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The Witchlands #5
Witchlight
Paths converge and prophecies unfold as Safi and Iseult―the legendary Cahr Awen―fight their way across the Witchlands to heal the final Origin Well. With ancient figures rising from the past, the Raider King’s armies gathering for war, and the magic at the heart of everything dying too fast, the entire world is now on the brink of collapse.
But when Safi and Iseult reach the Air Well with the Bloodwitch Aeduan at their side, they discover too late that Eridysi's Lament is not the prophecy they thought it was―and their journeys are only just beginning.
But when Safi and Iseult reach the Air Well with the Bloodwitch Aeduan at their side, they discover too late that Eridysi's Lament is not the prophecy they thought it was―and their journeys are only just beginning.
20 pages, Audiobook
First published November 4, 2025
168 people are currently reading
14435 people want to read
About the author
Susan Dennard
24 books9,401 followersSusan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), and the Something Strange and Deadly series, in addition to various other fiction published online.
Before becoming an author, she got to travel the world with her M.Sc. in marine biology. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.
You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Before becoming an author, she got to travel the world with her M.Sc. in marine biology. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.
You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
Want to read
January 23, 2018I’m going to be so old when this book comes out.!!!! That’s sad!*lol
Want to read
August 22, 2024My reviews for:
1: Truthwitch
2: Windwitch
2.5: Sightwitch (A MUST READ. THIS NOVELLA IS VERY IMPORTANT)
3: Bloodwitch
4: Untitled
1: Truthwitch
2: Windwitch
2.5: Sightwitch (A MUST READ. THIS NOVELLA IS VERY IMPORTANT)
3: Bloodwitch
4: Untitled
October 26, 2025
Toward death with wide eyes. All clear, all clear. Toward death with wide eyes. All clear, all clear.
Forget about found family, Threadfamily is the new benchmark.
Please read my review for book one if you are new to this series as there may be minor, minor spoilers for book two onwards.
I adored the first three books in this series, but felt slightly disappointed by book four and despaired how the finale would restore it.
The fifth instalment pulled it off… kind of. I’m still jumping between a high three or a rounded up four stars.🌟
We get the big revelations that make the rest of the series (particularly book four) make more sense. This is helped by a glossary and the true tale of the twelve Paladdins at the end.
One sister wanted freedom from her magic and her title. The other sister wanted freedom from her magic and her heritage. And both sisters believed that if they ran far enough and fast enough, they would eventually find a person or a place that could give it to them.
I just wish we had more time with the characters together as they spent a lot of the time chasing after each other. Especially Safi and Iseult who I’ve been waiting for a grand reunion (with staying power) since book two.
I was lucky enough to binge this series in under two weeks in preparation for this, so I was waiting for one particular thing to reoccur from book one. I was giddy even if I wanted more.
This is a series twelve years in the making and, as Dennard says, there are a lot of threads and Threads. I do think this would appeal to Throne of Glass fans because of this expansion.
I loved some of the full/circle moments.
The romance was definitely a minor sub-plot, but the yearning and blocks definitely added even more tension to a high-stakes plot.
Interestingly, there have been a few doors left open for the future. For that reason, not all of the threads (okay, I’ll stop with the puns now) endings felt quite satisfying for me. Especially considering there have been five books.
Physical arc gifted by Tor.
Bookstagram
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Forget about found family, Threadfamily is the new benchmark.
Please read my review for book one if you are new to this series as there may be minor, minor spoilers for book two onwards.
I adored the first three books in this series, but felt slightly disappointed by book four and despaired how the finale would restore it.
The fifth instalment pulled it off… kind of. I’m still jumping between a high three or a rounded up four stars.🌟
We get the big revelations that make the rest of the series (particularly book four) make more sense. This is helped by a glossary and the true tale of the twelve Paladdins at the end.
One sister wanted freedom from her magic and her title. The other sister wanted freedom from her magic and her heritage. And both sisters believed that if they ran far enough and fast enough, they would eventually find a person or a place that could give it to them.
I just wish we had more time with the characters together as they spent a lot of the time chasing after each other. Especially Safi and Iseult who I’ve been waiting for a grand reunion (with staying power) since book two.
I was lucky enough to binge this series in under two weeks in preparation for this, so I was waiting for one particular thing to reoccur from book one. I was giddy even if I wanted more.
This is a series twelve years in the making and, as Dennard says, there are a lot of threads and Threads. I do think this would appeal to Throne of Glass fans because of this expansion.
I loved some of the full/circle moments.
The romance was definitely a minor sub-plot, but the yearning and blocks definitely added even more tension to a high-stakes plot.
Interestingly, there have been a few doors left open for the future. For that reason, not all of the threads (okay, I’ll stop with the puns now) endings felt quite satisfying for me. Especially considering there have been five books.
