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goblinrat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The best Joe Abercrombie book for me so far, after finishing the first law it felt like it was constantly getting better each book. Best Serbed cold was like everything he had learned and then applied into 1 flawless package.
Monza, Shivers, Castor, Cosca, Vitari, Friendly, And Day, were a fantastic lot of main characters to follow.
The only thing I didn't expect was to absolutely hate Monza as the story went on as I found her to be a manipulative person always to do what she needed to, to get what she wanted. But I still liked her character.
Just WOW what a great book
Monza, Shivers, Castor, Cosca, Vitari, Friendly, And Day, were a fantastic lot of main characters to follow.
The only thing I didn't expect was to absolutely hate Monza as the story went on as I found her to be a manipulative person always to do what she needed to, to get what she wanted. But I still liked her character.
Just WOW what a great book
milesmark's review against another edition
5.0
Even better the second time! Steven Pacey as a narrator is absolutely a treat.
whattamess's review against another edition
5.0
Still alive
I'll kill them all. I'll kill them all. I'll kill them all.
Abercrombie is my god. He excels in character creation. It's a blessing to be able to "see" a character grow and change. Shivers went through a remarkable change. I have a soft spot for Abercrombie's Northmen, and I hear the next book centers around the Northmen.
joshua_williams's review against another edition
5.0
I never read a book then turn around and read the next book in the series but last arguments left me feeling satisfied but still hungry for more. I almost skipped to the next trilogy and I'm so glad I didn't. Best served cold has everything Betrayal, Revenge, Action, and Great characters.
You can say one good thing about Joe Abercrombie Say he writes damn good characters.
You can say one good thing about Joe Abercrombie Say he writes damn good characters.
dwimblim's review against another edition
4.0
I read the book following this (The Heroes) first; now I wish I read them in order. Worth reading if you like the trilogy. For some reason it took a while to get into, and I only got a third of the way in and then my ebook expired and I had to wait to check it out from the library again. But it was still good.
piratkatt's review against another edition
I'll get back to it, it's on the pile of shame.
disneynerdsworld's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
filberthoneysac's review against another edition
5.0
4 // 5
“Nice to find there's one subject you're not the world's greatest expert on. The guards are challenging him.”
“Of course!” That much was clear from the halberds lowered at Cosca's chest. The old mercenary swept off his hat and bowed low.
“He is replying … my name is Nicomo Cosca … famed soldier of fortune … and I am here …” She lowered the eyeglass, frowning.
“Yes?”
Vitari's eyes slid towards him. “And I am here for dinner.”
THE GOOD:
- Abercrombie has very clearly improved as a writer from The Blade Itself. I'm loving the prose this time around, and the dialogue maintains its witty vulgarity.
- Monza is an excellent character already. Absolutely adored the prologue, the scene of betrayal and utter boredom felt by most of the people involved, and her difficult recovery shortly after. Now it's all about revenge. Vengeance, then.
- Love that we get to explore Shivers' character more directly. A similar goal to good ol' Logen, but I suspect he won't be able to escape his past. Also can't wait to see more familiar faces, as I'm sure we will. Friendly is a madman with OCD. Oh boy.
- Loved the scene with the Master Poisoner, showing how capable he truly is. We're meeting the whole team, and someone is going to be a god damn rat. Oh, and then the job with Mauthis we see how ridiculous he can truly be. Heh. Unfortunately for our boy Mauthis, perhaps the least deservign of Monza's vengeance, he real dead.
- And the final additions to our crew: Vitari of the Inquisition, and Nicomo Cosca the legendary drunkard. What a pair. I'm excited for the mess we'll find ourselves at the end of this book. I absolutely didn't expect Monza to be the one to send Cosca down the path of failure and drunkenness. Love their dynamic; everyone bickers constantly, except for ya' boi Friendly. Love that guy.
- We finally got the crew all together. Time for the big job-- Prince Ario and Foscar, his brother. The chapter "Sex and Death" epitomizes everything that can go wrong... will. It was phenomenally chaotic and endlessly entertaining how quickly everything went to shit, yet they still managed to accomplish their goal: Ario's death, the same way he killed Benna. Mmm.
