Format: Hardcover, 464 pages
Release Date: June 22, 2021
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic
At long last, Iseult's story revealed in the fourth novel in the New York Times bestselling Witchlands series, an epic fantasy adventure hailed by Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Minds) as “a world you will want to inhabit forever.”
War has come to the Witchlands . . . and nothing will be the same again.
Iseult
has found her heartsister Safi at last, but their reunion is brief. For
Iseult to stay alive, she must flee Cartorra while Safi remains. And
though Iseult has plans to save her friend, they will require her to
summon magic more dangerous than anything she has ever faced before.
Meanwhile,
the Bloodwitch Aeduan is beset by forces he cannot understand. And
Vivia—rightful queen of Nubrevna—finds herself without a crown or home.
As
villains from legend reawaken across the Witchlands, only the mythical
Cahr Awen can stop the gathering war. Iseult could embrace this power
and heal the land, but first she must choose on which side of the
shadows her destiny will lie.
Witchshadow is the fourth installment in author Susan Dennard's The Witchland series. In you need to get caught up on the series, the author has graciously provided readers with a series recap found here. As the synopsis makes clear, most of this book is about Iseult. But Witchshadow also gives us other POV's from Safiya, Vivia, Aeduen and Stix as well as the surprise return of a certain character in the end. Here is a non spoiler warning: The timeline in this book is slightly different from the previous books. The story jumps back and forth between different events which may confuse readers who have not read this series in a while.
Iseult has the hardest journey of all the characters in this book. She has to deal with her newest powers as the puppeteer, she has to deal with Esme who is now a weasel, she has to deal with her mother who no longer recognizes her, and Owl who is something unknown, while trying hard not to kill everyone who crosses her path. To make matters worse, the Bloodwitch Aeduen is no longer himself, and ends up kowtowing to an even deadlier threat in Corlant.
Safiya has made the ultimate sacrifice. She is now married to Empire Henrik of Cartorra, and bound as a Hell-Bard. Her uncle is still alive because of her promise to marry. The Emperor forces Hell Bards to wear gold chains to cleave away their magic so that they are not a threat to him. As the alleged Empress, she is mostly a figurehead. Her magic is pretty much gone and that means that she needs to try to be a bit more intelligent in how she ends up trying to get back to Iseult. Does anyone actually still trust Leopold?
Vivia and Vaness are two queens without a country. In Vivia's case, her own father betrayed her and took the crown from her. The pair team up in hopes of finding aide to help their causes. After being refused aid, the pair find themselves constantly being chased by bounty hunters, and even their own people. Meanwhile, even though they are so different, they find a way to become a solid couple be it fighting, or whatever happens next.
Stix, Vivia's former first mate and Waterwitch, finds herself with Ryber in the Pirate Republic of Saldonica. She's been hearing voices for sometime now and has to come to grips that she may or may not be one of the legendary Paladins which only six still exist. The only person who may hold the answers to what's happening to her is Kahina Leon.
This book is definitely more character focused then plot wise. One of the more interesting aspects of this story is the revelations about which characters are the fabled Paladin and who is the Trickster who may have betrayed those who are no longer living. I haven't mentioned Aeduan all that much and that's because most of his time was spent being possessed by another entity which made him and Iseult enemies for most of the story. By the end, things will be much brighter, and hopefully, the next installment will bring them back together. I am also going to give you an Easter egg to ponder. A character who was presumed to be dead, wakes up. Good enough?
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