I’ve been waiting to say this for agesssssss and finally I can!
Half A King, Joe Abercrmbie’s upcoming novel aimed at young adults, has got a cover!
The reason I was so interested in this cover is because a different publishing house is taking over the publishing of Joe’s Young Adult novels (and, therefore, covers), so I was really interested to see how they handled the design – would they look to make them similar to his other series? Give them a subtle echo? Try something completely new?
Well, it looks to me that they’ve gone with something completely new and – if I may say so – Hunger Games inspired. My guess is that Half A King will be aimed at the same aged audience as Suzanne Collins’s, but pitched as darker and more male orientated. If that is indeed the case, I’d say they’ve nailed it. Here it is:
Do let us know what you think of the cover and here’s the blurb:
“I swore an oath to avenge the death of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath.”
Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand.
The deceived will become the deceiver.
Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.
The betrayed will become the betrayer.
Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.
Will the usurped become the usurper?
But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy.
Half A King, the first of a trilogy, will be published on 8 July in the United States (Del Rey Books) and the same time(isn) in the UK (Voyager).
Jennie Ivins
Honestly, this is one of the best covers I’ve seen in a long time. I love it. Seriously. I cannot get over how beautiful it is. There’s a peaceful quiet to it (the snowflake), but there’s also the promise of drama and conflict (the sword), and they will surely work together seamlessly (as promised by the smooth integration of the two images). This goes beyond making me stop at a bookstore to pick up the book. This is the kind of cover that makes me go “Woah”, and sit down to read the first chapter.
Absolutely brilliant. Whoever did this deserves an award.