Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Springtime in Styria. And that means war. There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king. War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die. Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started... Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.

Revenge tale in The First Law world? Say no more

The intro is just great, it’s really fascinating how Abercrombie can create a setup for a story in just 20 pages—I mean the whole setup for the 660 pages book is done in just 20 pages—and provide so many details about characters and places. And between main book parts we learn a bit about Monza's past and why she's so determined to reach the end of her revenge quest. South cities and culture feel new and fresh as a change from Union and the North after the first trilogy (and a part of the second). And the author once again creates a city under siege but in a bit different circumstances and for a shorter episode.

Nice band of characters with distinct points of view, high and low moments, laughs and quarrels. I really like Friendly with his OCD for whatever reason, maybe because he feels like a unique character. Also it’s interesting to see some side characters from the first trilogy and even more interesting to see some characters from the second trilogy here and how they become who they are after meeting them there. But sometimes characters recite events from the first trilogy where they participated and it feels a bit redundant cause a reader has probably already read about those events.

The action is very visceral—especially from a villain’s point of view—and realistic, a lot of really violent scenes like suffering from poisoning—which is a kinda new concept for The First Law—and torture. There’s even a very detailed description of someone falling through trees. A lot of stealth episodes here which also feels like a unique feature for the series.

Plot thickens with each chapter and each revenge kill is very different in everything. A few unexpected scenes and twists. A lot of betrayals, obviously. Some characters can't be trusted, undoubtedly. Innocent people die along the way, unfortunately. Many interesting thoughts and conversations about revenge. But overall it's just a bit too long.

Looking forward to reading all the spin-offs now, especially Sharp Ends.

It's no surprise I liked this book, I've turned into a massive Abercrombie fanboy. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say I liked the whole thing right up until the conclusion.

This book was what I didn't know I wanted. I LOVED the cast of characters here—even when I wasn't rooting for them, I still had a blast reading about them because their interactions, banter, personalities, it's all so lively. I've also realised that I have a thing for gruesome, gritty stories, so there's that. And Monza. MONZA! MY GIRLLLL! I FUCKING LOVED HER!!!!! And also the revenge plot mixed with politics was exactly my cup of tea. Seriously, Abercrombie knocked it out of the park once again.

The ONLY thing I didn't care for in this book was Shivers—NOT because he's a badly written character or anything (because he's not)—but because preference wise I just never liked him all that much, even in the First Law trilogy. This is definitely a ‘me' thing, because if someone like Cosca were to have switched places with him or gotten his exact lines then I know I'd love it; it's just Shivers being, well, Shivers, that I for some reason could not give a damn about.

But aside from that extremely subjective nitpick, I loved everything else!!