Reviews with content warning for Violence - Before They Are Hanged

New: Upgrading it to five stars. I’m returning to this world, better read in fantasy, and I have to say as a trilogy this is some of the most fun I’ve had. It’s up there with Glenn Cook and Erickson for me. It’s really the second act of a three part story, and just like Empire, wow does this end morbid. It’s hard to even call it dark. It culminates into a spectacular soul crushing whimper.

I am eagerly anticipating rereading the third.

Old: 4 stars. It’s a great read, lots of fun, dark, and morbid. Plenty of blood and violence. Characters are shown to grow and develop, and in their flaws become lovable and detestable.

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nerdkitten's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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katieismay's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

4.0

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maidofbees's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.0

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singalana's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Before they are hanged is deliciously dark fantasy with gritty characters. The book picks up pretty much where The blade itself ended, and follows mainly three plotlines: the fate of Dagoska, the journey to the Edge of the World and the war between the Union and the Northmen.

The cast of characters is vast, but the characters are interesting and feel real with all their faults. Reading these books, it definitely feels as though the characters are influencing the plot as much as the plot is influencing them. The story arc is complex, and you can’t just pick up a book in the middle of the series and hope to understand what is happening. This book ends up the same as The Blade Itself: the story is by no means finished. Therefore if you like books in a series to have clear endings, then you are not going to like this.

I liked this book very much, and the narrator in the audiobook was excellent. My only complaints are that this book could have been trimmed a bit, it felt like it was going on for ever (even though it avoided being boring). And the second complaint was that the sex scenes were a little bit awkward to listen to in the audiobook. Other than that, I enjoyed this very much and I can’t wait to see what happens in the final book of the trilogy.

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josiah17's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The first half of this book was a bit difficult to get into. I think that's partially due to me burning myself out a bit the past few days with reading. But I LOVE the second half of this book. And now that I've finished, I can look back at the first half and appreciate it more.

The character work is downright phenomenal. I just love spending time in the heads of these characters, and Abercrombie makes it so easy to feel engrossed with his accessibile and fluid prose.

The plot felt like it meandered a little more than the first book, as this still feels like a setup book for the culmination of everything in the third and final book. But just as I can look back and appreciate first book after finishing, I can do the same for the plot and understand that this is building up to something that will most definitely be extraordinary.

I can't wait to read the third book!

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whirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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camam4's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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