Half a King

A lot of combat and fighting is described in detail, and some of it's gory. A skull split in half is described in some detail. Blood is often mentioned, and though it's not described in detail, it spurts, spatters, streams, etc. Sounds of bones breaking are described a few times, and bloody injuries are described in detail. Hand-to-hand combat includes detailed descriptions of blows, choking, stabbing, and more. The slaughter of two dozen horses is mentioned as part of a king's funeral rite, with a description of the blood washing the deck of a ship.

Yarvi and Isriun are betrothed, and a brief, light kiss is mentioned. Yarvi holds hands with Sumael and notices his feelings of attraction to her.

Profanity is moderate and includes half a dozen or so each of "arse," "bastard," "bitch," and "damn." "Hell" is used two or three times. "Piss," "turd," "s--t," and "s--ty" are each used once. There's some bathroom humor in a few mentions of farts or farting sounds.

Ship's captain Shadikshirram is almost exclusively depicted drinking wine or mentioned as being drunk or passed out from drinking. Hero Yarvi, whose age is never given and could be a teen or young adult, drinks a few sips of wine once. Adults drinking ale are mentioned once, as is a past incident when King Uthrik (Yarvi's father) was drunk.

Parents need to know that Half a King is bestselling fantasy author Joe Abercrombie's first foray into the young adult market. But here the fantasy mostly stems from the imagined, medieval, Nordic-style society and geography; magic and sorcery don't appear at all. There's a lot of violence in this swashbuckling adventure, mostly from fighting with weapons like swords and knives, with some detailed descriptions and gore, including a skull split halfway by an axe. Blood's mentioned a lot, and bloody injuries are also described in some detail. Profanity is moderate, with "s--t" used once but milder words like "arse," "bastard," and "bitch" used half a dozen times each. There's almost no romance, but hero Yarvi does start to notice his feelings of attraction for Sumael. He's a great model for a broad education in the liberal arts, wisely applying what he's learned to a variety of situations he encounters, and he also models strength of character with his kindness, endurance, loyalty, and commitment.