Hello Fellow Journeyers,
This book is the first official entry of the main series that has one linear plot. That being said, I fully believe that if you have not the previous two books, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, read, then this will be an incredibly confusing introduction. This is definitely the third book in the series, but is the official starting off of a new story that spans five books. Now that that is stated... Onward, Blood of Elves!
What's the story about: Blood of Elves has the world finding itself at the beginning of a new era, defined by war, blood, and chaos. This is a multiple POV story that tells the stories of the individuals who are being targeted and brought together through unexpected and orchestrated means by higher powers.
With that being said, I think this was a great introduction to the grand story of the Witcher, even if it isn't perfect and the rest of the series falls flat. It takes a leap of faith to go from short story collections about a Witcher outcast, and tries to expand it into a five book saga from multiple perspectives and for the most part, the balance is pretty enjoyable here. The change from short story to one main narrative works for the most part, and slows down fast-paced one-off missions to the natural fantasy progression that any would come to expect.
The book starts in an odd place where Dandelion is telling the story of Geralt and Ciri in a the form of a ballad and this tangent lasts a little too long before getting the main story going. That being said, the middle takes us on a fun quest story where Geralt tries to train Ciri, track down a mysterious person that wants him dead, and protect innocents along the way. This gets bogged down in places where there is far too much conversation rather than action, but for the most part Sapkowski is a good enough writer that the story never doddles. There is also a fun narrative about the prejudices placed on races within the world that has surprising poignancy. The book then ends with a long ending chapter of Yennifer and Ciri training in the art of magic that just makes it drag at the worst possible place to me.
★★★ 3 Stars - Blood of Elves is good, in some places very good, but the beginning and end are slow and take up far too much time and space. There is much to enjoy in terms of Geralt, his adventures, and what the hardships of war does to those involved. A promising introduction to an unfortunately lackluster (main) series. At least the short story collections were worth reading in all their Witcher and monster glory.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was fantastic, I really loved almost every aspect of it.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very good and worth reading; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this story, but it was lacking in certain areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.
