Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski

18 reviews

jellyboi_16's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-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

Andrzej Sapkowski's iconic and sometimes likeable characters struggle through a war-torn land filled with death, peril and political intrigue. The way the characters complement each other in the writing leaves you unable to put the book down, but the complexities of the political side of Sapkowski's world is sure to have you scratching your head from time to time. Sometimes a difficult read for its complexities and slower pace, but I would definitely recommend it.  That being said, Sapkowski's gratuitous fixation on sexual violence feels unneccecary and excessive at times, leaving a somewhat bitter taste in the reader's mouth.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gore, Xenophobia, War, Rape, Kidnapping, and Violence

billyjepma's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

3.75

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and wanted something light and easy to help me shake myself out of it, and this fit the bill. I enjoy the hell out of these books, even if that enjoyment includes a decent pile of caveats. Sapkowski isn’t the greatest writer, nor is the content of his writing unquestionable (just look at the content warning at the bottom 🙃). But other than that, the actual story and characters represent something pretty damn close to the platonic ideal of fantasy adventure for me. Swashbuckling action, dry humor, lots of lore, a side of politics, and a badass protagonist who is also an idiot—what more could you want?

This is a nice continuation for the series, too, even if it does march in place narratively. There’s very little new ground covered, and you can feel the gap left by the temporary sidelining of Yennefer and Ciri. But the books are also best when Geralt is front and center, as he’s the character Sapkowski’s dry, sarcastic voice is most suited for. It’s nice seeing Geralt develop a little as a leader, as he (very begrudgingly and with plenty of angst) develops camaraderie with some new allies who perfectly fit the vibe of the series. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

Moderate: War, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Cursing, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion, Trafficking, Animal death, and Vomit

katieismay's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Gore, War, and Death

belladonnashrike's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

Spoiler

RIP Roach #3,789 🙏🏼 you will be missed dearly🫶🏻

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Vomit, Murder, Blood, Miscarriage, Death, Animal death, and Abortion

excepto's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Wolniejsza od innych części, pokazuje dogłębnie okrucieństwo wojny, i to jak nawet w nim znajdywać momenty piękna. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Animal death, Murder, Blood, Alcohol, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Death, Cursing, Gore, Genocide, Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual assault

camoo3032's review

adventurous dark funny 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Misogyny, Sexism, and Death

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Excrement, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Abortion, Colonisation, Vomit, Biphobia, Child abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Suicide

tupsukorva's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Cursing, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Miscarriage

tilo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

Dieser Teil der Hexerreihe führt fort, was die Vorgänger schon so hervorragend erreichen und führt darüber hinaus einige sehr bedeutsame Charaktere ein, die ich bereits aus den Videospielen kannte und nun besser verstehe.
Exakt 300 Seiten braucht es bis meine Lieblingscharakterin

Spoiler

Yennefer

endlich wieder auftauchte und trotzdem (oder gerade deshalb durch die Spannung) hat sich "Feuertaufe" so fesselnd und schnell gelesen. 
Bemerkswert ist auch das Weiterführen der gleichgeschlechtlichen Liebesbeziehung

Spoiler

von Ciri

und die Betonung, dass nur Schwangere selbst entscheiden sollten, ob sie einen Schwangerschaftsabbruch durchführen wollen (dies wurde bereits früher in der Reihe schon etabliert, kam hier aber noch intensiver vor).
Ich bin hin und weg von dieser Reihe!!! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Blood, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Torture, Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death

Moderate: Alcohol, Lesbophobia, and Racism

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Slavery

feynmaniac1729's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gore, War, and Religious bigotry

kalisaur's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The first half of this was so slow, it felt like basically nothing happened the first 140 pages. There's so much Sapkowski just references during the first two books, it seems weird that this one is almost just a filler to put the players in the right spots for the next part of the story

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, War, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Blood, Cursing, Rape, Miscarriage, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Abortion, and Slavery