Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

It has taken me far too long to get around to reading this and I can blame no one but myself. With a rich, diverse cast of characters who twist and change with every scene, this is a masterwork in how to write compelling, engaging high fantasy.
This is my first introduction to Joe Abercrombie, but it won't be the last.
I love his masterful use of language to engender pity and disgust in the same sentence and have you rooting for people you hated only chapters earlier. Several times my jaw dropped open as I was too involved in the writing even to see the fantastic twists coming. Brilliant.

It’s taken me a little while (cute a LONG time) to read now as I really struggled getting into the First Law series in general. Fast forward to now…. I am really enjoying the world!

It’s well written and enough of a back story with the characters so even if you start with this one you won’t feel lost. There is a lot to keep up with though as Abercrombie weaves pieces in throughout the book. It is a vivid dark and gritty tale.

It's always a complete delight to be back in the world of the First Law and with this first book in a new trilogy, Joe Abercrombie has created a new host of characters that are wonderfully vivid, as always. I think that the plot is going in interesting directions thematically, with the introduction of mass industrialisation to the world and the issues that brings. I also really enjoyed the sections focused on the North and am very much looking forward to see where the next book will take us. I loved the new characters too! Rikke and Savine in particular, but they were all fabulous and I can't wait to see what they do next. Overall, a hugely satisfying and fun opener to what promises to be an excellent trilogy.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A Little Hatred follows many conflicts throughout the book, from straight up wars to civil revolts and uses a wide cast of characters to showcase each of them in detail. It’s reminiscent of many of the politcal warring you see in ASOIAF, although this fantasy is more historical fantasy than magical fantasy overall.

The choice of characters that we follow allows you to route for each of them in some way (despite some of them being direct opposing characters). For example, we follow Cloverr and NOT Stour Nightfall, because Clover has aspects of his character that allows you to feel for him. Even characters like Savine, who are immediately dislikable for reasons, have redeemable qualities that make you want to continue reading.

The characters also have very different backgrounds, which helps the world building too. I enjoy that Broad was lower class and contrasts so much with characters like Savine and Orso who are wealthy. There’s a scene where Savine realises just how naive she’s been about what the lower class live like, and how she’s not as strong as she thought which helped her overall character.

On top of the differences between characters, Abercrombie allows situations they face to mirror each other strongly. For example, both Savine and Rikke are high class women who will be expected to marry (although don’t particularly like that they must) and they’re vastly different, but often find themselves in similar situations which they find their way out of in different ways. This is the same for Leo and Orso as a prince/heir as well as Stour who isn’t a POV character have similar mirrors as you continue reading.

The Age of Madness leans heavily on world building that has already been created in previous books, but as we move into the industrial revolution of this world this helps re-build the world for new readers. The world building is shown through the different view points of the characters. We learn of the noble class and the lower class, and how these two worlds inhabit the same space and cities in different ways.

I personally liked the stark differences in cultures shown by our characters meeting. Rikke and Leo are treated very differently by their parents and people, but are hierarchically in the same position. I enjoyed reading these two cultures collide, and whilst this example wasn’t opposing sides, it allowed us to better understand characters and factions in this world.

Rikke’s long eye, which allows her to see the future although this means having seizures, is the closest thing to magic we see in the book. I loved that she was treated as both “this happens” and also “that’s different” by the characters around her, and I’m intrigued to see how this develops in the next few books.

Whilst A Little Hatred is based on a world Abercrombie has wrote about before, you don’t need to have read Abercrombie’s other books to enjoy it. The book also nicely wraps up the conflicts in this book, but leaves certain aspects open for the second book to continue. Overall it’s an exciting new series to get stuck into.

Positives of A Little Hatred
Amazing new characters and development
Great political tension
Negatives of A Little Hatred
Those who love magical fantasy may be disapointed

A new trilogy based on the 'First Law' universe and series. Well written, keeps you reading although it's violent and grim.

Battle axes, swords and an industrial revolution combined in a world created in war. Don't expect a literary highlight but more a brilliant rollercoaster ride which keeps ongoing.
Get it and read it, better: also get the 6 previous books at the same time. You'll do yourself a favor.

6/10

A Joe Abercrombie novel is something I look forward to; at his best his work is unputdownable and some of the best fantasy work I've read, and at his worst it is still an enjoyable romp with some enthralling characters. Unfortunately for me, this outing fell towards one of his worst.

To say that it is his worst is only comparative to his other work, I often recommend the "First Law" series to anyone who asks for book recommendations from me, so the bar has been set pretty high here. I found some of the characters were a little pale in comparison to previous entries and whilst there were enjoyable bits throughout I found it dragged more than other books in this series. At times I was struggling to jump back into the book which is rare from me and this author.

I don't know what it was; there were plenty of interesting things happening along the way and at times it felt like we were dipping our toes into an evil twin Discworld setting with some sharp observations about society. Maybe it was the characters, whereas I can still remember those from the original trilogy, already these are drifting into the ether. I won't let it put me off the next in the series though, I've already got that lined up and I look forward to devouring it as soon as possible. I'll notch this up as a case of the "it isn't you, it's me" and forget it ever happened.

The lord of Grimdark hits the target again with this brilliant, dark book, full of rage and blood it is not for the fsint of heart!

Gritty, dark fantasy with many memorable characters! Joe Abercrombie`s books are always worth the wait!

I’ll preface this review with a warning for the more delicate amongst you. If you choose to read any further please note there will be some swearing. I normally try to keep things PG13, but I’m reviewing a Joe Abercrombie novel and if ever there was an appropriate time for a little mature content this would be it.

The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.

On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal’s son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.

Savine dan Glokta – socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union – plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.

The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another…

Grimdark is defined as a subgenre of speculative fiction with a tone, style, or setting that is particularly dystopian, amoral, or violent. When it comes to novels in this category, I think we all know who’s the daddy. The moment the new Joe Abercrombie novel appeared on my Kindle, I got more than a little excited. Once I had managed to compose myself, I dived straight in. A Little Hatred is the first book in a new trilogy, The Age of Madness. It features a host a new characters, and the welcome return of some old favourites.

You know how you can tell you’re reading a Joe Abercrombie novel? A character shits themselves before you’ve reached the end of the second page. I think it’s fair to say there are no airs or graces in Abercrombie’s writing, and I have to admit I love him a little for it. Don’t get me wrong, traditional fiction will always appeal, but there is something deliciously subversive and raw about stories that are happy to stick a middle finger up to the establishment.

In The Heroes Abercrombie captured the visceral madness of the battlefield. I still consider it one of the best depictions of fantasy warfare I’ve ever read. It’s certainly the most honest. A Little Hatred veers off in a slightly different direction. There are a chapters that perfectly capture the stifling claustrophobia of a city imploding in on itself. The glowing embers of revolution catch light and violence erupts. There is one chapter in particular, at the height of all the chaos, where the viewpoint of events constantly shifts from one character to another it’s truly breath-taking writing.

One of the things I consistently like most about Abercrombie’s characters is that they all exist in the grey area, somewhere between good and bad. They are all capable of heroic events, but they are also all capable of villainy. It’s one of the best things about low fantasy, the questionable morals of the protagonists. No one is entirely good or entirely bad, sound a bit like real life doesn’t it? That shaky moral ground ensures a reader’s allegiances are guaranteed to shift on a regular basis.

Savine dan Glokta has been raised to be as cold and calculating as her father* but traumatic events tend to change a person. Leon dan Brock is impatient to be the hero, but has to contend with his mother’s legacy. Elsewhere, The Dogman is getting on in years and no longer has quite the same appetite he had for leadership. There is a bittersweet regret to almost every sentence he utters. All he cares for now is the wellbeing of his daughter, Rikke.

More so than any of his other novels, there is a sense of the old guard passing on the torch to the new. In his own twisted way, Abercrombie is writing about the nature of family and how each generation gives way to the next. No, I never thought I would write that sentence about a grimdark novel either, but there you go.

Even though I consider myself well prepared for what to expect, I’ve read all the author’s other novels, he still has the ability to shock when necessary. There were a handful of events that blindsided me entirely. Abercrombie also has skill when it comes to dark comedy, the aforementioned shitting being a prime example.

In a nutshell, A Little Hatred is Les Misérables with a lot less singing and many more bastards. The unalterable march of progress is coming to the First Law universe, times they are a changin’ and all evidence suggests those changes may not run smoothly. There will be blood and more than likely some guts. I could not be any happier.

Like Bayaz, First of the Magi, Abercrombie might be getting a little bit older, but the magic is definitely still there. A Little Hatred is published by Gollancz and is available now. The Trouble with Peace and The Beautiful Machine are set to follow. No further evidence required, count me in.

My musical recommendation is the soundtrack to the movie Black Death by Christian Henson. This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I always thought Sean Bean would make a perfect Logen Ninefingers**.

*Yes, Old Sticks is still hanging on in there Abercrombie fans.

** Sadly, no Bloody Nine in A Little Hatred, but I live in hope he is still out there somewhere. What can I say, I’m a fan of his unique brand of mayhem.

A very fitting and long awaited sequel to the First Law world, set in a later period, we have a new set of characters, related to those from the First Law world. All the bloodthirsty and grim action here bodes well for the series. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Reviewed by my co-blogger, Petrik, at Novel Notions.

Grim, dark, fun, and glorious; A Little Hatred is irrefutably worth the wait.

Let me begin by saying that although this is a new series in the First Law World and you can technically start your journey into this world here, it’s quite mandatory to read at least The First Law trilogy in order to fully appreciate the intricacies of this book; even better if you’ve also read Best Served Cold and The Heroes. Reading A Little Hatred without knowledge of the previous books would be a similar experience to reading Pierce Brown’s Iron Gold without reading his previous three books or reading Robin Hobb’s Tawny Man trilogy without reading Farseer trilogy first. Do yourself a favor and make sure you read The First Law trilogy first before you start A Little Hatred, I even binge reread the entire trilogy to make sure that I can start this book with refreshed information. Make some time for it, not only it’s a brilliant trilogy, but you’ll also be doing a huge disservice to the book and most of all your reading experience if you don’t do it. On to the actual review now.

“Nothing like being wanted, is there? Wanted by someone you want. Always seems like magic, that something can feel so good but cost nothing.”


Red Country was first published on October 2012; it’s been seven years since Abercrombie released a novel within his First Law World series. A Little Hatred is the first book in The Age of Madness trilogy by Joe Abercrombie; chronologically this is the eight—seventh if you exclude Sharp Ends anthology—installment in his First Law World series. Honestly, A Little Hatred and Dark Age by Pierce Brown—which I’ll read after I post this review—are two of my most anticipated books of the year; to say that I’m excited about reading these books are a huge understatement. It gladdens me wholeheartedly to say that A Little Hatred successfully exceeded my high expectations, to say the least.

The story in A Little Hatred takes place roughly 30 years after the end of Last Argument of Kings, that’s 15 years after the end of Red Country. Many years have passed and with it, the world has entered a new age: the industrial revolution, it’s a time of innovations, progress, technologies, and commerce. Despite the arrival of a new age, fans of the series have nothing to be scared of, everything that’s familiar and awesome about First Law World was evidently easy to find in this book. Times have changed, but money, politics, power, and bloody war remained as the central driving themes of the story; told in his trademarked gritty, at times humorous, and dark storytelling style, Abercrombie once again tells a compelling story that shows how good or bad are most of the times decided merely by different perspectives and which side you stand on.

“Believe it or not, we all want what’s best. The root o’ the world’s ills is that no one can agree on what it is.”

Abercrombie is pretty well known for his well-realized and memorable characters, there’s no shortage of them in the series so far: Logen Ninefingers, Sand dan Glokta, Jezal dan Luthar, Bayaz, Collem West, Nicomo Cosca, Caul Shivers, Dogman, Black Dow, The Feared, Bremer dan Gorst, and Monza Murcatto to name a few. In A Little Hatred, we follow the perspectives of a new cast of memorable characters. One way or another, almost all of the perspective characters were related to characters that have appeared before in the series. Familiar faces and names do appear quite a lot; there are so much depth and complexity in the background of the characters and world-building that’s impossible to appreciate if you jump into this immediately. For example, even after three decades have passed in the world, the legend of the Bloody-Nine’s glory still triumphed in the North; many warriors admire his deeds and try their best to follow his footsteps. Also, without entering spoiler territory, for those of you who’ve read the first trilogy, you should know by now who the main despicable villain of this series is. He’s back again, and rest assured he brings havoc, treachery, and maximum manipulations with his arrival.

“Now all a man’s worth is how much work can be squeezed from him. We’re husks to be scraped out and tossed away. We’re cogs in the big machine.”

