Reviews

I loved this book. It's a high 4 and one of the books where the only reason I don't rate it a 5 is it's not exactly my type of fantasy. I would something with a bit more "fantastical" elements. Stuff like this is almost a different genre.

What's to complain about? The characters were multi-dimensional and all pretty interesting. There's definitely character development, too. Just those two things are far and beyond what most fantasy books succeed in.

Setting and plot are secondary. I may go further and say I wonder if the plot could have used a little more focus. This was more a story of individual characters than a "story." The big event that the book centered around for the second half was...a big event, but it wasn't really part of any larger story. This book is more like a series of not-very-related events that the characters find themselves in, how they deal with them, and whether they're changed by them (or not.)

projectmemo's review against another edition

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5.0

It's almost comical that I start every First Law World book review by praising Abercrombie; but what can I say, the man is goddamn genius. He is so good that I'm honestly scared he is secretly of the Order of the Magi.
A Little Hatred is by far the best start to a trilogy I've ever read. Every single POV character is so freaking complex - even the secondary characters - that I could spend paragraphs upon paragraphs talking about them.
The foundation that Abercrombie has laid out in this book is almost enough for me to guarantee that by the end, the Age of Madness will become one of the best trilogies I've ever read.

esharris96's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

olj's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

thero159's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

megabyte117's review against another edition

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5.0

A phenomenal start to a new trilogy, unlike his first trilogy in the First Law world, this one starts fast and never lets up. The depiction of the industrialization of this society was thrilling and makes the world feel far from static - a common flaw in long-running fantasy series. The main characters here are even more compelling than in the first trilogy, and Abercrombie is clearly at his best with writing his female characters (the clear turning point was in Best Served Cold however).

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