Before they are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie has the most hated woman in the South, the most feared man in the North, and the most selfish boy in the Union try to mankind from the Eaters with the help of Bayaz, the First of the Magi.
What I like ✅ well-rounded villains and deeply flawed heroes; seriously, if I mentioned all the characters I liked by name, I'd just be naming every one ✅ clever, magnificent writing with witty dialogue ✅ Abercrombie subverts the reader's expectations at every turn; characters failing where, according to typical genre-tropes, they would normally succeed ✅ when things are bad, they're only going to get much worse ✅ introduces better female characters and develops existing female characters
What I didn't like ✖ the three plot threads (Glotka, Colonel West and Bayaz's party) run disconnected from each other ✖ the characters in Bayaz's party needed more to differentiate from each other personality-wise Rating 4.5/5🌟 Verdict: RECOMMENDED ✅ Genre: fantasy QOTD: minimalist book covers or detailed covers?