Physical arc gifted by Tor.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
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May 14, 2025edit: release date this year??? and a cover??? hoho
no...official...release...date...yet
I detest that
no...official...release...date...yet
I detest that
January 13, 2025
It's so hard to put into words everything this series makes me feel, and to have read such an epic conclusion, words simply cannot do it justice. It's been worth the wait, and I think people will be pleased with how everything is handled. I wish more people would do themselves the favor of reading this series because Susan Dennard never disappoints, and this series especially is Peak Fantasy to me.
and on a less coherent note. AHHHHHH BDJDNFKFKF OHMIGODDDDD???? WILL I EVER EMOTIONALLY RECOVER HHHNGNGNGN I'M SO EMOTIONAL I CAN'T BELIEVE AN ENDING COULD BE SO PERFECT I LITERALLY CRIED
and on a less coherent note. AHHHHHH BDJDNFKFKF OHMIGODDDDD???? WILL I EVER EMOTIONALLY RECOVER HHHNGNGNGN I'M SO EMOTIONAL I CAN'T BELIEVE AN ENDING COULD BE SO PERFECT I LITERALLY CRIED
January 12, 2026
I had requested this with the intent to do a series reread in advance of this finale — despite doing so back in 2021, which just goes to show you how long this book took to come out, though from what I understand this is through no fault of the author’s? — and then, well. Slumps, slumps, slumps. And then I even dropped the ball on reading this on time before, well, slumps. Plus lack of motivation or, really, investment; which kind of summed up my whole experience with the series anyway. I was never really in it.
And ultimately I’m glad I didn’t invest the time because this already ate up too many days where for the most part I was just pushing through to the end (I only skimmed a leeettle, and just between the sixty to seventy percent section which seemed to go on forever, I swear).
Overall? I’m not quite sure this ever came together in a way I fully comprehended and that’s a frustrating cherry ontop of the whole experience. I wish I had liked the characters or the world or the magic system but I didn’t. I didn’t hate anything, I just never hit that stride where things clicked. There would be teases (particularly I’m recalling something from book three did tickle my brain in a good way) but if I did enjoy something in the moment, I was never an overall feeling of satisfaction. And in hindsight I barely recall any of those good bits. Which kind of stinks.
But I do hope those fans who have been rabid since the beginning have been left happy, or emotional, or content with the end of this series.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
And ultimately I’m glad I didn’t invest the time because this already ate up too many days where for the most part I was just pushing through to the end (I only skimmed a leeettle, and just between the sixty to seventy percent section which seemed to go on forever, I swear).
Overall? I’m not quite sure this ever came together in a way I fully comprehended and that’s a frustrating cherry ontop of the whole experience. I wish I had liked the characters or the world or the magic system but I didn’t. I didn’t hate anything, I just never hit that stride where things clicked. There would be teases (particularly I’m recalling something from book three did tickle my brain in a good way) but if I did enjoy something in the moment, I was never an overall feeling of satisfaction. And in hindsight I barely recall any of those good bits. Which kind of stinks.
But I do hope those fans who have been rabid since the beginning have been left happy, or emotional, or content with the end of this series.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
November 8, 2025
i’m so disappointed 😭
i love witchlands but i just can’t lie and pretend that this book was anywhere near good.
as a summary i just wanna say it was super anticlimactic and felt very half assed.
the thing that probably disappointed me most was the treatment of character arcs. iseult and safi have been separated for the past 4 books with fleeting reunions, but that never diminished the strong bond they shared. but this was the book for them to finally come together after their journeys of finding their place in this world and self growth. safi has spent the four books realising that her title and her power can make a change. iseult has been accepting her void magic, learning not to be ashamed of it and learning how to use it. so like what happened to that in this book? and why where they again separated for like half of it. it was like everything they went through got erased. and it was the same with other characters too, like did we forget vivia was usurped by her father? why was she in a ice cave all book? and wtf does merik have to do with arithuania ??? like what happened to four books of buildup?
certain dynamics in this felt ignored too, one line about cam from merik just felt lazy. safi spent the last 3 books with hell bards, why were they barely mentioned? vaness and vivia were a little interesting in the previous books because it was highlighting the burden of their titles especially as women but they got stumped down to a corny ass romance when they should have been more involved in the fight. then it also bothered me how vivia forgot about stix. i’m sorry but 5 years for this was absolutely insane for forgotten arcs and ooc/random writing.
the politics was just not here at all considering it’s a story about empires and kingdoms too. but even then the conclusion about the cahr awen and the paladins felt lazy as hell, and watered down to its lowest potential. important side characters like evrane or eron barely made an appearance, the raider king was their biggest threat and he had 2 scenes before he easily died without any closure with aeduan or his daughters. the conclusion was actually so lazy im shocked. the ending with the mystery of the paladins was supposed to be explained in this book, not told in a glossary. and it wasn’t supposed to be an open minded ending either, like this is what the four books have been leading up to ?😭 then the random new character pov was weird as hell how does her pov add to the story? it doesn’t. this was just a really bad book and a even worse finale 🫠
i love witchlands but i just can’t lie and pretend that this book was anywhere near good.
as a summary i just wanna say it was super anticlimactic and felt very half assed.
the thing that probably disappointed me most was the treatment of character arcs. iseult and safi have been separated for the past 4 books with fleeting reunions, but that never diminished the strong bond they shared. but this was the book for them to finally come together after their journeys of finding their place in this world and self growth. safi has spent the four books realising that her title and her power can make a change. iseult has been accepting her void magic, learning not to be ashamed of it and learning how to use it. so like what happened to that in this book? and why where they again separated for like half of it. it was like everything they went through got erased. and it was the same with other characters too, like did we forget vivia was usurped by her father? why was she in a ice cave all book? and wtf does merik have to do with arithuania ??? like what happened to four books of buildup?
