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woolgathering_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
„Evil is evil, Stregobor.“
A couple of nice tales about Geralt's adventures. Easy to read and complex enough that I'm not bored, yet simple enough that I could relax while reading. And the balance between deep themes and questions and exciting battles is just right. Nothing groundbreaking, but still, I had a great time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
Minor: Sexism, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
readandplaydk's review against another edition
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 The Last Wish, 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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Violence
Moderate: Infertility and Sexual violence
ritsuka's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Opowiadania wyniesione na zupełnie inny level w porównaniu do „Ostatniego życzenia”! Cudownie napisane, z superpasją, polotem… wprowadzają w sagę, której nie mogę się już doczekać!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Gore, Sexual violence, and War
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Abandonment
pvbobrien's review against another edition
adventurous
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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
4.75
Writing: 4.25⭐️/5
Much of this novel is beautifully written. I think I saved maybe 10-20 quotes throughout the book and that was without looking too hard for gorgeous passages. I do, however, draw an issue with some of the more misogynistic passages. I understand this is a part of the worldbuilding and is often used to demonstrate the bleakness of the world in which the characters live. However, these passages are often used in lieu of more interesting worldbuilding. I don’t really see the point of passively mentioning how a maid is getting SA’d and Geralt is annoyed by it. It just felt kind of lazy, but a laziness that was pretending to be clever.
Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
As far as well-written, thought-out, and developed characters go, it doesn’t get a lot of complaints from me. I would argue that several of the female characters relied heavily on tropes/stereotypes, which was a bit tiring at times as a reader given the depth of other characters. That being said, all the main characters were extremely well-fleshed out, which I really enjoyed reading.
Plot: 4.5⭐️/5
The short story format fit the material well. I found most of the plots just stunningly engaging and honestly really enjoyable. It was intriguing the way Sapkowski played off fairy tales in an entirely dark way. I really enjoyed it. This is what made it so confusing when he seemed to go out of his way to include a misogynistic side plot.
Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Who Should Read This?
- Fans of Game of Thrones
- Fans of bleak fantasy worlds
- Fans of the Witcher show/game
CW: Sexual abuse, mentions of rape, sexual assault, murder, death
Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
tilo's review against another edition
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.
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infertility, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
lumie's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment