Review: Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Title: Half a King
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published Date: July 3rd 2014
My Rating: 5 stars

Blurb on Goodreads:

“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...
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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.

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Title: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published Date: September 25th 2014
My Rating: 5 stars

Blurb on Goodreads:

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow-- and Reds like him-- are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity' s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society' s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
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Before I start gushing about all the positives this book has to offer, let me start by explaining what it's about in as simple a way as I can;

Kick ass guy + shit circumstances + an awesome chance = amazing action + death + deceit + and... you get the picture already.

Darrow is a Red. The Reds live beneath the surface of Mars, where they work the incredibly tough and dangerous job of mining, for the sake of making Mars' surface habitable for the rest of humanity back on the dying planet of Earth. They do so under the rule of the Golds, who oversee their work and maintain the discipline. Under some terrible circumstances, Darrow discovers that his whole life he has been lied to; that the Golds have already inhabited Mars and live above them in an abundance of wealth and comfort whilst he and his people are essentially exploited for slave labour. Given a crazy opportunity,  Darrow goes under cover and disguises himself as a Gold, and he is hell bent on making them pay.

There are so many amazing positives about this book that I'm not sure where to start.  There is also just one piece of constructive criticism that I'd like to share too. Since the writing was so fundamental in making this book as great as it is, let's talk about that first. If you've looked up Red Rising on goodreads, then chances are you'll have seen plenty of people gushing about the writing, and for good reason. The writing in this book is so beyond the standard YA writing. It is clever, beautiful, and purposeful. There is not a single line that is written without thought and purpose. Each sentence seems to have double meaning, and reading between the lines is par for the course in this book. If you like that kind of writing, the kind that is generally only found in fantasy books (high fantasy specifically) then you will most definitely love this book.

The second brilliant thing I want to talk about is the world building. Whilst most dystopians require some level of world building, they usually take place on Earth where the bare bones of the world are essentially the same. In this case however, we've travelled across the solar system and landed on Mars. This world needs so badly to be built well, and Brown does not disappoint. It may feel a little overwhelming at first, what with all the new terminology, but it doesn't take long for the reader to become accustomed to it, and that is when the world building really shines. There is SO much detail crammed into this tiny book, it just blows my mind. I loved the image Brown paints in the readers mind; the actual planet, what it looks like beneath the surface, on the surface and what the surface looks like for those beneath. The different 'coloured' people and their place in society. The Reds in their slave position actually have red hair and red eyes, the Golds with their gold hair and gold eyes sit atop the social pyramid and look down on the rest of society. I love how even within these colours, there are those who think themselves- or are thought to be- better though than others. I love how this echoes our own society and gives the book a sense of humanity, since it's difficult to think of them as humans at all with what is now achievable in this strange new world.

That brings me on to characters. Looking back on it, there were so many characters that we were introduced that's it's a wonder I remember them all. But remember them all I do, because Brown weaves each and every single one of them into the story seamlessly and in such a way that even the most minor of characters is memorable. There are character to love, characters to hate, characters you hate to love and characters you love to hate. There are your main characters, your secondary characters, and your seemingly insignificant characters who really add more depth and feeling to the book than you realise at the time. Every single one of these characters is important to the story and really adds to the book. The main character Darrow is a pretty average guy to begin with and seemingly not all that impressive. Over the course of the book however he grows exponentially, both in age and character. He becomes a hero, and yet he's vulnerable and insecure about the path he has to take as he worries about what he has to become to achieve the dream. We love him all the more for it.

The only less than shinning (but still positively glowing) thing I have to say about this book is this; it felt to me as if I could split this book into two halves. The first 100-150 pages felt like an almost completely different plot to the rest of the book. Of course it makes sense since it sets up the rest of story but I definitely felt like the second half was better. This is probably because whilst the first half was great and the writing was beautiful, it was solemn and sad without any real uplifting parts to balance out the tone, making it a tad heavy. The second half definitely was better and blew my mind with its amazingness. It was sad, solemn and serious but also passionate, action packed, and heart warming, all whilst being blood curdlingly gory. it was so enjoyable and definitely unputdownable, as cliché as that may sound.

I cannot describe just how much I love it any more for fear of spoiling it for you. Seriously, if you haven't already and you consider yourself a dystopian/fantasy/roman history fan, you need to pick this up. If you don't you'll be kicking yourself for years to come when you realise what you missed being a part of. I'm not usually a fan of comparing books by saying it's the next this or the next that, but I will say this; reading Red Rising is like reading a concoction of The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and The Final Empire whilst watching 300, but better.

The wait for Golden Son will be agonising but well worth it. I'm so excited! If you have read this already, then head over to my instagram (@booksareforadasses) and join in our giant, spoilery discussion/ fangirling session!

*this book was kindly offered to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*