Hesitant we may be, but when God opens a door for us, we eventually go through – whether it leads to life or death. But what might that life be like, if we are given half the blessings others were so generously granted? A life of shadows. A life of shame.
Until one day the sun rises to seek us out, to mercilessly chase us out of our safe harbour of false dreams and sets us on a journey to find our purpose, our strengths and most importantly, ourselves.
And with that the swords clattered and rough words rattled, the icy winds swirled and the pages turned, and the journey grew into an epic adventure.
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie is a tale of betrayal, revenge, a bloody song you dance with death on and on, as the world shifts around you, turning love into 
hate and hate into love, with no rules, no choices and no exemptions given when you pay the price. Always you pay the price.
Cheated out of his own destiny, Prince Yarvi must face a perilous path, armed only with his mothers’ wisdom and cunningness, driven by his father’s anger and determination, bound by an oath, chased by enemies in a land where steel speaks and the weak listen.
While, as only to be expected, this was a skilfully written, highly enjoyable book, for me it was the last five chapters that truly turned a good story into a great one. Brilliant ending to the first book of the series, indeed very well played, Mr. Abercrombie.
Photo by Lou Abercrombie
Mitriel Faywood 