This review has given me real trouble. I LOVED the first book, liked the second quite a bit, and trusted that Abercrombie would give me whatever I needed to love this one, too. In a weird way that I still don’t understand, this third book in his Shattered Sea trilogy has not managed to meet my expectations, even though I’m not sure I had expectations to meet, beyond that I wanted to love it. I’m sort of devastated that it didn’t work for me. While reading, […]
A let-down after the first book, but still pretty good nonetheless.
This definitely wasn’t as good as the first one. It was too straightforward, and the parts that were supposed to be a surprise were pretty obviously telegraphed. Still, it’s a great example of well-written, character based young adult fantasy. It’s just that I expect more from Abercrombie, particularly since he delivered it in Half a King. Half a World is the second book in Abercrombie’s first ever YA series, Shattered Sea, which takes place in a Nordic/Viking type fantasy environment, a post-magic society with verrrrry […]
The exact right book at the exact right time.
First, if you haven’t read Joe Abercrombie before, I highly recommend checking out his First Law trilogy. It’s a great exploration/takedown of classic fantasy tropes with some great and very memorable characters. It’s probably most representative of his writing style and the things he likes to write about. But if you don’t feel like reading three rather large books as an intro to an author, Half a King would do nicely as well. Keep in mind, however, this is technically YA, although it’s unlike any […]