Joe Abercrombie

Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty and the waters of the Shattered Sea. 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. But even with loyal friends, Yarvi’s path may end in tragedy. Book one in series.

Princess Skara has been left with only words. She must conquer her fears and sharpen her wits to a lethal edge if she is to reclaim her birthright. The deep-cunning Father Yarvi has made allies of old foes and stitched together an uneasy peace. But now the ruthless Grandmother Wexen has raised the greatest army since the elves made war on God. And when Mother War spreads her iron wings, she may cast the whole Shattered Sea into darkness…Book three in the series.

Thorn is a girl touched by war. Desperate to avenge her dead father, she lives to fight. But she has been named murderer by the very man who trained her to kill. Fate traps her in the schemes of cunning minister Father Yarvi, crossing half the world to find allies against the High King. Will Thorn forever be a tool in the hands of the powerful or can she carve her own path? Book two in series

They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them.

Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts or even the strongest arms that prevail.

Book 2 in the World of the First Law series.