Born with one good hand, Prince Yarvi is the second son of a King and destined for a quiet, religious life. When his father and older brother are unexpectedly killed, Yarvi finds himself heir to the Black Chair
What I liked
✅ One of the best YA books I've ever read — leaves everything good about YA while shunning the typical tropes, pitfalls and shortcuts
✅ Abercrombie's writing is just fantastic, he consistently writes damn good books
✅ Wide, well-developed cast of characters — a likeable, unique (not super powerful) fantasy protagonist and realistically written women
✅ Clever, fast-paced, action-packed and enthralling
✅ For such a short book, it provides a great amount of world-building
What I didn't like
✖ Okay, so I'm not a fan of the continued "half" references
✖ At 80,000 words it is a little rushed — Yarvi rises and falls and rises again a little too quickly — could have easily added another 10,000 words.
✖ At times, lacking depth and the element of surprise
To consider
➖ This is well and truly a YA book written for ages 12 to 16 — if you're expecting something like the Last Argument, you won't like it.
Rating
4.5/5 🌟
Genre: fantasy, YA
Verdict: Recommended