certain dynamics in this felt ignored too, one line about cam from merik just felt lazy. safi spent the last 3 books with hell bards, why were they barely mentioned? vaness and vivia were a little interesting in the previous books because it was highlighting the burden of their titles especially as women but they got stumped down to a corny ass romance when they should have been more involved in the fight. then it also bothered me how vivia forgot about stix. i’m sorry but 5 years for this was absolutely insane for forgotten arcs and ooc/random writing.
the politics was just not here at all considering it’s a story about empires and kingdoms too. but even then the conclusion about the cahr awen and the paladins felt lazy as hell, and watered down to its lowest potential. important side characters like evrane or eron barely made an appearance, the raider king was their biggest threat and he had 2 scenes before he easily died without any closure with aeduan or his daughters. the conclusion was actually so lazy im shocked. the ending with the mystery of the paladins was supposed to be explained in this book, not told in a glossary. and it wasn’t supposed to be an open minded ending either, like this is what the four books have been leading up to ?😭 then the random new character pov was weird as hell how does her pov add to the story? it doesn’t. this was just a really bad book and a even worse finale 🫠
November 29, 2025
Post-reading thoughts (November 29, 2025):
SKAJHFKLAJSFKJAHFJHKAF THAT ENDING WAS PERFECT AND HEARTBREAKING AND JOY-INDUCING ALL AT ONCE I LOVE THIS SERIES I LOVE THIS SERIES I LOVE THIS SERIES I'm so excited to binge-reread the whole series in a few years after I've forgotten some of it I can just FEEL the hype from years away <3 and who knows, maybe there will be more books in the series to feast upon by then 😼
Pre-reading thoughts:
me, having binged the series a few days ago and currently checking every other day for a release day announcement: 🤡
update: it's coming in 3 months omg I need to binge-reread the series now 👁👄👁
update update: It's been pushed back to next year I'm cryingggg 😭
SKAJHFKLAJSFKJAHFJHKAF THAT ENDING WAS PERFECT AND HEARTBREAKING AND JOY-INDUCING ALL AT ONCE I LOVE THIS SERIES I LOVE THIS SERIES I LOVE THIS SERIES I'm so excited to binge-reread the whole series in a few years after I've forgotten some of it I can just FEEL the hype from years away <3 and who knows, maybe there will be more books in the series to feast upon by then 😼
Pre-reading thoughts:
me, having binged the series a few days ago and currently checking every other day for a release day announcement: 🤡
update: it's coming in 3 months omg I need to binge-reread the series now 👁👄👁
update update: It's been pushed back to next year I'm cryingggg 😭
January 6, 2025
y’all are in for a RIDE
November 10, 2025
susan dennard should’ve been given more time and more books so she could’ve properly written it out more like she wanted to
January 28, 2025
An absolutely perfect ending. Had nothing I expected, and everything I needed.
November 7, 2025
I really should get better at DNF-ing stuff I’m not enjoying…
This series has been very middle of the road for me - Sightwitch was a true bright spot for me, but none of the other books in the series come remotely close to that one. Sadly.
Now, I’ll have to be honest and I suspect I’ll be in the minority. But I did not care for this book or the series as a whole. I do not think this particular book was good and sadly, the ending of the series has convinced me to unhaul the entire series.
I’m just really disappointed that I didn’t end up liking this book and series as a whole. Especially because I think there was so much potential - Dennard had a lot of interesting ideas and I really liked the whole Paladin-plotline. However, I do not think she managed to stick the landing.
Now, let me explain. There may be spoilers, I’ll hide the massive ones.
The characters were a massive fail for me. I started out liking Aeduan and Iseult and found them an interesting couple, but now.. I mean, I don’t care about any of these characters or their relationships/friendships. Aeduan & Iseult and Safi and Merik have zero chemistry and have spent so little time together that it was impossible for me to get invested in them. Same goes for Iseult and Safi’s friendship. I feel like I’ve only heard about how close they are but they have been split up for most of the story so I don’t feel like I actually know them as friends.
The world-building is pretty bad. This world, the Witchlands, aren’t very well realized and it just feels like a very unfinished world. And a side-note; I hate when specific places are mentioned but not shown on the map - why then have a map, if you make it nearly impossible for me to follow your characters?
This whole Paladin-thing. I mean, it could have been SO great, and there were several aspects of it that I liked but it just fell flat. I think my main issue is that 12 Paladins were simply too many as it got overly complicated to keep track of them!
The Raider King… I don’t get you, man.
This series has been very middle of the road for me - Sightwitch was a true bright spot for me, but none of the other books in the series come remotely close to that one. Sadly.
Now, I’ll have to be honest and I suspect I’ll be in the minority. But I did not care for this book or the series as a whole. I do not think this particular book was good and sadly, the ending of the series has convinced me to unhaul the entire series.
I’m just really disappointed that I didn’t end up liking this book and series as a whole. Especially because I think there was so much potential - Dennard had a lot of interesting ideas and I really liked the whole Paladin-plotline. However, I do not think she managed to stick the landing.
Now, let me explain. There may be spoilers, I’ll hide the massive ones.
The characters were a massive fail for me. I started out liking Aeduan and Iseult and found them an interesting couple, but now.. I mean, I don’t care about any of these characters or their relationships/friendships. Aeduan & Iseult and Safi and Merik have zero chemistry and have spent so little time together that it was impossible for me to get invested in them. Same goes for Iseult and Safi’s friendship. I feel like I’ve only heard about how close they are but they have been split up for most of the story so I don’t feel like I actually know them as friends.
The world-building is pretty bad. This world, the Witchlands, aren’t very well realized and it just feels like a very unfinished world. And a side-note; I hate when specific places are mentioned but not shown on the map - why then have a map, if you make it nearly impossible for me to follow your characters?
This whole Paladin-thing. I mean, it could have been SO great, and there were several aspects of it that I liked but it just fell flat. I think my main issue is that 12 Paladins were simply too many as it got overly complicated to keep track of them!
The Raider King… I don’t get you, man.
![Profile Image for julia ☆ [owls reads].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1636739475i%2F5520447._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 14, 2025
Aw.
Much action, much tension, a little slow at times. This became such a sprawling world that had its ups and downs, and I do appreciate Dennard taking it to the very end. The final chapter was pretty lovely! I do wish she had been allowed to write the series as she originally planned--some plot points obviously got a bit messed up when the order of the books changed and there was catching up to do.
Much action, much tension, a little slow at times. This became such a sprawling world that had its ups and downs, and I do appreciate Dennard taking it to the very end. The final chapter was pretty lovely! I do wish she had been allowed to write the series as she originally planned--some plot points obviously got a bit messed up when the order of the books changed and there was catching up to do.
November 30, 2025
2.5 stars, some thoughts:
- this was extremely confusing, I barely understood anything from the plot
- since book 2, I couldnt care less about merik, vivia, styx and ryber's pov and im so upset i had to read so much about them
- maybe I missed something but I truly don't understand how lev and zander met vivia and vaness and gave them a letter from safi when safi thought they were dead and was looking for them???
- safi and merik's romance??? come on. I wasnt sold on them on the first book, but after 3 books and a half of no interactions and basically no thoughts about each other, I cant believe them they just ended up together. no chemistry
- safi had so much more chemistry with caden. honestly it would have made so much more sense for them to end up together. specially after all those parallels of their relationship and iseult/aeduan. like wth
- why did vivia just randomly forgot about styx?
- the whole part about ragnor was so anti climatic, and no discussion with aeduan about what happened to his father?
- this was extremely confusing, I barely understood anything from the plot
- since book 2, I couldnt care less about merik, vivia, styx and ryber's pov and im so upset i had to read so much about them
- maybe I missed something but I truly don't understand how lev and zander met vivia and vaness and gave them a letter from safi when safi thought they were dead and was looking for them???
- safi and merik's romance??? come on. I wasnt sold on them on the first book, but after 3 books and a half of no interactions and basically no thoughts about each other, I cant believe them they just ended up together. no chemistry
- safi had so much more chemistry with caden. honestly it would have made so much more sense for them to end up together. specially after all those parallels of their relationship and iseult/aeduan. like wth
- why did vivia just randomly forgot about styx?
- the whole part about ragnor was so anti climatic, and no discussion with aeduan about what happened to his father?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2025
If I had a nickel for every time I downloaded an arc from Edelweiss and then got an email saying it shouldn't have been added to Edelweiss and could I please hold my review until the book comes out, I'd have three nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened thrice, right?
November 17, 2025
**4,74**
I love this series and it was so much fun re-reading it before reading this last book!
I really liked this book - there was so much going on which I always like, but at the same time there were so many questions I have that I feel like I didn't really get a good answer to. And there were a few plot points that I kind of wish could have gone differently but maybe that's just me (for example Stix and Vivia😩, what did Caden and Lev do after everything? And I wanted more of Safi and Merik!!!!).
But over all, a good ending to an amazing series!!
I love this series and it was so much fun re-reading it before reading this last book!
I really liked this book - there was so much going on which I always like, but at the same time there were so many questions I have that I feel like I didn't really get a good answer to. And there were a few plot points that I kind of wish could have gone differently but maybe that's just me (for example Stix and Vivia😩, what did Caden and Lev do after everything? And I wanted more of Safi and Merik!!!!).
But over all, a good ending to an amazing series!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2026
I AM FINALLY FREE
Good riddance, Susan Dennard.
Shortly after this, I reread "The Dark Mirror", book 5 of The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. I have to emphasize that The Bone Season is similarly long and complex as Susan Dennard's Witchlands but where Witchlands thoroughly confuses and disappoints me, The Bone Season enchants with its characters, thrill and setting every time again. You can see that Samantha Shannon wants her readers to follow the story even if she sets out to keep things hidden and secret for a long long time and makes even new secondary characters entertaining and distinct while Susan Dennard doesn't seem to give a shit.
