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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Well I finished what I set out to read of the Witcher… and I still want more!
I think I preferred the short stories to this one, but it was excellent! I loved reading about Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri, and Dandelion! I skimmed some sections of info dumps, truthfully, but most of this novel was developing the story for the rest of the series. This book was exciting and sweet but not too sad yet - I may need to stop the series before tragedy befalls our characters, but onto the next for now!
I think I preferred the short stories to this one, but it was excellent! I loved reading about Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri, and Dandelion! I skimmed some sections of info dumps, truthfully, but most of this novel was developing the story for the rest of the series. This book was exciting and sweet but not too sad yet - I may need to stop the series before tragedy befalls our characters, but onto the next for now!
Sometimes a 3-star review for me can mean that “this is fine, not particularly good, not bad either.” Or sometimes it means, “this is good, but significantly flawed.” That best describes this book.
Blood of Elves, in sections, is really good. It’s fantasy but written in a language that feels like a modern drama. It’s not mired in obscurity or grandiose prose, and it’s a great character saga. I enjoy any time we’re with Geralt, Ciri, Triss or Yennifer, and I want to spend endless time with them.
On the other hand the moments we are not with them and we are spending time with 5 or 6 characters talking about war, politics, and factions, my eyes completely glaze over. It’s not ever interesting to me discussing which kingdom has a beef with the other and I wish I could just pick it up as we go instead of spending entire chapters on it.
It’s also true that this series continues to have pretty rampant misogyny, similar to the short stories. I find this book to be less offensive than some of the awful moments with Dandelion and Yennifer in the previous books, but it’s still clearly there. Your mileage will vary on whether this is a dealbreaker for you, but I found myself able to enjoy the moments around these “cringey” parts, while not completely forgiving them.
Blood of Elves, in sections, is really good. It’s fantasy but written in a language that feels like a modern drama. It’s not mired in obscurity or grandiose prose, and it’s a great character saga. I enjoy any time we’re with Geralt, Ciri, Triss or Yennifer, and I want to spend endless time with them.
On the other hand the moments we are not with them and we are spending time with 5 or 6 characters talking about war, politics, and factions, my eyes completely glaze over. It’s not ever interesting to me discussing which kingdom has a beef with the other and I wish I could just pick it up as we go instead of spending entire chapters on it.
It’s also true that this series continues to have pretty rampant misogyny, similar to the short stories. I find this book to be less offensive than some of the awful moments with Dandelion and Yennifer in the previous books, but it’s still clearly there. Your mileage will vary on whether this is a dealbreaker for you, but I found myself able to enjoy the moments around these “cringey” parts, while not completely forgiving them.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This one went a little slow for me. Bit of a filler in my opinion. The ending left me with questions on what will happen next though! Moving on to the next!
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
I really enjoyed this first installment of the witcher saga. This book took a different approach to the story than the previous two short story collections. I really enjoyed the way each chapter told a different story. I loved the relationship between Triss and Gerald, and the background of the political unrest in the witcher universe.
The complexity and world building of this universe is insane too. I cannot even comprehend the amount of thought that was put into the world of Geralt and Ciri and the complexities of each side character.
The complexity and world building of this universe is insane too. I cannot even comprehend the amount of thought that was put into the world of Geralt and Ciri and the complexities of each side character.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A