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sazzyrazzy's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
breannetaylor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.25
topdragon's review against another edition
5.0
“Folk aren’t just cowards or heroes. They’re both and neither, depending on how things stand. Depending on who stands with them, who stands against. Depending on the life they’ve had. The death they see waiting.”
In this final volume of the Shattered Sea trilogy, Joe Abercrombie once again shows us why he is included among the very top tier of today’s writers of fantasy fiction. He abandons most of the usual fantasy tropes and tells a much more realistic and gritty story. The good guys and the bad guys are not so easily identified. Sometimes, just when you think you understand where the point-of-view character in any particular chapter is headed, when you think you’ve read this script before, Abercrombie’s characters surprise you.
This is the climax of the trilogy of course and as the title implies, the coming war is finally here. The events of the first two volumes culminate here and the numerous characters are faced with their individual destinies. Just as in the last volume, [b:Half the World|22055283|Half the World (Shattered Sea, #2)|Joe Abercrombie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402314017s/22055283.jpg|40431126], Abercrombie keeps the overall story fresh by switching to two major point-of-view characters for this tale. This time it is Princess Skara and the warrior Raith who provide the main perspective for us. The war itself is large but the focus is on the individual characters and their roles, whether in the shield wall or in planning the battle response. There are a fair number of romantic pursuits among the characters and, just as in life, not all end with a happily-ever-after result. It’s an emotional novel, more so than the first two I would say. In fact this one reminded me much more of Abercrombie’s earlier novels.
Many of the story lines come to a point of completion but not all and it seems likely that Abercrombie may have some plans for the future that might still involve these characters. If so, I will be ready and waiting.
Highly recommended.
In this final volume of the Shattered Sea trilogy, Joe Abercrombie once again shows us why he is included among the very top tier of today’s writers of fantasy fiction. He abandons most of the usual fantasy tropes and tells a much more realistic and gritty story. The good guys and the bad guys are not so easily identified. Sometimes, just when you think you understand where the point-of-view character in any particular chapter is headed, when you think you’ve read this script before, Abercrombie’s characters surprise you.
This is the climax of the trilogy of course and as the title implies, the coming war is finally here. The events of the first two volumes culminate here and the numerous characters are faced with their individual destinies. Just as in the last volume, [b:Half the World|22055283|Half the World (Shattered Sea, #2)|Joe Abercrombie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402314017s/22055283.jpg|40431126], Abercrombie keeps the overall story fresh by switching to two major point-of-view characters for this tale. This time it is Princess Skara and the warrior Raith who provide the main perspective for us. The war itself is large but the focus is on the individual characters and their roles, whether in the shield wall or in planning the battle response. There are a fair number of romantic pursuits among the characters and, just as in life, not all end with a happily-ever-after result. It’s an emotional novel, more so than the first two I would say. In fact this one reminded me much more of Abercrombie’s earlier novels.
Many of the story lines come to a point of completion but not all and it seems likely that Abercrombie may have some plans for the future that might still involve these characters. If so, I will be ready and waiting.
Highly recommended.
debchan's review against another edition
4.0
people don't write YA like this anymore
amazing conclusion to a series i didn't think i'd be interested in. but ofc while there were a lot of YA aspects it had its own abercrombie-ness to it that made it so interesting.
fast forward a couple years and there is war approaching. princess skara, raif, and koll (from the last book) are our POVs. i love this world; i wish this series were a bit longer if only to expand on the worldbuilding: like the elves vs god, the mothers/grandmother, the different kings and princes and lands. i'm so fascinated. ok i don't want to be one of those snobby reviewers who are like "i saw the plot twist coming from a mile away i'm so smart" like ew no. mostly when i read a book i'm not thinking i'm just shocked when reveals happen bc i'm not trying to guess what happens before it does. i think the only reason i had an inkling of what might happen was bc i'd read so many of abercrombie books before and especially in this series, it's supposed to be known the prowess and the type of character a certain person is. i like to think abercrombie wanted us to know about the "plot twist" before it happened the way he set it up.
skara: she's lost everything and so begins her own revenge journey to take back what's hers. the thing about skara is that she was taught to think about the other half of a war: the brain part. and she is so good at it, subtly nudging pieces into position and manipulating people into doing what she needs to be done. i loved that one moment she shared with thorn. it's normal to be sad, it's ok to cry. and that thorn was there to reassure her it wasn't weakness at all was such a nice moment. add on to her interactions with laithlin? chef's kiss. abercrombie really writes women so well especially their friendship.
raith: a man who doesn't know how to stop fighting? peak abercrombie man. bc as much he is a fighter, he's also not just a rock. he's fierce and angry but he's also a person and he's torn between doing the right thing and doing what he's been commanded to. his entire world was his country but now things are fraying and his brief time with skara has literally changed his perspective on life. i'm actually gladabercrombie didn't make them a romance. like for once yes let's do our duty: skara has to marry someone in a high position and not have this random kid. can we get more books of royalty ditching their peasant lovers to do their duty pls?
koll: if thorn was our lens to yarvi in book 2, koll was our view in this once. he's an apprentice to yarvi and like raith is torn between two things. should he have a family and marry and be content or should he become a minister and make his vows and do his duty to his country? he's not the puny weakling he used to be and he's quite tricky. i loved his little tricks like stealing stuff, swapping stuff, and knowing when to say the right things at the right moment. he's such a sneaky guy and i liked that.ik i just said i love it when people choose duty>love but in this specific case i didn't mind koll's choice. the war is over, he will always have doubts. yarvi was using him by bringing up the fact koll owed him and koll wanted to do his duty and he did by saving his country. now he can settle down and be a happy family with rin. see how abercrombie can make things i usually hate and make me like them. lol.
father yarvi: ok ik i've compared him to black calder but actually nvm he's literally bayaz. he still holds his vow from book 1. in book 2 we got to see his cunning and what he's willing to do to have his revenge. here we see the same and maybe it goes further too. bc he also wants to do things for the greater good. probably he'd sacrifice 1000 people to save 1001 people, considering that one extra person the greater good. will it blow up in his face? who knows? but he's so young and he went through so much and try as he might to be firm and control everything, maybe he can't puppeteer every single event esp with so many other incredible schemers around him.
a spoiler,about father yarvi, or just yarvi. (or grandfather yarvi!). the moment it was said there was a traitor i was like "i bet it's father yarvi." and everytime something horrible happened i was like surely it's him too. bc we know he orchestrated that poisoner scene in book 2. so it follows that i'm assuming everything else is him. murdering his friend's family, destroying his country leading to brand's death, etc? it's kinda expected of him. but it's also like he was holding onto his revenge armor and once it was fulfilled the horror of what he did came crashing down on him in front of skara when she confronts him. the petty part of me that's on yarvi's side no matter what he does is like "oh she didn't figure anything out she was told and given those secrets" but then i have to take my biased lenses off. yeah she was handed it, but she used those tools deftly and you have to admire that even if she is using them to threaten my fave.
it's the kind of series i look back at book 1 and think that it deserves a 4 star rating instead of the 3 that i gave it. however, i'm keeping it like that bc that was my initial reaction. i love how we were introduced to a new arc each book. usually, i hate the introduction of new characters or time jumps i wasn't expecting. but ofc abercrombie's characters are stunning, stellar, and so complex i love being in their heads. i had no idea where he was going end of book 1, but the payoff was definitely worth it. i wish this was the standard for all YA books. like enough with the tropes and tiktok scenarios, give me complex characters and plot with twists and turns and real meaning. but yeah i'd literally do anything for yarvi idc what he does i'm on his side!
amazing conclusion to a series i didn't think i'd be interested in. but ofc while there were a lot of YA aspects it had its own abercrombie-ness to it that made it so interesting.
fast forward a couple years and there is war approaching. princess skara, raif, and koll (from the last book) are our POVs. i love this world; i wish this series were a bit longer if only to expand on the worldbuilding: like the elves vs god, the mothers/grandmother, the different kings and princes and lands. i'm so fascinated. ok i don't want to be one of those snobby reviewers who are like "i saw the plot twist coming from a mile away i'm so smart" like ew no. mostly when i read a book i'm not thinking i'm just shocked when reveals happen bc i'm not trying to guess what happens before it does. i think the only reason i had an inkling of what might happen was bc i'd read so many of abercrombie books before and especially in this series, it's supposed to be known the prowess and the type of character a certain person is. i like to think abercrombie wanted us to know about the "plot twist" before it happened the way he set it up.