The new cast of characters was fantastic to read. In A Little Hatred, we mostly follow the perspectives of seven characters: Rikke, Leo, Savine, Orso, Vic, Broad, and Clover. Every single POV was imbued with a distinctive voice that captivated me. I honestly have a hard time deciding which new perspective I loved most within this book. Almost halfway through the book, I became addicted to reading every storyline, and I think I have to settle with saying that I love reading every new perspective equally. Each character’s internal struggles, different motivations, and their characterizations were extremely well-written; seeing how their paths connect with one another was truly delightful.

“She had long ago learned that at least half of everything is presentation. Seem a victim, soon become one. Seem in charge, people fall over themselves to obey.”

Superbly written and incredibly vivid battle scenes are one of Abercrombie’s strongest strength as an author, and A Little Hatred doesn’t disappoint. The two big action sequences in A Little Hatred were simply jaw-dropping. Abercrombie used the same storytelling style he implemented previously in one or two chapters in Last Argument of Kings and The Heroes to create a chain of events with a seamless perspective’s transition that portrayed mayhem, destruction, and madness towards every participant in a conflict. The poor tend to pay the biggest price of war, and this was showed magnificently. Say one thing for Abercrombie, say he writes some of the best duel scenes in fantasy. The monstrous rage, the noise of clashing steels, the crushing impacts, and the bloody deathblows delivered; everything about the pulse-pounding duel featured in A Little Hatred reached a super palpable quality that made my reading experience totally engaging and immersive.

“Why folk insisted on singing about great warriors all the time, Rikke couldn’t have said. Why not sing about really good fishermen, or bakers, or roofers, or some other folk who actually left the world a better place, rather than heaping up corpses and setting fire to things? Was that behavior to encourage?”

I can vouch with temerity that Abercrombie has crafted another amazing book; expect great things from him and he shall deliver. Fans of grimdark fantasy and The First Law trilogy will have an utterly terrific time reading this must-read book, I’m sure of it. Abercrombie has created a ground-breaking impact with The First Law trilogy; a lot of modern grimdark fantasy series have been inspired by it. Based on the experience from the reading the first book of this trilogy alone, I don’t think it’s a stretch to claim that The Age of Madness will strengthen that notion. Fueled by furious action sequences, profound passages, compelling narratives, and characters that get under your skin; A Little Hatred is a bloody brilliant and breathtaking book. This absolutely stunning return to Abercrombie’s beloved First Law World once again established himself as the reigning lord of grimdark fantasy. A new age for grimdark is here, and it is called The Age of Madness.

Read it.

While this is a fantastic first book in this new series, I definitely missed some of the complexities woven into this book having not read the previous books set in this world (e.g. The First Law trilogy). Abercrombie is clearly a very talented fantasy writer and he does a great job at creating complex characters. The plot was compelling throughout and the world is well written. I would definitely recommend reading the previous books first though, as I definitely didn't appreciate the complex nature of this book because I didn't.

I haven't read any of the previous books by this author and from other reviews this would appear to matter. Having read this one I was impressed by the writing style and the storyline.

It's been four years since Joe Abercrombie last published a novel, Half a War, the concluding volume of his Shattered Sea trilogy, and other than the short story collection Sharp Ends seven since he last visited the realms of the First Law with Red Country, the conclusion of the Great Leveller trilogy, a world to which he now returns, time that has not been wasted for A Little Hatred goes a very long way.

The decision made by Abercrombie with the support of his publisher that the first draft of Age of Madness trilogy should be written in its entirety before the first volume was revised for publication, ensuring the trilogy should have an unbroken release schedule and a coherent vision and structure, that investment is apparent for while his novels are usually packed with incident and character, even by those standards there is a great deal happening in A Little Hatred.

The first hints of advances in technology and the coming of industrialisation indicated in Red Country having taken hold and changed the country in the fifteen years since those events, those who worked the land and the fields have found themselves turned off their farms and forced to move to the cities to work the new factories, conditions harsh and positions poorly paid.

Were not the grip of the noble classes so strong, the network of informants so insidious, revolution might be on the tongues of the people, but fear of His Majesty's Inquisition led by Arch Lector Sand dan Glotka keeps the sane in line, but some of those who have lost everything are far from sane; two factions have emerged, the Breakers, who wish a new and just order, and the Burners, who simply wish to destroy.

In the north, as ever, the squabbles over territory continue, the forces of the Protectorate led by the Dogman and those of Angland led by Lady Governor Finree dan Brock waiting in vain for the promised support of Jezal the First, High King of the Union while their children, Rikke, cursed with the Long Eye of foresight and "the Young Lion" Leo dan Brock are faced with the immediate challenges of the incursion by Stour Nightfall, "the Great Wolf," son of Scale Ironhand.

Many of the characters established by Abercrombie in his earlier novels, there is now a new generation who have inherited the tempers and bad decisions of their parents but have yet to benefit from what wisdom they may have accumulated in their years, those who were fortunate enough to grow old; there is no map to assist in navigation, Abercrombie disliking such, though the appendix is a useful guide to the numerous characters, pointedly titled "the Big People."

Yet it is the little people upon whom the empire and the novel stands, the story pivoting around the longest chapter so titled as the inevitable uprising occurs on the streets of Valbeck of those whose lands were stolen, the soldiers who returned from war to find they had nothing but scars and angers, the narrative passed urgently from hand to hand as the flame of revolution blazes.

The expectations of the citizens contrasted with their changed circumstances, those who expected it to be better wrong, those who expected it to be terrible finding they underestimated. Few of the characters are good people and none are without flaws but most elicit a degree of sympathy, but regrettably when things are bad they tend to be at their worst, desperate and willing to do anything simply to survive.

Abercrombie painting an honest picture rather than a pretty one, he shuffles his ensemble around the playing field, putting characters in situations with new companions where allegiances and goals may not tally, testing their loyalties: will they stay true and challenge the status quo or see an opportunity to further themselves, even if it means the formerly oppressed become the tyrants they have just deposed?

When swords are drawn, all bleed the same, and for all the political shenanigans there is no shortage of action, A Little Hatred another of Abercrombie's epic tales of blood and mud, battlefields and backstabbing in which "guilt is a luxury reserved for those still breathing" and whatever compromise or betrayal secures a place on the winning side is a sacrifice worth making, the Age of Madness only just started.

Some Abercrombie connoisseurs tell that A Little Hatred is a bit of a rinse-repeat when it comes to plot structure and characters, and thus being an Abercrombie fan to date, they are now sorely disappointed. So let it be said, that I am not an Abercrombie connoisseur. This is the second title I read by this author and I kind of want to say: whatever, Karen! The story is thoroughly entertaining, a. There is no such thing as completely original in the world of make-believe and art and literature and music, b. And c- how could you not enjoy this story, you moany waffle?!? It was literally bloody fun! But whatever, if you choose to be all prickly about it, have at it!

This review is brought to you by someone who has no prior contact with the characters or their ‘forefathers’ introduced in the First Law World, nor the countries and political setup included. A complete newb here!

One thing I must mention straight away… It’s been a while since author’s words stopped me in my tracks just to admire the thought behind them. It’s been exactly 5 or so years since Mark Lawrence managed that. Now, Abercrombie has shined. Don’t get me wrong, there have been absolutely brilliant books in between, but quotables are quotables, you know?!

What can I say about A Little Hatred? Well – simply that the book has everything a fantasy reader could want. Political intrigue, brutal twists, blood, guts and gore, itty-bitty of them sexy times (nothing swoony to make your eyes roll, I promise!), some luuuuv and a whole pile of a little hatred 🙂

Seriously though, as is the way of wars, and there is a war in this book, the fight is about land. The opposing sides have warriors and leaders cut from cloth fiercer and braver and ballsier than one can imagine. It’s a book with balls where even the women have balls. Cojones in galore!

As you could also expect, the plot has more than a single thread keeping the momentum going… As it is, each thread in A Little Hatred comes with a particular set of admirable, at times questionable, characters around it who may or may not mingle at a point in time… ^^…;may’ is more than likely, of course. But what really matters here is that the plot threads are interesting. They are simply interesting- whether it’s the battles in between the Union and the Northmen somewhere in the wilds or the industrial uprising in an up and coming town. There is conniving politics and ambitious (=evil?) masterminds at play that it can only mean one thing: the dialogue, the progress of the story and the impending twists are a freaking treat!

But, do you know what is the most enjoyable scenario in these grimdark, fantasy titles? It’s the way the princes mingle with the peasants, the holy men with the bloodlusty, the clean with the dirty. I always enjoy the element of black being presented as white and vice versa. This is what makes the entertaining, interesting reading… Because it’s, most of the times, realistic. It’s these kind of characteristics that fantasy writers capture well and Abercrombie captures exceptionally well.

All in all, A Little Hatred was exactly the kind of book that got my heart pumping with everything that it holds in between its covers. Need I say more? 🙂

Wow, this novel is exactly what I have been waiting on. It was so wonderful getting back into Adua and the bloody north to see how the world has changed. The mixed feelings of nostalgia mixed with the new characters and technological advancements just hit the spot in what I was wanting.

It has been 30 years since the events of Last Arguments of Kings and the world has changed, it’s in the beginning stages of an industrial revolution that is causing strife between classes as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This leads to a resistance movement that government is trying to squash while dealing with full blown war in the north. All of this is portrayed in the typical Abercrombie fashion grim and bloody.

We also have a handful of new to learn. Rikke born with the long sight, is learning how to use and interpret her gift for seeing the future. Savine Dan Glokta daughter of Sand Dan Glokta the feared Arch Lector of the House of Questions. She is a socialite, and an investor trying to prove that a woman can do more than a man. Leo Dan Brock is the son of a noble and the leader of the forces in the north, trying to stop the war. We also get to see some old favorites come back into the story Caul Shivers, Bayaz, and Jezal just to name a few.

Overall this book is a grim telling of a country marching into the future with new technology while dealing with internal rebellion and war to the north. This tale was worth the wait and I am so excited to see where the story goes from here.

I have not read any other books by Joe Abercrombie and having heard good things wanted to give him a try, to see if I liked the author's writing style. A Little Hatred is a cross between the industrial revolution in Britain, the wealthy, the inquisition and war between the north and south with some magic/future seeing thrown in.

I love the grimdark aspect of the book; blood, some fighting, swearing but the author left me little perplexed with the continual use of the same three words to describe something in quick succession: great meaty gut, great meaty forearms, great meaty neck or wet leaves, wet roots, wet grass. There were many of these repeated types of descriptions using the same three words throughout the book which jarred my reading.

Overall I struggled with the story, it went on for a long time and left me feeling deflated by the end. Plus the female characters were annoying and the male ones rather wet.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

A woman who can see the future, and one who loves money and power. Plus, a prince with a kind heart but weak impulses and a knight full of bravery but very impulsive. In Angland, some characters fight a war against the neighboring kingdom while further in the kingdom, an industrial rebellion sparks fears among the noblemen and women, as well as business owners. A high fantasy full of war, civil unrest, a bit of magic and a lot of laughter and humanity as well.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know all the characters bit by bit, and really feeling who they were - and still being surprised or disappointed when they did certain things or expressed various views on things. The flashing back and forth between the war being played out against the Northmen and the civil unrest among the used and abused factory workers was done really well, and never left me feeling like I wanted more or less on either side. Rikke was a refreshing slice of air next to the rigidness of Savine, and the expectations set against Orso and Leo. Things I'd rooted for throughout the book suddenly flipped in the last couple of chapters and I found myself egging on other characters. There are characters who are fairly evil in this book - in the way those in power feel they need to be, and do what they can to get answers - and there's others who are good but seem to be hidden behind so many other things.

Orso was such a surprise for me. When we first met him, I definitely thought he was either going to be a Joffrey or a bit of a damp squid. He turned out to be, however, an ultimate soft boi that I could crush on and root for all at the same time. He's not someone who will win wars with his swords but by the alarming sense of tact and diplomacy he showed. Whereas Leo ended up, while being the hero, disappointing in many ways - from the weird relationship with his mother to his low-key racism (which was excellently done by Abercrombie. He's someone on paper whose fairly perfect and then he makes a few side comments that make you feel uncomfortable and you need to reread to make sure ).

Savine was disappointing for me too but in a good way - I want her to rise from the ashes she;s found herself in, and I think she will and I'm very intrigued to see what way she could go. She's a character who could be a true heroine or a very terrible villain.

There were subtle hints of magic in this book, as well as premonitions but I think the actual magic will probably happen in future books.

This book ended at such a PERFECT moment too to really make the reader want the next book NOW. I'm so excited for the sequel to come out.

Sabine thinks she has control and gives an image of power and status. She loves a man destined to lead but cannot end well for her. Leo fights to bring peace to his people but can this last?
A novel full of adventure with magic thrown in to predict the future. A good read so enjoy the journey, if not the bloodshed.