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kleighblue's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
da3m0nic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Gore, Incest, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, and Vomit
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
embee007's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
War all the time...
Oh, sorry, not a quote from this book or series, although it could be.
& now the children are at it...The children of all the warriors & whiners from the previous books are now playing at war, or politics, & creating their own secrets, & battling with swords & whining/wining, or doing the real work while the fighting happens, & uncovering their parents secrets...
Most of their parents are still alive, most are taking a back seat to the younger generation, & we see how they handle this.
I've heard so much about Savine when people talk about "morally grey female characters done right" & "women written well by men" that my expectations were high for her, & I'm seriously disappointed that no one told me about Rikka - she's the standout character for me so far.
I accidentally skipped Sharp Edges? Ends? But I don't feel like I'm missing any information. I'll get back to it.
“Who comes up with these ridiculous names?” “Writers, I daresay."
"That’s what growing up is, maybe. Realising what a fucking arse you’ve been."
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Murder, and War
halynahalkina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, and Murder
josiah17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'll never stop talking about how good Abercrombie is with dialogue too. It's part of his fantastic character work where he creates distinct voices for each character and keeps the reader thoroughly entertained. And I love how commonly he uses interjections. It offers perfect comedic relief.
It was also nice to see some familiar faces from the first trilogy. And the legacy of iconic characters and the transformation of the world continues to be perfectly interweaved into every consecutive installment in the First Law World. I still get excited at every mention of The Bloody-Nine.
And while I think I like The Blade Itself more than this book, I did appreciate how there was more plot here with the beginning of this trilogy than with the First Law trilogy. I feel like I have more to look forward to than I did going into Before They Are Hanged.
And pleasantly, I was not annoyed by all the romance.
I just can't wait to read book 2.
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Incest, Sexual content, and Blood
maday's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
The book does start off fast, but I felt the ending was a little rushed for where it left our characters.
Overall would recommend to First Law fans.
Moderate: Gore and War
Minor: Sexual content
schmalan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Classism
mikki_9's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug abuse, Gore, Incest, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture and Lesbophobia
racheldelaney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What do I even say about the peerless character and narrative symmetry, the sheer variety of shitbirds to love (and hate), and the abject dread at turning the next page?
It’s my understanding that Abercrombie hasn’t written too many female POV characters but I couldn’t tell in the slightest. In fact, they’re some of the strongest writing here. This filled the ASOIAF shaped hole in my heart but by no means is it a 1:1 comparison. I might just order the second installment instead of waiting on the hold list at the library, because I’ll clearly own this whole series by the time I’m done.
Long live the King.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Xenophobia, and Vomit
angel_kiiss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The women are complex without the requirement of femininity to define their womanhood and have motives beyond what you normally see written by or women in fantasy. Yes, love is nice, but they all have ambitions far beyond finding husbands that drive their characters and shape their arcs.
And the men are allowed to be “prissy” or foolish or cowardice while maintaining a character beyond “the fool,” while also treading the line between cowardice of privilege and the bravery asked of them in fantasy
That being said, I would not recommend this to an inexperienced reader; or, more than likely, as someone’s first Joe Abercrombie book (like myself). Initially, the changing point of view creates almost too much confusion. Characters are introduced with lout introductions, so for the first two or three groups of chapters you kind of play catch up with who each of the protagonists is.
There was a subtle hint that Abercrombie’s previous books were being referenced throughout various dialogue scenes, but that doesn’t mean you have to have read his other work to understand what’s happening here. This story stands alone and does not require you to be knowledgeable about the world Abercrombie has previous created.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Torture, Excrement, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, and Death of parent