Half a king - Joe Abercrombie

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 itself. And he must do it all with only one good hand.

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.

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.

But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi’s path may end as it began – in twists, and traps and tragedy...

My thoughts:

Wow, this did NOT take long to read. I am always such a cliche! But yes the pages flew by, sheesh, do you not get tired of me saying that? But it's true! I sat down, starting reading, took a break to watch a tv show, and then finished the book. All in one evening, cos it was light, easy and just...flew by.

It's the story of Yarvi, a prince with a crippled hand. So they send him to the church, but shit, his dad and brother are killed, better make him king then. He is not ready, people do not think him ready and then he swears an oath to kill those who killed his family.

And that is when the adventure starts. I will not say anything but he has an adventure. He learns to be a man and stand on his own. He meets some new friends and he gets his revenge.

The book seems to be a part of a series, I see that now. But it's also a stand alone. Yarvi has his adventure, gets his revenge and the end. I liked that. You can just read it like that and be happy for once that there is an ending to something.

As this was his YA book, I do think I should read his adult series, as I have book 1. I can only imagine how bloody that one will be. Abercrombie is not a nice author, he kills characters and is not afraid to be cruel, even in YA. Hey that's life. I like it.

Conclusion:

I'd read more.

cover

ok

Hardcover, First Edition, 373 pages
Published July 3rd 2014 by Harper Voyager
Shattered Sea #1
Fantasy / YA
Library