Title: The Time of Contempt
Author: Andrzej Sapkowski
Series: The Witcher #2
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: August 27th, 2013
Edition: Kindle Edition, 337 pages
Source: Library
Synopsis:
Geralt is a witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend. His task, now, is to protect Ciri. A child of prophecy, she will have the power to change the world for good or for ill -- but only if she lives to use it.
A coup threatens the Wizard's Guild.
War breaks out across the lands.
A serious injury leaves Geralt fighting for his life...
... and Ciri, in whose hands the world's fate rests, has vanished.
There is something about these books that are both slightly boring, but also very engaging. The pacing is something that I will probably always struggle with these books. The chapters are very long (about 50 pages) and they shift POV in the middle sometimes.
Ciri, Yennifer, and Garelt spend what feels like much of the book separated from each other, which is kind of a bummer. But when they are in the same location they still don't interact as much as I would like. Yennifer wasn't in this book as much as Garelt or Ciri, though it felt like most of the book was from Ciri's POV. Not sure if it actually is, but it felt like it was.
This series has been referred to as a "slow burn" fantasy. And I whole-heartedly agree. It's not something I am entirely used to. The book started to dip a little as it got closer to the end of the book. It did pick up a little in the last, very long, chapter.
Though these books do edge on being boring, because of the pacing, I will be reading the rest of the series. I am curious about many things and hope that they are cleared up a little. There are a number of characters that take up what feels like a lot of page time, who are only there for their scene and never again in the book.
I've kind of hit a bit of a wall with reading, I blame myself. I requested too many from NetGalley again and got approved for most of them. I might take bit of a breather with reading this series for now. There are other books I own that I need to read, and library books can wait.
I soooo feel you with the books being to long and simply long winded at some points. I constantly felt the desperate need for an editor to just shave things down a bit.
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