us anything to move the plot along because we don't know what the plot is!!!! I have a suspicion that the information we are getting is going to be monumental once everything is out in the open about the plot but really, 4 books in (5 if you count the novella which I do since its the best thing in this series) we should know what the heck the point is or at least what the end game is. Why are these characters doing this? What are they SUPPOSED to do and why? And not only should we know this, but the characters also should. Otherwise, these reveals don't mean much.
- The characterization of some of my faves. Not only did we yet again get no group staying in the same place as they were but the characters are wildly different from when we last saw them. The character dynamics that I liked before are nowhere to be seen here because either they are not themselves literally or they are not acting like themselves for internal struggle reasons. Mainly, Isuelt. She is a whole different person here and while the reason makes sense, it seemingly came out of nowhere because of the time jump. She is only one example of that in here but again, at this point in the series, you can't just have this huge switch in character because now I lost not only the plot but the characters too. So what am I reading this for if not for those two things? The world-building? No, because...
- The world-building doesn't expand. The political plot gets more intense in this book but because the end game for the plot isn't revealed yet, the political aspect feels like the only thing that carries weight, and yet it isn't explained too well because again, the characters aren't up to speed on where things are at in the book. The two parts, the fantasy/myth/lore and the political war, are at odds with one another and are both vying to be the main plot. Instead of neatly integrating together, it just goes haywire. I wish these two things were more clearly tied together because they obviously do influence one another but because the characters have no idea what's going on, we as an audience also don't understand or see the implications of these two world-building aspects.
So what did I like about this that it's not one star? The idea of it. I know that there was so much potential to be great but I think this is one of those times where the story should have been outlined in its completion before being written book by book. I thought Dennard knew where this was going so well that she was building to this A-HA moment, this moment of catharsis where all the puzzle pieces fit together but she is hiding so much that instead, we are at a point where that catharsis moment can only be a letdown. I thought that this would all make sense at one point but now I think this was too many books because all of this seems to be delaying the actual plot from moving forward. Now I'm just sick of it and want to see how it ends so I can feel like I didn't waste my time reading 5 books thinking one of them was going to finally make me go "OMG THIS ALL MAKES SENSE NOW" because I know there is no way one final book is going to wrap this up for me in a way that is satisfying and ties this all together nicely. I think I overestimated where this amazing idea could go. I see the potential and I like the plot in theory (hence two stars) but the execution is not good and I have to stop thinking that it's all part of some master plan because it's increasingly looking like it really really isn't.
July 8, 2021
So…3 stars from me in a generous mood. But wait - let me preface this by saying I LOVE(D?) THIS SERIES - until this point.
It is rare that I love a series all through, I hoped this might be that rare exception, but alas. I was worried that after reading the official excerpt that went out; I wondered if it was cut so out of context that perhaps I was wrong to hate it, that the book in its entirety would be better. I waited to weigh in on this in case it was just me - and it wasn't. A lot of the 5 star reviews are excitement from when the book was announced, so...Grains of salt everywhere.
I was trying to keep in mind that the publishers wanted two books squished into this one, and also be charitable about covid and stuff that went on Susan's real life, since I follow a lot of her media. I have a lot more outside context for what went into this book. So one side of me - but less than half of me - appreciates the long haul storytelling, the slow burn of some aspects, the intricate threads in this worldbuilding. I know a lot of work went into this book. The larger side of me wanted some romantic payoff after several books of slow-burn emotional arcs, and some mushy ship stuff.
That side...did not get what it wanted. In fact, I can't even say I had a good time "reading" this - I checked out the audiobook and fast-forwarded through large chunks. I am upset. If I was running off emotion alone, this is a 2 or less star read.
I have to just list out what I didn’t like to get through it.
I was not here for most of the characters who had POVs in this book, I’ll say it. Some I actively disliked, like Safi, and others, like Styx, I just…Didn’t care. In other books I could bear Safi, but most of her tale in this book was also a huge squick for me.
My favorites’ POVs were either missing – hello, Baeduan, I hated your storyline and hijacking in this book – or just…I wasn’t vibing with them, like Iseult, despite this being HER BOOK!
In fact, the book had a whole lot of consent issues for me – there were characters forced into marriage, characters ?possessed? by past lives/the Paladin characters that have been alluded to. There were men dominating our feisty female leads for so, so much of the book. The overall tone of the book was just so grim that I could. Not. EVEN.
The structure of the story also bothered me greatly – you’re thrown in the deep end and it takes slogging through several more POV switches and flashbacks before there’s any coherent picture of what happened between books.
A lot of this stuff is how Susan writes, and I would otherwise admire the craft and the tension it builds and stuff – I thought with three and a half books behind us, we’d get down to some good relationship and romance developments that would make the rest of this grim wade worth it. Guys, we didn’t get that. There was very little romance, even amongst two characters who were TOGETHER THE ENTIRE BOOK. I will say that the aforementioned pair had an epic moment that rivalled the best moments in Danmei novels – readers of both this and that genre should notice it – but otherwise I felt insanely let down.
