Review: Blade Breaker

Title: Blade Breaker

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Publisher: 28th June 2022 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 578 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre:  young adult, fantasy, adventure

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

The fate of the world rests on a blade's edge.

Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father's powerful sword.

But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.

Queen Erida's army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.

Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she's to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.

But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.

My Thoughts

Last year Victoria presented her fans with, Realm Breaker the first book in her new trilogy - an unlikely band of misfits who came together in their quest to save the world from impending doom and destruction. The second instalment, Blade Breaker has just come out and is the perfect next instalment. 

‘Your world is lost ….' The shadow rippled with His voice. "You do not know it yet. How can you? That wretched hope won't let you accept defeat. Oh, how I despise

that flame inside you, that restless heart of yours. She took another step, this one

a bit easier. The sword grew heavy in her hand.’

The epic adventure continues on right where the first book ended with unsung heroes and vile villains aplenty and intrigue that will have you impatiently awaiting the final reckoning. If you enjoyed the first, then you will happily continue the journey with the fight to control What Waits -  the demonic force that wants to enter the Realm. With Victoria providing a range of POV, there are twists and turns aplenty as the fate of the world rests delicately on the point of a blade. This book is rich and inviting and highlights how far some characters will go to either save or destroy the realm. 

Admittedly, some parts are slow but the ending is worth it. It still has the Lord of the Rings vibe, this time with an added Game of Thrones politicking element. I believe this is all setting up for an interesting book 3 and I look forward to seeing where Victoria eventually takes readers. This is a big book with many characters and a complex world. I will say that the main characters eg. Corayne is still not as appealing as Sorasa or Dom whom I was much more invested in. 

‘Now there is nowhere to go, and yet I keep walking forward. Into what, I do not know. And neither does anyone else.’

 

The humour is still there, the world building is huge, the plot involved and although slow in spots this is an enjoyable read for lovers of this genre. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Realm Breaker

 

Title: Realm Breaker

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.