Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

15 reviews

chogangoof's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was everything I could ask for. The first book was great but I realize now that it's really just the first act and this is where the series comes into its own. The action, the political intrigue, the plot twists; it's all amazing.

I'm still impressed by how I enjoy reading every pov, every character is amazing. My least favorite pov from last book was one of the best in this book. It's VERY rare to have a fantasy book where you look forward to every single pov but this book does it. This series MIGHT go down as having the most well rounded cast of characters that I've read in fantasy.

I do have issues with it tho. One storyline, set around the siege of a city, felt like it ended a little too early, I understand that it's still kind of going on but it feels like we left too soon. One relationship is weird to me, it seems out of character for one of those involved; it feels forced to me but I have to see how it turns out to truly judge

My complaints are slight and don't get in the way of what is an absolutely incredible book. I would rate it 4.5/5 but that will probably go up after I finish the trilogy. Mr Abercrombie more than delivered. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

atalea's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sophieamreacher's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Definitely a middle book, really enjoyed reading but did find myself wanting to speed things up. As always with Abercrombie, the little twists and the way little details come back in the plot make it a brilliant read. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

chrisb913's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I loved almost everything about this book. We continue on our journey following all our multiple pov's including (my favorites) Glokta, Logen, and The Named Men. Abercrombie continues to provide such a gritty dark world yet somehow incorporates so much humor into his writing. I was chuckling throughout this entire book. There is a bit more of a plot in this book than there was in book 1, so you are finally (kind of) understanding what the whole overarching plot for the series is but imo this continues to be a more character driven storyline.

Honestly the only thing holding this back from being a 5 star series is the absolute lack of depth to the women. Ferro is better in this book but is still really being played up as the angry woman trope. The other two women (1 introduced and the 2nd was recrurring) were again used only for plot points and did not really have much depth or personality outside of being love interest for men. I have heard that Abercrombie's women start getting better in the first standalone Best Served Cold, so we will see.

Overall, I am enjoying this series and I am excited for book 3!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wyabook234's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

downtowndaly's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

da3m0nic's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nerdkitten's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

singalana's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Before they are hanged is deliciously dark fantasy with gritty characters. The book picks up pretty much where The blade itself ended, and follows mainly three plotlines: the fate of Dagoska, the journey to the Edge of the World and the war between the Union and the Northmen.

The cast of characters is vast, but the characters are interesting and feel real with all their faults. Reading these books, it definitely feels as though the characters are influencing the plot as much as the plot is influencing them. The story arc is complex, and you can’t just pick up a book in the middle of the series and hope to understand what is happening. This book ends up the same as The Blade Itself: the story is by no means finished. Therefore if you like books in a series to have clear endings, then you are not going to like this.

I liked this book very much, and the narrator in the audiobook was excellent. My only complaints are that this book could have been trimmed a bit, it felt like it was going on for ever (even though it avoided being boring). And the second complaint was that the sex scenes were a little bit awkward to listen to in the audiobook. Other than that, I enjoyed this very much and I can’t wait to see what happens in the final book of the trilogy. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

gus717's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings