Reddit Reddit reviews Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire Book 1)

We found 16 Reddit comments about Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire Book 1). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire Book 1)
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16 Reddit comments about Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire Book 1):

u/AugustaScarlett · 15 pointsr/selfpublish

...know what it takes to go through the design process of creating your own 'professional' looking book covers.

Speaking as a cover designer, here's a number of elements where I see a lot of amateurs messing up:

Failing to research their genre niche to see what the covers of the top-selling books look like. Book buyers use the covers to guess at what the book will contain, to narrow down their choices. There are far too many books available to expect that readers will read the description of every single result of their search on whatever platform they're searching on, so you need to signal genre, sub-genre, and mood loudly enough that it jumps out as someone's eye is scanning over a batch of 1.5" tall covers that are all competing for attention.

What signals those things, and what things readers are looking for, changes subtly over time, so you need to keep an eye out. I designed the house look for the Zoe Chant shifter romance books (I don't do all the covers; many of the authors do their own) and while we've kept the same overall look, when Zoe Chant first published the idea was to play up the cozy qualities in the books. As action romance has gotten more popular in the past few years, the challenge now is to play up the dramatic tension without signalling "alphahole" because the Zoe Chant niche is focused on ultimately kind heroes. This mostly involves a lot of dramatic lighting, and in recent months a lot more glowy elements to pull focus. The books are the same sort that have been published all along, we're just focusing on different aspects now.

Yes, there are always books that break the mold of current design and sell a ton, and thus set new fashions that everyone else chases. Your book will not be the one that does that.

Leaving large flat areas of color in the design. This also fits in with researching covers in your niche: large flat areas of color are common in non-fiction, but not so much in fiction. At the very least, fill in that empty blackness with a texture or with words. If you have a background in graphic design and understand how to use negative space properly, go for it, but if you don't, then I wouldn't attempt it.

Failing to give the focal point of the design a 'pop'. 'Pop' means to stand out. You can do this with color, composition, negative space, light glows, etc., and you should use more than one thing. It should be immediately apparent what the focal point is, because you have less than one second to grab the reader's eye and make them interested. The more experienced you are, the more subtle you can go--I love the cover for Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House, where the broken-up letterforms cause you to look twice and realize it's a snake doing that.

Failing to take lighting on the stock photos into account. If you grab two stock photos and montage them into a picture, they need to have complementary lighting. You can't have one high-key (bright, few shadows) and one low-key (dark, dramatic), and if you have the lighting in each photo coming from a different direction, you need to account for it in the rest of the picture because the two pictures will never blend properly if you don't. Yup, even in photomontages that aren't supposed to look like one photo: we are used to consistent lighting schemes in real life, and inconsistency draws the attention in a bad way because the brain goes "Something is wrong here."

Slapping the text on as an afterthought. The best cover designs involve the text from the very beginning, and make sure the composition includes the text. Ninth House above is a very obvious (and also very trendy right now) example.

(Also note that while Ninth House technically has large flat areas of black in the artwork, the title covers it up.)

Being afraid to put text on top of the artwork. Too many amateurs either make or buy a nice picture, and then go "I can't hide this picture!" and scrunch the title waaaaay down at the bottom and put their name waaaay up at the top. Ideally, you should have researched what your genre's conventions are--note that most trad publishers often put the text smack on top of the artwork, even interacting with it--and worked with the artist to develop a composition that takes the text into account. Barring that, put the full artwork on your website where your fans can see it (and maybe buy prints from your artist, or you if you licensed the copyright), and just slap that title on top.

Joe Abercrombie can get away with breaking this rule because he's Joe Abercrombie (and because the positive shape of the helmet POINTS AT THE TITLE, and because his name is BRIGHT RED and focus-pulling, and because the lighting on the helment is dark at the bottom and light at the top--three things that drive the eye to Abercrombie's name, which is the focal point).

Using default Photoshop text effects. Do not use anything more than a subtle drop shadow if you're new to this. Most text effects just look muddy at Amazon search results size, and are terrible anyway. If you find yourself looking at your title on the cover in a flat color and thinking, "This looks boring. I should jazz it up," then it means you are using the wrong font. It's still going to look wrong once you put a pillow emboss and outer glow on it. Go look at creativemarket.com, filter by price range, and invest in a (READABLE) font that is more interesting than Arial or Times New Roman or whatever you were using that came default with your computer.

