Witchshadow by Susan Dennard (Review)

Title: Witchshadow
Author: Susan Dennard
Type: Fiction
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Teen
Date published: June 22, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I was very excited for Witchshadow having missed the characters and the world quite a bit since reading the third book in the series, Bloodwitch. I was ready to get some answers and perhaps wrap up some subplots. I was so happy that Tor Teen sent me an influencer box with a hardcover copy of Witchshadow along with a letter from the author and character cards! I was so excited, I posted a TikTok and Instagram Reel!

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of that and the scenes with even my favourite characters left me feeling sad and hopeless for them. I really loved The Witchlands series when it first started out, Truthwitch having been in my top 10 reads that year. I really enjoyed the second book too! When book 2.5 rolled around instead of book 3, I took it in stride, excited to learn more about Ryber as well as the world’s history. Then book 3 came along, and the plot thickened, but there was no satisfaction…followed by a longer wait time before book 4, Witchshadow.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve been reading young adult fantasy for a while now, and those series often don’t stretch out beyond 3 books. Maybe I’ve gotten used to shorter series and, by default, instant gratification (or close to instant anyway, since I still do wait between books). But in either case, I don’t seem to have the patience for very long fantasy series anymore––and that’s no fault of the author’s, but rather a personal observation about myself. My patience runs even thinner when core characters remain split up book after book after book.

Don’t get me wrong, the writing, world building, and character development in Susan Dennard’s books are incredible (with Witchshadow being no exception). I’ve just become eager for a conclusion I suppose, and for the characters I’ve become so invested in to all become one happy family and no longer be separated and suffering. It’s silly. I know. All my whining aside, I will continue reading this series to the very end! This review is also not meant to discourage anyone from continuing or picking up the series! This is an account of my personal experience with the books and I encourage you to pick up these books if they call to you and form your own opinions of them.

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Elizabeth Lim grew up on a hearty staple of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Her passion for storytelling began around age 10, when she started writing fanfics for Sailor Moon, Sweet Valley, and Star Wars, and posted them online to discover, “Wow, people actually read my stuff. And that’s kinda cool!” Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She lives in New York City with her husband.