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wombatrose 's review for:
Before They Are Hanged
by Joe Abercrombie
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!