- DAMN! Seems like everything's going to shit in this one. I love it. Visserine was a total shit show from start to finish. My poor boy Shivers, giving up on his goal to be a good man right as soon as he got tortured and his eye burnt. That was rough. Shades of Logen poppin' through! There's also no way Cosca dies after that triumphant defeat (hehe) against Granmark! Damn right. Back where he belongs-- not fighting any battles, getting paid, and getting revenge! I knew he wasn't finished with those fuckers.
- Oh yeah, magic and shit exists. Easy to forget-- god damn, Monza better look out for the man who settles other people's scores. Or an Eater. Terrifying.
- A sad fate spoon-fed by Monza led by poor Day, rebelling against her actually good-intentioned master of poisons Morveer. How unfortunate indeed, her mind spoiled by the poisons of mere... lies.
THE BAD:
- I understand that I am reading grimdark, but man everything is so depressing. Vengeance feels real bad.
- Loved characters in the beginning and hated half of them by the end. My boy Shivers had a mini-Logen arc. Not the greatest ending in general.
“Nice to find there's one subject you're not the world's greatest expert on. The guards are challenging him.”
“Of course!” That much was clear from the halberds lowered at Cosca's chest. The old mercenary swept off his hat and bowed low.
“He is replying … my name is Nicomo Cosca … famed soldier of fortune … and I am here …” She lowered the eyeglass, frowning.
“Yes?”
Vitari's eyes slid towards him. “And I am here for dinner.”
THE GOOD:
- Abercrombie has very clearly improved as a writer from The Blade Itself. I'm loving the prose this time around, and the dialogue maintains its witty vulgarity.
- Monza is an excellent character already. Absolutely adored the prologue, the scene of betrayal and utter boredom felt by most of the people involved, and her difficult recovery shortly after. Now it's all about revenge. Vengeance, then.
- Love that we get to explore Shivers' character more directly. A similar goal to good ol' Logen, but I suspect he won't be able to escape his past. Also can't wait to see more familiar faces, as I'm sure we will. Friendly is a madman with OCD. Oh boy.
- Loved the scene with the Master Poisoner, showing how capable he truly is. We're meeting the whole team, and someone is going to be a god damn rat. Oh, and then the job with Mauthis we see how ridiculous he can truly be. Heh. Unfortunately for our boy Mauthis, perhaps the least deservign of Monza's vengeance, he real dead.
- And the final additions to our crew: Vitari of the Inquisition, and Nicomo Cosca the legendary drunkard. What a pair. I'm excited for the mess we'll find ourselves at the end of this book. I absolutely didn't expect Monza to be the one to send Cosca down the path of failure and drunkenness. Love their dynamic; everyone bickers constantly, except for ya' boi Friendly. Love that guy.
- We finally got the crew all together. Time for the big job-- Prince Ario and Foscar, his brother. The chapter "Sex and Death" epitomizes everything that can go wrong... will. It was phenomenally chaotic and endlessly entertaining how quickly everything went to shit, yet they still managed to accomplish their goal: Ario's death, the same way he killed Benna. Mmm.
- DAMN! Seems like everything's going to shit in this one. I love it. Visserine was a total shit show from start to finish. My poor boy Shivers, giving up on his goal to be a good man right as soon as he got tortured and his eye burnt. That was rough. Shades of Logen poppin' through! There's also no way Cosca dies after that triumphant defeat (hehe) against Granmark! Damn right. Back where he belongs-- not fighting any battles, getting paid, and getting revenge! I knew he wasn't finished with those fuckers.
- Oh yeah, magic and shit exists. Easy to forget-- god damn, Monza better look out for the man who settles other people's scores. Or an Eater. Terrifying.
- A sad fate spoon-fed by Monza led by poor Day, rebelling against her actually good-intentioned master of poisons Morveer. How unfortunate indeed, her mind spoiled by the poisons of mere... lies.
THE BAD:
- I understand that I am reading grimdark, but man everything is so depressing. Vengeance feels real bad.
- Loved characters in the beginning and hated half of them by the end. My boy Shivers had a mini-Logen arc. Not the greatest ending in general.
zfish0815's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
suzsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0