Challenge Corner discussion

Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night. All that's true enough, but there's something worse out there, in the dark. Much worse.

From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him.

Mark Lawrence's debut novel tells a tale of blood and treachery, magic and brotherhood and paints a compelling and brutal, and sometimes beautiful, picture of an exceptional boy on his journey toward manhood and the throne.

Ch 1: (view spoiler)[lol this kid is 13? Good lord. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 23: (view spoiler)[oh no hes going to sleep with that prostitute that looks like Catherine. I will never get behind a romantic subplot with this maniac (hide spoiler)]
Ch 24: (view spoiler)[ I laughed out loud when he pushed that dude over the waterfall. (hide spoiler)]
Final: (view spoiler)[Im so glad the author isnt trying to do a redemption arc for Jorg and making him own his awfulness at the end. (hide spoiler)]

Ch. 3: (view spoiler)[WOW, a lot has happened already and I feel like I need to take a breather just to process it all. Massacre, pillaging, and a zombie attack? Hot damn. (hide spoiler)]
Ch. 14: (view spoiler)[lmfao Jorg is such a psycho - I love him. I low-key felt why he was so pissed about what happened to his mom and brothers - like wtf? HOW IS THAT ACCEPTABLE IN ANY ONE'S EYES? (hide spoiler)]
Ch. 34: (view spoiler)[I'm sorry but what? Fuck Gelleth - Jorg doesn't have to do shit to win you back. (hide spoiler)]
Finished: (view spoiler)[wow, this book and this author try to kill me every damn page. So good and I'm so happy that I FINALLY found time to read this. (hide spoiler)]

Alaina wrote: "Ch. 3: [spoilers removed]
Ch. 14: [spoilers removed]
Ch. 34: [spoilers removed]
Finished: [spoilers removed]"

lol you read it! I actually loved this book, Im on the wait list for the next one.

Hahaha yes I finally did! I’ll have to see if I can get the next one too!!

When you get it tell me and we can br that one too :)

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RESTARTING APRIL 1st, 2023

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24%

(view spoiler)[This book is a lot different than my usual fantasy reads. I don’t normally read books with a villain protagonist but I am really liking the characterization so far. It’s kind of a breath of fresh air to get a different kind of perspective in a story. A lot of people call Jorg an antihero but I don’t know that I fully agree with that. I think that he is a full-on villain. He is awful and has no redeeming qualities. He does all this bad shit and only because he wants to and to further his goals. I can’t believe that I am liking a book even though I can’t stand the main character. Even though I don’t like Jorg even a little bit, I really like the way that the author is writing him. It’s engaging.

I am listening to this on audiobook and I normally listen at a higher speed than normal but I honestly had to slow it down because I was having trouble understanding the narrator’s words. They kind of all clung together. Though I think that the voice they chose is perfect for a fourteen-year-old boy protagonist.

I was surprised that not all of the members of his band knew that he was the prince. I wonder if he ran away or if his father kicked him out or tried to have him killed. I am sure that one of the flashbacks will tell us sooner or later. (hide spoiler)]

Hannah wrote: "Ch 1: [spoilers removed]
Ch 23: [spoilers removed]
Ch 24: [spoilers removed]
Final: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know! I can't believe that he is just at his fourteenth birthday. So messed up. (hide spoiler)]

Alaina wrote: "Ch. 3: [spoilers removed]
Ch. 14: [spoilers removed]
Ch. 34: [spoilers removed]
Finished: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know, so much is going on! Was that a zombie or some kind of revenant that possessed him? I think that it mentioned it being a lich. Either way, it was messed up. But Jorg didn't seem too concerned about the lich. Haha. (hide spoiler)]