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billyjepma's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I'm still hopelessly enamored with the world Sapkowski has created, but as the "official" starting point of his grander storyline, this book was pretty underwhelming and even a bit disappointing. The first two short-story collections—which really should be labeled as books 1 and 2 because they're essential to understanding this one—surprised me with their smart, economic worldbuilding and sharp characterizations. But this one effectively goes in circles for 400 pages, planting seeds that probably won't show any fruit for another book or two or three. There are some high points, though. Everything with Geralt and Ciri in the first act is great, and the subplots with Geralt are also quite fun and parse through some compelling ideas and motivations. But once Geralt takes a step back, the story takes a hit.
Very little actually happens in these pages, which is a problem only exasperated by Sapkowski's inability to write believable women. The interactions that develop Yennefer and Ciri's relationship should be fun and meaningful, considering they make up 2/3s of the series core protagonists at this point. Instead, they often come off as grating, shallow, and full of painfully glaring signs that they're written by a man who doesn't know anything about women. These problems were around in the last two books, too, but now they're actively hurting the story's trajectory and foundation, which sucks. It's cool seeing Ciri go through a series of training montages, but when that's the backbone of your entire story, and you don't know how to write women, you're going to have problems, which is precisely what happens here.
I'm still going to keep going with the series because I am enjoying the worldbuilding, and the many plot threads and tensions teased here have effectively piqued my interest. But I really, really, really need Sapkowski to improve his writing in some pretty crucial areas.
Very little actually happens in these pages, which is a problem only exasperated by Sapkowski's inability to write believable women. The interactions that develop Yennefer and Ciri's relationship should be fun and meaningful, considering they make up 2/3s of the series core protagonists at this point. Instead, they often come off as grating, shallow, and full of painfully glaring signs that they're written by a man who doesn't know anything about women. These problems were around in the last two books, too, but now they're actively hurting the story's trajectory and foundation, which sucks. It's cool seeing Ciri go through a series of training montages, but when that's the backbone of your entire story, and you don't know how to write women, you're going to have problems, which is precisely what happens here.
I'm still going to keep going with the series because I am enjoying the worldbuilding, and the many plot threads and tensions teased here have effectively piqued my interest. But I really, really, really need Sapkowski to improve his writing in some pretty crucial areas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Abandonment, War, Torture, and Sexual harassment
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