Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: 4th June 2021 by Hachette Australia
Pages: 576 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: young adult, fantasy
My Rating: 4 cups
Synopsis:
A strange darkness grows in Allward.
Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.
She soon discovers the truth: She is the last of an ancient lineage—and the last hope to save the world from destruction. But she won’t be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions:
A squire, forced to choose between home and honor.
An immortal, avenging a broken promise.
An assassin, exiled and bloodthirsty.
An ancient sorceress, whose riddles hide an eerie foresight.
A forger with a secret past.
A bounty hunter with a score to settle.
Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.
My Thoughts
Realm Breaker is the first book in Victoria Aveyard's newest offering. For fans of her Red Queen series, this first instalment of her trilogy has been highly anticipated. Here you have an unlikely band of misfits who come together in their quest to save the world from impending doom and destruction.
‘We don’t choose what wer’re born to, Corayne,” Erida replied. She touched the crown on her brow. “We can only walk the path put in front of us.’
All up this is an epic adventure and promises to be an enthralling series. With a large cast of characters and world building of major proportions, there is much going on in this first book. This is, of course, consistent with the first book in a new series, so no real surprises there. Just be prepared to keep track of names and places.
‘What Waits cannot cross to a realm unbroken,” the Monarch said softly, her voice placating. But her eyes shone with fear. “Then He will try to break it,” Dom spat. “He means to conquer us.’
The plot runs along similar lines and brings back fond memories of LOTR and has a real Tolkien flavour about it. There are unsung heroes and villains aplenty that keep the intrigue going and set you up for thirsting for more from the next book. Follow along with this unlikely group that has come together in order to fight the darkness that is set to come. There are some characters you will empathise with more and wish for their backstory (which will hopefully come) - their banter is at times quite funny as they seek to work together. The villains are deliciously vile and a few twists that made for exciting reading are sprinkled throughout.
‘There are breakers of castles, breakers of chains, breakers of kings and kingdoms,” she said, her voice iron. “Which am I?” Power surged through her veins, delicious and seductive. She wanted more; she needed more. “You are a realm breaker, Taristan. You would crack this world apart and build an empire from its ruins.’
This is a big book with much time dedicated to world building and a cast of characters to make your head spin. It therefore takes a little time to become immersed in the story, especially considering it is told from multiple points of view. It suffers somewhat from everything needing to be established and just as it starts to come good and it’s all over and now the wait for book two begins.
‘A piece of a realm lost, glimpsed only for a moment, as if through the crack in a closing door.’
All up Realm Breaker appears as a promising new sage from Victoria. The brutal and confronting prologue sets the tone with the action and drama a taste of things to come. There are some slow parts, but weighed against the establishment of a high end fantasy series, I look forward to continuing the journey with this eclectic group with the classic fight of good versus evil in some iconic and exciting new worlds.
‘So the realm stands on the brink of destruction. It might have tipped already. And for some reason, you need me to join this . . .” He glanced down their line. This time his scrutiny felt like an insult. “Merry band of heroes?’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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