But the tension is all there, as well as the gritty realism and careful and clever plotting. The violence isn’t as violent and the sex isn’t as…sexy. ‘The Shattered Sea’ novels are written for a young adult audience. I eagerly await the final instalment in this trilogy, ‘Half A War’, due out July of this year. Nothing could have torn the book from my hands from there to the end or most of the way through, for that matter. The climactic scene toward the end, the fight that only she could fight, is one of the most riveting scenes I’ve ever read. I might have smacked her in several instances if she had obliged me my sticking her face out of the book. I cheered her successes and mourned her failures. I laughed out loud at many of her observations. This doesn’t always work in her favour, but it makes her so engaging to the reader. Her anger at everything is palpable, as is her need to prove herself, which drives her to not only pledge herself to Yarvi’s cause, but to learn all he and his companions have to teach. I enjoyed Brand’s show of strength and fortitude and the manner in which he finally came into himself. Being a warrior touched by peace is a lovely twist. While there is a greater story arc, ‘ Half The World’ serves beautifully as the story of Thorn, the story of Thorn and Brand and even as the story of Brand, whose journey may seem less significant but is just as important. This isn’t just another book in another trilogy, however. Several members of Yarvi’s original crew play important parts and we meet a few new solid characters. The theme of thwarted ambitions continues as well, with Thorn and Brand picking up the thread. His story continues here, a few years on, a few years matured. In the first book, ‘ Half a King’, Yarvi vowed to regain a throne he didn’t want, succeeded and then gave it over to the rightful heir (read the book for more on that). ‘Half The World’ is the second book in ‘The Shattered Sea’ trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. The journey will serve as a better forge for the ambitions of both young warriors and a true test of Yarvi’s capabilities as minister. Against them are the edicts of the High King and the machinations of his minister. With the deep-cunning minister, Thorn and Brand will travel half the world in search of allies. As a result, neither Thorn nor Brand may realise their dream of becoming a warrior of Gettland.įather Yarvi has a plan for them. But the memory of his mother encourages him to do good, so he cannot stand by while an unjust sentence is passed. He, too, has trained all his short life to become a warrior of Gettland.

Her sentence: death! Half the World (Shattered Sea, #2) by Joe Abercrombieīrand is touched by Father Peace. A terrible accident mars her last test, however, and she is branded murderer instead of warrior. She has dedicated her life to learning to fight so that she might avenge her father, who duelled the infamous Grom-gil-Gorm, Breaker of Swords, and lost.

The shattered sea trilogy