Half the World

Half the World
Joe Abercombie
Del Rey
February 2015
Read for The 2016 YALSA Hub Reading Challenge
Alex Award winner

Thorn, a girl training to be a warrior of Gettland, has to work twice as hard in the training ring for half the respect (sound familiar, ladies?). When she is questionably accused of murder, it takes the minister of Gettland, Brother Yarvi, to rescue her from execution and start her down the road to become one of the greatest fighters in the kingdom. Brand grew up training with Thorn, and in defending her against the murder charge, gets his own warrior dreams dashed. Luckily Yarvi sees potential in him as well and recruits Thorn, Brand, and a band of misfits from different kingdoms to accompany him on a diplomatic mission to gain allies that will help the king and queen of Gettland lead an uprising against the High King and his abusive minister Grandmother Wexen. Thorn and Brand each have their moments to be the hero of the journey, but when they return to Gettland a year later and without as much support as they had hoped for, they find things have changed and war is threatening to bear down on Gettland. They must be ready to fight. Strong female characters and a thrilling duel at the end makes Half the World a compelling read that stays true to its high fantasy roots but includes a much more diverse characters, including people of color and some kick-ass women. Books like this move the genre in the right direction.

Half the World is the second book in the Shattered Sea series. I didn’t read the first book and never felt like I missed any information from the first book, Half a King. The next book, Half a War, is already out and is going on my to-read list.

Read Alikes

Graceling by Kristen Cashore
Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin

Windows and Mirrors

Earlier this year children’s author and illustrator Grace Lin gave a TED Talk about the import role of children’s books in helping a child see both the world and him or herself. In order to do that effectively, we need to offer children books with characters like them, no matter their race, religion, gender, class, or background.

For more resources about diverse children’s books, please visit We Need Diverse Books. You can also look for the “diverse books” tag on my reviews and posts.

The Danger of a Single Story

If you have ever wondered why we need diverse books, not just for children but for everyone, you need to watch this TED Talk by writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about what happens when people receive a single narrative about an ethnicity, religion, country, etc.