The deceived will become the deceiver.
The betrayed will become the betrayer.
Will the usurped become the usurper?
JOE ABERCROMBIE is a very popular author. His THE BLADE ITSELF (The First Law, #1) has earned a 4.1 Star rating from 44,566 GoodReaders. And HALF A KING is his first foray into the Young Adult Market, and it's definitely full of betrayal, murder and mayhem!
BACKSTORY
HALF
A KING has a fantasy medieval setting. There are grand castles, small magics, and long gone elves,
along with all too real brutal warlords and overlords.
Young prince Yavri is the 'spare heir' of the kingdom so as this tale begins he is being readied for the kingdom's equivalent of the priesthood. Which really means he is destined to be a Minister. Someone who stands beside the King and advises them.
Young prince Yavri is the 'spare heir' of the kingdom so as this tale begins he is being readied for the kingdom's equivalent of the priesthood. Which really means he is destined to be a Minister. Someone who stands beside the King and advises them.
And
Yarvi is about to take 'The Test' for said position when his father and
only brother are brutally murdered. Events froth and roar out of
control from there, and far from getting to sit on the throne, the Yarvi
finds himself a slave rowing on the ship of pirate queen.
Yarvi as a prince and slave and person in general is defined by his handicap, which happens to be that he was born with a hand that is missing some fingers. As you would expect in a medieval society this makes him the butt of jokes, but there is nothing wrong with his mind. Unfortunately he has half a spirit as well, which is something he'll have to overcome if he wants to revenge his father's and brother's deaths and regain the throne.
Yarvi as a prince and slave and person in general is defined by his handicap, which happens to be that he was born with a hand that is missing some fingers. As you would expect in a medieval society this makes him the butt of jokes, but there is nothing wrong with his mind. Unfortunately he has half a spirit as well, which is something he'll have to overcome if he wants to revenge his father's and brother's deaths and regain the throne.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE GOOD AND BAD
There are going to be adults and young-adults and middle-graders who love this book. It's filled with betrayal and sword work. It has unrelenting action, and a young man who slowly accrues a team of castoffs.
BUT... HALF A KING is the equivalent of a B-movie. It's fun but it's not top notch stuff. For one, prince Yarvi is a Maury Sue.
Oh my goodness, all the advantages of being a royal and he lets one
little handicap define his life. So he's got half a hand. Big deal. Get
over it. You were born into power, learn to use it. (I blame his
parents. They did a poor job of raising him. He was such a whiner.)
The
other problem some readers might have is the writing and plotting. I
haven't read Mr. Abercrombie's other books --though I plan to rectify
that this summer-- but this YA novel is thinly done. No one is really
well described and there is nothing here that you wouldn't find in most
middle-grade adventures.
Which means... traditional plotting is going to entertain those in the mood for this quick, fluffy (or should that be blood-thirsty!) read. The ending has a nice twist. Guy-friendly read.
Which means... traditional plotting is going to entertain those in the mood for this quick, fluffy (or should that be blood-thirsty!) read. The ending has a nice twist. Guy-friendly read.
Pam~
HALF A KING
(Shattered Sea #1)
by Joe Abercrombie
Reading Information:
Page Count: 352
no reading information currently available
--yummy sample chapters
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