Author: Joe Abercrombie
Series: Shattered Sea #1
Age: Young Adult
Genres: High Fantasy
Publication Date: July 15, 2014
Publisher: Del Rey
Source: eBooks
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Play Store | iBooks
Synopsis:
“I swore an oath to avenge the death of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath.”
Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand.
The deceived will become the deceiver.
Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.
The betrayed will become the betrayer.
Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.
Will the usurped become the usurper?
But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy.
My Rating:
My Thoughts:
Wow this was pretty awesome. Not much magic in this at all like I expected, but this was awesome. I gave this a 4.5 stars. From start to finish this kept me hooked onto every page and person. This was my first Joe Abercrombie read and I must definitely continue reading more of his work.
Yarvi is a young Prince who was set on becoming a minister. He was born with half a hand and always considered himself half a man never worthy of love, the throne or anything. In between his time to become a minister he learns that his father and brother are killed by another King from another land. He is now King and he swears an oath to avenge his father's and brother's death. After he makes that oath he is thrown into such a crazy whirlwind of betrayal and drama.
Yarvi was an awesome character. He did irritate me with his constant self doubt and self hate comments. I wish he was much more confident in himself despite being crippled. I will say he was a man of his word. He made an oath and he stuck by it even when he was betrayed by his family and friends. Yarvi might not be a solider, but he is definitely smart and witty. He used his mind to help him get free and get home to his mother. He used his mind to understand the truth about the kings and betrayal.
The Queen was amazing. At first I thought she hated her son like his father did, but the love she showed at the end was amazing. I guess she separated mother from queen. A mother's love is strong as ever. Uthil was a got darn shock for me. I honestly did not see that coming at all. It was crazy finding out who he was and pretended to be. Just amazing!
Odem is just a disgusting man. Not only did he betray his nephew Prince Yarvis, but what he did to his brothers and other nephew is just unforgivable. I can't understand why he was driven by power so much. I'm glad he got what he deserved at the end. Mother Gundring was so loving and sweet. I never thought she would have been apart of the whole "putting Odem on the the throne" scheme. That broke my heart at the end. I feel so bad for Yarvi because he really has no one at his side that truly loves him and doesn't judge him.
I am excited to read the sequel even though it's not really about Yarvi. I'm excited to see how the Shattered Sea trilogy unfolds. I'm looking forward to more betrayal, truths and lies. Definitely recommend this book.
Have you read this book?