Blood of Elves
I got the books because of the show, and it was a good choice. I’ve tried to read LOTR and Game of Thrones, but this beats out all of them.
While technically the first published, Blood of Elves is the third in the chronology of the Witcher series. This book picks up really where the show left off. There were a lot of reviews on the book complaining about how slow the book was, but I was not of that opinion. The last half explained a lot of the magic rules, and while I haven’t read the first two books, I assume that the rules previously had been touched on but not firmly established. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I read the other books, but I thought it was fine.
The writing was clever and witty, and wasn’t as stuffy as the inklings or George R.R. Martin. It had fun, which is all I really want in a high fantasy book. The characters were distinct and felt real. The settings were bright and well-described. Now, if I could just find the first book to read them in order…
Also, fun fact: this was the last book I read before COVID. I finished it on a beach in Miami, and a few hours later at dinner, my friends and I found out our spring break was being extended a week (and then would never end).
Trigger warnings: violence, death, blood, sexism, gore, misogyny, sexual content, rape, infertility
⛈⛈⛈⛈☁️
2022 update: this book is probably what season 2 is based off of, haha. There’s none of the Nilfgard storyline, but I also haven’t read any of the books besides this one.
