“…Which left Aeduan wih only one option. If the choice was slaughter or the lamb, then slaughter it would have to be.” Oh, my heart. He is such an adorable softie and doesn’t even know it.

What can I say – Susan’s one of my favorite authors, consistently writing good stories well, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting this release since Windwitch’s release a couple years ago now. It’s been a longgg wait to get to Aeduan’s story, and I am ready. By the looks of things, I won’t be disappointed at all with this next book.

We open with a suitably-angsty flashback of Aeduan being the adorably-misunderstood kid with strange powers – it felt reminiscent of the Inuyasha manga, anyone else read those? My poor demon children baes. It only served to further endear me to my favorite character – tied with Iseult of course – and really, it was brilliant to offer such a large excerpt in advance, because the emotional impact of getting into the meat of the book before release date has made me…Well, pre-order it in any and all formats. I need moar.

Several plot snacks have been thrown at us in these first few chapters. There’s been a fascinating consequence for Iseult after cleaving the Firewitch near the end of the last book, AND Owl has become a hilarious addition to the team.

Merik, while not my favorite character, has a plotline going on that, well, is hilarious to me and has the potential to stem my strong dislike of him and his arrogance. Safi, also not my favorite, has her own story going that givces me hope for her too – she’s showing some intellectual promise and I am alllll for ladies saving themselves.

Also, Vaness and Vivia. My twin queens. I cannot wait to see what this pair will get done, and hopefully as allies to each other.

And then, there is the oh-so-slowly-simmering tension between Iseult and Aeduan. It’ll come near to a boil, then be pulled off the stove. I’m addicted to their interactions, re-reading their paragraphs so much before moving on that it’s become ridiculous.

If the number of times I’ve re-read this extended excerpt is anything to go by, I am going to love this book and I highly recommend to anyone who could appreciate amazing worldbuilding, from the continually-amazing magic system, expertly-done female characters, and even a system of linguistics that is mentioned often. The latter is my often-pet peeve in fantasy – if a sort of Common Tongue isn’t mentioned, I find myself irked by the insta-communicability between distant factions of characters. While Susan hasn’t necessarily built a whole Klingon tongue from the ground up, I appreciate the mentions of Nomatsi being spoken, or switching to Dalmotti, or having a Nubrevnan accent. In short, this book will be a must-pick-up.

Blodwitch (preview Exerpt) by Susan Dennard.
5⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge.

May contain spoilers for the the few books!

My love for this series is tremendous. In the beginning of Bloodwitch we start off two weeks after the events that happened at the end of Windwitch.

Safiya is in Marstok with Vaness, The Empress.
Iseault is trying to survive with Owl and Aeduan by her side.
Prince Merik feels so lost within himself he doesn’t know how to control it.
And
Aeduan, he’s always known to not let his feelings of any kind show but now that it may have all changed for him he’s not sure how to keep his feelings in check.

I can not wait for February 12th, when Bloodwitch is released until the world.
- will post to goodreads a few days after the release to be able to post a full review of the book.

I swear I did not cry reading the first chapter. I did not. I did not.

Ok, I totally did.

You would think I would learn my lesson after a while and stop picking up Sneak Peeks of these books I am looking forward to but...nope. Not me. No willpower whatsoever and now I'm paying for it.

HOW am I going to wait an entire month to read this book??

I am in awe of this world, these characters and Dennard's talent at weaving a story. What can I say, I'm hooked and I need more.

I don't even know what to write right now, I have so many feelings. This was spectacular! It was so fast paced and dramatic, the angst was real, and I couldn't read fast enough.
I just want to hug all the characters; they all have gone through so much.
I am crossing my fingers that Safi & Merik and Safi & Iseult will reunite in the later chapters. Also, Stix POV was a nice addition, I really enjoyed reading from her perspective, and I can't wait to see where her story will go! I don’t even know how I am supposed to wait a whole MONTH for the rest of the book!

This is such an exciting continuation of this series.
I love this cast of characters so much. Seeing them grow throughout these books has been truly magical.
The world Dennard has creating is so vast and mysterious, I’m so happy more books are still to come.
Whoever was in charge of deciding where to cut off this preview is EVIL!! I need more!
Can’t wait to read the rest.

What a thrilling read! I couldn’t put this story down, or stop thinking about it. I’m amazed at how many characters Susan keeps track of, all with their own distinct voices, wants, and motivations. The cast, while large, never feels overwhelming. There’s not a ton of backstory to slough through—the story starts from page one, exactly where we last left all of our friends.