Not making their author name big enough. You shouldn't go as big as Robert Jordan's name if you're not as big as Robert Jordan, but when your name is tiny, it looks like you're apologizing for having dared write the book.

Speaking of Jordan, I love these current covers. This is what you do if you can't bear to cover the artwork: you frame it, and you pull colors for the frame and the text from the artwork, and you incorporate interesting shapes into the frame. As a not-well-known author, you'd put the title into text the size of Jordan's name and put your name into the smaller text, and in the case of these covers, the frame would draw attention to your name, so the text could be smaller. (Although for an unknown author who wanted a similar cover, I'd put the series name into the frame, make the title large, and put the author name across the top.)

u/SmallFruitbat · 7 pointsr/YAwriters

I started a giant reading project because I couldn't figure out if my WIP would be classified as YA or adult fantasy (was already pretty certain it wouldn't be NA because right now NA seems to be more "this side of erotica" than "this side of college"). Anyways, 123 books into the top /r/fantasy titles and Big Names of YA (focusing on SFF), and I've been keeping track. Classifications still come down to gut feeling overall, but there are some trends, most of which /u/bethrevis already mentioned.

YA Trends:

  • More likely to be in first-person, present tense
  • MC age 14-18 as an almost-unbreakable rule
  • 2 POV max
  • MC is a good person, even if they don't think they are
  • Little moral ambiguity (the characters do what most teenagers agree is right or are Forced! Forced, I say! by circumstance to do something Evil, even though they really don't want to. Or they made the "wrong" choice by accident, but it all works out in the end.)
  • Use diversity as a marketing point
  • Single main plotline. Side plots may be present, but directly support main plot (e.g. which guy to choose?)
  • Loose world-building. Even in a dystopian setting that you can assume should be totally different, a lot of details could be filled in with arbitrary authority figure, high school-like classes, etc. Very little weirdness or quirky details like man-eating plants just for the hell of it.
  • Distrust of authority (Of course The Corporation is pure evil and trying to take over the world! They can't just be engaging in shady business practices perpetuated by the entire society.)
  • Hopeful, if not outright happy endings (and tone throughout)
  • If sex is present, it's a plot point
  • If a main character is hurt, it's directly related to plot progression, not just a realistic consequence

    Adult Trends:

  • Omniscient POV/multiple third person viewpoints possible
  • Experimental styles, or switching styles/POV between books is more likely
  • MC can be any age, including child, teenager, or adult. Following the same character for several years (e.g. bildungsroman) is not uncommon
  • MC/party plot armor does not cover long-lasting injuries
  • More worldbuilding, often including waffling
  • Grey morality, or morality that makes sense in that world but would horrify a modern person (think Lucius Vorenus in Rome: he's an honorable Roman man who gets mad about his friend beating a slave to death because it was his property)
  • Despair or ennui as themes
  • Sex just for the hell of it (because it's a common part of life), but usually off page
  • Longer books, bigger words

    Adult Books that Appeal to Teenagers Trends:

  • Short
  • Fairly linear plot
  • Usually only breaking the "MC 14-18 age range" rule
  • (Look at the Alex Awards)

    A couple books that go against the trends I found would be Two Boys Kissing and Prince of Thorns.

    Two Boys Kissing is marketed as YA and largely features teenage characters, but it's a chorus narration, jumps around between multiple POVs, and has a rather depressing tone. It's well-written to the point of belonging in the Literature with a Capital L section. I think most people looking to pick up a YA book for a quick, easy read are going to find it boring. BUT, with the current market, it should probably stay on the YA shelves because that's the group most likely to be looking for books about teenagers having teenage lives in high school.

    Prince of Thorns has the 14-year old character in a leadership position battling authority and is in first person with a breakneck pace... But because the MC is so brutal and there's so much death without reflection, it gets called adult and I agree with that.

    Oh, and the whole "diversity as a marketing point" thing? I ran stats on the books in my list. There are obvious problems with self-selection here, but still:

    Main Character Traits in YA vs Adult Books

    So YA isn't necessarily more diverse... It could just be calling itself that.

    ...I am now tempted to run numbers on POV in adult vs YA fiction.

