Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Kohtalon miekka

Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Kohtalon miekka by Andrzej Sapkowski

13 reviews

lauren_shilling's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first one, I don't think. I like that a lot of these stories focused a lot more on the characters than anything else, though! It definitely helped me to connect with them more than I did in the first book, particularly Geralt. In the first book, I had some trouble connecting with him and really loving him the way everyone else seems to, but this book definitely got me closer to it, even if I'm still not all the way there. I think my favorite stories were A Little Sacrifice and The Sword of Destiny. I really enjoyed both of those. I don't really have much else to say about this book that I didn't already say in my review of the first one, though.

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dk00's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

So, the objectification and sexualization of women was profound in this installment. Not that this wasn’t also present in Blood of Elves, but it was glaring in this book, especially the longer the story went on.

For example, at one point we follow two grown ass men as they fight over which of them our FMC should be with. Apparently, this isn’t a decision she can make herself. C’mon.. 😒. Also, the absurd and almost comical obsession with every female character’s breasts — nipples, especially. At one point we’re introduced to a mermaid — a really interesting and unique character — and instead of discussing literally anything else about her, we get clobbered over the head by how her “charms” look every time she exits the water.

I’m giving this 3 stars for the world and its creatures. The characters and the quests are also fun and interesting and I really liked the audiobook narrator. I do have a lot of love for Geralt, Dandelion, and all the shenanigans they get up to, especially as I was first introduced to this world through the game. However, the author could have moved the story forward in ways that didn’t include ceaseless sexism and constantly objectifying the female characters.

Not sure how I feel about continuing. If I do, I’ll be taking a very long break before then.

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obstinateheadstrongcurl's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Did I read this in the wrong order? Yes. Don't do what I did, people. Go off the original publishing order, not the English publishing order. Not that it's terribly confusing, but if, like me, you fall in love with this series, you'll kick yourself for not starting it correctly.

Is this book pretty sexist? Hell yes. Is the third person objective perspective the most effective way to tell these stories? Maybe not. But damn did I have a good time reading this. It was paced and fun and just a good old fashioned adventure story.

Definitely going to continue with the series and might actually give this a re-read in the correct order.

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literatureleaf's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

2.0

Age: 14+

Reading time: 15 days

Difficulty level: 2.5/5

Rating: 2/5

Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski is simultaneously the first and second novel in The Witcher series. Published a year prior to The Last Wish, it serves as both the first book in a famous saga, and the continuation of the beloved character of Geralt of Rivia. Each chapter is its own separate, contained story, containing small glimmers of a larger tale that, as the reader falls more and more in love with Geralt and his companions with each turn of the page, simply begs to be told.

In classic Sapkowski fashion, Sword of Destiny proves to be an entertaining loose continuation to The Last Wish. Told in the same short story format, there is no major overarching plot, but rather bite-sized glimpses into the daily happenings of Geralt of Rivia that delight and charm the reader.

A fun read through and through, Sword of Destiny not only serves to entertain, but to promote deeper thinking and discourse. Told through the unique and inventive lens of reimagined fairy tales, themes of good and evil, the natural order of the world and who has a right to disrupt it, corruption, political order, and the circle of life can be found hiding amongst the gritty and glamorous monsters and fantasy worlds of the stories.

Sword of Destiny may be considered the second novel in The Witcher series, but it is Sapkowski’s first book, and throughout the reading process, it becomes evident that he had not quite found his footing as an author yet. The writing is clunky and at times limited, particularly in the first half of the book, and the flow of the stories feels choppy and forced.

Many of the same flaws that can be found in The Last Wish are even more pervasive in Sword of Destiny. Stilted, emotionless dialogue continues to be an issue, and repetition, both in conversation between characters and as a general literary device, is overused and contributes to the stale feeling that permeates the pages of the novel.

Sadly, the characterizations have a more cookie-cutter feel that is not as present in his other works. At times the characters, particularly Geralt and Yennefer, act in ways that are contrary to how they have been set up by Sapkowski to behave, and they seem to waffle back and forth between extremes when it comes to their decision making.