Really. She could've explained the paladin business in the first book OR have the protagonists make a grand discovery that the readers can relate to but nope. Yes, I've reread TBS numerous times but I tried the same with Witchlands and rereading didn't help me understand better at all so I stopped to bother. It's always bits and pieces of the whole picture we are to somehow know although it's never explained until the afterwards glossary in the final book while the books have endless meaningless travel fillers. It's so insulting, like we're not meant to read the glossary until we're done with the book! As if we're not supposed to need this or ANY further information while the author has never given us breadcrumbs.
The online summary is a joke, too. Ridiculously long and I bet to 99 % it's AI-generated because Susan Dennard can't even do that much herself to make the story clear for us (1 % chance Susan Dennard finds AI-content ethically wrong but hey, it's only a for free summary) because there's only one detailed action after another you don't care about with zero emphasis on impactful moments or relevant information to tell the reader: Remember this thing!! This connects to that! So unhelpful.
Even in this final part, half the book remains skippable travel from one tree to another, through a room or between two rocks. In the end, what is even resolved? Several villains are still at large, and the final scene is a glaring reference to the first book.
The book 1 reprise that should've been cute feels to me like what was even the point when Safi and Iseult are where they came from? Should we have cared about the paladins? You know I never did. Why never explain about the political situation that was the big start of everything? How is the soil of Nubrevna? What about all the allies the raider king amassed all over the continent, won't they still be discontent?
I could rant about Vivia alone for ages. Did she ever do ANYTHING meaningful? I swear, she exists for Susan Dennard to show off a sapphic POV character but even her romances are trash. One teased love interest vanishes into thin air so she can start vague flirting with Vaness only in the book before, have next to no interaction with her in this book yet they talk about love and marriage at the end. What? When? How did any of this happen???
Good riddance, Susan Dennard.
Shortly after this, I reread "The Dark Mirror", book 5 of The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. I have to emphasize that The Bone Season is similarly long and complex as Susan Dennard's Witchlands but where Witchlands thoroughly confuses and disappoints me, The Bone Season enchants with its characters, thrill and setting every time again. You can see that Samantha Shannon wants her readers to follow the story even if she sets out to keep things hidden and secret for a long long time and makes even new secondary characters entertaining and distinct while Susan Dennard doesn't seem to give a shit.
Really. She could've explained the paladin business in the first book OR have the protagonists make a grand discovery that the readers can relate to but nope. Yes, I've reread TBS numerous times but I tried the same with Witchlands and rereading didn't help me understand better at all so I stopped to bother. It's always bits and pieces of the whole picture we are to somehow know although it's never explained until the afterwards glossary in the final book while the books have endless meaningless travel fillers. It's so insulting, like we're not meant to read the glossary until we're done with the book! As if we're not supposed to need this or ANY further information while the author has never given us breadcrumbs.
The online summary is a joke, too. Ridiculously long and I bet to 99 % it's AI-generated because Susan Dennard can't even do that much herself to make the story clear for us (1 % chance Susan Dennard finds AI-content ethically wrong but hey, it's only a for free summary) because there's only one detailed action after another you don't care about with zero emphasis on impactful moments or relevant information to tell the reader: Remember this thing!! This connects to that! So unhelpful.
Even in this final part, half the book remains skippable travel from one tree to another, through a room or between two rocks. In the end, what is even resolved? Several villains are still at large, and the final scene is a glaring reference to the first book.
The book 1 reprise that should've been cute feels to me like what was even the point when Safi and Iseult are where they came from? Should we have cared about the paladins? You know I never did. Why never explain about the political situation that was the big start of everything? How is the soil of Nubrevna? What about all the allies the raider king amassed all over the continent, won't they still be discontent?
I could rant about Vivia alone for ages. Did she ever do ANYTHING meaningful? I swear, she exists for Susan Dennard to show off a sapphic POV character but even her romances are trash. One teased love interest vanishes into thin air so she can start vague flirting with Vaness only in the book before, have next to no interaction with her in this book yet they talk about love and marriage at the end. What? When? How did any of this happen???
January 17, 2026
I love this series so much. I will admit, there was a LOT of agony in this book, which I wasn't fully in the right head space for. But I'm very pleased with how it ended!
December 31, 2025
This was so disappointing... I almost didn't finish but given I have been reading this series for a decade, I couldn't not finish. Honestly, I couldn't stand Safi and Iseult by the end. They acted exactly how they acted in the first book. Absolutely no character growth. We completely skip over storylines I would've preferred to see. And got perspectives that didn't need to be there. At least one character died off page with no explanation whatsoever. And there were so many conveniences without any of the emotional payoff we should've gotten. I would rather we had never finished the series than get this. SMH
April 18, 2025
I am deeply honoured to have been able to read an advanced copy of Witchlight. It ties everything up in such amazing and fantastic ways, with enough threads dangling that more stories could be told of the Witchlands. A more in depth review will be coming once the book is published in November.
November 21, 2025
3.5 stars
Conflicted. Even with a good recap, I couldn’t recapture the vibe from the other books. I felt this got way too complicated and the main storyline got lost in the sauce. Although the ending was adequate, it wasn’t the “tie everything in a bow” type thing as Dennard mentions.
Conflicted. Even with a good recap, I couldn’t recapture the vibe from the other books. I felt this got way too complicated and the main storyline got lost in the sauce. Although the ending was adequate, it wasn’t the “tie everything in a bow” type thing as Dennard mentions.
