The Tower of Swallows - Andrzej Sapkowski

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I'll be honest I think this has been the worst of the books so far, although it is really solid. I think the issue might have been starting it, then having a child, then not reading it for 3 months since I couldn't read in bed with a baby asleep in the room, and then trying to pick it back up.

I actually think the issue might be that this book is the longest so far, and there were 2 very long chapters about political machinations not involving Geralt or Ciri or any of the witches and I was completely lost. I like the depth of the world, but as expressed in previous books I cannot keep names and places straight. I have no idea whose side Dijkstra is on, or what Redania or Temeria or Nilfgaard want. Maybe this is my own problem, but I have played the video game and read lots of fantasy, this usually isn't my weakness. Maybe if there was a map...

Not enough Geralt at all, and while I love Ciri I needed more of the man himself. Ciri's story is great, and again, I think this book would be rated higher if I could have stayed locked in with her. I do wonder if GRRM thought of her at all when writing Arya, so many similar arcs and I love them both.

I like the style of these long chapters too, jumping across perspectives but also told out of order, with people remembering events as other characters go through them. Very dynamic and makes it hard to put down. Unless of course one of those characters is Dijkstra, in which case I put it down for 3 months and could not work up the energy to pick it back up.