A review by goobur
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

The Witcher's transition to novel format is a rough one. I understand that there's quite a bit that needs to be set up and moved through, but very little of interest occurs here. There's also quite a bit of politicking—which I'm not entirely opposed to as the conflict seems to have some potential—but long talks about locations and kings that I have no idea or interest about really only serves to take away from what I like about these books. I can only hope that the large-scale focus eventually comes in service to the small-scale, interpersonal stuff this series excels at. 

Speaking of which: the vignettes of Ciri's life as she grapples with her new situation and the people around her are the stand-out parts, as minor as they are in the grand scale of the whole book. Specifically, the chapter with

Ciri and Yennefer

is an utterly fantastic mix of characterization and slice-of-life that I absolutely fell in love with; a perfect unfolding of a burgeoning bond and textbook "show, don't tell." I just wish the rest of this was as good.