December 8, 2024
Y'all are in for a treat
January 24, 2025
This book! This. Book.
I'll update once I can form coherent sentences again.
I'll update once I can form coherent sentences again.
January 1, 2026
This was an incredibly unsatisfying ending.
The book started out extremely strong. The first 70 pages I thought "we are so back, this is the series I fell in love with and that's the story I want to read, i am definitely going to give this book 5 stars" but then things went downhill again.
I went into this book with very low expectations, because Witchshadow left so many loose ends and left out important characters, that I couldn't imagine all plotlines could be wrapped up in a satisfying, non-rushed way in Witchlight. And I was right.
I loved the flashbacks of Merik and Vivias' childhood. I loved that we finally got some actual Nomatsi backstory. I liked that the final fight was really long, and didn't just last one chapter. I liked the very brief quest of Safi, Iseult and Aeduan just travelling together. But everything else? And the ending? What was that? The ending was way too open and left too many plots unfinished and important scenes were just completely missing.
So let me get this straight, after, like, 3 books apart, we couldn't even get a proper on page reunion of Merik and Vivia? Like, there was a very short one, but there was a war going on. And afterwards we couldn't even get a f*ing hug? A few words to each other that they were happy the other is alive and well? We are talking about two siblings who are only just rebuilding their relationship after realising how their father had pit them against each other on purpose. I was waiting for this reunion, and it... just never happened? Like, my brother and I didn't have the best relationship growing up, and we only learned to get along as we got older, and we definitely aren't huggers, but you can bet your a** that after a big, dangers fight and both of us almost dying, I would run to my brother and hug him. The way this relationship was treated felt like a joke.
That brings me to the non-existent on-page reunion of either Merik and Vivia with their father. Like, Vivia was the rightful queen, and her father refused to step down and bonded with the enemy, and in the end Vivia is just queen, and we never got to see her confronting her father. Same for Merik. Like his father thought he was dead, and this man literally sent his son away because his magic wasn't as powerful as he would have wanted, and we never got to see Merik confronting his father about thar???? About anything???? Like I was ready to see Merik flying into that castle, storm Hound and Vivia by his side, telling his father to fuck off, maybe before or after Vivia had confronted their father in an epic way alone, and to give the crown to Vivia. But nope. Nothing like that. Nothing at all.
The Safi and Merik reunion felt really underwhelming, too. Don't get me wrong, it was cute and heartwarming, but they had been separated for 4 books, I was really expecting more. I did appreciate the full circle moments from book 1, but it ultimately suffered the same fate as Merik and Vivia. After the final showdown, I was expecting something. Anything. A hug, a few words that they are happy the other isn't dead. Stuff you would expect between two supposed love interests after the final, extremely dangerous fight. But there was nothing. Again, they had been separated for 4 books, and in book 1 we were told there were such strong feels between them. And then we got nothing. 3 weeks pass after the final battle before they even talk to each other again! I am sorry, but this does not make sense to me. It doesn't make sense for these characters. The ending was cute, and again, I appreciate the ball scene circling back to book 1, but i had really hoped for more. A conversation, "I choose you" "hey, I have these feelings for you and please don't die again you idiot". Like, we got that for Vivia and Vaness, a ship that didn't exist until 1 book ago, but not for these two??? Why????
And oh, Stix. My heart broke for her. After her relationship with Vivia was completely retconned in the previous book, she didn't even get to tell Vivia how she feels. Because Vivia and Vaness, who were not a thing before witchshadow, confessed their feelings to each other, but the character whose romance was foreshadowed much earlier (coughsafiandmerikcough Vivia and stix) got nothing.
Don't get me wrong, I liked Sky as a character. It's very on brand for Merik to find and help people and they all end up his friends and followers and all, but did we really need her chapters? Like yes, it gave us more insight into what was going on, but considering how many plot lines fell short, did we really need it?
And don't even get me started on Caden's chapters. Considering I really can't stand the hellbards as it is, this arc led absolutely nowhere and definitely wasn't needed. It was a pure waste of pages and word count.
The ending also didn't feel like much of an ending at all. The characters are still not done fighting, the danger isn't over because there is still one evil paladin, maybe even two, walking around and could wreak havoc. Stix is one a quest to find him. Safi and Iseult are going on a quest to rebuild the Kingdoms. Idk, it would have been nice to get a view into that. A few details.
Is Safi empress now, or is she just the Char Awen? If she isn't empress, then who is the empress or emperor? Is it her uncle? Maybe I am stupid, but they don't call her empress in the end so I am confused??? Will there be a potential marriage between Vivia and Vaness, and how are they going to do that in the end, considering they are both Queens from different Kingdoms?
Is Merik the leader of Arithuania now, or is it something else? Like, maybe I am stupid, but the last time I checked, a minister isn't a country's leader. Even through votes. That's the chancellor or president. So, all this foreshadowing of Kullen calling Merik King, and him being represented by the king of Hounds in Rybers tarot cards, was for nothing???
Also, like, a coronation ceremony for literally any of the characters who ended up becoming leaders would have been nice. But we also didn't even get a scene of Vivia confronting her father, so what am I even thinking? Of course, we wouldn't get a scene for Vivi's coronation.
