I'm going to be completely honest here. This book was underwhelming and not at all the sequel I hoped for. The first was much better.

Now, that's not to say it was bad. I liked the direction the story went, it did keep me guessing, and I did *mostly* like the characters. But unfortunately, that's where the list ends.

In my opinion, this book was really slow and, to be quite honest, boring, especially in comparison to the first. I know many people think the opposite, but I just couldn't click with this book. Halfway through nothing had gripped me, and if I hadn't loved the first book so much last summer I wouldn't have finished it. I was hopeful, though, and yet nothing changed. I found many of the chapters boring and never got hooked while reading. The last ten to fifteen chapters were interesting, but at that point I was reading to finish it. It would've taken a miracle to make me change my mind on the story, and that miracle didn't come.

And while I liked the various character quests and subplots, most of the POVs bored me. I liked Safi and Iseult, and Vivia was alright, but I didn't care about Merik or Aeduan. I know it was necessary for them to be apart to further the story, but one of my favorite parts of Truthwitch was the connections between the characters. Safi and Iseult were still Threadsisters, but not once did they see each other. Not once did Safi and Merik cross paths. The banter, the friendships, the possible romance, all of it was gone, and to me the absence was very noticeable.

The final showdown was good, I won't deny that, but it came too late to really make a difference in my eyes. And after the battle, the ending seemed too simple. Everyone continued doing their own thing. No cliffhanger, or anything that made me really want more. It was clear the story's not over, but it wasn't anything special either.

I know that probably came off as harsh, but I don't intend it to be. I was just really let down by this sequel. It had its good points, but they were far outweighed by the not-so-good. And though it pains me to say it, I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the books in the Witchlands series.