Book Review: Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Goodreads Synopsis: 
“I swore an oath to avenge the death of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath.”

Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand.

The deceived will become the deceiver.
 
Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.

The betrayed will become the betrayer.
 
Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.

Will the usurped become the usurper?
 
But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy

Review:

I received this as an eARC from NetGalley

This tale was weaved in a way that I am not used to, but found myself enjoying immensely. The tale of Yarvi is one that I have never experienced before and although I was disturbed by some of the things he had to go through, what he becomes at the end of the book is so worth it. You see him go from aspiring minister to a crippled king to a slave, each role bringing experience and knowledge that form him into the man he becomes. He is flawed extraordinarily, but his flaws are what make him seem so real.

I think the aspect of this book that I loved the most is that the antagonist of this story is not in inherently evil, they do evil things and ruin so much, yet that is not all they are. And I wish that happened more often in literature.

All of the characters in fact were incredibly well-rounded and three-dimensional, and it was beautiful. I never knew which character I could trust, since it seemed like anyone could stab anyone in the back.

The world itself was well built (and incredibly expansive) but there were a few things that I want to be expanded upon in the next books.

All in all I was very impressed with this book and would love to read more of this authors books.

4/5 stars!