chilledbeansoup 's review for:

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

4.5

dark 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

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I loved each of the plot lines and how different they were from each other: with Glokta we get to see a bit of warfare, but lots of political intrigue (and torture!). With West and Dogman, we get to see warfare up close and bloody, and then with Logen, Jezal, and Ferro, we get more of an understanding of the world and the wider plot, as well as some fantastic character development. In The Blade Itself, I felt that Jezal was a pompous asshole, but I found myself starting to like him after his “awakening”. 

Not quite a 5 star as I felt the last 2 chapters were a bit “meh” after the masterful battle scene in the North and then the questions raised after Glokta has a visitor, though that’s not to say they were bad, just an anticlimactic few pages after the previous chapters. 

I look forward to finishing the trilogy and seeing where things go from here!

4.5/5