Also, I found it weird that Ryber's only plot was to give us, the reader, information. She wasn't even really involved in the final battle. I thought she would give someone the final puzzle piece of information that would change the direction of the battle, but nope. Her letters to Kullen brought me to tears, but I was really expecting her to play more of an important role.
Now, something else I don't understand. Again, maybe I am simply stupid and don't understand.... I knew it was coming, that Kullen would die. But, before that happened, Iseult died and was brought back. She was literally dead. Her Threadfamily literally felt her death. Then she was basically a ghost, and only her bond to Safi and her Char Awen souls held her soul in this world. She was brought back because of Safi’s determination, Leopold and magic. But somehow, Kullen who has a bond with Merik and also has the previous Paladin souls in him, just dies and there is nothing to be done? Like, don't get me wrong, i was completely losing it when Iseult died, and I am glad she came back, but shouldn't magic work the same for 2 people with very similar fates? Both have reincarnated souls, both have a powerful bond with their chosen family, but only one could be saved because of these traits? Doesn't make much sense to me. I thought magic had its rules, too.
These are my feelings and thoughts, and I am allowed to feel the way I do about this book.
Maybe this criticism seems stupid to some of you, but these are just some plotlines and scenes that, to me, would have been important for an actual wrap-up of the series. Witchlight didn't feel like an actual ending to a series; it left me feeling like there should be at least one more book coming, but there isn't. That's not my definition of a good ending.
The book started out extremely strong. The first 70 pages I thought "we are so back, this is the series I fell in love with and that's the story I want to read, i am definitely going to give this book 5 stars" but then things went downhill again.
I went into this book with very low expectations, because Witchshadow left so many loose ends and left out important characters, that I couldn't imagine all plotlines could be wrapped up in a satisfying, non-rushed way in Witchlight. And I was right.
I loved the flashbacks of Merik and Vivias' childhood. I loved that we finally got some actual Nomatsi backstory. I liked that the final fight was really long, and didn't just last one chapter. I liked the very brief quest of Safi, Iseult and Aeduan just travelling together. But everything else? And the ending? What was that? The ending was way too open and left too many plots unfinished and important scenes were just completely missing.
So let me get this straight, after, like, 3 books apart, we couldn't even get a proper on page reunion of Merik and Vivia? Like, there was a very short one, but there was a war going on. And afterwards we couldn't even get a f*ing hug? A few words to each other that they were happy the other is alive and well? We are talking about two siblings who are only just rebuilding their relationship after realising how their father had pit them against each other on purpose. I was waiting for this reunion, and it... just never happened? Like, my brother and I didn't have the best relationship growing up, and we only learned to get along as we got older, and we definitely aren't huggers, but you can bet your a** that after a big, dangers fight and both of us almost dying, I would run to my brother and hug him. The way this relationship was treated felt like a joke.
That brings me to the non-existent on-page reunion of either Merik and Vivia with their father. Like, Vivia was the rightful queen, and her father refused to step down and bonded with the enemy, and in the end Vivia is just queen, and we never got to see her confronting her father. Same for Merik. Like his father thought he was dead, and this man literally sent his son away because his magic wasn't as powerful as he would have wanted, and we never got to see Merik confronting his father about thar???? About anything???? Like I was ready to see Merik flying into that castle, storm Hound and Vivia by his side, telling his father to fuck off, maybe before or after Vivia had confronted their father in an epic way alone, and to give the crown to Vivia. But nope. Nothing like that. Nothing at all.
The Safi and Merik reunion felt really underwhelming, too. Don't get me wrong, it was cute and heartwarming, but they had been separated for 4 books, I was really expecting more. I did appreciate the full circle moments from book 1, but it ultimately suffered the same fate as Merik and Vivia. After the final showdown, I was expecting something. Anything. A hug, a few words that they are happy the other isn't dead. Stuff you would expect between two supposed love interests after the final, extremely dangerous fight. But there was nothing. Again, they had been separated for 4 books, and in book 1 we were told there were such strong feels between them. And then we got nothing. 3 weeks pass after the final battle before they even talk to each other again! I am sorry, but this does not make sense to me. It doesn't make sense for these characters. The ending was cute, and again, I appreciate the ball scene circling back to book 1, but i had really hoped for more. A conversation, "I choose you" "hey, I have these feelings for you and please don't die again you idiot". Like, we got that for Vivia and Vaness, a ship that didn't exist until 1 book ago, but not for these two??? Why????
And oh, Stix. My heart broke for her. After her relationship with Vivia was completely retconned in the previous book, she didn't even get to tell Vivia how she feels. Because Vivia and Vaness, who were not a thing before witchshadow, confessed their feelings to each other, but the character whose romance was foreshadowed much earlier (coughsafiandmerikcough Vivia and stix) got nothing.
Don't get me wrong, I liked Sky as a character. It's very on brand for Merik to find and help people and they all end up his friends and followers and all, but did we really need her chapters? Like yes, it gave us more insight into what was going on, but considering how many plot lines fell short, did we really need it?
And don't even get me started on Caden's chapters. Considering I really can't stand the hellbards as it is, this arc led absolutely nowhere and definitely wasn't needed. It was a pure waste of pages and word count.
