THE LAST WISH

The Last Wish (The Witcher) by Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis

Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher.

A cunning sorcerer.

A merciless assassin.

And a cold-blooded killer.

His sole purpose: to destroy

the monsters that plague the world.

But not everything monstrous-looking

is evil, and not everything fair is

good... and in every fairy tale

there is a grain of truth.

I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. It has been 3 years since the video game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, was released and I loved it so much. If you had not played the game I highly recommend it. The story line is great and the from what I remember the graphics were great. With that being said lets get into what I thought about the book.

The book starts off just the same as the opening scene in Wild Hunt. I was immediately submerged into the world that I knew well from the video game. The book wastes no time, in comparison to the video game, and in Chapter 1 you're well into the world building where you find Geralt in Old Narakort Inn. Geralt is from a place called Rivia and as a Rivian and a Witcher, Geralt is misunderstood and the towns he travels to typically do not welcome him. Geralt is basically a monster slayer who is not completely human but was mutated and trained to be a witcher. You would think people would appreciate him but you'll find out the reason they do not.

Let's get into the story. The book is filled with several fairytales so essentially you have several short quest type experiences. This book is translated from Polish so I wonder if the fairytales are ones told in Polish tradition. However, I did recognize that some of the fairytales were familiar but with a twist from what I know. I can definitely see how the book translated so well into a video game but I will admit I was wondering how this book was going to conclude since it starts with tale after tale. Don't you worry! About halfway through the book, Chapter 5, Sapkowski starts to lay the foundation for the main story of the book. I'll just say there are elves, a sylvan, a sorceress, a djinn, good, evil, portals, and much more!

In the video game Triss, a sorceress, was a major character so I was surprised that The Last Wish only had one tiny scene with her. Rather than Triss, another sorceress plays a major role in the book. Her name is Yennifer and she is quite scrumptious and seductive. Geralt is a very moral character, always pausing to consider his actions. He doesn't just slay a monster, he takes into consideration that a monster may not be evil. Yennifer, on the other hand, is a dark character. She had a tough life and it seems she thinks of herself first and does not worry about her actions affects of others around her.

I can't wait to pick up the next book of the series and see what awaits Geralt next.I've rated the book 4 out of 5 starts. Have you read the book or played any of the video games? Let me know what you think in the comments. You can also find me on Instagram @juliaspaperback .

A heavy smell of sour wine, candles, and overripe fruit hung in the air. And something else, that brought to mind a mixture of the scents of lilac and gooseberries.