Windwitch by Susan Dennard is the second book in The Witchlands series. This one picks up only a few days after book one. All of our main characters are separated and facing trials of their own.
Merrick’s ship exploded, causing his country to believe him dead; now Merrick is burned beyond recognition, hellbent on getting revenge. Vivan is trying to save her country from starvation while guarding the border and trying to claim her rightful crown.
Iseult is running from the cleaved and her nightmares while trying to track down her thread-sister and figure out what she really is. Aeduan failed to track down the person who stole his coins and when he takes on a new mission, he is surprised to find that the threads that bind work in mysterious ways.
When we left Safi, she had agreed to work for the Empress of Marstok to save the people she loves. Now she is separated from her thread-sister and at the mercy of assassins.
Who will find who? Who will survive? And how will the Witchlands survive the tumultuous political climate to come?
This book had an interesting narrative style. We basically get two and a half duel perspective narratives. Merrick and is his sister Vivan; Iseult and Aeduan; and Safi thrown in between. In each section, you are given just enough to pull you in, so you want to know what happens and then, poof, you are thrown into another narrative. This works and it doesn’t. It works because you are sucked in and want to know more and it doesn’t because with so many narratives it doesn’t feel like very much happens.
I was a bit more understand of this when I realized The Witchlands is an expected 5 book series. So Windwitch is really supposed to be a way to set the stage for what’s to come. Right now there are hints of the overarching theme/conflict/battle to come but we are still not exactly sure what that will be and what part our characters will play in it.
I said in my review of Truthwitch that the world building was a little lacking but that it didn’t really bother me because the book was so character driven. That opinion still holds for this one, except that I am really missing some of the driving details… the overarching conflict to come.
I’m giving this one 3.5 stars because I really enjoy the dynamic between Iseult and Aeduan. Their storylines are so complex and their characters are just a little dark and twisty and I like it.
That’s all for now!
-M-