For instance, often a character will state whether they will or will not do something or explain how they are feeling about a certain action, then act in a completely contrarian way to what they have just said, with no further explanation for why they have made the decision. This leads to a jarring reading experience that results in feeling a central disconnect from the main characters.

Despite its flaws, Sword of Destiny is considered by many fantasy fans to be a must-read in the genre. Featuring beloved characters and plotlines that have been adapted for video games and television, the antics and adventures of the Witcher shine in the novels in a way that is unique to written media. Enmeshing adventure and fantasy with a grander understanding of the inner workings of humanity and love, Sword of Destiny captures what many fantasy readers love in a novel.

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marissab's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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skitch41's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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lolaslalaland's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

Unlike The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny did not start off with a bang. I actually really hated the writing and the characters and the excessive misogyny was really rubbing me the wrong way. I actually think the show did a better job with the short story than the book did. Then the second short story also bothered the hell out of me. (I think it's also good to know that the translation probably played a factor in how I felt about things being said, how things were worded, etc.)

Anyways, I was ready to dnf this book but after those first two short stories it picked up and I began enjoying myself again. There was a lot more of Geralt and Dandelion adventuring together. I love their banter and their friendship and I also liked the monsters they were facing. I especially liked the story with Little Eye, she was the best. Of course, the Witcher universe is set in this ugly, disgusting and truly terrible world, but ultimately, as long as Geralt and Dandelion are around I will be happy.

Also, I am so ready to continue the series after how this book ended! It really pumped me up!

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puzzle_ad's review against another edition

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2.5

I liked this less than the first one. Here are some random notes that were taken while listening to it:

• It's the casual sexual assault sprinkled in there for funsies for me.
• The story about Geralt and Istredd's dick measuring contest is absolutely ridiculous and I am so happy they cut that shit out in the show.
• The mermaid singing was fucking awful to listen to in the audiobook specifically my god.
• I don't buy Yennefer and Geralts epic love story I'm sorry. This goes for the show too tbh.
• When does Ciri come in on all of this?
•

It seems we said not today to the god of death

So those were overall my thoughts. Much the same as for the previous book, though this one feels much more disjointed and seems to have more random stories, which were cut from the show, understandably so. I just hate how often women are assaulted in fantasy and this series specifically I'm sorry. Did those people really need to stip Yennefer and grope at her, I really don't think so. Also seeing everything from only Geralt's POV is really hindering any character development on anyone and it definitely makes it harder to buy his epic love story with Yennefer. I am writing this review after having read Blood of Elves as well, and it definitely is much better.

I will continue on though. I am somewhat interested in how this story will play out.

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tilo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

Spannende Fantasy mit kreativen Geschichten und einer glaubwürdigen sowie etablierten Welt - das war nach dem ersten Buch zu erwarten. Besonders die letzten Geschichten im Buch waren auf schöne Weise emotional und ich freue mich sehr auf den ersten Teil der Hauptreihe.
Abzug in der Bewertung gibt es für die erste Geschichte, die ich absolut nicht ausstehen konnte und mehrmals überlegt hatte zu überspringen, bis ich nach einer längeren Lesepause mich mühevoll durch den Rest durchgekämpft habe. Anders als im ersten Buch und in den Geschichten dieses Buches wurden die weiblichen Charaktere in der erste Geschichte (Serrikanerinnen) unglaublich sexistisch durch den Erzähler beschrieben und nicht nur durch die Charaktere. Am schlimmsten war jedoch die durch den Erzähler nahezu verheerlichte Vergewaltigung von

Yennefer

, die an keiner stelle auch nur annähernd problematisiert wurde. Eine leichte Aufwertung des Abzug gab es für die überraschend klare Positionierung von

Geralt und Calanthe

zu dem "heiligen und unanfechtbaren" Recht einer Frau, entscheiden zu können, ob sie ein Neugeborenes weggeben möchte, was aus feministischer Sicht sehr gut thematisiert wurde, denn hier wurde auf den Frust des Kindes eingegangen, ohne das Verständnis auszulassen, das man einer Frau in einer solchen Situation gegenüberbringen sollte.

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alaskaserenity's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Some of the stories are better than others, but for fans of the Witcher, it’s a interesting to see the differences from the games/show.

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