Mark Lawrence- Prince of Thorns

“It is time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what’s rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a Brair patch and watched Count Renar’s men slaughter his mother and younger brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him- and he has nothing left to lose.”

I don’t generally buy books with people on the cover or books by authors I’m not familiar with, but I made an exception for Prince of Thorns. This cover is vicious. I love it and the blurb on the inside cover drew me in immediately. I was determined to have it.

The story is told from Jorg’s perspective. He’s only 13 but the way he behaves and speaks makes him
seem much older. He’s an anti-hero- an
awful human being but I can’t help but love him. I prefer
characters like him anyway. Jorg knows what he is and is unapologetic
about it.

 “It’s what I am, and if you want excuses, come and take them.” (Awesomeness)

Despite him being vile, Jorg isn’t nearly as awful as some other
characters.

The book starts in the middle of things and does not slow down. At first, I was a little turned off by this. The world building is brilliant but Lawrence never stopped to explain anything. I was pulled out of the story every time I came across an unfamiliar word.

But that didn’t last long. You don’t need to fully understand the world to know what is going on in the story. Eventually, Lawrence makes it all clear.

At one point, Jorg is making plans to take down Castle Red. Shortly after, we find ourselves traveling through a cave. I had no idea why we were in the cave or what it had to do with Castle Red. But the book is such a fun ride; I sat back and enjoyed knowing Lawrence would eventually connect the dots.

Lawrence’s language is beautiful with a bite to it. I love it. I haven’t been this blown away by a story’s language in a long time.

“Brother Gains convinced Gorgoth to call a rest halt by stumbling into space, and wailing for a good ten second before the unseen floor convinced him to shut up.”

What a creative way to tell us someone fell off a cliff! It still makes me smile. Jorg is not afraid to tell it like it is. Prince of Thorns is going on my favorite’s shelf. Can’t wait for book 2!