Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Tower of Swallows by Andrzej Sapkowski

13 reviews

witten82's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

geekmom's review

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

This was a very similar book to the previous one in the series

-- once again, we have Geralt riding around randomly pursuing Ciri without any real clue where she is -- but we have more Ciri POV, and a somewhat convoluted storytelling device involving multiple POVs, jumping back and forth between past and present.

However, the whole thing worked well for me, and it was an engaging read.

I liked Vysogota and am sorry he will apparently not be present for the final book in the series...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual violence

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

mcmeiss's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit and War

Minor: Infidelity and Abortion

zeppolin's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

While I mostly enjoy the Witcher series, it seems to me that there are strange, somewhat sexist vibes in Sapkowskis writing. Female characters almost always seem to have some sexual context. And while a lot of that may be attributed to the overall patriarchal dark ages setting of the story, it often feels very out of place, e.g. when

Yennefer gets hit in the face and the pain “shoots down to her crotch”

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence

excepto's review against another edition

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

mischastink's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

grrr8_catsby's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

As I've mentioned in previous reviews, the Witcher series has been an interesting blend of writing styles and has had individual thematic focuses throughout the series as a whole. The first two books, The Last Wish and Sword Of Destiny, were collections of short stories, serving to introduce us the the adventures of monster-hunting witcher Geralt. The third book in the series (and first book in the saga) Blood Of Elves served as a character study for previously secondary characters such as Ciri and Yennefer, while the fourth book in the series (and second book in the saga) The Time Of Contempt was a plot driven affair, showing us the response of the world to the march of the invading Nilfgaardian army. The fifth book in the series (and third book in the saga) Baptism Of Fire is again a plot driven narrative, this time focusing on the adventures of Geralt in his attempt to track down and rescue Ciri.

The Tower Of Swallows, while perhaps the best written book in the Witcher saga to this point, is also the most disjointed. Told in a series of disconnected flashbacks, The Tower Of Swallows does more to confound faithful readers of the series than to serve as a faithful adaption of the penultimate tale. Throughout the narrative, author Sapkowski urges multiple messages of "running out of time" and "no time to spare", but no sense of urgency is truly felt by the reader. In fact, new characters and plot threads are introduced halfway through the book with only slight teases as to how they connect with the overarching story. With one main saga entry remaining after The Tower Of Swallows, lingering plot points feel more swept to the side than satisfactorily concluded. 

It is almost certain that at this point "The Witcher" refers to Ciri, as Geralt is barely afforded a short passage in this book. This is not a bad thing; the character has unfortunately undergone stark character assassination over the last few books, changing from the once rough, tough, badass, morally gray witcher to a cranky, pouting, conservative-valued hiker-with-a-sword. Geralt-containing passages are best told through Dandelion, Regis, and Milva, who shine together as an ensemble.

I did not enjoy the plot to The Tower Of Swallows; truthfully, the only thing saving it from a lower grade is the quality of the writing itself.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence

pensandpicks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment

camoo3032's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

One of the things I love about this series is the different perspectives that Sapkowski chooses to tell the story from. In this book there are several different perspectives which almost makes the book read as a collection of interwoven short stories. It's very clever and engaging but I did find it disorienting the first time.
It's also the most gruesome novel in the series

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Kidnapping

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism