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mcmeiss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Toxic friendship
thewillowwood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall I enjoyed this book, enough so that I will be reading the next instalment of the series. Some of the scenes were quite dull, but the more enjoyable ones made up for it. It also suffers a bit from the “men writing women” problem that made me a tad uncomfortable, but it didn’t completely ruin the experience. It’s a decent fantasy read, if you enjoy that then this book will likely be enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
puzzle_ad's review against another edition
3.5
Some random notes, taken while listening:
• So far it's so much better than the short story collection.
• Love that there are more POVs than just Geralt.
• Jaskier is Taylor Swift confirmed, come on. And I quote:
“Master Dandilion, what is this? Are you going to leave us in suspense? That can’t be the end of your ballad? Sing to us of what happened next!”
“Songs and ballads” – the musician bowed – “never end, dear lady, because poetry is eternal and immortal, it knows no beginning, it knows no end—”
“But what happened next?” The tradeswoman didn’t give up, generously rattling coins into the bucket Dandilion’s apprentice held out to her. “At least tell us about it, even if you have no wish to sing of it. Your songs mention no names, but we know the witcher you sing of is no other than the famous Geralt of Rivia, and the enchantress for whom he burns with love is the equally famous Yennefer. And the Child Surprise, destined for the witcher and sworn to him from birth, is Cirilla, the unfortunate Princess of Cintra, the town destroyed by the Invaders. Am I right?”
Dandilion smiled, remaining enigmatic and aloof. “I sing of universal matters, my dear, generous lady,” he stated. “Of emotions which anyone can experience. Not about specific people.”
“Oh, come on!” yelled a voice from the crowd. “Everyone knows those songs are about Geralt the Witcher!”
And here I thought the jokes about Burn Butcher Burn(10 Minute Version)(Jaskier's Version) can be reserved only for the show. But that whole segment felt like peak Taylor Swift energy.
• Yennefer and Jaskier are a delight in the show and book when they are together.
• I find it so funny that the entirety of The Witcher books is the size of two Stormlight Archive books.
• I cannot stress this enough I love Jaskier/Dandelion.
• Yennefer is the queen of sarcasm my god. That letter almost had me in tears laughing, especially the way the narrator read it.
• Triss on makeup being something women do for themselves was surprising. I mean that is a very low bar but in this series, I didn't expect this much tbh. The old Polish guy gets some points.
• I can appreciate the elves as metaphors for racism and xenophobia and shit. And it's still relevant close to 30 years after this book was published.
• Jarring changes between scenes that make you feel you missed something both in ebook and audio. Three books in and I still hate it and can't get used to it.
• Sickness and people knowing to wash their hands to prevent it in the fucking middle ages imagine that.
• Jaskier being described like this: I know you’re almost forty, look almost thirty, think you’re just over twenty and act as though you’re barely ten. What I'm getting is the casting was perfect.
• This quote from a henchman and the bad guy's scene from the henchmen's POV really made me laugh a lot:
He was afraid he would be forced to listen to a long monologue. The marshal knew that the man standing at the window considered his monologues a conversation, and viewed conversation as a privilege and proof of trust. He knew this but still didn’t like listening to the monologues.
this is what having a"conversation" with my boss feels like tbh.
• Only women are in pain using magic, only women have to be sterilised to be mages, only women have to choose between being a mother and being a magician, this is fucked up.
So I did enjoy this quite a bit more than the previous instalments. The added different POV and actual overarching plot really helped with that I feel like. I was quite excited about it when I started but by the end of the book I feel like my excitement fizzled out and that the ending was quite anticlimactic. Ultimately I feel like nothing actually did happen in this book, it's a set-up for the story overall. Quite a lot of training montages in a way. I now see why people say the second season of the show is quite the fanfiction. And at this point, I agree that some things in the show that they made up are weird and unnecessary. I do want to finish this story but by the end of this book, I feel like a hit some kind of burnout on this world and characters and need some time away from it. I will be back to finish it though at some point. I am sort of sad that the end of season 2 spoiled something from the books that gets revealed in the last one, but oh well. That is what I get for watching before reading the books.
• So far it's so much better than the short story collection.
• Love that there are more POVs than just Geralt.
• Jaskier is Taylor Swift confirmed, come on. And I quote:
“Master Dandilion, what is this? Are you going to leave us in suspense? That can’t be the end of your ballad? Sing to us of what happened next!”
“Songs and ballads” – the musician bowed – “never end, dear lady, because poetry is eternal and immortal, it knows no beginning, it knows no end—”
“But what happened next?” The tradeswoman didn’t give up, generously rattling coins into the bucket Dandilion’s apprentice held out to her. “At least tell us about it, even if you have no wish to sing of it. Your songs mention no names, but we know the witcher you sing of is no other than the famous Geralt of Rivia, and the enchantress for whom he burns with love is the equally famous Yennefer. And the Child Surprise, destined for the witcher and sworn to him from birth, is Cirilla, the unfortunate Princess of Cintra, the town destroyed by the Invaders. Am I right?”
Dandilion smiled, remaining enigmatic and aloof. “I sing of universal matters, my dear, generous lady,” he stated. “Of emotions which anyone can experience. Not about specific people.”
“Oh, come on!” yelled a voice from the crowd. “Everyone knows those songs are about Geralt the Witcher!”
And here I thought the jokes about Burn Butcher Burn(10 Minute Version)(Jaskier's Version) can be reserved only for the show. But that whole segment felt like peak Taylor Swift energy.
• Yennefer and Jaskier are a delight in the show and book when they are together.
• I find it so funny that the entirety of The Witcher books is the size of two Stormlight Archive books.
• I cannot stress this enough I love Jaskier/Dandelion.
• Yennefer is the queen of sarcasm my god. That letter almost had me in tears laughing, especially the way the narrator read it.
• Triss on makeup being something women do for themselves was surprising. I mean that is a very low bar but in this series, I didn't expect this much tbh. The old Polish guy gets some points.
• I can appreciate the elves as metaphors for racism and xenophobia and shit. And it's still relevant close to 30 years after this book was published.
• Jarring changes between scenes that make you feel you missed something both in ebook and audio. Three books in and I still hate it and can't get used to it.
• Sickness and people knowing to wash their hands to prevent it in the fucking middle ages imagine that.
• Jaskier being described like this: I know you’re almost forty, look almost thirty, think you’re just over twenty and act as though you’re barely ten. What I'm getting is the casting was perfect.
• This quote from a henchman and the bad guy's scene from the henchmen's POV really made me laugh a lot:
He was afraid he would be forced to listen to a long monologue. The marshal knew that the man standing at the window considered his monologues a conversation, and viewed conversation as a privilege and proof of trust. He knew this but still didn’t like listening to the monologues.
this is what having a"conversation" with my boss feels like tbh.
• Only women are in pain using magic, only women have to be sterilised to be mages, only women have to choose between being a mother and being a magician, this is fucked up.
So I did enjoy this quite a bit more than the previous instalments. The added different POV and actual overarching plot really helped with that I feel like. I was quite excited about it when I started but by the end of the book I feel like my excitement fizzled out and that the ending was quite anticlimactic. Ultimately I feel like nothing actually did happen in this book, it's a set-up for the story overall. Quite a lot of training montages in a way. I now see why people say the second season of the show is quite the fanfiction. And at this point, I agree that some things in the show that they made up are weird and unnecessary. I do want to finish this story but by the end of this book, I feel like a hit some kind of burnout on this world and characters and need some time away from it. I will be back to finish it though at some point. I am sort of sad that the end of season 2 spoiled something from the books that gets revealed in the last one, but oh well. That is what I get for watching before reading the books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
yunathealien's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book could be perfect, if it wasn't so obvious, that the author has absolutely no clue about woman. But if you can look at all the misogyny and laugh at its stupidity and not get too infuriated by it, its a good book. Behind the misogyny hides a good story 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Gore, Pedophilia, Torture, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
hellotospace's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved the interacting between Geralt and Ciri the most, particularly their conversations regarding the nature of neutrality and indifference. Fav scene: The roses of Aelirenn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Genocide and Gore
Minor: Rape and Sexism
jaedia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
cemeterygay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Somehow even more misogyny than the other witcher book I read. The world is neat and so are some of the characters. Pretty standard white man fantasy book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Torture, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
veganecurrywurst's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Ich muss sagen, dass ich die Geschichte zwar sehr interessant fand, aber der Schreibstil hat mir persönlich einfach nicht gefallen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol and War
revisable4510's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
favorite quotes:
The night was dark and windy, the crowns of the surrounding pine trees rustling steadily and melodiously, their limbs and trunks creaking in the wind. There was no malevolent fire, no screams, only this gentle lullaby. Beside her the campfire flickered with light and warmth, its reflected flames glowing from harness buckles, gleaming red in the leather-wrapped and iron-banded hilt of a sword leaning against a saddle on the ground. There was no other fire and no other iron. The hand against her cheek smelled of leather and ashes. Not of blood.
