REVIEW: Half the World by Joe Abercrombie
Publishing information: Kindle
Publisher: Harper Voyager; 3 February 2015
ISBN: 9780007550234
ASIN: B00KAFX8XG
Series: The Shattered Sea #2
Copy: Provided by publisher
Reviewer: Tyson
Amazon
Synopsis: "Sometimes a girl is touched by Mother War.
Thorn is such a girl. Desperate to avenge her dead father, she lives to fight. But she has been named a murderer by the very man who trained her to kill.
Sometimes a woman becomes a warrior.
She finds herself caught up in the schemes of Father Yarvi, Gettland’s deeply cunning minister. Crossing half the world to find allies against the ruthless High King, she learns harsh lessons of blood and deceit.
Sometimes a warrior becomes a weapon.
Beside her on the journey is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill, a failure in his eyes and hers, but with one chance at redemption.
And weapons are made for one purpose.
Will Thorn forever be a pawn in the hands of the powerful, or can she carve her own path?"
It is a rare treat when a sequel surpasses the first book in a series but Half the World does it. When I reviewed the first book in The Shattered Sea series, Half a King (review here), I was impressed. A disabled young prince whose throne was taken from him and he vows revenge on those who wronged him. When I received the second book I expected it to continue the adventures of Yarvi as the main character, instead we get two new characters Thorn and Brand. Two welcome additions.
Thorn is her father's daughter. Her father was a decorated warrior who fell in battle and she believes that it is her destiny to take up the sword and seek her revenge. As she earns the right to finally take her place among the warriors and become one of the first female to fight side by side with the men in
Brand is another young trainee hoping to earn a spot as a warrior and when Thorn is brought up on charges, he sticks his neck out and informs Yarvi, the king's advisor, of the truth, leads both of them on a journey of a lifetime that will impact the kingdoms.
The fact that Abercrombie switched things up on readers for the second book only makes this book, and the series stronger. While Yarvi is still the focus of the story arc, the adventures contained in Half the World are all from the prospective of Thorn and Brand and it doesn't hurt that they are both amazing characters. Yarvi is still present during all of the exploits as he steers the ship but he ends up taking a backseat on the adventure and Abercrombie brings his two new stars to the forefront.
As Thorn is forged into a deadly weapon, Brand learns about himself and what it takes to become a man and a warrior. The political intrigue is also turned up a notch as the pieces are moved about the board and alliances are casted and armies readied. It looks like Abercrombie has himself another winner as I can't wait to see what he comes up with for book number three as he has built up quite a lot of anticipation and intensity for the next book, Half a War. A book I eagerly await.
Overall 9.5/10
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