It was a little hard, at least for me, to figure out how I should read The Witcher books. My go to way of reading a series is to do so in chronological and not publishing order. In some series that is easy while in others...wow can it get complicated. Especially for a first time reader who hasn't yet figured out their preferred reading order. So it wasn't until I started writing this review that I learned about a prequel book. Which bothers me way more than it should.
I never played The Witcher games but I know of them. Instead what got me into the series was Netflix's adaptation of the books. The show was amazing and so I decided that it was finally time to start reading the books. The main changes from this book I noticed was that dialogue heavy stories were changed to be more action oriented for the show. This was a good choice since television is a visual medium while books aren't.
One theme of the book is that the time of the Witchers is ending because the world has changed. People hate Witchers because they're not needed as they once were. Who needs a monster slayer when there are hardly any monsters? Geralt is fighting against the truth that maybe it's okay if there are no more Witchers. In one story he makes sure there is at least one other Witcher that will follow in his footsteps.
This book has a lot of parts that feel like they have very feminist undertones. Geralt is unafraid to call out people's sexist comments. While he is well aware women can be bad, he doesn't make assumptions about the 'fairer sex' being innately immoral. Renfri is wanted dead by Stregobor because of a belief he has. Geralt doesn't believe the man because it just seems a way for men to justify killing women.
Monsters are also more complicated. The creatures that look evil are sometimes the kindest while the humans can make your blood boil. The short story "A Grain of Truth" is one of the most heartbreaking examples of this. The relationship between Nivellen and Vereena is complicated. The last lines of that story sent chills through my spine.
I know that Yennefer of Vengerberg is important in the grand scheme of the series and her appearance here is amazing. She shows that she is powerful enough to not allow herself to get walked on by anyone. She is especially angered at any man who thinks he has the right to walk all over her. Her main flaw is that she lets her anger and ego get the better of her. While she shows an ability to care for others, she also shows that her goals always end up being the most important thing for her. No matter the cost.
I would recommend The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski for those that love fantasy. I would also recommend The Last Wish to those that enjoyed Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher series.
Because I didn't find out the correct reading order for The Witcher series until writing this review, I'm going to be reviewing Blood of Elves next and not The Sword of Destiny.
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