"Who is this child, Wolf? Who is this girl?"
"She's my ..." Geralt suddenly stammered. She felt his strong, hard hands on her shoulders. And suddenly the fear disappeared, vanished without a trace. The roaring red fire gave out warmth. Only warmth. The black silhouettes were the silhouettes of friends. Carers. Their glistening eyes expressed curiosity. Concern. And unease ...
Geralt's hands clenched over her shoulders.
"She's our destiny."
"I wanted to ask you something. May I?"
"You may."
"If you know magic and spells ... If you can cast them ... Can you turn me into a boy?"
"Haaa! Ha! Haaaaa! Got you! I got you, you griffin! Geraaaalt! Did you see that?"
"Don't yell. Control your breathing."
"I did it! I really did it!! I managed it! Praise me, Geralt!"
"Well done, Ciri. Well done, girl."
"And the girl?" Yarpen indicated Ciri with his head as she wriggled under the sheepskin. "Yours?"
"Mine," he replied without thinking. "Mine, Zigrin."
Geralt, you promised to come. Come.
Your Ciri
PS Come, come.
PS Mother Nenneke told me to end with Praise be to Great Melitele, may her blessing and favour always go with you. And may nothing happen to you.
Ciri
During the warm, still afternoons the air grew thick with the scent of flowers and grass, pulsating with peace and silence, broken by the buzz of bees and enormous beetles.
Before we part to finally meet the one I miss. The one she misses. The one who no doubt misses us.
Vesemir was really very old...
Witchers decorated the walls and doors of their quarters with the skins of animals they killed when hunting—stags, lynx, wolves and even wolverines. On the door of Ciri's little room, however, hung the skin of an enormous rat with a hideous scaly tail.
The enchantress turned her gaze on Ciri. The girl was sitting on a bearskin with Coën, tucked away in the far corner of the hall, and both were busy playing a hand-slapping game. The game was growing monotonous as both were incredibly quick—neither could manage to slap the other's hand in any way. This, however, clearly neither mattered to them nor spoiled their game.
"I'll manage."
"From what I've heard about you"—the knight's lips twisted—"I have no doubt you would. But bear in mind you are not alone. You have a gravely sick woman on your shoulders and this brat ..."
Ciri, who was trying to clean her dung-smeared boot on a ladder rung, raised her head. The knight cleared his throat and looked down. Geralt smiled faintly. Over the last two years Ciri had almost forgotten her origins and had almost entirely lost her royal manners and airs, but her glare, when she wanted, was very much like that of her grandmother.
Triss tossed in her sleep, shook the compress off and talked indistinctly to herself. She demanded that someone called Kevyn kept his hands to himself, and immediately after that declared that destiny cannot be avoided. Finally, having stated that everyone, absolutely everyone, is a mutant to a certain degree, she fell into a peaceful sleep.
"And you're just a nuisance, too, little madam," he snorted angrily. "All we need are ladies and girls, damn it. I can't even take a piss from the box—I have to stop the cart and go into the bushes!"
Ciri put her hands on her hips, shook her ashen fringe and turned up her nose. "Is that so?" she shrilled, enraged. "Drink less beer, Zigrin, and then you won't have to!"
"My beer's none of your shitin' business, you chit!"
"Don't yell, Triss has just fallen asleep!"
"It's my wagon! I'll yell if I want to!"
"Stumpy!"
"What? You impertinent brat!"
"Stump!"
"I'll show you stump ... Oh, damn it! Pprrr!" The dwarf leaned far back, pulling at the reins at the very last moment, just as the two horses were on the point of stepping over a log blocking their way.
I have nothing against witchers. Let them hunt vampires. As long as they pay taxes.
Radovid the Bold, King of Redania
Again I have some time so I will write what happened. When we were feeding the turkey hens, I, Iola and Katye, One Enormous Turkey attacked us, a red neck it had and was Terrible Horrible.
"The boundary between Redania and Temeria runs through the centre of the Pontar current."
