Seasons of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski (Witcher #8)

Hello, my darling readers!
Welcome to the final review in my attempt to make it through all the Witcher books. I’m finally done, so let’s talk about Season of Storms which is the most recent novel, but is actually a prequel.

Season of Storms on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

Geralt of Rivia. A witcher whose mission is to protect ordinary people from the monsters created with magic. A mutant who has the task of killing unnatural beings. He uses a magical sign, potions and the pride of every witcher — two swords, steel and silver. But what would happen if Geralt lost his weapons?

In this standalone novel, Geralt fights, travels and loves again, Dandelion sings and flies from trouble to trouble, sorcerers are scheming … and across the whole world clouds are gathering – the season of storms is coming…

The Rating:

Wow, this was unnecessary.
The book seemed to drag for forever and a day. I found the most part of the story to be simply annoying. Even Geralt was rather dull and I rolled my eyes at him a lot.

I’ve read worse books but in terms of Witcher novels, this one is probably my least favorite. Many of the other books had annoying parts as well but at least at some point we got a bunch of redeeming chapters.
Here I feel like I wouldn’t have missed a thing had I skipped it.

The Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski (Witcher #7)

Hey guys!
We are as good as done with the Witcher books. Lady of the Lake is the end of the original series, the only book we still need to tackle after this post is Season of Storms, a prequel.

The Lady of the Lake on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

After walking through the portal in the Tower of Swallows while narrowly escaping death, Ciri finds herself in a completely different world… an Elven world. She is trapped with no way out. Time does not seem to exist and there are no obvious borders or portals to cross back into her home world.

But this is Ciri, the child of prophecy, and she will not be defeated. She knows she must escape to finally rejoin the Witcher, Geralt, and his companions – and also to try to conquer her worst nightmare. Leo Bonhart, the man who chased, wounded and tortured Ciri, is still on her trail. And the world is still at war.

The Rating:

Oh boy, I have a lot to say about this one and there will be spoilers a plenty.
So much stuff went down in The Lady of the Lake and a good portion of it was either annoying or rather fucked up.

My feelings are VERY mixed about this novel. some bits I really liked, others made me want to throw my e-reader against the wall.

The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski (Witcher #6)

Hello, my lovely readers!
We slowly drawing closer to the end of the Witcher series by Sapkowski. After the previous novel was rather irritating, let’s see if The Tower of the Swallow is able to reel me back in!

The Tower of Swallows on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

The world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life. But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies determined to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down. Her crimes have made her famous. There is only one place left to run. The tower of the swallow is waiting…

The Rating:

YES! Sapkowski did it. This novel is wonderfully exciting and finally stuff is happening.

First of all, I like how he presents the story to us. Ciri is talking to an old hermit recounting what happened to her. So, we get bits of her (kind of) being stuck with him interspersed with her story. It’s nice!

Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski (Witcher #5)

Hey guys!
Welcome to another Witcher book! We’ve now made it to the fifth novel in Sapkowski’s oeuvre, so let’s get started, shall we?

Baptism of Fire on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

The Wizards Guild has been shattered by a coup and, in the uproar, Geralt was seriously injured. The Witcher is supposed to be a guardian of the innocent, a protector of those in need, a defender against powerful and dangerous monsters that prey on men in dark times.

But now that dark times have fallen upon the world, Geralt is helpless until he has recovered from his injuries.

While war rages across all of the lands, the future of magic is under threat and those sorcerers who survive are determined to protect it. It’s an impossible situation in which to find one girl – Ciri, the heiress to the throne of Cintra, has vanished – until a rumor places her in the Niflgaard court, preparing to marry the Emperor.

Injured or not, Geralt has a rescue mission on his hands.

The Rating:

This was … long. Or at least it felt that way. There wasn’t that much in this book that actually propelled the story forward, it’s more of an entire novel telling you about the characters (while still somehow managing not to give them all that much depth or reason).

It’s actually a pretty cool book, but I just really wanted to know more about the story and kept getting more and more irritated when it became clear this wouldn’t be happening in Baptism of Fire.

The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski (Witcher #4)

Hello, my lovely readers!
Another day, another Witcher novel. With The Time of Contempt, we already made it halfway through Sapkowski’s series. My feelings on the previous books were a bit mixed, so let’s see how this one turned out to be!

The Time of Contempt on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

Geralt the Witcher has fought monsters and demons across the land, but even he may not be prepared for what is happening to his world. The kings and armies are manoeuvring for position, each fearing invasion from across the river, each fearing their neighbours more. Intrigue, dissent and rebellion are on all sides. The Elves and other non-humans are still suffering under decades of repression, and growing numbers join the commando units hidden deep in the forest, striking at will and then dissolving into the trees. The Magicians are fighting amongst themselves, some in the pay of the kings, some sympathetic to the elves. And against this backdrop of fear and contempt Geralt and his lover Yennefer must protect Ciri, orphaned heir and sought by all sides. For the prophecy rests on her, and whether she lives or dies she has the power to save the world – or perhaps end it.

The Rating:

We’re finally getting somewhere. With The Time of Contempt, I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel (and I really hope it’s not a train).

The previous book felt like an overlong prologue and I was a bit afraid that this one would evoke the same sentiment but now Sapkowski picks up the pace and you can see the story coming together.

Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski (Witcher #3)

Hey guys!
Let’s continue our journey on the continent and see where the Witcher and Ciri will take us in Blood of Elves, shall we?

Blood of Elves on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf.

Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as The Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world – for good, or for evil.

As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt’s responsibility to protect them all – and the Witcher never accepts defeat.

The Rating:

After the first two Witcher-books (which were both essentially short story collections), I took a little break before reading this one.
As you might know from my previous review, there were some parts I quite enjoyed about the books but also many parts I wasn’t too smitten with. So let’s see whether this one got me back on the bandwagon.

I really tried to love this book, but again, I’m having some ambivalent feelings.