Blood of Elves Witcher 1 – Now a major Netflix show

This was fun as always

Love the characters, plot and even the politics That last point is the biggest winner for this book in my opinion. I'm not one for politics in books, it's why I never finished the Game of Thrones series. Usually I find it relies on too many geographical places, people's names, their titles and who deserves what. However, this book has be intrigued and the author has cleverly explained the politics and the oncoming war (I presume) in layman's terms. On top of this, I've grown to love the characters ever more and want to know more than ever about them. However, I am hoping for more monsters in the ext book, but I understand this was setting up for a much larger tale to be told.

Another phenomenal addition I continue to enjoy this series. Now onto the fourth book (second in the official series) and I continue to enjoy the lore and the stories that are being told. The characters are truly likeable and even the politics is interesting (and I'm not one for politics in books). If you've read the first, this is a must as the story continues.

I bloody love this series. The way Andrzej Sapkowski writes characters is actually incredible. He makes each and every person in this book lovable in their own right. And once again, he makes mysterious creatures and myths seem cool and dark. Another fantastic book in the series.

Considering this was supposed to be the first novel entry in this series, it really would have benefited from having alternating POVs instead of being structured like a collection of short stories (again). This is especially apparent in the last chapter following Ciri and Yennefer which was just all over the place.

Also the prose in these books is somehow both clipped and repetitive at the same time and it’s starting to get on my nerves.

I couldn't drag myself to the end despite my love of The Witcher 3 game and its lore.

The book sets a solid foundation for a very exciting series well. It doesn't bother with coherent narratives but it is a collection of discrete stories that take place in the order they're presented in the book. Each book has a complex, fresh narrative, an intriguing storyline. If you're someone who played the games and wants a back story, this is more than rewarding. If you're into fantasy books, this book should convince you that its a great setting, the author is worth reading. 10/10 should read :D

One of the most spectacular High Fantasy book I've read as of late. A very fitting end to the entire Witcher Series. The book has a complex, interwoven narrative which so far has been a characteristic of Sapkowski, but not on this scale. I love how he's spun the tale. Honestly, the penultimate book felt like a drag, but this totally makes up for it and puts the Series high up in the must read fantasy novels list of mine. Highly recommended. Do not dare to read it without reading the previous ones though.

good story with a couple slow parts here and there. a complaint though is almost all the chapters are 50 pgs or more😳. find it a little funny though how season 2 of the show was to be based off this book but seems like season 3 is more based off this book than s2. but anyways book was good and can’t wait to see what happens next.

So I think this top portion will be the basis for my review for all five of the Witcher series (excluding The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny--Kind of, you'll see...) I feel like it took me a long time to read these, when in actuality, I started the first one in January so that isn't really all that long. Some of the way I'm feeling may be based off a lapse in memory though because I read around 95 books around the reading of these so I may be hazy. For starters, I think Andrzej Sapkowski is a phenomenal writer. Secondly, I think David French did an absolutely wonderful job translating these to English. And thirdly, I think the Gollancz paperbacks were amazing--great cover art, nice quality--I actually managed to read them all without breaking the spines. Sapkowski has such a way about his writing that the dialogue in the novels can be truly captivating. He wields it so well that he has honestly created such a wonderful lush lore within his world that really carried the hundreds of pages he wrote. I think that overall, this attention to detail within every word uttered may actually have been in some ways at a detriment to his overarching story. So to speak, his great characters, the companions of the Witcher, and even the enemies, all have this way of leaving you wanting more. However, if you were to pull away all of that and the world's lore, the series itself is kind of about... nothing. I did find myself more than once getting to the end of one of the novels and being like wait... nothing happened? Destiny has brought the Witcher and Ciri together, and yet they are also destined to never be together... it's just the kind of realization that stings. If you read the first book you can skip to the final book for the ending because the others are just more of the same. Luckily for me, as I've already stated, I enjoyed the dialogue and the world building, I drank that sh*t up. It's just kind of weird/funny to realize negative things like that about something you've rated pretty well. Despite all of that, I really enjoyed them. Speaking of Blood of Elves specifically, I enjoyed that this was the start of the war with Cintra. I had ordered the books after really enjoying the Netflix adaptation so to finally get into the war stuff was nice. The way they chopped the show kind of has you reading through the two short story collections and book one to really connect everything strewn throughout those eight episodes. I also liked the opening training with Ciri in Kaer Morhen, much like the opening to the Witcher 3 game, however it did go on for just a little too long (it ended up dry). One negative for me about entering the actual overarching part of the series was losing out on those nice cut and dry short stories from the two previous collections. Not to mention the overall loss of monster hunting over the following 4 books. As a fan of the games this hurt for me.

