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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
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
5 stars - It was amazing
Before They Are Hanged is the perfect next instalment in the First Law trilogy, and it definitely does not suffer from the infamous second book slump. In fact, I would argue it is better than [b:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009] - every qualm I had with the first book has been resolved in this instalment.
My main qualm was the worldbuilding, which I found to be quite lacking in the first one. However, Before They Are Hanged sees all of our protagonists go on an adventure to some very unfamiliar territories, which just develops the world so much more. The descriptions of each place were so unique, and Abercrombie did an excellent job of building up the atmosphere and culture of each new place his characters ventured to.
Again, the character development was superb for each of our protagonists, but even our side characters had some growth. I love how Abercrombie has such an explicit understanding of every character he writes, and every aspect of every character shines, even when they are not a protagonist. Truly some of the best character work I have ever read.
In this instalment, Glokta was on a very interesting quest which deviated quite a bit from what everyone else was up to. Again, you get to see him do what he does best as an inquisitor as he investigates the mysterious disappearance of the Superior of Dagoska before him. It was nice to see him show some mercy for so many characters and people in Dagoska. I truly believe the whole time he was doing what was right, even if his actions were gruesome at times. His deal with Valint and Balk is interesting indeed, and I am so excited to see how it will come to play out in the next instalment.
West became a fairly important character in this one, and we get to see him continue to struggle with his anger issues. He took so many important actions in this one which made him slightly redeemed, but I don't know how he will fully redeem himself from his actions toward Ardee in [b:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009]. I was stunned, yet relieved when he killed Ladisla - who was somehow made Jezal look selfless. I think he has some more important roles to play, and I am excited to see where his story goes in the next one.
Jezal had the best character growth in this book, and he is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. I loved how he just realised exactly how useless he was on his quest with the others, and when he got injured, he started to take things a lot more seriously, and just became so much more appreciative of everything around him. I am keen to see how he is going to interact with Ardee when he gets home! I am also interested to see what role he was really going to play on this quest with Bayaz - everyone else seemed to have a clear cut role and I can't say he was there for no reason at all, surely.
Logen was also just so much more adorable. I loved seeing him really try to bond and share his culture with everyone on the quest, to foster some trust. Ugh, I just ate it up! I also loved his romance with Ferro, although I am also glad they broke it up at the end. It wouldn't seem fair to Ferro's character, after a lifetime of hardship, to just stop wanting revenge and to just let herself fall for Logen (even though that's all I want for them!!). It will be interesting to see what will happen now that they found the seed, only for it to be 'fake', and what everyone is going to do now. Surely all that travel and effort can't have been for nothing....
Another thing I must absolutely applaud Abercrombie on is how clearly he builds the tension and stakes in battle scenes. For once, I have found my self not being absolutely confused, and everything seems fairly clear cut. Like yes, these people are fucked and I don't know how they're going to get themselves out of this mess. Reading these had me so anxious, and it paid off so well.
The only problem I have with these books so far is that the endings seem so anticlimactic. Reading other people's reviews, it seems like it is meant to be like this, so I am holding out for the final instalment and hoping it pays off!
Before They Are Hanged is the perfect next instalment in the First Law trilogy, and it definitely does not suffer from the infamous second book slump. In fact, I would argue it is better than [b:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009] - every qualm I had with the first book has been resolved in this instalment.
My main qualm was the worldbuilding, which I found to be quite lacking in the first one. However, Before They Are Hanged sees all of our protagonists go on an adventure to some very unfamiliar territories, which just develops the world so much more. The descriptions of each place were so unique, and Abercrombie did an excellent job of building up the atmosphere and culture of each new place his characters ventured to.
Again, the character development was superb for each of our protagonists, but even our side characters had some growth. I love how Abercrombie has such an explicit understanding of every character he writes, and every aspect of every character shines, even when they are not a protagonist. Truly some of the best character work I have ever read.
