Half a King
- 368
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book
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Our view
“Half a King” is a lean, fast revenge tale whose best asset is its hero: a prince with one good hand who must win by wits, not strength. Yarvi’s growth from scorned heir to schemer is the heart of the book. Some readers feel the closing stretch falls back on more conventional sword-fantasy and predictable twists. A brisk, dark start to the Shattered Sea trilogy.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Betrayed by his family and left for dead, prince Yarvi, reluctant heir to a divided kingdom, has vowed to reclaim a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains and the bitter waters of the shattered sea itself - all with only one good hand. Born a weakling in the eyes of a hard, cold world, he cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so has sharpened his mind to a deadly edge. Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast, he finds they can help him more than any noble could. Even so, Yarvi's path may end as it began - in twists, traps and tragedy.
Reading order · Shattered Sea
Full order & progress →- Half a KingThis book
8.08.0 / 10 - Half the World
8.28.2 / 10 - Half a War
7.97.9 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.9 across 404 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 73% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Fantasy average of 8.0. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.4 | 18 | 5% |
| Hardcover | 7.9 | 386 | 96% |
Frequently asked
How long is Half a King?
It has 368 pages — shorter than 85% of the ranked books in Fantasy.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Fantasy — and a score of 8.0, the closest to this book.
