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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
billyjepma's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I'm still hopelessly enamored with the world Sapkowski has created, but as the "official" starting point of his grander storyline, this book was pretty underwhelming and even a bit disappointing. The first two short-story collections—which really should be labeled as books 1 and 2 because they're essential to understanding this one—surprised me with their smart, economic worldbuilding and sharp characterizations. But this one effectively goes in circles for 400 pages, planting seeds that probably won't show any fruit for another book or two or three. There are some high points, though. Everything with Geralt and Ciri in the first act is great, and the subplots with Geralt are also quite fun and parse through some compelling ideas and motivations. But once Geralt takes a step back, the story takes a hit.
Very little actually happens in these pages, which is a problem only exasperated by Sapkowski's inability to write believable women. The interactions that develop Yennefer and Ciri's relationship should be fun and meaningful, considering they make up 2/3s of the series core protagonists at this point. Instead, they often come off as grating, shallow, and full of painfully glaring signs that they're written by a man who doesn't know anything about women. These problems were around in the last two books, too, but now they're actively hurting the story's trajectory and foundation, which sucks. It's cool seeing Ciri go through a series of training montages, but when that's the backbone of your entire story, and you don't know how to write women, you're going to have problems, which is precisely what happens here.
I'm still going to keep going with the series because I am enjoying the worldbuilding, and the many plot threads and tensions teased here have effectively piqued my interest. But I really, really, really need Sapkowski to improve his writing in some pretty crucial areas.
Very little actually happens in these pages, which is a problem only exasperated by Sapkowski's inability to write believable women. The interactions that develop Yennefer and Ciri's relationship should be fun and meaningful, considering they make up 2/3s of the series core protagonists at this point. Instead, they often come off as grating, shallow, and full of painfully glaring signs that they're written by a man who doesn't know anything about women. These problems were around in the last two books, too, but now they're actively hurting the story's trajectory and foundation, which sucks. It's cool seeing Ciri go through a series of training montages, but when that's the backbone of your entire story, and you don't know how to write women, you're going to have problems, which is precisely what happens here.
I'm still going to keep going with the series because I am enjoying the worldbuilding, and the many plot threads and tensions teased here have effectively piqued my interest. But I really, really, really need Sapkowski to improve his writing in some pretty crucial areas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Torture, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War
chronographia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Whereas the previous books (The Last Wish, The Sword of Destiny) were a series of vignettes broadly following a storyline but mostly sketching out characters and worldbuilding, this one hangs together with more cohesive plot advancement. And oh how there are plots. Plots within plots. Enough to drive you on to the next book in the Witcher series.
(I am starting to feel like the grandson in The Princess Bride, “do we HAVE to have the kissing”—except replace “kissing” with “ambient misogyny.”)
(I am starting to feel like the grandson in The Princess Bride, “do we HAVE to have the kissing”—except replace “kissing” with “ambient misogyny.”)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Murder
rachaelbunny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual content