I’m taking my role as “influential reader” very seriously! And even though my reading pace has been atrocious this year (a very poor 8 books in 5 months… half of what I read this time last year). That pace will probably continue to deteriorate, with World Cup and then baby on the way!

Oh well… in the meantime, lets publish some very brief book reviews on books read courtesy of Netgalley!

Half a King – Joe Abercrombie

 

Highly enjoyable read. Having read all of Abercrombie’s previous work, and a big fan of his First Law trilogy, went into Half a King with lofty expectations. And the book didn’t really disappoint. And yet… something was missing. I’m aware this was written for a “younger” audience, and Abercrombie should be commended for keeping the gritty, dark style of his previous work into the “new genre”. However, perhaps “young adult” means shorter books, because it feels that at least half of the book was probably cut in the editing room. The story starts with little preamble, the setting and supporting characters doesn’t really get developed. The great world-building of the First Law books is just not there. So, good book… but could’ve been great. 4 out of 5!

The Oversight – Charlie Fletcher

There are many positives about The Oversight: incredibly atmospheric, interesting characters, compelling story… but it unfortunately doesn’t outweigh the fact that this was a very long and slow book where effectively, very little happens beyond setting up the sequel. Believe me, there’s nothing wrong with a trilogy, quadrology, cycle, series, sequence or however else you want to call it… but the one rule remains the same, the first book should stand on its own and be sufficiently engaging for you to consider the sequels. The Oversight sets the right mood, has all the right pieces, but just doesn’t deliver. And it’s a shame, because it feels like a missed opportunity. The sequel could probably be very good, but not sure if I’ll be jumping on board with just so many books to get through on my reading list. Shame indeed… 3 / 5 stars.