    (Calling my book adult fantasy, by the way.)
u/MarkLawrence · 7 pointsr/Fantasy

There's still time to emotionally scar a loved one. Run to the book store, drive there at excessive speed, teleport if you can.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052RERW8/ref=rdr_ext_sb_ti_hist_1

or for more laughs and marginally fewer decapitations:

http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Fools-Red-Queens-Book-ebook/dp/B00G3L1338/ref=asap_B004HNAQOQ?ie=UTF8

Happy holidays!

u/SlothMold · 7 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Prince of Thorns comes immediately to mind. The series is all about a gleefully evil bastard who could easily fulfill the villain role in any other book. I didn't expect to like this at all... But I did.

On a far more saccharine level, there are the Artemis Fowl books, about a 12-year old evil genius who plans to ransom a fairy.

I have also seen the Thomas Covenant books recommended in this context, but I haven't read them. Also, Dark Lord: The Early Years.

u/Sjardine · 7 pointsr/Fantasy

Have you checked out Mark Lawrence? I'm not really a fan of Grimdark fantasy but his books are amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Thorns-Broken-Empire-Book-ebook/dp/B0052RERW8/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

u/mcoward · 5 pointsr/Fantasy

Prince of Thorns, the first book in the Broken Empire trilogy (Mark Lawrence) is only $1.99 on Amazon right now..

u/Cdresden · 5 pointsr/printSF

The Dying Earth series by Jack Vance.

The Book of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe.

The Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence.

u/Mellow_Fellow_ · 4 pointsr/Fantasy

Jorg, Moon, and Harry would probably be my favorites from this list, though the others are quite good too.

Jorg Ancrath--Broken Empire Trilogy: It's hard to beat Jorg when it comes to interesting main characters. He's such an absolute bastard that it makes you want to keep reading just to see what he'll do next.

Harry Dresden--Dresden Files: Chicago's own wizard for hire, it's fun to see what sort of situation he'll find himself in next. He likest to crack jokes and fight above his weight class. Get's his ass handed to him a lot.

Moon--Books of the Raksura: Moon's always been an outcast, chased from town to town. Which makes sense, considering he sometimes looks like a monster. The loneliness has changed him, and he tends not to speak his thoughts aloud.

James Stark--Sandman Slim: After spending 11 years in hell, James Stark is back for revenge. He knows the people who sent him there, and he won't rest until they're dead.

The Demon--Demon of Cliffside: The Demon doesn't actually have a name and she's been in Cliffside since before there was a city. She's ambivalent towards the people of the city, but in the past she inspired bloody legends. A very alien point of view.

Drothe--Tales of the Kin: Ever hear the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none?" That would be Drothe. It was such a refreshing change of pace to see that in a main character.

u/House-Fire · 3 pointsr/suggestmeabook

I'd highly recommend the Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence (Starting with Prince of Thorns).

It's very dark with a good dose of sarcasm. There are plenty of interesting characters but you won't get lost trying to memorize a millions names and places. Plus Mark is a regular on Reddit and seems to be a super cool guy.

u/Meet_the_Meat · 2 pointsr/writing

You should check out The Prince of Thorns and sequels for just this. He's a totally evil, terrible person who you end up pulling for.

u/mattymillhouse · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

The Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence. The first book is Prince of Thorns. Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but if you're like me, you'll find yourself rooting for the prince, and every once in a while stopping to think, "Wait. Am I rooting for the bad guy? I think I'm rooting for the bad guy."

And there's the First Law series, by Joe Abercrombie. The first book in that series is The Blade Itself. I think you're going to like Inquisitor Glokta and Logen Ninefingers. Fair warning: My personal opinion -- and I'm sure many (most?) disagree with me -- but I thought the first book was mostly to set up the rest of the series. So at least for me it took a while to really get into the series. But it does grimdark very well.

u/pblood40 · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Prince of Thorns - There are 5 or 6 books now in this post apocalyptic fantasy series

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052RERW8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

u/legalpothead · 1 pointr/printSF

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. "Medievalesque" fantasy set in a far future. Main character Jorg is a right bastard, but he grows on you.

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie, . Grimdark fantasy, short on magic and long on swords. Abercrombie is great at characters and action scenes. There are several books set in this world; I think this standalone is the best introduction.

u/HannahEBanna · 1 pointr/CFBOTreads

I'm really failing at this whole thing.

I have three books I'm currently in an on hold status on: