Now to start out with, this show is not perfect and is flawed in many ways. It struggles with a lot, but also works as a great fantasy show in many ways. Personally season 1 peaked my interest for the books, and I must say I feel in love despite already having played the Witcher 3. The books sparked my interest to the next level and I fell absolutely in love with the universe, which I can thank the show for. Which is why I have a hard time not being excited for the series, as it sparked my love for everything Witcher.

Overall the writing is pretty hit or miss, sometimes. It's charming, funny and quite heartwarming and others its just cheesy and cringeworthy and not funny at all, which further indicates its, at times, problem with choosing which tone it wants to focus on. "Does it want to be serious and dark" or "lighthearted and fun" While for most of the series it does a good job at balancing the two. There still is some apparent flaws in the tone, where the books balance this to perfection and never loose focus in the same way the show does. I personally think the cast is greatly cast and they embody the way I pictured them while reading. Of course Henry Cavill is the stand out, playing Geralt to perfection. Bringing the grit and tone the character needs. I have a good feeling with him being a part of the show and being able to steer the show the right way.

Season 1 focuses on the first two books, which are told in a non-linear fashion, as short stories. Spanning across years, which the show didn't articulate good enough for the viewers, and if you weren't paying attention you could miss specific details describing where in time we were. That being said the world is interesting and there's quite a lot of lore and depth to the characters, even if Geralt seems pretty grumpy most of the time. I also love how they expanded Yennefers story even more, showing her background, and how she came to be. The same works for season 2, where we get greater depth to Cahir, Fringilla, Tissaia and other important players.

In season 2 there is a great deviance from the books, where most of the story is told way differently in the books and scenes that never existed is brought to life in the show, which is great, but it still loses focus of the amazing source material. They move different plot points forward and completely change story arcs, which I'm not a big fan of, but still I'm open to the new ideas that are brought in. I just hope they keep focus and stick as close to the books "as the vision will allow" Season 2 also brings a greater budget and a more linear story, which the first season greatly struggled with. The music is also amazing and in my opinion truly captures the essence of the world. Jaskier's songs are truly amazing and tell the story of the world and the implications his own life, so let's truly toss a coin.

This isn't a true adaptation even if they follow the books. They have changed key plot points, which might divide fans of the books and newcomers might not think vary of it, but just enjoy the ride. That being said, this is still a great fantasy show with a good basis and amazing performances all around, even if some the dialogue and writing is poor at times. In the end I am eager to see how they expand the universe and will there for all seasons and content to come, even if it won't truly aline with the source material which is a shame.

8/10.