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roylinp

Escaping into My Books

I never know to say in these things. I guess that says something about me. I read a lot, write stories, and like books. I like a good debate. Nothing else is to say. :-)

Currently reading

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Mackenzi Lee, Christian Coulson

Lots of Potential

Truthwitch - Susan Dennard

For about half this book, I was unsure if I liked it or not. I mean, I liked it enough to keep reading. The world created was great. The magic was interesting, the side characters were interesting, but running through my head the entire time was:

 

“Safi is the worst. She is spoiled, rash, doesn't think anything through; Selfish...her actions just keeps getting other people in trouble. I mean, someone needs to smack her. Preferably Iseult.”

 

But then I realized that was the point. About the point I was getting annoyed with the girl. Safi herself realized: “hey...I'm spoiled, rash, have tunnel vision, get other people in trouble with my action, and I don’t know why Iseult puts up with me. I need to do better.”

 

And then I felt better. I don't mind if I don't like the main character or if they have faults...as long as those faults are acknowledged. And we are not pretending the character is some perfect angel that does no wrong.

 

I enjoyed this book, and by the looks of it, it will be another series (Oh boy). It was nonstop action. I found the magic interesting, and I liked that it wasn't a solve all. The magic had limits, and had plenty of negatives. Some fantasy I read, the magic sometimes becomes this endless deus ex machina...that cures all and solves all. And that can become boring. I like that having all this power also comes with some consequence. Safi can tell when people are truthful, but with that ability comes fear, because people will either view her as an asset to be exploited, or a threat. Either way it doesn't bode well for her safety. And her power has limits. People can still lie to her in certain situations...like all things...you have to read the fine print. All in all it ended in a way that provided some answers, but left some open for the next installment. So it didn’t feel like it ended on a cliffhanger. There were a few minor plot points I didn’t enjoy...like the predictable romance elements with some of the side characters that felt kind of ham-fisted (but the signs could be wrong, so I will wait and see).  I look forward to the next book.