Sure, most novels have some kind of friendship, but the way the strengths and weaknesses of these two protagonists intertwine from page one, and set events in motion, colours the entire book in gripping fashion.Īnother defining relationship is the one between Safiya and Pirate-prince Merik. These limits lead to an interplay of witches and magic that makes for some fascinating relationships and power dynamics.Īt the heart of the series, and especially the opening novel Truthwitch, is the friendship between Safiya and Iseult.

Ships for example will have the usual contingent of sailors, but they might also have a Tidewitch to help navigate, and Voicewitches (drawing on Aether magic), commonly found in towns, act as long-range messengers for hire. Only in the rarest cases can a witch claim total mastery of their element, but usually they specialise in a certain part of it. Magic falls into elemental buckets that author Susan Dennard claims was inspired by the Avatar: The LastAirbender series Aether, Void (generally believed to be only a legend), Wind, Fire, Earth and Water. Sure, some witches (a non-gendered term here) are more powerful than others, and there are a few surprises up a couple of voluminous sleeves, but it’s refreshing to see magic that is also put to work. The Witchlands has magic woven into the very fabric of society so that it really feels like the world couldn't run without it. The magic works (sometimes in mysterious ways) Here are a few 'must-knows', whether you're poised to join the steadily growing legion of fans or you’re already planning your shrine to #Baeduan after reading the third book, Bloodwitch. It's set amidst a crumbling truce between three nations and a slew of much more immediate vendettas, and it's uproariously good fun. The Witchlands is a four-book (so far), New York Times best-selling fantasy series centred around Truthwitch Safiya and her partner in crime Iseult, a Threadwitch.

The highland witch by susan fletcher