Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

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Ah, darkness. Lord Grimdark returns with the conclusion of his YA trilogy. As to what Young Adults this might be suitable for, I don't know. I guess Mr. Abercrombie got tired of holding in the reins on his storytelling for this volume of the trilogy, because this one is still pretty brutal. Granted, not as brutal as the Heroes or the First Law trilogy, but still.

In this one, we are going to have a war. Princess Skara is elevated to Queen when her family is wiped out and she goes on the run. She convinces two of the other warring factions to help her regain her kingdom. Plenty of room in there for the eventual betrayal and treachery. The heroes aren't all that heroic. And the villains, well, they are still pretty villainous. No one comes away cleanly.

I'm hoping some day Joe can find another tone, because the betrayals are becoming pretty predictable. The whole story was a standard siege tale that I've read in plenty of fantasy novels. It's the characterizations that set them apart. I also felt the elves origin story pretty hackneyed.

But those are just small quibbles. I was engaged. I enjoyed myself. Now, I just have to go search for my faith in my fellow man.