*slow clapping* 
 I didn't know much of what to expect before I started reading Half a King since I picked it up pretty randomly. Oh boy, that was a good decision! 
 Yarvi, with only one good hand, was never supposed to be a king but ended up on the throne. He was betrayed and become a slave. Sounds intriguing enough but this story has so much more! Yarvi has such a great character arc and so much development it's pretty mind-blowing. He was smart in the beginning but what others thought of him really got to him. He was a weakling. I think no one could say that about him in the end even though his "adventures" didn't make his other hand any better. 
 I loved how carefully the plot was built and how it went forward. There were always new obstacles but most of the time it was the cunning mind of Yarvi that got him and everyone else through. The plot twists in the end were absolutely brilliant! Especially the one on the very last pages, I didn't see that comin at all. 
 The world building was amazing, too, and for a fantasy novel I thought it was very realistic. The setting was interesting and I liked how much of the world was actually introduced. The culture of those lands was intriguing with its political system and gods. I can't wait to learn more about those in the following novels. 
 I've already talked about Yarvi, who I liked very much, but this book has a bunch of other great characters. I loved the group of allies turned friends that Yarvi found around himself. Every single one of them was interesting and I wish there was more of their backstories. Yarvi's family was another interesting group of people as was Minister Gundring. I loved how all of them had different sides to them. 
 All in all Half a Kind was pretty different from the fantasy books I've read before and it was great. Much of action, great development for both charactes and the plot and a main character who transforms from an underdog to someone to be reckoned with.