Reviews with content warning for Rape - Baptism of Fire

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski

35 reviews

jellyboi_16's review

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.

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billyjepma's review

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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.

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readbyella_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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squirrelz's review

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adventurous inspiring tense

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? Yes

3.75

Suffers with pacing issues like the other novels but definitely the best one so far.

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linnybear's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

3.75

I don’t know what to think about this one. I loved the banter between Geralt’s group, frankly I think this one has the best dialogues throughout all the books so far, and I really felt the characters are well-developed and distinguished. On the other hand the action is very slow, sometimes feels sloppy and I was wondering where it’s really going. For me, there was not nearly enough of Yennefer (pls I need some magic and politics) and too much of Ciri being straight up annoying. I understand how important she is in the series and that she needs to get that ‘character development’ but it’s really scary what she’s capable of doing with her witcher training under influence of the wrong people. In this light I see Geralt’s journey not as a race to protect Ciri from being used by really powerful people (whether it’s Nilfgaard, any other kingdom or lodge of sorceresses) but a race against corruption of her character.

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