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A review by asriram
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
4.0
I started out very unsure of what to think of this book. I had heard from friends that this book is very good, but from other friends that this book was very grim dark, which is a genre I don’t particularly find appealing. However, in the end, the fact that this book has been on my TBR list for a while, and the recommendation from the friend who loves this series was enough to tip me over into reading it. And I have to say, I’m very glad I did.
This book starts off relatively slow, but builds up speed as the novel goes on. The characters are all compelling, even the ones I personally find loathsome, the pacing is good, and the narrative handles the introduction of new characters quite well. The plot is well done, and the worldbuilding is excellent. The only problem I have with it is that if you asked me what the plot of this book was, I couldn’t tell you. This book feels like it’s setting up a lot of plot for future books in the trilogy, but it doesn’t really feel like much happens plot-wise. Instead, we focus a lot on the individual characters, building them up. However, this works really well in this novel, and I’m excited to read the rest of the trilogy.
This book starts off relatively slow, but builds up speed as the novel goes on. The characters are all compelling, even the ones I personally find loathsome, the pacing is good, and the narrative handles the introduction of new characters quite well. The plot is well done, and the worldbuilding is excellent. The only problem I have with it is that if you asked me what the plot of this book was, I couldn’t tell you. This book feels like it’s setting up a lot of plot for future books in the trilogy, but it doesn’t really feel like much happens plot-wise. Instead, we focus a lot on the individual characters, building them up. However, this works really well in this novel, and I’m excited to read the rest of the trilogy.