Better than the first book in the series. The romance side of things is a little heavy-handed, and the action is still somewhat predictable, but I found the action sequences much more enjoyable than in Half a King. The first book did a great job with character development, but I thought it fell apart during the action-heavy parts of the book. Half the World has a better balance to it. And I like the way the book doesn't really try to rehash the events of the first book. There are little reminders here and there, but the author doesn't try to hold the hand of readers who haven't read the first book. I appreciate this lack of mercy for the misguided fools who try to start a series in the middle.