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vereadsbooks'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
3.5
The book is too slow and never seems to move forward in the story. It focuses heavily on the characters and their day-to-day adventures. Sometimes, it was tedious to read chapter after chapter that amounted to nothing. However, I found myself hooked and wanting to know more about them.
Joe Abercrombie's greatest strength is his characters. Each one has a distinct voice and perspective that sets them apart. The audiobook emphasizes these distinctions, highlighting the personality of each character.
The book introduces us to Logen, a northern man who falls off a cliff while fighting some half-man, half-animal creatures called Shanka, ultimately becoming separated from his group. Logen's reputation as bloodthirsty in battle precedes him, suggesting a dark past. However, we find a character who wants to leave that identity behind. By chance, he ends up with Bayaz, a bald man claiming to be the first of the Magi, and his apprentice on their journey to the Union.
In the Union, we meet Jezal, a young swordsman training for the Champion’s Tournament. Jezal is vain, selfish, and conceited. He believes himself superior to others because of his birthright. However, his beliefs conflict when he becomes involved with Ardee, someone from a lower caste who challenges him to see beyond his superficial ambitions.
We also have Inquisitor Glokta, a former swordsman captured and tortured during the war with the Gurkish. He's a bitter invalid who tortures anyone who might betray the crown. Glokta is cynical and self-pitying but very intelligent and witty, which makes him an enjoyable character to read.
Finally, we meet Ferro Maljinn, a former slave who hates those who enslaved her. Her thirst for revenge knows no limits, and she'll do anything to quench that thirst. Ferro is a skilled, fierce, and distrustful fighter. During the book, she has to trust in other characters. Her interactions with Logen are interesting, and they both share common traits.
The book introduces these characters, revealing almost nothing of the plot. I'm intrigued by what may come in the next installment.
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sophieamreacher'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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
deyanira's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Classism
Moderate: Sexism and Xenophobia
Minor: Torture
just_readsthings'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
4.75
I appreciate sticking to buildup work in this one, instead of attempting to make it a perfectly balanced book. It’s heavy in many senses but the prose is free from clumsiness and pompousness which both tend to plague the genre.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Minor: Slavery, Trafficking, and War
0rian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Ableism
bluejayreads's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Rape, Slavery, Xenophobia, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
Animal injury, physical abuse (one scene, plus mentions of it happening in the past), unrealitybitter_critter's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
There is a decently thick line between characters that are morally bad or questionable and characters that are just unlikeable. I found Logen and the Dogman kind of interesting but every other character whose POV we can read was boring and flat.
Maybe it's something you would like and could connect to, but this fell flat for me.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, and Blood
alexkendall'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
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Classism
beknoel's review against another edition
Also. I TRULY hate Jezal 🙄🙄🙄
To summarize: Abercrombie is a coward and won't let Glokta f**k.
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Torture
nerdkitten'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: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, War, and Deportation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Colonisation