Title: Half a KingAuthor: Joe Abercrombie
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published Date: July 3rd 2014
My Rating: 5 stars
“I swore an oath to be avenged on the killers of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath”
Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea itself. And he must do it all with only one good hand.
The deceived will become the deceiver
Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.
The betrayed will become the betrayer
Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.
Will the usurped become the usurper?
But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi’s path may end as it began – in twists, and traps and tragedy...
______________________________________
Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea itself. And he must do it all with only one good hand.
The deceived will become the deceiver
Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.
The betrayed will become the betrayer
Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.
Will the usurped become the usurper?
But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi’s path may end as it began – in twists, and traps and tragedy...
______________________________________
Having been stuck in a reading slump for over 2 weeks I was
starting to get really frustrated, constantly picking up and putting down
books, none of which enticing me back into the world of reading. Then this
beauty appeared on my doorstep (courtesy of my amazing friend Kat! you are the
best <3) and everything changed. I couldn't decide between 4.5 and 5 stars
so I just went with the higher one because really it deserves it. Let me try
and explain why without giving away any spoilers.
The world created by Abercrombie in this book is of the low
fantasy variety I would say, in that there is no magic and there are no dragons
or supernatural beings and the world itself is relatively straight forward. Put
that way, this book is more adventure than fantasy but the Kings and Gods etc
mean it’s classed as a fantasy. It might seem simple, but one thing I can
really really appreciate is simple
done well. Sure, it wasn't a high epic fantasy, but it was so addictive, so captivating that I couldn't bring myself to put it
down. There are a couple of different countries and lands but it’s all
relatively easy to understand and remember, and the map at the beginning helps
a lot. This makes me feel that this book would be the perfect place for people
to start with fantasy, because it’s amazing but not confusing in the slightest.
A total beginners dream!
The plot of this book was one I found myself deeply invested
in. When Yarvi hears of his father and brother's murder, he vows to have his
vengeance and make those responsible pay. It seems a ridiculous vow to make in
the beginning and an impossible one for our MC, but the road this story takes
makes you really route for him, and as we follow him to the various corners of
this world and we meet new characters and face new threats, you can't help but
really want to see him succeed! There were all sorts of twists you didn't see
coming and the action is excellent. Not to mention the gore!
The writing in this book is quite possibly my favourite
thing. The writing flows so well, and is so poetical it's practically
entrancing. The tone and speed weren't jarring and really submerged you into
the story, and the way it comes full circle with the same sentence and a
different meaning is just beautiful. I am genuinely in love with Abercrombie's
writing and I'm adding his other series to my TBR just for that reason. I can't
get enough of that writing!
Finally I want to talk about the characters. Yarvi himself
is such an interesting, unique main character. Having a half deformed hand he
is shunned and denied by his father who finds him an embarrassment (much like
Tyrion Lannister!). This makes him hate himself in the beginning, and the
levels of self pity could drown me but thankfully he grows with the story. In
fact, having finished, I can now appreciate his lowest level of self esteem at
the beginning and admire him more for his growth. For someone who wanted
nothing to do with monarchy politics and just wanted to study and be a
minister, he was remarkable in his adventure, and yet true to his little
academic heart. During Yarvi's travel and search for vengeance, we meet a
variety of characters, some more vital than others. And even though the
seemingly less important characters only stay with us briefly, they're written
so well that you don't forget about them. There are 5 main characters that
Yarvi meets on his adventure and they are without a doubt my favourite
characters. They are each so unique and different from one another, and yet
they're all equally brilliant and memorable. I loved reading about each and
every one of them. I won't tell you any more about them because I feel it would
be best you learnt about them yourself. Yarvi’s mother is also a very
interesting character and just reminds me of Cersei Lannister, all be it a
slightly less insane/evil version.
All in all, this book was pretty amazing and I absolutely
can't wait for the next book in the trilogy to come out. February feels so far
away! Far enough that you have no excuse not to pick this up and read it before
then, because trust me when I say you want to be with this series from the
beginning.
