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A review by peterkeep
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
5.0
I wasn't surprised by this at all. I went in pretty much guaranteed to love it. Joe Abercrombie? I'm game. At this point, I don't care what genre he's writing in, I'll read it. I loved that this is his big entrance into the YA genre, and it's just dripping with typical Abercrombie cynicism.
If there's a negative to be had, it's that the book is a bit short, but that's fine. Everything was still really solid: the characters got developed, the plot felt sprawling....everything was just tighter I guess.
The whole viking setup is fun, the world mythology is intriguing, but the characters and plotting are the best here. Yarvi's crew of comrades are really great to read about. There's the fun banter, the moral grayness, and depth that give them a real place in a story that starts and finishes this quickly. Even though they're minor characters for the most part, they really shine.
The plot is fun, too. It's not exactly new territory, a prince who was never supposed to be king somehow stumbles onto the throne, and problems ensue. Even the has been written a few times. But Joe Abercrombie is so good at what he does that it doesn't matter. It's fun, it's exciting, there are twists, and it's got everything else you'd expect from him.
Also, if this (and my last book, [b: Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1423913869s/23437156.jpg|42077459]) are any indication of what the young adult genre is evolving into, then I'm in. In turning the writing level a bit down and shortening up the plots to keep it from spiraling into an 800 page tome, neither book compromised on characterization, plotting, or pulled punches with the conflict. People got hurt. People died. There's some real honest-to-goodness violence. It's nice to see that writing in the YA genre doesn't mean you have to water your book down.
If there's a negative to be had, it's that the book is a bit short, but that's fine. Everything was still really solid: the characters got developed, the plot felt sprawling....everything was just tighter I guess.
The whole viking setup is fun, the world mythology is intriguing, but the characters and plotting are the best here. Yarvi's crew of comrades are really great to read about. There's the fun banter, the moral grayness, and depth that give them a real place in a story that starts and finishes this quickly. Even though they're minor characters for the most part, they really shine.
The plot is fun, too. It's not exactly new territory, a prince who was never supposed to be king somehow stumbles onto the throne, and problems ensue. Even the
Spoiler
backstabbing by the friendly uncle, and subsequent revenge storyAlso, if this (and my last book, [b: Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1423913869s/23437156.jpg|42077459]) are any indication of what the young adult genre is evolving into, then I'm in. In turning the writing level a bit down and shortening up the plots to keep it from spiraling into an 800 page tome, neither book compromised on characterization, plotting, or pulled punches with the conflict. People got hurt. People died. There's some real honest-to-goodness violence. It's nice to see that writing in the YA genre doesn't mean you have to water your book down.