This one took me awhile to read (started it in May, finished in January), but I blame that on my own distractibility / starting other books, not on the book itself. Once I got to around pg 170, I was rolling and it took me less than a week to finish the remainder.

I really enjoyed this one, particularly the last half! (Probably more than #2.) The ending put Geralt in a humorous situation, (I won't spoil!) which had my sister looking at me weird because of how much I was chuckling to myself.

Some standout points:
- Perspective was handled in a way that stood out from the last one as being a great choice to watch the story unfold. Very clever and supported the worldbuilding.
- A few new characters are introduced in this one and I loved their interactions with Geralt.
- The geopolitical talks in this book were less prevalent and more enjoyable to me than in previous installments. Instead, there is a very interesting lore / genealogical info drop.

Overall, it was well-balanced between exploring interpersonal dynamics, commentating on societal issues & war, and dry, witty humor. I love books with that kind of blend; intelligently written, but don't take themselves too seriously. I've already picked up the next one.

I love Regis. I love Cahir. I love Ciri. I love Zoltan and Dandelion and Milva and of course Geralt. Mistle raped Ciri in the last book so I still don't know what Sapkowski's playing at making that a cute romance in this book, but I don't love it. Here's hoping the Netflix show gives Ciri the kind of badass girlfriend she deserves.