A review by acinonyx
Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.75

Loved this finale until the end.. and then was left confused and wanting. Without spoiling anything, I loved all of the various POVs, even the seemingly random nobody characters. Every detail made the world feel rich and vast, especially the casual historical mentions without delving into context, as Tolkien was wont to do. Ciri’s travels were incredible and clarified some world-building aspects I didn’t know I needed. Geralt and the squad were amazing at all times, and what little we get of Yennefer was, as always, a delight. Even the enormous military chapters were interesting enough if only because I wanted to see how they tied into the main plot or the history of the world. 

But now to the ending. It felt weirdly rushed, considering how long this book was, and rather jarring. The mini climax before the actual ending was absolutely incredible and gut wrenching, but then had Getalt and Yen making what felt like a very bizarre choice based on the relationship the main trio had been building up until this point. Luckily(?) this was resolved with an even more bizarre choice by an antagonist that was only barely foreshadowed in hindsight. 

The actual ending itself felt completely bereft of context, leaving me with way more questions than answers. I’m increasingly grateful to have started this series after it finished, because waiting for an explanation would have been murderous. The next book is technically a prequel but with an epilogue that’s supposedly set in the future. I’m hoping beyond hope that there’ll be some clarity gained in the eleventh hour with this epilogue so I can move on from the world contented.