Half a King

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.