The ending also didn't feel like much of an ending at all. The characters are still not done fighting, the danger isn't over because there is still one evil paladin, maybe even two, walking around and could wreak havoc. Stix is one a quest to find him. Safi and Iseult are going on a quest to rebuild the Kingdoms. Idk, it would have been nice to get a view into that. A few details.
Is Safi empress now, or is she just the Char Awen? If she isn't empress, then who is the empress or emperor? Is it her uncle? Maybe I am stupid, but they don't call her empress in the end so I am confused??? Will there be a potential marriage between Vivia and Vaness, and how are they going to do that in the end, considering they are both Queens from different Kingdoms?
Is Merik the leader of Arithuania now, or is it something else? Like, maybe I am stupid, but the last time I checked, a minister isn't a country's leader. Even through votes. That's the chancellor or president. So, all this foreshadowing of Kullen calling Merik King, and him being represented by the king of Hounds in Rybers tarot cards, was for nothing???
Also, like, a coronation ceremony for literally any of the characters who ended up becoming leaders would have been nice. But we also didn't even get a scene of Vivia confronting her father, so what am I even thinking? Of course, we wouldn't get a scene for Vivi's coronation.
Also, I found it weird that Ryber's only plot was to give us, the reader, information. She wasn't even really involved in the final battle. I thought she would give someone the final puzzle piece of information that would change the direction of the battle, but nope. Her letters to Kullen brought me to tears, but I was really expecting her to play more of an important role.
Now, something else I don't understand. Again, maybe I am simply stupid and don't understand.... I knew it was coming, that Kullen would die. But, before that happened, Iseult died and was brought back. She was literally dead. Her Threadfamily literally felt her death. Then she was basically a ghost, and only her bond to Safi and her Char Awen souls held her soul in this world. She was brought back because of Safi’s determination, Leopold and magic. But somehow, Kullen who has a bond with Merik and also has the previous Paladin souls in him, just dies and there is nothing to be done? Like, don't get me wrong, i was completely losing it when Iseult died, and I am glad she came back, but shouldn't magic work the same for 2 people with very similar fates? Both have reincarnated souls, both have a powerful bond with their chosen family, but only one could be saved because of these traits? Doesn't make much sense to me. I thought magic had its rules, too.
These are my feelings and thoughts, and I am allowed to feel the way I do about this book.
Maybe this criticism seems stupid to some of you, but these are just some plotlines and scenes that, to me, would have been important for an actual wrap-up of the series. Witchlight didn't feel like an actual ending to a series; it left me feeling like there should be at least one more book coming, but there isn't. That's not my definition of a good ending.
November 30, 2025
4.5 ⭐️s
December 31, 2025
In the 10 years between the first book and the last, I feel like I just outgrew the series. I re-read everything before reading this and it just didn’t have the same appeal as it did reading a decade ago.
September 20, 2025
3.2 ⭐️
First I would like to thank the publication and net galley for letting me read this book before it’s published date 💛
It took me a little while to get into Witchlight, probably because it had been a few months since I’d read the last Witchlands book. But after a point, I found myself reconnecting with the story and the characters the way I used to.
The action was fast-paced and often thrilling I was impressed with how so many threads managed to come together. At the same time, I felt the balance of perspectives was uneven. Some characters had a much bigger presence than I expected, while others who I thought were equally important were almost missing.
What really disappointed me was how one couple, who in my eyes were a major driving force of the whole series, barely showed up here or had any real relevance. That absence hit hard and definitely lowered my rating. I did appreciate the strong development for some characters, but one or two arcs felt brushed aside, which was frustrating after investing in them for so long.
As an ending, it pulled a lot of threads together, but it didn’t feel like a complete conclusion. It leaves room for more, and maybe that’s intentional, but as the “final” book, it wasn’t fully satisfying. Still, I’m glad I got to be on this journey even if I wanted more from the way it wrapped up.
First I would like to thank the publication and net galley for letting me read this book before it’s published date 💛
It took me a little while to get into Witchlight, probably because it had been a few months since I’d read the last Witchlands book. But after a point, I found myself reconnecting with the story and the characters the way I used to.
The action was fast-paced and often thrilling I was impressed with how so many threads managed to come together. At the same time, I felt the balance of perspectives was uneven. Some characters had a much bigger presence than I expected, while others who I thought were equally important were almost missing.
What really disappointed me was how one couple, who in my eyes were a major driving force of the whole series, barely showed up here or had any real relevance. That absence hit hard and definitely lowered my rating. I did appreciate the strong development for some characters, but one or two arcs felt brushed aside, which was frustrating after investing in them for so long.
As an ending, it pulled a lot of threads together, but it didn’t feel like a complete conclusion. It leaves room for more, and maybe that’s intentional, but as the “final” book, it wasn’t fully satisfying. Still, I’m glad I got to be on this journey even if I wanted more from the way it wrapped up.
Want to read
June 24, 2018publication date is a fucking joke
February 22, 2023
There's a fifth?! Aaaaaaahhhhh!!🤩😍🥰
Want to read
April 6, 2024Can't wait for this!! Last one in the main series, but Dennard has said there will be more tales in the Witchlands!
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