"And how the shit do you measure a current?"
ciri o'clock
The night was dark and windy, the crowns of the surrounding pine trees rustling steadily and melodiously, their limbs and trunks creaking in the wind. There was no malevolent fire, no screams, only this gentle lullaby. Beside her the campfire flickered with light and warmth, its reflected flames glowing from harness buckles, gleaming red in the leather-wrapped and iron-banded hilt of a sword leaning against a saddle on the ground. There was no other fire and no other iron. The hand against her cheek smelled of leather and ashes. Not of blood.
"Who is this child, Wolf? Who is this girl?"
"She's my ..." Geralt suddenly stammered. She felt his strong, hard hands on her shoulders. And suddenly the fear disappeared, vanished without a trace. The roaring red fire gave out warmth. Only warmth. The black silhouettes were the silhouettes of friends. Carers. Their glistening eyes expressed curiosity. Concern. And unease ...
Geralt's hands clenched over her shoulders.
"She's our destiny."
"I wanted to ask you something. May I?"
"You may."
"If you know magic and spells ... If you can cast them ... Can you turn me into a boy?"
"Haaa! Ha! Haaaaa! Got you! I got you, you griffin! Geraaaalt! Did you see that?"
"Don't yell. Control your breathing."
"I did it! I really did it!! I managed it! Praise me, Geralt!"
"Well done, Ciri. Well done, girl."
"And the girl?" Yarpen indicated Ciri with his head as she wriggled under the sheepskin. "Yours?"
"Mine," he replied without thinking. "Mine, Zigrin."
Geralt, you promised to come. Come.
Your Ciri
PS Come, come.
PS Mother Nenneke told me to end with Praise be to Great Melitele, may her blessing and favour always go with you. And may nothing happen to you.
Ciri
During the warm, still afternoons the air grew thick with the scent of flowers and grass, pulsating with peace and silence, broken by the buzz of bees and enormous beetles.
Before we part to finally meet the one I miss. The one she misses. The one who no doubt misses us.
Vesemir was really very old...
Witchers decorated the walls and doors of their quarters with the skins of animals they killed when hunting—stags, lynx, wolves and even wolverines. On the door of Ciri's little room, however, hung the skin of an enormous rat with a hideous scaly tail.
The enchantress turned her gaze on Ciri. The girl was sitting on a bearskin with Coën, tucked away in the far corner of the hall, and both were busy playing a hand-slapping game. The game was growing monotonous as both were incredibly quick—neither could manage to slap the other's hand in any way. This, however, clearly neither mattered to them nor spoiled their game.
"I'll manage."
"From what I've heard about you"—the knight's lips twisted—"I have no doubt you would. But bear in mind you are not alone. You have a gravely sick woman on your shoulders and this brat ..."
Ciri, who was trying to clean her dung-smeared boot on a ladder rung, raised her head. The knight cleared his throat and looked down. Geralt smiled faintly. Over the last two years Ciri had almost forgotten her origins and had almost entirely lost her royal manners and airs, but her glare, when she wanted, was very much like that of her grandmother.
Triss tossed in her sleep, shook the compress off and talked indistinctly to herself. She demanded that someone called Kevyn kept his hands to himself, and immediately after that declared that destiny cannot be avoided. Finally, having stated that everyone, absolutely everyone, is a mutant to a certain degree, she fell into a peaceful sleep.
"And you're just a nuisance, too, little madam," he snorted angrily. "All we need are ladies and girls, damn it. I can't even take a piss from the box—I have to stop the cart and go into the bushes!"
Ciri put her hands on her hips, shook her ashen fringe and turned up her nose. "Is that so?" she shrilled, enraged. "Drink less beer, Zigrin, and then you won't have to!"
"My beer's none of your shitin' business, you chit!"
"Don't yell, Triss has just fallen asleep!"
"It's my wagon! I'll yell if I want to!"
"Stumpy!"
"What? You impertinent brat!"
"Stump!"
"I'll show you stump ... Oh, damn it! Pprrr!" The dwarf leaned far back, pulling at the reins at the very last moment, just as the two horses were on the point of stepping over a log blocking their way.
I have nothing against witchers. Let them hunt vampires. As long as they pay taxes.
Radovid the Bold, King of Redania
Again I have some time so I will write what happened. When we were feeding the turkey hens, I, Iola and Katye, One Enormous Turkey attacked us, a red neck it had and was Terrible Horrible.
"The boundary between Redania and Temeria runs through the centre of the Pontar current."
"And how the shit do you measure a current?"
ciri o'clock
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy