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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated War of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles #3) in Books

Aug 27, 2021

139 of 250
War of Mist (The Oremere chronicles book 3)
By Helen Scheuerer

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

War is here.

Toxic mist drives all life to the brink of destruction and the conqueror queen, Ines, has her talons in the kings of the realm.

Bleak, having discovered her true heritage, must now scour the lands for the one thing that might save them all.

But the search is a treacherous one - and it will push her to the very limits of endurance.

Amidst secrets, lies and the intricacies of battle, Bleak and her companions learn just how far they'll go for the ones they love. But will it be enough?

As deadly forces grapple for power across the continents, families, friends and allies unite to take one final stand.

This has definitely been one of my favourite reads I’ve the latest 2 years! This series has been an emotional rollercoaster it’s had deaths of loved characters and one mean bitch as the baddie! The group of hero’s and each intricate life story of each has been fantastic! I love the writing style it doesn’t try to be over complicated it’s flows so well! I would recommend to those that enjoy that epic journeys and big battles kinda reads!

Kudos

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Half the World in Books

Nov 14, 2019

Half the World

Joe Abercrombie | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry

8.8

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

Father Yarvi has a problem. He is minister for Gettland but the High King is determined to engineer a war to remove Gettland from the map. Yarvi needs allies but with half the world swearing allegiance to the High King they may be in short supply.

Brand has a problem. He wants to be a warrior and do good. But he finds that doing good does not always go down well with other people.

Thorn is a problem. She wants to be a warrior like her father, but in Gettland women don't fight and despite her abilities with a sword she is seen as an embarrassment. When an accident in training happens it seems like the perfect excuse to get rid of her once and for all.

This is the second book of a young adult trilogy set in the Shattered Sea. Told from the point of view of both Thorn and Brand as they journey across half the world with Father Yarvi in search of allies this is also a journey of discovery for the two of them as they find out who they really are and what they really stand for.

As would be expected from Abercrombie the journey they undertake is fairly brutal involving physical hardship, battles and meetings with dangerous and powerful rulers. The crew of the boat start off as a rough bunch of (mostly) strangers but bonds are forged between them. As usual characterisaton is excellent and the development of both Thorn and Brand in their different ways is very well done. Abercrombie really does have a magic touch in providing characters that do not fit into the usual rough and tough warrior mould. Each has their own story and their own personality. As usual the female characters are easily as strong as the male ones; Abercrombie is an equal opportunity employer of characters.

I was worried that the ending would use the oldest fantasy trope in the book but I needn't have been concerned. The author is an old hand at setting up expectations on standard epic fantasy lines and then suddenly twisting them a different way and he does that a number of times in this novel.

Sterling work, gritty and harsh as always with that wonderful touch of dark humour from the characters and with a story that drives along leaving the reader guessing all the way.

Rating: Lots of fight scenes, a couple of non-explicit sexual scenes and some scatalogical swearing from the the saltier characters but still suitable for a 'young adult' (or indeed adult) reader.