So I am being generous in the hope that the next book – which I think I heard is the last of this story – will be better and give me that emotional payoff and more of my faves’ their owed page time. I hope so. I can’t say in this moment that I will for sure continue, actually, but we’ll see. Please comment if you felt similarly – it has been comforting to read similar reviews of other diehard fans who were left scratching their own heads at the way we all want to recoil from this book.
It is rare that I love a series all through, I hoped this might be that rare exception, but alas. I was worried that after reading the official excerpt that went out; I wondered if it was cut so out of context that perhaps I was wrong to hate it, that the book in its entirety would be better. I waited to weigh in on this in case it was just me - and it wasn't. A lot of the 5 star reviews are excitement from when the book was announced, so...Grains of salt everywhere.
I was trying to keep in mind that the publishers wanted two books squished into this one, and also be charitable about covid and stuff that went on Susan's real life, since I follow a lot of her media. I have a lot more outside context for what went into this book. So one side of me - but less than half of me - appreciates the long haul storytelling, the slow burn of some aspects, the intricate threads in this worldbuilding. I know a lot of work went into this book. The larger side of me wanted some romantic payoff after several books of slow-burn emotional arcs, and some mushy ship stuff.
That side...did not get what it wanted. In fact, I can't even say I had a good time "reading" this - I checked out the audiobook and fast-forwarded through large chunks. I am upset. If I was running off emotion alone, this is a 2 or less star read.
I have to just list out what I didn’t like to get through it.
I was not here for most of the characters who had POVs in this book, I’ll say it. Some I actively disliked, like Safi, and others, like Styx, I just…Didn’t care. In other books I could bear Safi, but most of her tale in this book was also a huge squick for me.
My favorites’ POVs were either missing – hello, Baeduan, I hated your storyline and hijacking in this book – or just…I wasn’t vibing with them, like Iseult, despite this being HER BOOK!
In fact, the book had a whole lot of consent issues for me – there were characters forced into marriage, characters ?possessed? by past lives/the Paladin characters that have been alluded to. There were men dominating our feisty female leads for so, so much of the book. The overall tone of the book was just so grim that I could. Not. EVEN.
The structure of the story also bothered me greatly – you’re thrown in the deep end and it takes slogging through several more POV switches and flashbacks before there’s any coherent picture of what happened between books.
A lot of this stuff is how Susan writes, and I would otherwise admire the craft and the tension it builds and stuff – I thought with three and a half books behind us, we’d get down to some good relationship and romance developments that would make the rest of this grim wade worth it. Guys, we didn’t get that. There was very little romance, even amongst two characters who were TOGETHER THE ENTIRE BOOK. I will say that the aforementioned pair had an epic moment that rivalled the best moments in Danmei novels – readers of both this and that genre should notice it – but otherwise I felt insanely let down.
So I am being generous in the hope that the next book – which I think I heard is the last of this story – will be better and give me that emotional payoff and more of my faves’ their owed page time. I hope so. I can’t say in this moment that I will for sure continue, actually, but we’ll see. Please comment if you felt similarly – it has been comforting to read similar reviews of other diehard fans who were left scratching their own heads at the way we all want to recoil from this book.
July 1, 2021
After the long wait Witchshadow is finally here and girl does it deliver on all cylinders. Susan Dennard delivered one of the most slow burning to explosive ending plots of the Witchland books so far. This definitely more character focused then plot focused which is fine because the plot elements were still there. It worked for this book though. Now like with every book in the Witchlands series so far we follow a slew of characters, but each book focuses significantly on one primary character. Witchshadow shines the spotlight on my woman, Iseult. This is one intense book from start to finish in every sense of the word. I truly enjoyed every minute of it. I also think Susan did a wonderful job setting the stage for the finale of the whole series in this book. Which has me incredibly sad and excited all at the same time.
I am not going to go into too much detail plot or character wise because this is book four in a very detailed and intricate series. There is no possible way I can get into this review and not spoil a single thing. If you really want to know my thoughts about the world and magic and characters, I have left reviews for every book currently out in this series, including Sightwitch.
Witchshadow is the penultimate entry in the series and delivers a intense character driven story, while also advancing the intricate plot, which is sure to be one thrilling conclusion.
I am not going to go into too much detail plot or character wise because this is book four in a very detailed and intricate series. There is no possible way I can get into this review and not spoil a single thing. If you really want to know my thoughts about the world and magic and characters, I have left reviews for every book currently out in this series, including Sightwitch.
Witchshadow is the penultimate entry in the series and delivers a intense character driven story, while also advancing the intricate plot, which is sure to be one thrilling conclusion.
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