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lauren_shilling's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first one, I don't think. I like that a lot of these stories focused a lot more on the characters than anything else, though! It definitely helped me to connect with them more than I did in the first book, particularly Geralt. In the first book, I had some trouble connecting with him and really loving him the way everyone else seems to, but this book definitely got me closer to it, even if I'm still not all the way there. I think my favorite stories were A Little Sacrifice and The Sword of Destiny. I really enjoyed both of those. I don't really have much else to say about this book that I didn't already say in my review of the first one, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: War, Sexual content, and Infertility
Minor: Death of parent and Vomit
marissab's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Genocide, and Gore
Minor: Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Vomit, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual content, Abandonment, Infertility, and Medical content
belladonnashrike's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
loved this. enjoyed it more than the first collection of short stories, but there’s clearly bias there because this book finally introduced ciri & yennefer was much more prevalent in these stories than in the other ones. also….mermaids!
there’s more weird fantasy misogyny in this one though. I just sigh and ignore it at this point, you really can’t escape it in this genre at all
there’s more weird fantasy misogyny in this one though. I just sigh and ignore it at this point, you really can’t escape it in this genre at all
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Blood, Misogyny, and War
Minor: Grief, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Rape, and Vomit
fiveredhens's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
favorite quotes:
'I know,' the poet said at last. 'Now know everything.'
'You know fuck all, Dandelion.'
'Do you know what your problem is, Geralt? You think you're different. You flaunt your otherness, what you consider abnormal. You aggressively impose that abnormality on others, not understanding that for people who think clear-headedly you're the most normal man under the sun, and they all wish that everybody was so normal. What of it that you have quicker reflexes than most and vertical pupils in sunlight? That you can see in the dark like a cat? That you know a few spells? Big deal.'
'You witchers frighten people like a beekeeper frightens his bees with smoke and stench, with your stony faces, with all your talk and those rumours, which you probably spread about yourselves. And the bees run from the smoke, foolish things, instead of shoving their stings in the witcher's arse, which will swell up like any other. They say you can't feel like people can. That's lies. If one of you was properly stabbed, you'd feel it.'
'Have you finished?'
'Yes,' Cicada said, handing him back his sword. 'Know what interests me, Witcher?'
'Yes. Bees.'
'The annihilation, the killing, of any creatures that inhabit this world upsets that equilibrium. And a lack of equilibrium brings closer extinction; extinction and the end of the world as we know it.'
'A druidic theory,' Geralt pronounced. 'I know it. An old hierophant expounded it to me once, back in Rivia. Two days after our conversation he was torn apart by wererats.'
not too bad
'I know,' the poet said at last. 'Now know everything.'
'You know fuck all, Dandelion.'
'Do you know what your problem is, Geralt? You think you're different. You flaunt your otherness, what you consider abnormal. You aggressively impose that abnormality on others, not understanding that for people who think clear-headedly you're the most normal man under the sun, and they all wish that everybody was so normal. What of it that you have quicker reflexes than most and vertical pupils in sunlight? That you can see in the dark like a cat? That you know a few spells? Big deal.'
'You witchers frighten people like a beekeeper frightens his bees with smoke and stench, with your stony faces, with all your talk and those rumours, which you probably spread about yourselves. And the bees run from the smoke, foolish things, instead of shoving their stings in the witcher's arse, which will swell up like any other. They say you can't feel like people can. That's lies. If one of you was properly stabbed, you'd feel it.'
'Have you finished?'
'Yes,' Cicada said, handing him back his sword. 'Know what interests me, Witcher?'
'Yes. Bees.'
'The annihilation, the killing, of any creatures that inhabit this world upsets that equilibrium. And a lack of equilibrium brings closer extinction; extinction and the end of the world as we know it.'
'A druidic theory,' Geralt pronounced. 'I know it. An old hierophant expounded it to me once, back in Rivia. Two days after our conversation he was torn apart by wererats.'
not too bad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexism
Moderate: Body horror, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Fatphobia, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
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