Sightwitch
The Witchlands #2.5
by Susan Dennard, Rhys Davies
Why You'll Love This
Told entirely through journal entries and hand-drawn sketches, this novella reveals what was happening in the shadows while the main series' heroes weren't looking.
- Great if you want: Witchlands lore and a quieter, introspective protagonist to follow
- The experience: Intimate and atmospheric — closer to a diary than a novel
- The writing: Dennard uses journal format and illustrations to build world-feel, not just plot
- Skip if: You haven't read Truthwitch — context gaps will frustrate you
About This Book
Before the events that reshape the Witchlands, there is Ryber — a young woman left behind by her goddess, watching every Sister around her receive a gift she may never possess. When those same gifted Sisters begin disappearing into the mountain, Ryber must venture into the dark alone, armed with nothing but devotion and stubborn hope. It's a quietly devastating premise: a story about feeling chosen for something and then wondering if you were wrong all along, set against a world where magic is both blessing and burden.
What makes Sightwitch genuinely rewarding to read is its form. Told entirely through Ryber's journal entries and her own sketches, the novella feels intimate in a way prose alone rarely achieves — you are inside her handwriting, her uncertainty, her small acts of courage. Dennard uses the illustrated-diary structure not as a gimmick but as a way to deepen character, making Ryber's interiority visible on the page. For readers of the Witchlands series, it fills in crucial gaps; for newcomers, it stands as a compact, atmospheric introduction to a richly layered world.