Half A War Review

Half A War by Joe Abercrombie, Shattered Sea book 3

“Victory is always paid for in blood. The question is only whose.”

Sometimes you sit through a series and wonder how things are going to get wrapped up. Will it end with a pretty bow and a happy conclusion, or with a messy knot full of bitter characters? I think the Shattered Sea series ending was just right. Not too neat, not too messy, but enough to leave a mark. Half a War, the final book in Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea trilogy, is a reminder of why he sits at the top of my list when it comes to grimdark authors. While this series leans more into the YA space than his other works, Abercrombie never forgets the sharp edges that make his storytelling unforgettable.

This book introduces us to Princess Skara, a character who must grow up quickly after a brutal shift in her world. Her journey from terrified royal to political force is handled with Abercrombie’s usual skill. It’s layered, cynical, and grounded with just enough heart. Even as Skara takes center stage, we’re not left behind by the returning cast. Brand and Raith both find compelling arcs of their own, rounding out a story that has always been less about glory and more about survival and compromise.

“Words are wind, but they can fan a fire or douse it.”

One of the best things Abercrombie does, especially in Half a War, is explore the idea that victory isn’t always clean. War is political. Alliances are fragile. Heroism often comes with a body count or a cost that’s hard to justify. The battles are brutal, not just in terms of steel and blood, but in what they take from the people who fight them. The title doesn’t lie. This is a book where war touches everything, even those who want nothing to do with it.

“Half a war is fought with steel, the other half with lies.”

And while this trilogy is arguably a more restrained version of Abercrombie’s usual blood-and-misery formula, there’s still no shortage of deception, character betrayals, and grim wisdom. The fact that it remains tightly written, accessible, and even hopeful at times is a testament to his range. He continues to avoid fantasy tropes. There are no chosen ones, no clean victories, and no illusions of destiny without sacrifice.

If Half a War feels more structured and less wild than Abercrombie’s other endings, it’s because this series was always about something slightly different. It focuses on shaping power rather than chasing it, asking who gets to make decisions and who suffers the consequences. It shows what happens when young people, tossed into the flames of war, either rise with integrity or crumble under pressure.

There’s no clean hands in war. Only blood that washes off easier.”

This book may not be the most violent or jaw-dropping in his bibliography, but it might be one of the most focused. And sometimes, that’s precisely what a trilogy finale needs.