I was hooked from start to finish

Abercrombie tries his hand at young adult, and yet again delivers a stunner.

Story – 4.5/5

This is not YA as we know it: Abercrombie has put his own spin on it, providing a brutal, gritty revenge story, but making it accessible to a younger audience. He has done this by simplifying the plot and prose, but it still remains very clever. There are no whiney kids, and there is plenty of death, so certainly doesn’t follow the usual clichés.

As usual, Abercrombie’s characterisation is superb. In a very short space of time, we are able to get a very strong, believable impression on all characters. We watch Yarvi slowly develop into a very strong and likeable character, following him through sadness, fear and despair.

The story is quite fast paced, and gets even faster as the story progresses up until the end. There is plenty of gritty action, clever plans and surprise developments (mostly towards the end) to keep us on the edge of our seats. One of my favourite aspects of JA’s writing is his knack for writing an ending beyond the ending, extending the story past what you would expect and opening the world up for further intrigue and potential future stories. He didn’t disappoint with this either.

All in all, a highly recommended read for both YA and adult alike. The only thing stopping it getting a 5/5 is the reduction in sharp whit that I have grown so fond of from JA, and also the lack of originality in plot in places.

Performance – 4/5

Ben Elliot is a very good narrator. He was able to convey the mood of the story very well, and helped to enhance the excitement, fear and sadness very nicely throughout. The pacing of his reading was also spot on.

His voice acting was good. The distinctions in character voices were subtle, but sometimes a little too much. Just a couple of times, I found myself unsure who was talking, but luckily this didn’t happen often, and the simplicity in the prose allowed me to get back on track very quickly.

I very nearly gave Ben Elliot a 4.5/5, but when comparing to other 4.5 narrator reviews I have given, where there were no issues at all, it seemed a bit too high.

Overall 4.5/5

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4 people found this helpful

You may need two hands to fight someone...

Half a King is volume one of the Shattered Sea trilogy.

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. And he must do it all with only one good hand.
The deceived will become the deceiver. 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.
The betrayed will become the betrayer. 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.
Will the usurped become the usurper? But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy.

Often described at Joe Abercrombie's attempt to bring the grim-dark he's famous for to a young adult audience Half a King is ultimately the story of a young man with a disfigured and almost useless hand thrust in to a world he's neither ready nor fit for. Yarvi's disability makes him singularly unfit for the role fate has decreed for him, the warrior king of a savage country. As such he must use such gifts as he has, a formidable mind, to achieve his goals.

I've read Some of Abercrombie's other books, most notably his First Law series, and this story doesn't feel like it's aimed at a younger, less mature, audience it reads like his other works. I liked the story and found it to be engaging and fun, I'd like to say unputdownable but I'm not sure that's a real word. I found the characters to be believable and more than the two dimensional caricatures we sometimes see in YA fiction (side note to authors: kids aren't stupid my dude, they can see right through lazy writing). The settings in the Shattered Sea are breathtakingly described with each country and region having a life of its own. While the plot is pretty standard "dispossessed prince must regain kingdom" fare it's handled in a way that doesn't feel old and the surprise twist worked very well.
As I'm reviewing the Audible edition of this book I should say something about Ben Elliot's narration. I found that his understated, almost quiet storytelling style worked very well for this story and I'm pleased to see he's the narrator of the other books in the trilogy. Elliot does very well in voicing the characters in the book also, each one is distinct and needs no indicators other than his voice acting to tell who's speaking.

All together I would recommend this book to any fan of Abercrombie's or indeed grim-dark fantasy. Additionally I would say this is a great introduction volume to them too.

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A really good yarn!

I first heard a section of this book read by the author at the Edge Lit convention a couple of years ago and made a mental note to buy the book.

The big surprise was that I actually bought the audio book, rather than the paperback. The reason, well, over the past few months I have slowly transitioned from listening to the radio, to audio books on my tablet, while I do the somewhat boring tasks, such as housework.

I found the pace of the story good, and the tone and texture of the performance was an ideal match. While the story is not the "grim-dark" of Joe Abercrombie's other work, it does have its own bleakness, and contains twists a plenty.

Billed as a YA book, I found, as an older listener, it was very much to my taste.

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Enjoyable listen

What did you like most about Half a King?

Fast paced story with honourable and kind main character.

If you’ve listened to books by Joe Abercrombie before, how does this one compare?

This was my first book by this author and I have just purchased a second book in the series. The story was not as original as I was hoping for and I think it fits into young adult category, but very well written and enjoyable. Great writing style. I will definitely look for more of his books.

Have you listened to any of Ben Elliot’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This is my first book read by Ben Elliot and I would label his performance as "top of the shelf".

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The story started with lots of emotions of unfairness, but the main character's will and determination see him through.

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Fantastic

Well written and well read. I'm so happy to have more Joe Abercrombie in my life!

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lovely

I came spoiled from the first law series and Steven Pacey, but this was a great listen too,looking forward to the rest of this series. Joe Abercrombie rocks:)

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a real disappoint

so disappointed after reading the before they hang series. missing the sarcastic wit, not a bad novel though.

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I was surprised at how good it was.

I was recommended this awhile ago and thought that it was going to be only an okay story, but no it was pretty good.

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Good story but a bit rushed

It's a good book but the story is long and detailed for the first half and more fast paced towards the end. It seems a bit rushed.

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Abercrombie does YA very well indeed

Would you listen to Half a King again? Why?

Yes. I always like to return to a good book.

What other book might you compare Half a King to, and why?

Some similarities to Prince of Thorns.

Have you listened to any of Ben Elliot’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I don't think I have heard him perform before but he is very good. I would pick up other books narrated by him.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I really liked the characters and hopefully they will return in another adventure.

Any additional comments?

I have read all of Joe Abercrombie's adult books and I have enjoyed them a lot. However, I was getting a little tired of his particular genre but this book comes highly recommended

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