Book Review: Half A King by Joe Abercrombie

After loving The First Law series, I wondered what Abercrombie’s version of “young adult” would look like. To be frank I’d never have guessed that Half A King was intended for that audience.

Half A King is a only a slightly toned down version of his adult writing and contains all of the cunning, depth, and unexpected plot twists I’ve come to expect from an Abercrombie book. Everyone is just as morally grey and doing what they need to in order to survive. Not necessarily thrive. And they’re not afraid to murder and backstab and weave intricate strategies while waiting patiently for their vengeance.

Oh, Yarvi. A happily betrothed new king? Ha, ha, hahahhah. No. The path to the greater good and the lesser evil is morally gray at best. After his father and brother’s murders, Yarvi swears an oath of vengeance on the killers. His path leads the young king from his studies to the throne to slavery as an oarsman and beyond.

Right up until the last page I didn’t expect what would happen. Abercrombie doesn’t do formulas or follow tropes that closely, so his books are always a refreshingly cunning and devious read.

The characters are great too. You never know if meemaw is going to end up being batshit crazy or just evil. Is the deck-scrubber going to save the day or get stabby? Maybe both? Will any romantic notions be either unrequited, impossible, or a lie? Probably.

I just love all the backstabbing and plotting and cheeky quotes throughout his books too. The First Law has many quotable one liners and so does Half A King:

You may need two hands to fight someone, but only one to stab them in the back

–_Yarvi

I think Abercrombie might have taken the Glokta character and said, ok what if this was a main character? It’s toned down and Yarvi is much less crippled than Glokta but the similarities are there in cunning and many aspects of their attitudes. Am I wrong? Did anyone else think this?

Overall, Half A King is a fast paced and witty read. It’s appropriate for the young adult audience but adults everywhere will be able to enjoy it equally because it’s not eye-rolling YA at all.

Will definitely be reading these straight through since I’m curious to see what happens next after the bombshell Yarvi dropped at the end! (NOT a cliffhanger though).

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Bookish Quick Facts

• Title: Half A King
• Series: Shattered Sea, #1
• Author: Joe Abercrombie
• Published: Del Rey, 2014
• Length: 352 pages
• Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for anyone interested

Here’s the Synopsis

“I swore an oath to avenge the death 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. 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 finds that his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy.

_{From Am*zon}

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Thanks for checking out my book review of Half A King by Joe Abercrombie . I bought the hardcover edition a while back and review all books voluntarily. As always, all opinions are my own❤️