A review by steph7n
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

There are two ways a book saga can be started. The safest and easiest way is to write it in such a way that readers would not notice that it is the beginning of the saga by providing its own conflicts and resolution within the book. If the author decided that they are going to stop there, the book can be good on their own. Another way is to plow through setting up the world and providing backstory while confidently knowing that potential fans wouldn’t judge the first book on its own but as part of the larger series.

As the official first book of the Witcher Saga, I suspect that Blood of Elves is written in the latter way. And that’s what make grading and reviewing it so tricky. On its own, the book is pretty flat. A lot of conflicts were left unresolved. Even the ending is kind of a cliffhanger.

But today in the year 2024, we know that it is part of an excellent fantasy saga. We know that the world that is being built in this book is going to be the grand theater of great stories to come. 

Judged on its own, I wouldn’t give more than 3 stars for the book. But I suspect that i will give the entire saga a 5 stars once i finish it.
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