So I think this top portion will be the basis for my review for all five of the Witcher series (excluding The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny--Kind of, you'll see...) I feel like it took me a long time to read these, when in actuality, I started the first one in January so that isn't really all that long. Some of the way I'm feeling may be based off a lapse in memory though because I read around 95 books around the reading of these so I may be hazy. For starters, I think Andrzej Sapkowski is a phenomenal writer. Secondly, I think David French did an absolutely wonderful job translating these to English. And thirdly, I think the Gollancz paperbacks were amazing--great cover art, nice quality--I actually managed to read them all without breaking the spines. Sapkowski has such a way about his writing that the dialogue in the novels can be truly captivating. He wields it so well that he has honestly created such a wonderful lush lore within his world that really carried the hundreds of pages he wrote. I think that overall, this attention to detail within every word uttered may actually have been in some ways at a detriment to his overarching story. So to speak, his great characters, the companions of the Witcher, and even the enemies, all have this way of leaving you wanting more. However, if you were to pull away all of that and the world's lore, the series itself is kind of about... nothing. I did find myself more than once getting to the end of one of the novels and being like wait... nothing happened? Destiny has brought the Witcher and Ciri together, and yet they are also destined to never be together... it's just the kind of realization that stings. If you read the first book you can skip to the final book for the ending because the others are just more of the same. Luckily for me, as I've already stated, I enjoyed the dialogue and the world building, I drank that sh*t up. It's just kind of weird/funny to realize negative things like that about something you've rated pretty well. Despite all of that, I really enjoyed them. In terms of The Lady of the Lake especially, I find that in each novel he kind of played with different ways of storytelling and this one starting with the knight of Arthur finding her really threw me off. It also then didn't resolve itself for 500 pages. I think at one point I thought it was a ploy and that he was actually one of the elves in the other world? I don't know, but it was kind of weird. In general, that whole world hopping bit was a little dragged out for me. Alternatively, in terms of this being the ultimate finale, I loved the level of gore and action. I thought the Battle of Brenna was outstanding writing. The jumping between the battle and the future with survivors of the battle writing about it really worked for me. I will say though another negative for me was the deaths at Stygga Castle. I know the bad luck surrounding the Witcher and those that follow him, but this kind of heartless, unforgiving killing off of main characters didn't exactly work for me. It's not like reading A Song of Fire and Ice where it's expected, therefore the lack of emotion I felt around them dying was a little lackluster. Also, I mean come on, we get all the way to the end and everyone dies EXCEPT Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer? In that sense it seemed a little cheesy. A giant positive for me was that I did not see the twist of Duny being the emperor at all. I don't know if I was supposed to (?) but WOW. Ciri's dad the whole time? WOW incest is so absolutely gross. Glad it didn't go there... I did like the kind of hazy ending myself. Did Yenn and Geralt die? Did they live? No! They got married and several other people we know are dead were said to be in attendance! I know what the game series wants us to believe.

3.5 Stars *An unbalanced but overall exciting instalment in the Witcher series* Continuing on with the Witcher series, I still have mixed feeling. Blood of Elves does improve upon its predecessor. However, these stories still feel like they lack cohesion. Although this is listed as a complete novel, it is essentially still a series of loosely connected short stories. So there are a lot of gaps. This installment does go back and fill in some previous gaps, but it does so through flashback scenes. The lack of chronology gives the narrative even more of a fractured feel. “Intolerance and superstition has always been the domain of the more stupid amongst the common folk and, I conjecture, will never be uprooted, for they are as eternal as stupidity itself. There, where mountains tower today, one day there will be seas; there where today seas surge, will one day be deserts. But stupidity will remain stupidity.” The individual stories are also quite unbalanced. Some sections are exciting and action-packed. Other sections are almost entirely dialogue, often covering long and dry expulsions on politics. And some characters were much more compelling than others. I certainly felt more than one moment of frustration when a story I was enjoying would abruptly end and switch to something more dull. Or when information would be once again purposefully withheld from the reader. As I mentioned, the characters interested me in varying degrees. Ciri was surprisingly my favorite of the novel. Although she was often petulant and impulsive, I enjoyed her impertinence. Dandilion is always good for a laugh. And Geralt continues to grow on me. Although Geralt doesn't actually get much page time in this installment. I'm not a fan of either Yennefer or Triss. The whole sexy, mysterious witch with no character development thing is getting old. I do enjoy this series overall, but I still have noticeable issues with it. The biggest hindrance is my frustration at having information purposefully withheld for multiple books. It drives me nuts when an author thinks that completely withholding information is the only way to build suspense. So the end result is still that I tentatively recommend these with a huge caveat that they aren't for everyone. And I'm reserving final judgement until I've read more of the series and hopefully gotten some darn answers! But I can see why these books are so popular for Swords and Sorcery fans. RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 4 Stars Writing Style: 3 Stars Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars Level of Captivation: 4 Stars Originality: 3 Stars

Such a complex narrative. I am still amazed by the richness of Sapkowski’s world building. We got to see more of these characters and the deep feeling that drives them. There’s so much hope in it but also so much loss - it really is a roller coaster. I can’t imagine where the story goes from here.

Much different from The Last Wish but still incredible

The best one of the series so far. Captivating action,amazing new characters (i absolutely love Regis). Not one page of the book bored me or made me wanna skip it. The only drawback i can think of is that its the only book in which i didn t like Geralt at all i was angry with his attitude. Totally recommended anybody should read it.

