Windwitch

Related Posts:
Truthwitch Review
How Did Truthwitch End?

What is Windwitch about?
This is where I would say that Windwitch continues where Truthwitch left off, but that's really not true. When Truthwitch ended, Merik is supposed to be securing trade with Marstok but in the prologue he's attacked by an assassin. He survives but lets everyone think that he died, abandoning the trade contract. He heads off on his own to try to prove his sister Vivia was behind the attack so that he can take the throne from her.

Safiya and Empress Vaness are supposed to be heading to Azmir but their ship is attacked leaving Vaness and Safiya stranded and trying to make their own way on land through a dangerous area full of slavers and pirates.

Iseult was hoping to make contact with Safiya's contact at the coffee shop in Lejna but the contact never arrives. She starts making her own way to Marstok to find Safiya while being chased by the cleaved.

After finding his gold stash has been stolen, Aeduan seeks out one of his father's contacts who sends him to hunt down Iseult. She knows where his gold is and strikes a deal with him to help her find Safiya in exchange for his own money. They both acknowledge that they will betray each other in the end.

What I Liked
I loved the new characters. Vaness, while not a POV character, is much more of a main character in this sequel. I loved her in Truthwitch and I love her even more in Windwitch. She's such a strong character, both figuratively and literally. We also get Merik's sister, Vivia, as a POV character. I was fascinated with her in Truthwitch. I wanted to learn more about the villain of Merik's story. She's probably my favorite character in Windwitch.

While there is some LGBT representation in Trutwitch (Mathew and Habim), it's pretty minor and in the background. Windwitch does a much better job here. Vivia, our new POV character, likes women. And we get a trans character with a major (though not POV) role.

What I Didn’t Like
I loved Safiya's storyline in Truthwitch but I just couldn't get into it in this book. I loved reading about Vaness but that was really it. I wasn't that interested in Safiya's relationship with the Hell-Bards. I wasn't that interested in Sardonica. Overall I felt that her story was fairly boring and also full of plot holes. (Spoiler: If Vaness wanted to be recognized in Saldonica, why did she pretend they were going to kill her? That just tips the Hell-Bards off that they should hide her and run when she's seen. Had she not said anything, she would have been seen even earlier and the Hell-Bards wouldn't have known to hide her once she was seen.)

While I'm happy we finally get a trans character, it was a bit frustrating to read about him from Merik's perspective. The focus seemed to be more on how him being trans affected Merik than anything.

My Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars. I loved the new major characters in this book, especially Vivia and Vaness. The story was engaging, but just not quite as can't-put-it-down as Truthwitch. I thoroughly enjoyed the Iseult/Aeduan storyline and the Vivia storyline. Merik's storyline was only okay and I just couldn't get into Safiya's.