Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Wieża Jaskółki by Andrzej Sapkowski

19 reviews

timmytunter's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.25

The Tower of Swallows, the fourth book in The Witcher saga by Andrzej Sapkowski, continues to weave the intricate threads of Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer’s stories as their paths diverge and converge in a world teetering on the brink of chaos. Following my favourite entry in the series so far, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows may not quite reach the same heights but still stands as a worthy addition to the saga.

This installment is largely told from Ciri’s perspective, recounting her experiences to the old hermit Vysogota after a harrowing escape from her gang, The Rats, and a grisly encounter with the relentless bounty hunter Bonhart. Vysogota, with kindness and wisdom, offers Ciri shelter and care as she recovers from her wounds and unravels the events leading up to their meeting. The story also tracks the branching narratives of Geralt and Yennefer, maintaining the saga’s expansive scope and depth.

Sapkowski’s writing style shines, though it may not be to everyone’s taste. His narrative technique of jumping between storylines, time periods, geographical regions, and character recollections is both a challenge and a delight. As the series progresses, this complexity grows, mirroring the tangled web of Ciri’s own journey, which now includes

multiple trips through magical portals

by the book’s conclusion.

Overall, The Tower of Swallows is a compelling continuation of The Witcher saga, blending action, intrigue, and Sapkowski’s distinctive narrative flair. While it might not surpass Baptism of Fire, it remains a strong entry that propels the overarching story forward in satisfying, albeit sometimes dizzying, directions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, and War

obsidianchainsaw's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Kidnapping

sheiksleopardthong's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

This is easily my favourite of the novels so far. It dances between POVs expertly, and plays with the timeline of each POV in a very fun way. It also brought back more of the fairytale feeling that was mildly present in Blood of Elves. Cahir and Regis are also some of my favourite side characters so I loved getting to know them so much.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and War

Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, and Sexual assault

breamfish1138's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Such a confusion of plotlines that it's basically fantasy Pulp Fiction but if you can get past that it's an extremely well written dark fantasy (read the first books first, though, or you'll be confused). Also,

Leo Bonhart is one of the most compelling evil bastards in literature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Miscarriage and Injury/Injury detail

shiveryteacup's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, War, and Injury/Injury detail

breezie_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I love how this was written, how all of the storylines bleed into each other in the form of recollections or stories. It was probably one of my favorite things about this book, actually. The amount of times I physically reacted to what I was reading was insane, and I was on the edge of my seat from page one. Despite this being a lot slower paced than the others in the series, I can see this being my favorite out of the other books. There wasn't a moment of peace on the pages, so there wasn't a moment of peace in my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Slavery and Injury/Injury detail

opinkb's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Sexual harassment, and War

marinaxanna's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

2.5

probably my least favorite part in the series. it felt like it dragged on and progress felt so slow due to time switches. like a lot of build up to nothing basically, and only in the last part it felt like the plot was finally moving along.

im just waiting to feel that same ‘magic’ i felt while reading time of contempt. it was kind of lost for me in this part with the constant jumping back and forth. loved ciri and yennefers parts as well as geralts. wish all the side characters POVs were kept to a minimum, maybe for intros and interludes only. i get its helpful storytelling to let readers know whats happening in the world by choosing to use different characters but there were just way too many. the story would be stronger by sticking to geralt/ciri/yennefer. dijkstra is SO boring to me, and triss feels/felt underdeveloped (i feel like she deserved better because i loved her moments with ciri in prior parts).

anyway. one more part. i really hope the pace picks up. and more magic! because i think its such a huge subject in this universe and its been kind of neglected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, and Violence

excepto's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

Mam wrażenie że Sapkowskiemu, piszącemu książkę w której nic się nie dzieje, a czyny prawie wszystkich bohaterów nie mają wpływu na ostateczną sytuację, udaje się dalej opowiedzieć historię o wielu rzeczach.
Czuję, że im bardziej czytam tym bardziej wiem czemu mi nie leży adaptacja serialowa, wiedźmin to w małym stopniu historia o zabijaczu potworów, bardziej o politycznych intrygach, na szczeblu głów państw, jak i drobnych rzezimieszków. Najgorszymi potworami stałe są ludzie, którzy nie powstrzymują się przed niczym.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

saltylane's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.0

Despite how confusing the jumping around of the narration could be, I did quite enjoy the varying viewpoints used. It was interesting to be able to read all the different characters’ perspectives. There are a lot of cliffhangers and enough intrigue to make me want to keep reading all the way to the end of the story/series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol and War

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment