Review--Windwitch by Susan Dennard

Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…

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

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

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

So reading Susan Dennard's Windwitch right after Truthwitch was a good idea! LOL. Not only was I still in that same mindset for the (albeit, confusing) world, but I was able to get familiar with the characters all the more quickly. I definitely liked this one a bit more than Truthwitch I think. There are still too many things that I don't know about this world and I would still kill for a glossary to help out with those terms that are still not familiar to me, but since that's not an option, carrying on is what I do best anyway!

I'm not really grasping this whole "this is Merik's book" like the previous book was "Safi's". I only say that because we still get so many different characters' points of view. It doesn't really feel like a book that belongs to any one character. That being said, still totally psyched for Bloodwitch! Aeduan is still a favorite character of mine and whether we truly get more of his point of view or not, I cannot wait to read the next book.
  
We open this book to a fire, Merik has been betrayed by someone close to him and he suspects his sister is the culprit. Luckily he was able to get most of his crew to safety, but since none of them can really find him again, he goes along with playing dead in order to find proof of his sister's treachery. Meanwhile Safi and her new "friend" Vaness were attacked and they managed to escape their ship unharmed but are soon taken hostage by yet another group of bad guys. Led by a very familiar face.

Then we have my favorite duo, Iseult and Aeduan who have temporarily teamed up in order to find Safi. There was an arrangement made you could say, and no, nothing so scandalous! As before, we do a lot of hip-hopping with all the different points of view. While I understand the purpose of this and it does work for the most part, I can't help but also feel overwhelmed and confused at the best of times. There's just too much going on it seems to keep everything straight. Not to mention all these other groups that keep popping up who want one thing or another. As I said, I would kill for a glossary, one that includes characters too, just to keep things on the level.

Susan has created quite an intricate world here. I both enjoy it, and yet am deeply befuddled by it at times. I seriously feel like a glossary would go a long way in my understanding of things and whatnot. But even without one, I can generally get an idea of what's going on. But then again, I am seriously overwhelmed with all the names and words that get tossed about too casually.

There was still a great deal of action in this one! Some startling surprises too and I have no idea what these things might mean for the future. It will definitely make things interesting for future books. Sadly I also missed the intense bond between Iseult and Safi. Their friendship was one of the highlights of Truthwitch. And since they are still separated, I missed their bond. I also missed Safi and Merik's flirting with one another, as they too were separated. The best relationship to watch evolve of course was Iseult and Aeduan. While there's nothing overly swoony happening, we are definitely getting a foundation built between them.

I may not be able to enjoy this series 100% so far, but I can say that I am invested. I am liking what I've read so far anyway and will be seeing this series through to its end! The characters are definitely the highlight for me since the world-building is still a little shaky! Oddest thing of all for me to say, but I am also hoping for more swoony moments in the next book! LOL! Past me would be shocked to hear that! Windwitch was definitely better than its predecessor and I can only hope this means that each book will continue to outshine the one before it!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars