It's trying to be more than it can be in just under 350 pages. That is not an easy feat unless you spend a gre2.5 Stars
This book is an absolute mess!
It's trying to be more than it can be in just under 350 pages. That is not an easy feat unless you spend a great deal of time with the characters like A Song of Ice and Fire did. I still don't know more than the surface level about Emhyr or why he's doing what he's doing. The characters, aside from the main ones, fall flat. There is so much name dropping and random characters being thrown into the story that I find myself having to refer to the witcher site to remember who they are. Unfortunately, most of the sites have spoilers and I end up getting spoiled about how these characters die or who kills them. Even though I try to glaze over it, it's extremely hard to not get spoiled. I understand that a huge set of characters is standard in high fantasy but it's done in the most boring uninteresting manner possible.
I usually love political intrigue but once again, the series does not spend enough time with these characters for me to remember who they are or why they're making certain decisions. The politics put me to sleep and I'm extremely disappointed to see how it's being handled. Another thing that I had a huge issue with was how the "battles" were glazed over. The recap method of storytelling did not work for me at all. It just took the fun out of what could've been an action-filled sequence and turned it into dry and dull recounts of events. Where is the action that was prevalent in the short stories?! Why are the main characters (Geralt and Yennefer) not getting more page time?!
Don't even get me started on how the women are described in this book. They're either sluts or snobs or both. All they do is fight over men and obsess about their clothes. They have no personality whatsoever. Coming to Ciri, are we supposed to ignore how (view spoiler)[her sexual assault is brushed off like it's not a big deal?! She's just a child! Just because it was a woman who did it doesn't mean that it's okay! (hide spoiler)] The constant name dropping of the title got old very quickly but the author didn't seem to get the memo as he kept using the word 'contempt' in every sentence that he could fit into.
I'm honestly disappointed in how downhill this series is going. I don't understand how someone could take such an amazing concept and turn it into this hot mess. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue the series. If I do, it will only be for the main characters....more
I love and appreciate the short story format a lot more than I did in the previous book. It's more fun and it makes it faster to get through 4.5 Stars
I love and appreciate the short story format a lot more than I did in the previous book. It's more fun and it makes it faster to get through the book. I'm almost disappointed that I have to venture into the full-length novels now. I am deeply attached to all the characters and this series is shaping up to be one of my top fantasy series. I can see Geralt's hard exterior peeling to reveal the person that he really is underneath. I look forward to continuing on with the series!...more
I would like to preface this review by stating that I've never played the game or watched the Netflix series. I picked this book up over my pu4 Stars!
I would like to preface this review by stating that I've never played the game or watched the Netflix series. I picked this book up over my pure interest in Slavic mythology, a subgenre that I've barely explored.
The first half of the book was almost painful to get through. I don't know if it was the writing style, the translation or the short story format but I could not connect with the story. The constant jump from the present to past stories disoriented me and I could not register the timeline accurately. However, I picked up the chronology of the events about halfway through and I finally understood the flow of the story. After that, the story flowed smoothly and I was completely engrossed.
While the various creatures and the storylines were interesting, Geralt was a very dry and flat character. His dialogues lacked any semblance of emotion. His personality seemed completely humourless and flat with moments of sarcasm thrown in. However, that changed once Dandelion and Yennefer entered the story and his real personality started to shine through.
I absolutely loved Dandelion. His dialogues and behaviour balanced Geralt's dry one-word replies. It brought comic relief and entertainment which had been greatly missing when we were just following Geralt. Yennefer was a breath of fresh air. She was feisty and strong. I was terrified of her and fascinated with her at the same time. Everything from her entrance to her strong persona to her determination to go after whatever she wanted completely won me over.
If it were not for these characters, I'm not sure if I would've enjoyed this book as much as I did. I'm excited to continue with the series and I will watch the Netflix show once I'm done with the books....more
I was so used to the short story format of the previous two books that reading a full-length novel felt out of place. I was constantly waitin3.5 Stars
I was so used to the short story format of the previous two books that reading a full-length novel felt out of place. I was constantly waiting for that big battle or something tremendous to happen and for me, it never did. That was a bit disappointing but I can also see why the author did that. This book felt more like a setup for the future books and I'm okay with that as long as the upcoming books live up to my expectations. We get to see a lot of different perspectives and that was confusing at times because it's hard to remember so many different arcs and character names.
Nevertheless, I'm still excited to continue on with the series and see where it takes us....more
This is my second stab at a Sanderson novel, and I have to say, I still don't get the hype. My first novel by him, Mistborn, is famously sai2.5 Stars?
This is my second stab at a Sanderson novel, and I have to say, I still don't get the hype. My first novel by him, Mistborn, is famously said to be his best work. And if that book didn't blow me away as it did for so many readers, I don't think any other work by him will.
While this book did have great ideas and a decent magic system, it suffered from debut novel syndrome. The writing wasn't his best, the characters weren't as neatly developed, and the plot was non-existent for most of the book. Not to mention, several character arcs hinged on flimsy and downright laughable explanations.
I've noticed he packs a lot of action towards the end, but it fizzles out just as quickly. And before you know it, the book is over, and you have a million questions he didn't even bother addressing. There were so many loose ends, shaky plot holes and questionable character choices that the sense of satisfaction after finishing a book was missing.
I think perhaps Sanderson isn't the author for me....more
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