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A review by minayana
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
This is my favorite of the Witcher books so far. I actually felt the politics in this one were really interesting, where as the last book I didn’t really care at all lol. This book was so compelling and I continue to love our 4 MCs. I’m loving the progression of Ciri’s arc, and I’m excited to see what’s happening with Yennefer in the next book. We find out more about the prophecy and what it means for our MCs. Also, how many times was the word “contempt” said in this book? lol
Also, this is where we start to get less and less Geralt and more of Ciri.
I know a lot of people do not like this series due to the misogyny. I will say, the misogyny is pretty often in this one, and probably is the worst of the series so far. There’s a lot of men calling women slurs and a lot of references to men wanting to rape women. These moments are uncomfortable, but i think it’s important to note that they are supposed to be. The author is not making jokes about these things or using them for shock value. That being said, totally understandable if you aren’t comfortable reading it!
Although there are so many powerful female characters in this series, a lot of what they talk about involve men or bitching about other women (except Ciri, who is a more masculine female and therefore “less bitchy”)
I feel the author tries to start conversations about a lot of stereotypical gender based tropes in fantasy such as female virginity, female fertility, female bodily anatomy, prophecy of a prince, legitimate male bloodline, ect. Does it always hit the mark? Not always, but I feel there is intention to the reasoning behind these themes in the book.
Important warning: there is a sexual assault scene at the end of the book. It is not graphic or speaking about the physical action. It is about the confusing feelings of the character that is being assaulted. It is halfway through page 378 through the end of page 380 if you want to skip.
Also, this is where we start to get less and less Geralt and more of Ciri.
I know a lot of people do not like this series due to the misogyny. I will say, the misogyny is pretty often in this one, and probably is the worst of the series so far. There’s a lot of men calling women slurs and a lot of references to men wanting to rape women. These moments are uncomfortable, but i think it’s important to note that they are supposed to be. The author is not making jokes about these things or using them for shock value. That being said, totally understandable if you aren’t comfortable reading it!
Although there are so many powerful female characters in this series, a lot of what they talk about involve men or bitching about other women (except Ciri, who is a more masculine female and therefore “less bitchy”)
I feel the author tries to start conversations about a lot of stereotypical gender based tropes in fantasy such as female virginity, female fertility, female bodily anatomy, prophecy of a prince, legitimate male bloodline, ect. Does it always hit the mark? Not always, but I feel there is intention to the reasoning behind these themes in the book.
Important warning: there is a sexual assault scene at the end of the book. It is not graphic or speaking about the physical action. It is about the confusing feelings of the character that is being assaulted. It is halfway through page 378 through the end of page 380 if you want to skip.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault