Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire)
by Mark Lawrence

The protagonist’s voice was clear and engaging from the start, despite the gross and morally repulsive acts that he engages in.

I did have to laugh at the…uh… well he mentioned he was a 6-foot-tall 14-year-old. That took me out of the book. I know some people can be that tall at that age in real life, but combined with being a fearless leader and a skilled fighter at the age of 12 and…yeah. His name is Jorg, and I find that name hilariously non-threatening.

The side characters generally weren’t developed, and the one who had the most development died at the end. It was a shame, I was really hoping he’d live. This kind of put me off. I didn’t really expect much development, since the whole gang consisted of a bunch of sociopaths, but killing off the only “noble savage” was a downer.

The amount of luck that contributed to the protag’s successes was also suspect, and ruined my suspension of disbelief.

If you’re interested in a character study of a fictional sociopath, popcorn swashbuckling action and hints of a post-apocalyptic world with fantasy magic, give this book a try.

Fun Stats

Word Count: 82857
Average Readability (US Grade Level): 5.25
Percent dialogue: 19.68%