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Book Review: Half The World by Joe Abercrombie

I recently read Half A King and while I liked it a lot, I really loved Half the World by Joe Abercrombie. I also thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook narration by John Keating.

Keating brings a lot of accents and real personality to the main characters and they feel so real.

I think the reason I found this installment so much more better was because of the main characters. I just love Thorn and Brand. Yarvi takes a backseat in Half the World although he’s still driving the show (with Laithlin of course). Their deep cunning planning comes full circle in the craziest of ways and I respect them both as true morally gray characters.

The two main characters are amazing though. Brand is such a hero and doesn’t even realize it because he doubts his convictions and worth so much. Thorn is kind of the same way, taking her self worth based off of what people expect from women instead of what she can offer.

Thorn worked her ass off for everything and had a great character arc, as did Brand. Abercrombie refuses to do anything predictably so I really was not expecting where either character ended up. I thought the big thing for Thorn was going to be a fated ending but that’s not this author’s style and I should have known better. Even Brand finally stood up for what he thinks and wants and I just respect both of them so much😅

It’s really hard to say how much I love these character arcs.

I like being surprised – so – perfect.

Everything isn’t fated or obvious but it’s fitting.

I liked the journey too and seeing more of the Shattered Sea countries and beyond. The world building and growing political tension is perfect. There’s so much action and hidden humor and the pacing is perfect.

I have so many good things to say about these books. They’re just so casually hilarious too. Side characters tend to become main characters and I’m excited to see who ends up being featured in book three: Half A War.

Half the World is action packed and full of lesser evils. One final thing that I like other than food characters and unlikely plots is building “dangerous” crews and giving every side character merit and a part to play. Skifr and Dosduvoi and even Koll deserves a mention somewhere here, as do so many others.

Definitely I 100% recommend The Shattered Sea trilogy if you like darker, fast paced fantasy!

One final note is that ((I’m behind the times but)) I just learned that Joe Abercrombie has a totally new book coming out in 2025 within a new world, called The Devils!

Bookish Quick Facts

Title: Half the World
Series: Shattered Sea, #2
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Published: Del Rey, 2015
Length: 385 pages
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ if you liked the first book, this one is arguably much better

Here’s the Synopsis

Sometimes a girl is touched by Mother War.

Thorn is such a girl. Desperate to avenge her dead father, she lives to fight. But she has been named a murderer by the very man who trained her to kill.

Sometimes a woman becomes a warrior.

She finds herself caught up in the schemes of Father Yarvi, Gettland’s deeply cunning minister. Crossing half the world to find allies against the ruthless High King, she learns harsh lessons of blood and deceit.

Sometimes a warrior becomes a weapon.

Beside her on the journey is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill, a failure in his eyes and hers, but with one chance at redemption.

And weapons are made for one purpose.

Will Thorn forever be a pawn in the hands of the powerful, or can she carve her own path?

_{From Am*zon}

Thanks for checking out my book review of Half the World by Joe Abercrombie. I own the hardcover and as always, all opinions are my own⚔️

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).

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}

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❤️