My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Before Safi and Iseult battled a Bloodwitch…
Before Merik returned from the dead…
Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.
Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight―and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.
On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.
Susan Dennard’s Bio:
Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. Working in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to you yet, Asia!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.
She is the author of the Something Strange and Deadly series as well as the New York Times bestselling books Truthwitch and Windwitch, and when not writing, she’s usually slaying darkspawn (on her Xbox) or earning bruises at the dojo.
She lives in the Midwestern US with her French husband, two spoiled dogs, and two grouchy cats. Learn more about her on her blog, newsletter, twitter, or instagram.
Links:
My Review:
Sightwitch takes place one year before the events of Truthwitch, as well as one thousand years in the past. It is not strictly a new book in the series or a prequel, but a way for the author to further expand the world and mythology of the Witchlands. It was fascinating to read how the Witchlands found itself one day with magic as the “True Tale of the Twelve” Paladins unfolds. Despite the fact that this is a novella, it does not feel lacking and brings a deepening of the world that we have grown to love.
The story is written as if it is a collection of journal entries, collected to form a cohesive narrative with the addition of illustrations made by the authors. It primarily switches between Ryber’s and Eridysi’s points of view, which adds a wonderful dimension to the story as they lived 1,000 years apart. Ryber found her way to the Sightwitches when she was only four years of age and has always been told that she will have the strongest Sight. She follows the rules and doesn’t laugh often, but cares deeply about her Sightwitch family and her path.
It was nice to see allusions to or even appearances from characters that we are familiar with from the main series. It helped to bridge the storylines and grow a sense of wonder that makes you curious as to how this will tie in with the third book, Bloodwitch when it comes out. And I’m sure it will all come full circle.
I was fascinated by the mythology that she wove into this story. It gave us a depth of understanding about the powers in the Witchlands that we didn’t have before. Despite the fact that it is a novella, it packed a satisfying amount of information into its pages and makes me so excited for the next book in the series. I was so happy to re-inhabit this world and highly recommend the book (and the series) to anyone who hasn’t discovered it yet.
What did you guys think? Have you read the Witchlands series yet? If you haven’t please go read it! I love the books, plus Susan Dennard is a complete sweetheart and you should support her!
Kyera's Library 
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