Spoiler
In this instalment, Glokta was on a very interesting quest which deviated quite a bit from what everyone else was up to. Again, you get to see him do what he does best as an inquisitor as he investigates the mysterious disappearance of the Superior of Dagoska before him. It was nice to see him show some mercy for so many characters and people in Dagoska. I truly believe the whole time he was doing what was right, even if his actions were gruesome at times. His deal with Valint and Balk is interesting indeed, and I am so excited to see how it will come to play out in the next instalment.
West became a fairly important character in this one, and we get to see him continue to struggle with his anger issues. He took so many important actions in this one which made him slightly redeemed, but I don't know how he will fully redeem himself from his actions toward Ardee in [b:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009]. I was stunned, yet relieved when he killed Ladisla - who was somehow made Jezal look selfless. I think he has some more important roles to play, and I am excited to see where his story goes in the next one.
Jezal had the best character growth in this book, and he is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. I loved how he just realised exactly how useless he was on his quest with the others, and when he got injured, he started to take things a lot more seriously, and just became so much more appreciative of everything around him. I am keen to see how he is going to interact with Ardee when he gets home! I am also interested to see what role he was really going to play on this quest with Bayaz - everyone else seemed to have a clear cut role and I can't say he was there for no reason at all, surely.
Logen was also just so much more adorable. I loved seeing him really try to bond and share his culture with everyone on the quest, to foster some trust. Ugh, I just ate it up! I also loved his romance with Ferro, although I am also glad they broke it up at the end. It wouldn't seem fair to Ferro's character, after a lifetime of hardship, to just stop wanting revenge and to just let herself fall for Logen (even though that's all I want for them!!). It will be interesting to see what will happen now that they found the seed, only for it to be 'fake', and what everyone is going to do now. Surely all that travel and effort can't have been for nothing....
Another thing I must absolutely applaud Abercrombie on is how clearly he builds the tension and stakes in battle scenes. For once, I have found my self not being absolutely confused, and everything seems fairly clear cut. Like yes, these people are fucked and I don't know how they're going to get themselves out of this mess. Reading these had me so anxious, and it paid off so well.
The only problem I have with these books so far is that the endings seem so anticlimactic. Reading other people's reviews, it seems like it is meant to be like this, so I am holding out for the final instalment and hoping it pays off!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book is the definition of character work, very little plot but the characters are so good it makes up for it
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, Cannibalism
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
If the previous book was setup, then this book is the journey. A lot of things happen and you can never expect the next page.
Format-Physical book
While I still enjoyed this book, it didn’t keep me as gripped as the first one. Which is funny because there is definitely more going on in this book than the first one. I just really loved all the focus on character development in the first book.
I still adore Glokta. He reminds me a lot of Tyrion from A Song of Ice and Fire but a bit more brutal. I really like Ferro but I feel like there were parts of this book where her character development took a step back. Logen continues to be perfectly fine to me. I want to really love him but that just hasn’t happened yet.
I am excited to read the last book in this series. I feel like it is really going to make or break this trilogy for me. I could see this being a favorite series as long as the third book hits home for me.
While I still enjoyed this book, it didn’t keep me as gripped as the first one. Which is funny because there is definitely more going on in this book than the first one. I just really loved all the focus on character development in the first book.
I still adore Glokta. He reminds me a lot of Tyrion from A Song of Ice and Fire but a bit more brutal. I really like Ferro but I feel like there were parts of this book where her character development took a step back. Logen continues to be perfectly fine to me. I want to really love him but that just hasn’t happened yet.
I am excited to read the last book in this series. I feel like it is really going to make or break this trilogy for me. I could see this being a favorite series as long as the third book hits home for me.
In my opinion this book was so much better than the first one. Really good book.
Overall this was a solid book, characters grew, the world expanded and events happened that shaped the narrative. The setting and characters is probably what kept me going through the book, the book had a lot of tension built into it that needed to be sprung and once that happened you could finally put the book down for the day. Personally like this type of story telling since it keeps you coming back and keeps you hooked long enough without you getting bored or frustrated.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Reading this book felt as if I had the best seats in the house for the prize event. Joe Abercrombie has a certain way with the words.