I don’t want to reveal spoilers but just know there are so many epic action scenes packed in BLOODWITCH. Aeduan shines here, and his newly realized moral compass guides him through every fight and conversation. He’s grown sooooo much as a character. Iseult is wiry, and funny (her relationship with Owl cracked me up) and while she meets new characters, Safi is never far from her mind.

And I know I said no spoilers but I will mention more thing: Susan is queen at slow burn.

MY HEART GUYS.

A very interesting start to Bloodwitch! Aeduan’s story has always been the most interesting to me, so I can’t wait to dig deeper!

I love that this picks up where the last book leaves off. We immediately get chapters from each of the main characters so we know where each of the plot lines are headed. We know right off what Aeduan and Iseult are doing and get a glimpse of where their story is going to go. The same is true of Safi and Merick. I'm also happy to see that all of the side characters and plot lines are present. This tells me that each of the plot lines that have been present in the series are going to develop and move along and progress further. I can't wait to get my hands on the full novel!

This was an incredible start to a book that I need the rest of ASAP!! I can't wait to get my hands on the full novel, as this was incredible. It picks up where the last book left off, and there wasn't a single dull moment. I think Susan is a master of words, plot and characters. The pacing was great for a start to a novel, and I can tell this book will continue to blow me away once I get the full thing. LOVE!

This book was a bit of a letdown. There was no forward progress with the plot or character development. We learned the Bloodwitch had a dog and lost his pet tragically. That's awful, but who cares. For a book that was supposed to be about the Bloodwitch, there was more of a focus on Vivia. And what's happening with the voices in Stix's head? There were maybe 2 pages on that, which was intriguing, and then nothing about her the rest of the book. This book was all over the place with no real focus. It was like a way-stop for the rest of the series. Basically of run-down of the characters so we don't forget who they are. I really enjoyed the first 2 books in the series. There was action, plot development, and interesting characters. All the way around this book was a let-down. I plan to read the next book in the series, but if it continues in this vein, I'll have to give up on it.

I received an excerpt in exchange for an honest review. The world in Bloodwitch was well done. The characters are dynamic and moving, relatable. The pace is well written. I loved what I read, and I can't wait to read the whole novel. Susan Dennard did it again. I can already tell that Bloodwitch IS a must read.

It as an amazing excerpt and i can't wait for the full book becasue Susan Denard never disappointed me whit her books. 5/5 stars amazing.

The book starts off right in the midst of the action - Aeduan searching through a field of the dead - and doesn't let up. The pace is fast, woven through with the impressive world-building and complex narrative of the world Dennard has created.

The cast is more expansive than ever - Safi, Iseult, Aeduan and Merik of course have POVs, with Vivia's POV returning and a new POV from Stix. Despite (at least) five separate story lines occurring, Dennard manages to balance them all. Switching POVS was seamless at the end of each chapter and I never struggled to remember what had happened to each character previously even if they'd last 'spoken' several chapters back.

Friends, there is one thing upon reading this excerpt I can promise you about Bloodwitch - it's going to be the best book in the Witchlands series to date. It was that good.

The thing about Susan Dennard is that her metaphors and descriptive prose are incredible. There's no lack of that here. She knows exactly how to make you feel all of the feelings with something as simple as "that spot tucked right in front of her left lung." Are you kidding me with that, Susan? I will never get sick of it.

This book will truly bring all of the best parts of the Witchlands series with POV's from multiple characters we know and love with a concentration on everyone's favorite demon, Aeduan. We're seeing more of the end of the truce and the different clans and new places and world building thick and juicy enough to sink your teeth into.

I can't wait to read the rest of this book!

This preview just wets my appetite for more! I loved aeeing the characters again! The story, what we get of it, is amazing! I want the rest now!

This was such a great snippet of Bloodwitch that just makes me crave more. More Aeduan, yes please! Isolde is just forever my homegirl and their interactions are golde. You just feel the urgency and I am desperatly waiting for the real deal.

This preview was a great way to refresh my memory on the story so far. I have been waiting to learn more about Aeduan's past and I'm so glad this novel is finally here. This short glimpse of Bloodwitch was great and I'm looking forward to reading the entire book when it releases!

So this teaser truly teases! Fans of Dennard have been waiting ages for Aeduan to have his moment, I'm dying for the book.

This is a review for the excerpt I received via Netgalley.

This got me so excited for the release of the book! The constant shifting of POV got a little overwhelming at times, but mostly that was because it’s been a while since I read the last one so I had to try to remember who everyone was. It soon came back to me though! I can’t wait to read the full thing,

I loved this excerpt, I'm new to Susan Dennards books, but this preview was so good thrust me straight into the action and made me want to go and grab all her books. I always love finding new series to read and this sounds like a great series just from this excerpt. Fast paced, great characterisation and wonderful writing. A definite 5 stars.