Karen’s Reviews > Half a War > Status Update

Taken from the chapter titled Power - (Queen Skara talks to Raith)

“You do not have to trust a man to make use of him. My doorkeeper, after all, used to fill cups for Grom-gil-Gorm.”
Raith frowned harder than ever as he fiddled at that notch in his ear. “You might be best not trusting anyone.”

Almost Shakespearean in nature. Teenagers thrust into making adult decisions.

Such strong-woman books.
I am in awe of their creator.

From the chapter Bail’s Blood -

Where reason fails, Mother Kyre once told her, madness may succeed.
“Perhaps you need to see it!” Skara reached down and snatched the dagger from Raith’s belt.

Gutsy little seventeen year old.
Actually not a terrible stretch to say The Shattered Sea series is appropriate for YAs. It’s no more violent that the Mockingjay series.

Taken from the chapter titled Clever Hands -

“She surely can cook a fight from the most peaceful ingredients.”

Brand was my favorite character in the 2nd book of this series, and he’s still speaking words to my Southern soul.

Just a taste of writer magic taken from the chapter titled Never Bloody Enough:
“He could smell the violence coming, far worse than he’d planned on. But there’s violence for you. It rarely keeps to the patch you mark out for it. Wouldn’t be violence if it did.”

Clever writer building clever characters.
I’m besotted❣️

Another amazing start with new characters and plot lines to delight the senses!
Third books tend to weigh down.
I have high hopes that Abercrombie won’t kill the joy I’ve felt reading the previous two books in the Shattered Sea series.