skara: she's lost everything and so begins her own revenge journey to take back what's hers. the thing about skara is that she was taught to think about the other half of a war: the brain part. and she is so good at it, subtly nudging pieces into position and manipulating people into doing what she needs to be done. i loved that one moment she shared with thorn. it's normal to be sad, it's ok to cry. and that thorn was there to reassure her it wasn't weakness at all was such a nice moment. add on to her interactions with laithlin? chef's kiss. abercrombie really writes women so well especially their friendship.
raith: a man who doesn't know how to stop fighting? peak abercrombie man. bc as much he is a fighter, he's also not just a rock. he's fierce and angry but he's also a person and he's torn between doing the right thing and doing what he's been commanded to. his entire world was his country but now things are fraying and his brief time with skara has literally changed his perspective on life. i'm actually glad
koll: if thorn was our lens to yarvi in book 2, koll was our view in this once. he's an apprentice to yarvi and like raith is torn between two things. should he have a family and marry and be content or should he become a minister and make his vows and do his duty to his country? he's not the puny weakling he used to be and he's quite tricky. i loved his little tricks like stealing stuff, swapping stuff, and knowing when to say the right things at the right moment. he's such a sneaky guy and i liked that.
father yarvi: ok ik i've compared him to black calder but actually nvm he's literally bayaz. he still holds his vow from book 1. in book 2 we got to see his cunning and what he's willing to do to have his revenge. here we see the same and maybe it goes further too. bc he also wants to do things for the greater good. probably he'd sacrifice 1000 people to save 1001 people, considering that one extra person the greater good. will it blow up in his face? who knows? but he's so young and he went through so much and try as he might to be firm and control everything, maybe he can't puppeteer every single event esp with so many other incredible schemers around him.
a spoiler,
it's the kind of series i look back at book 1 and think that it deserves a 4 star rating instead of the 3 that i gave it. however, i'm keeping it like that bc that was my initial reaction. i love how we were introduced to a new arc each book. usually, i hate the introduction of new characters or time jumps i wasn't expecting. but ofc abercrombie's characters are stunning, stellar, and so complex i love being in their heads. i had no idea where he was going end of book 1, but the payoff was definitely worth it. i wish this was the standard for all YA books. like enough with the tropes and tiktok scenarios, give me complex characters and plot with twists and turns and real meaning. but yeah i'd literally do anything for yarvi idc what he does i'm on his side!
toastmonkey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
charllllotte's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
An ending wrapped up the trilogy quite nicely.
Didn't feel it was as bleak as the reviews said...which perhaps spoke well how little any of the main characters had gotten me invested in their stories.
Still, nice battle scene and interesting hints at the elf ruins.
Also found it quite funny
An ending wrapped up the trilogy quite nicely.
Didn't feel it was as bleak as the reviews said...which perhaps spoke well how little any of the main characters had gotten me invested in their stories.
Still, nice battle scene and interesting hints at the elf ruins.
Also found it quite funny
Spoiler
how everytime Yarvi got turned down, EVERY SINGLE TIME he asked someone to stay with him...adela_ct's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- 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
3.5
eusteph's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Joe Abercrombie, you have got a lot of nerve ending a trilogy the way you ended this one.
Eight years ago, almost to the day, I read the first book in this trilogy and fell in love with adult fantasy. Up until then I hadn't really explored high fantasy/adult fantasy, much less from male authors.
This trilogy was incredible, there's almost as much backstabbing here as there is in the First Law trilogy but perhaps the characters in this trilogy fared better than the ones there.
Yarvi's evolution from underdog to master manipulator was outstanding.
Can't wait to read the rest of Joe's books.
Eight years ago, almost to the day, I read the first book in this trilogy and fell in love with adult fantasy. Up until then I hadn't really explored high fantasy/adult fantasy, much less from male authors.
This trilogy was incredible, there's almost as much backstabbing here as there is in the First Law trilogy but perhaps the characters in this trilogy fared better than the ones there.
Yarvi's evolution from underdog to master manipulator was outstanding.
Can't wait to read the rest of Joe's books.
martinchap96's review against another edition
4.0
Great end to the trilogy. I didn't like the reveal with the elves, but the author did a good job of it.