Half the World by Joe Abercrombie

Series: Shattered Sea #2
400 p.
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published: 2/12/15
Source: From NetGalley and publisher for review

Sometimes a girl is touched by Mother War. 

Thorn is such a girl. Desperate to avenge her dead father, she lives to fight. But she has been named a murderer by the very man who trained her to kill. 

Sometimes a woman becomes a warrior. 

She finds herself caught up in the schemes of Father Yarvi, Gettland’s deeply cunning minister. Crossing half the world to find allies against the ruthless High King, she learns harsh lessons of blood and deceit. 

Sometimes a warrior becomes a weapon. 

Beside her on the journey is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill, a failure in his eyes and hers, but with one chance at redemption. 

And weapons are made for one purpose. 

Will Thorn forever be a pawn in the hands of the powerful, or can she carve her own path?

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed the first book, Half a King, and so I couldn't wait to read this book. We follow a different set of characters because our last set has grown and now are teaching the newcomers. This is Thorn's book. A heroine who wants to become a warrior in a world where women are allowed technically but not encouraged to do so. The story isn't just about learning to fight but what to fight for as well.

While I loved Thorn and enjoyed following her from being mercilessly teased to a place of honor and respect, I have to say my favorite character was Brand. In some ways I felt that his courage in standing for what he believes and who he is as a person was far superior to those that faced a deadly enemy head on. I also found his journey to be the harder one because his rewards for staying true were private and not stuff of songs. He was a true hero in his own right without fanfare.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. I really enjoyed coming back to this world and can't wait for the next book in this series. I highly recommend this series to those that enjoy a good fantasy.