The two collections of short stories before Blood of Elves, unfortunately set this one up for failure. The collection of short stories were entertaining and had the right flow, which I assume Blood of elves would follow. It should read like a complete novel but reads more like disjointed short stories that are very easy to lose track of. I’m hoping the rest of the series is better

No. Just. No. I cannot even begin to talk about....just....how awful this book was. *And I will say MAYBE because I listened to the audiobook and not actually read the physical book with words....my experience was different - so yes my experience will be different from yours. But no. This book was WAY TOO LONG. Going from like 10-12 hour audiobooks, to ToS being 16 hours and now LotL being 20 hours. O. M. G. So much FILLER. Like I'm sorry I know it's high fantasy and maybe that's the genre and maybe it's not for me and that's fine but OMG.......SO MUCH FILLER. Like I do not care....about what's going on in the world and the side characters! Just give me Geralt and Ciri and Yen and like....stuff that's actually relevant. Listening to these chapters.....some of them were hour and a half long, two hours long, TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG. Like my brain could not focus.... And yeah that's a me problem. But just I have never been.....so angry....and so negatively affected by a book before. I am so glad it's over. I'm sad they never adapted the games into books because I love the games. I really very much enjoyed the first several books when they were more focused and just about the story but the longer the books got.....THE MORE FILLER and I was just too mentally exhausted. This is just a no. *Yes there were some bits I loved, like I wish I had written down which chapters are all filler so I could say in this review SKIP THESE. The last couple of chapters are just great <3 so good! but I'm sure I can cut down....several hours from this book if I remove the filler chapters.

** spoiler alert ** FUCK THIS BOOK. I will just believe that yennefer and geralt are alive and well. There is so many strange things in the book like why would yen and geralt agree so easily to commit suicide together and give ciri up to a marriage with her biological father? Why did emhyr have a sudden change of heart? Also what the fuck was up with jarres storyline? Like who cares about what happened to him? His chapter was so painfully boring i almost skipped it all. And cahirs reason for helping geralt... 😐 He really admitted to falling in love with a child... Good thing he died. It wasnt all bad. I did like the chapter where ciri travels through other worlds and timelines minus that one very nasty bit. And i loved reading about yennefer, ciri, milva (she is alive btw idk how but she is), the lodge of sorceresses, yarpen zigrin and other characters i love. Overall this book as the ending of the series was disappointing.

I think andrzej sapkowski is a piece of shit so out of principle i will give this book one star

3.25 I think this series will become better eventually. At least I hope so.

This is the first book in the “Witcher Saga” proper. The books leading up to this one are short story collections that set up the characters and relationships while also building out the world. The funny thing is, this book still felt a bit like several novellas stitched together, like the old-fashioned fix-up novels from the golden age of sci-fi. The end result is a novel that still feels fairly episodic. It works, but it doesn’t build to much of a climax. Instead, it’s a series of stories about Geralt’s ward, Ciri, her early training, and the dangers she faces from the outside world. Geralt isn’t even the viewpoint character for most of the book, with Dandelion, Triss, Ciri and Yennifer all getting their turns at the helm. I like that this book kept things fairly small-scale. I’m assuming the series only builds in scope from here.

Blood of Elves is chronologically the 3rd entry within The Witcher saga. Whereas previously all the short stories followed Geralt of Rivia working on certain monster assassination assignments, within Blood of Elves he is one of 3 or 4 main characters that we share the minds of. So Don't come to Blood of Elves expecting it to be the Geralt show. It's not. Really Blood of Elves focuses on Ciri, the child of Destiny. Ciri is essentially the main character with Geralt being more of a shadowy father figure who aids her development as an upcoming Witcher although she also has magical capabilities she does not understand. He is the infamous Witcher, Yennefer is an enchantress and there is the "will they-won't they" love interest, and although she's not the biological child of the aforementioned she arguably seems like a perfect mix of the other two main characters. Blood of Elves basically tells the tale of Ciri's early training under a group of Witchers, learning the Witcher way, and then upon discovering her natural talent for magic she is sent to be trained by Yennefer. Yennefer becoming Ciri's mentor & teacher is perhaps my favorite part of the book. I really enjoy the magic training trope in fantasy. As the first of a five-book series, Blood of Elves would benefit from a map and character index as Sapkowski’s sudden (and often fleeting) reference to various countries, territories and characters can become confusing at times. The plot also takes an unexpected leap forward in time around the halfway point and it could be bothersome for some readers. It's an easy read but it isn't heavy on action. There is much dialogue (some of it disjointed) and the chapters are really long. At the same time, Sapkowski's writing is just so easy to appreciate. There is something to be said for a simple & direct writing style like his.

3.5 stars.

Not as good as I was hoping. The previous compendiums of short stories were great because I treated them as such. For a book intended to be a full story, thus really felt like a Wikipedia article at times. Slogged through the last 25-30%.