A review by thatsmrsnyder
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

With my first Abercrombie being a side story set in this same world (The Blade Itself), and that first experience being a bad one, I'm very pleased that I gave him another chance.  This was a lot of fun, written well, good character work and enough world building to keep you oriented but not all that much more.  That said, upon completion I'm struck with the feeling that this isn't so much a story as it was a necessary prologue, a table-setting for the rest of it.  But he's got his hooks in me now so I'll definitely keep it going.