Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (Mini Review)

When Jorg was ten, his mother and brother were slain, and his father, the king, quickly took a new wife. Our protagonist has waited four years and now it’s time to settle scores. Simple setup, but layers of intrigue await when he steps back into his family’s castle.

This is one of the greatest tales of revenge I have ever read.  Prince of Thorns is a gripping and raw fantasy novel that brims with dark humor and bitter magics. Sure there’s Jorg’s great original character, but the army/ crew/ band he’s amassed is a special group of individuals. Each one is a smelly eyesore of vile vice and greed, but they are loyal… as long as they get their plunder. I also loved the inventive fighting scenes. There’s one ambush that I can go back and remember at least 5 or 6 gruesome and very creative killings.

I know I’m a little late to party with this one, but after hearing about it from several of the reviewers I follow, I had to read it. And I’m so happy I did. It’s hard to keep up on all the reading: the new ones, the classics, and the ones considered canon for a genre. This is definitely one of the latter.

Highly recommended