Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard (Jan. 5, 2016)
416 pages
Genre: Young Adult High Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: I borrowed this one from the library.
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery,” a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

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My Review

Even though this book was only released a month ago I feel like I am the last blogger to read it. Truthwitch has been all over the internet for the past year and the hype surrounding this one was intense, especially for fans of Sarah J. Maas, a close friend of Susan Dennard. So now is the time that I answer the big question. Does Truthwitch live up to the hype? You bet your ass it does.

Since I am sure you have read a million reviews of this book by now I am going to keep my review pretty short. Truthwitch has everything I could want in a young adult fantasy novel, or really any novel for that matter. It has a friendship that feels real, a romance to swoon over, action that had me on the edge of my seat, magic, and to put it simply, a wonderful story.

Safi and Iseult are threadsisters, and their friendship makes me smile. These two are the best to each other and for each other. I loved reading about their adventure together. Prince Merik has a beautiful soul and a bit of a temper. I adore him. I also can't wait to find out more about Prince Leopold and pretty much every other interesting, complex, and mysterious character hidden inside the pages of this book.

Even though it isn't perfect, I wish I could live in this world that Dennard created. I am not sure I would want to be a Truthwitch, but I sure as heck would like to have some kind of magic. I also would absolutely love to be friends with Merik, Safi, and Iseult. I am so very glad I read this book. As for the second book...

Library Loot #41

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.

** I really need to make some more time to read. I felt like I haven't read in forever. I love my new puppy, but he sure does take up a lot of my time! Good thing he is so adorable. :) I grabbed a whole array of book last time I was at the library to give me some incentive.

My Library Loot

1. Raising a puppy is hard work. I will take all the help I can get.

2. This book sounds so very good. It doesn't hurt that the cover is beautiful.

3. The Antarctica setting sold me on this one. It's not a book I would normally pick up.

4. My new round of graphic novels. Lady Killer looks like it is going to be amazing!

Teaser Tuesday #8 - Truthwitch

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Make sure to share the title and the author too!

My Teasers

"Everything had gone horribly wrong. None of Safiya fon Hasstrel's hastily laid plans for this holdup were unfolding as they ought," ~ pg. 11

"The dance began, and it did not take long before Merik realized he'd made a mistake.
 ~ pg. 112

~ Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

I am loving this book so far! Share the link to your teasers below. 

TTT #56: Ten Books I Recently Added to My TBR Pile

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week was actually a freebie week, but since I couldn't come up with anything on my own and I missed out on last week's topic I figured I would just do that one. Therefore, I will be sharing with you some books I recently added to my TBR pile. 

1. Dreambender by Ronald Kidd - This is the middle grade book I recently added.

2. Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw - Something about the cover just grabbed my attention.

3. Into White by Randi Pink - I have never been more intrigued by a cover and synopsis before. This is either going to be amazing or just not work. Fingers crossed.

4. Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins - Nicole from The Quiet Concert sings its praises and that is enough to get me to read it.

5. Two Summers by Aimee Friedman - Parallel words. Enough said.

6. Love, Lies & Spies by Cindy Anstey - I love everything about this.

7. A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly - I'm all about the magic.

8. Tumbling by Caela Carter - Gymnastics tryouts for the Olympics? This book couldn't be published at a better time.

9. Strictly Between Us by Jane Fallon - A little something different to my reading line-up.

10. Batgirl by Cameron Stewart - My list wouldn't be complete without a graphic novel.

I Got a Puppy!

Why didn't I post a single blog post last week? Why haven't I been reading lately? That's right folks, my husband and I got a puppy! I don't know what we were thinking... Just kidding! We love our little guy, even if he is a handful. Meet the newest member of our family, Bash. He is a rescue dog! Bash is part Mastiff and part Lab. He is going to be a big boy. Now it is time for some pictures!

Nap Time

Chillin'

Just Posing

One of my favorite activities involving this guy is fetch. He LOVES chasing down his little squeaky chickadee toy. The best part is that he runs full speed and then does this little jump on the toy and then hurries back and slams into us when returning it. He just has no brakes! He slams into the furniture and walls quite a bit, but not in a harmful way, but in an overexcited puppy way. (Also, we have all wood floors and tile.)

We are currently house training him and man oh man is that a pain to do in the winter when it is freezing outside, but it has to be done. So far only a few accidents in the house! Nothing that we couldn't handle. Puppies will be puppies.

He loves to chew on EVERYTHING so you always have to be watching him. (Bash loves eating any paper products including but not limited to Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, and pieces of paper. All of these items are completely out of his reach now, but there was a rather crazy paper towel roll incident when we first brought him home.)

We have stairs going into our house and we live in a split-level so we have a decent amount (but not too many) of stairs in our house... It's too bad that Bash doesn't do stairs. He has yet to brave them and since he is already a little overwhelmed with his new family and surroundings we haven't pushed him yet. That means that right now we are carrying him up and down the stairs all the time (it is a good workout at least), but that won't last much longer because he is going to grow pretty quickly. Therefore, we are going to try to bribe him with treats to go up the stairs now that he has lived with us for a full week. Time flies! I will have to let you know how that goes...

How about a few more pictures of our pup? (We don't have many pictures of him when he is up and about because it is too hard to watch him and take pictures. He is a crazy little puppy.)

Upside-down Chew Time

Naps are the Best

Close-up!

