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adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and wanted something light and easy to help me shake myself out of it, and this fit the bill. I enjoy the hell out of these books, even if that enjoyment includes a decent pile of caveats. Sapkowski isn’t the greatest writer, nor is the content of his writing unquestionable (just look at the content warning at the bottom 🙃). But other than that, the actual story and characters represent something pretty damn close to the platonic ideal of fantasy adventure for me. Swashbuckling action, dry humor, lots of lore, a side of politics, and a badass protagonist who is also an idiot—what more could you want?
This is a nice continuation for the series, too, even if it does march in place narratively. There’s very little new ground covered, and you can feel the gap left by the temporary sidelining of Yennefer and Ciri. But the books are also best when Geralt is front and center, as he’s the character Sapkowski’s dry, sarcastic voice is most suited for. It’s nice seeing Geralt develop a little as a leader, as he (very begrudgingly and with plenty of angst) develops camaraderie with some new allies who perfectly fit the vibe of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Miscarriage, War
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
i loved this book and the adventurous aspects of it. i do feel like some of the sensitive themes could’ve been handled a little differently.
i thought the ending wasn’t as strong as the previous books but im excited for the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Body horror, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit, Abortion
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
adventurous
inspiring
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Suffers with pacing issues like the other novels but definitely the best one so far.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
I don’t know what to think about this one. I loved the banter between Geralt’s group, frankly I think this one has the best dialogues throughout all the books so far, and I really felt the characters are well-developed and distinguished. On the other hand the action is very slow, sometimes feels sloppy and I was wondering where it’s really going. For me, there was not nearly enough of Yennefer (pls I need some magic and politics) and too much of Ciri being straight up annoying. I understand how important she is in the series and that she needs to get that ‘character development’ but it’s really scary what she’s capable of doing with her witcher training under influence of the wrong people. In this light I see Geralt’s journey not as a race to protect Ciri from being used by really powerful people (whether it’s Nilfgaard, any other kingdom or lodge of sorceresses) but a race against corruption of her character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit, Abortion