Even though he can give me a headache, this little man sure is cute! We love him lots and have welcomed him into our family with open arms. I will have to post new pictures of him every month so you all can watch him grow. I'm hoping that as we all get into a routine I will go right back to blogging and reading all the time. It may just take another week or so. Until then, happy reading!

2015 Statistics Survey

This Statistics Survey is from Brittany and Andi! Thanks so much you two for this awesome end of the year survey with cool graphics! **I will say that I took out some questions and added a few of my own to fit me personally. To find the original survey and such visit The Book Addict's Guide or Andi's ABCs.

• Number of…
  • Audiobooks: 5
  • Re-reads: 5
  • DNFs (did not finish): 0
  • Young Adult: 66
  • New Adult: 10
  • Adult: 24
  • Graphic Novels: 18
  • All Books Read This Year: 118
• Number of books rated…
  • Five Stars: 32
  • Four Stars: 57
  • Three Stars: 27
  • One/Two Stars: 2
• Number of authors met in 2015: 8
• Number of book events attended in 2015: 3
• Number of books you read in one day: 3
• Number of books that made you cry: 5
• Number of 2016 books you have on pre-order: None - I don't buy a lot of books. I do have 3 on hold at my library already!

• Book read furthest away from home (vacation reads?): Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly and The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West, both read in Florida.
• Book that took you the longest to read: 10 days - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
• Book that you personally connected with the most: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, I have always struggled with anxiety issues.
• Book that made you love the villain: The "dragon" from Uprooted by Naomi Novik is seen as a villain and I loved him.
• Book you read waaaay before it’s publication date: ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas and Velvet by Temple West. I loved them both!
• Book you read on your birthday: The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde
• Book you read in 2015 but already want to re-read: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
• Book you which you could go back and read for the first time again: ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas

• Happiest & saddest: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot (happiest) & Torn Away by Jennifer Brown (saddest)
• Longest & shortest… 
  • By page number: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (120 pgs) & Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (976 pgs)
  • By title: A Court of Thorns and Roses & H2O
  • From buying to reading: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin (I still haven't read.) & The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (I bought it and read it right away.)
• Best & worst…
  • Books you read/your rating: Queen of Shadows (best) & The Selection (worst)
  • Series enders: Winter by Marissa Meyer (best) & N/A
• First & last…
  • Reads of 2015: Every Breath by Ellie Marney (first) & The Zoo Graphic Novel by James Patterson (last)
  • Books on your bookcase (1st book on the top left and last book on the bottom right): Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone & The Chicago Manual of Style
• Most disappointing & biggest pleasant surprise: H20 by Virginia Bergin (disappointing) & Mosquitoland by David Arnold (pleasant surprise)

• Book you read that is red: Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby
• Starts with X, Y, or Z: Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
• Book you hugged when you finished it: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot
• Book you wanted to throw across a room: The Selection by Kiera Cass
• Food you craved while/after reading a certain book: Popcorn
• Book that became an instant go-to recommendation: The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
• Furthest out of your comfort zone: The graphic novels I read, but now they are 100% in my comfort zone!
• Read on a recommendation (that you may not have picked up yourself): The Diviners by Libba Bray
• Forced yourself to finish: The Selection by Kiera Cass
• Series or author’s works you binged (whether all at once or throughout the year): I read a lot of Colleen Hoover books this year.

• First… 
  • Post of 2015: Goodbye 2014 - Hello 2015 & Challenge Sign-ups!
  • Review of 2015: The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg (4 stars)
• Last…
  • Post of 2015: Stacking the Shelves - Holiday Edition
  • Review of 2015: The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas
• Number of posts in 2015: 181
• Number of reviews posted this year: 71 (I am hoping to write more like 100 next year.)
• Post with the most views (posted in 2015): The Best Day Ever: ALA Midwinter 2015 Recap & Giveaway

Mini Reviews: Middle Grade Books

Since I recently read six middle grade books as part of my Bout of Books read-a-thon challenge I figured I would write some mini reviews about them! I would write full reviews, but I didn't take notes while reading... I had a lot of fun reading middle grade books, but after reading only middle grade for a full week I think I shall take a break for a while.

5 Stars

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Goodreads

Rain Reign is emotionally wonderful. It is both heartbreaking and beautiful. I am so thankful that I got to meet Rose. She is a character I won't soon forget. Even if you don't read middle grade books you should give this one a try.

4.5 Stars

Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko

Goodreads

This historical fiction was interesting and fun. I love a well written story about a plague and how it affects not just one family, but the whole town. Another plus, the main character was brave and wonderful.

4 Stars

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Goodreads

I can't believe how strong and smart May B. is! I don't think I would be able to survive a horrible snow storm all by myself at the age of 13 in the middle of nowhere.

3.5 stars

The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry

Goodreads

Full of laughs and scheming, this was a fun book. I only wish it would have been a little more entertaining from start to finish. I loved the start and I loved the finish, but the middle part was only just okay for me. I do think kids will love this!

One Came Hon by Amy Timberlake

Goodreads

This one was a little slower than I would have liked considering it was a rather short book, but once I started the second half I was completely immersed in the story.

3 Stars

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Goodreads

I wanted to love this book, but I only ended up liking it. I am not sure if it was the slower pace or what but I had a hard time reading this one. I liked the characters, the story, and the setting, so who knows what my problem was. I can see young kids really enjoying this one.