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booksalacarte's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A Broken Blade- 3.5⭐️ 2.5🌶️
Keera is a killer. As the King’s Blade, she is the most talented spy in the kingdom. And the King’s favored assassin. When a mysterious figure called the Shadow starts making moves against the Crown, Keera is forced to hunt the masked menace down.
She crosses into the magical lands of the Fae, trying to discern if her enemy is Mortal, Elf, or a Halfling like her. But the Faeland is not what it seems, and neither is the Shadow. Keera is shocked by what she discovers and can’t help but wonder who her enemy truly is…
The King that destroyed her people? The Prince that tortures them? Or the Shadow that threatens her place at court?
As she searches for answers, Keera is haunted by a promise she made long ago. A promise not only to save herself but an entire kingdom.
✨My Opinion✨
The cover is beautiful! The iridescent is so fitting for the mystery of an assassin.
The FMC is an alcoholic, so be aware of that being actively described throughout the book. She also self-harms. It brings a severity to her character that is heavy and hard to get past.
The book takes a look at the genocide of a race of Elves and a war brewing beneath the surface. Characters are multidimensional from the start. The foreshadowing was great and I really enjoyed the characters.
Morally grey FMC
Chosen one
Female assassin
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
One horse
One bed
Who did that to you
Betrayal
Bi rep
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Stalking, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
auri_underthing's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Three words to describe this book:
Amber. Steel. Reaper.
It was good, but not very original and very trope-y.
Also Keera’s constant reiteration of how terrible she was started getting irritating.
Amber. Steel. Reaper.
It was good, but not very original and very trope-y.
Also Keera’s constant reiteration of how terrible she was started getting irritating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment and Self harm
kowhaiii's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a great book! I loved Keera and her struggles throughout the story. I found her relationships alright, but somewhat stale at times. Wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but I'll have to wait for the sequel to really decide! Loved the diversity and queer representation in this book. I really couldn't fault the world, premise, or character concepts if I tried!
A Broken Blade was a brilliant debut novel with wonderful world building and memorable characters. I have many unanswered questions in the best and worst ways, and I can't wait for the series to continue! :D
A Broken Blade was a brilliant debut novel with wonderful world building and memorable characters. I have many unanswered questions in the best and worst ways, and I can't wait for the series to continue! :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Addiction, Alcohol, and Self harm
Moderate: Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Cursing, Genocide, Sexual assault, and Torture
sflory910's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not super well written and chock full of cliches, but still a surprisingly enjoyable read! If I’d found this book when I was 17, it would have become my whole personality. It deals with some serious subjects, but is definitely written for YA, or at the very least by someone that writes YA fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Sexual content
atthelibrarywithmegan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was such an incredible story. There is so much mystery in the beginning and you think you’ve figured it out by the end. Then, BAM! I’m pretty sure my eyes almost popped out of my head with that cliffhanger. I love the slow burn, the enemies to lovers, secret underground network, and the bringing down the monarchy themes/tropes. I also really love that Keera isn’t a 16-20 year old FMC. She feels much more relatable. I cannot wait for book two!
TW: Alcoholism, self harm, murder, blood, colonization, racism.
TW: Alcoholism, self harm, murder, blood, colonization, racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Self harm, Blood, Colonisation, and Violence
bookish_afrolatina's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Blood, and Death
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Special orphan girl kills people in service to an evil king/tyrant because she has no choice but she feels *really bad* about it. She's also really good at it. Everyone judges her for being as evil as the king until they learn just how bad she actually feels, and then they fall in (romantic or platonic) love with her instead. She joins the war effort to overthrow said evil king, and then discovers she is actually uber special because of her secret heritage.
Sound familiar? I am describing A Broken Blade...but also countless other YA fantasy books. And that's what this whole story felt like—like I'd read it before. Nothing new, the plot points were all predictable, and the characters weren't unique or interesting enough to be memorable.
But it did entertain me, in the same way I'm guessing that people are entertained by Hallmark movies. It was comforting in its familiarity and predictability, rather than boring. The audio was also excellent, and that always helps.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for my ALC.
Sound familiar? I am describing A Broken Blade...but also countless other YA fantasy books. And that's what this whole story felt like—like I'd read it before. Nothing new, the plot points were all predictable, and the characters weren't unique or interesting enough to be memorable.
But it did entertain me, in the same way I'm guessing that people are entertained by Hallmark movies. It was comforting in its familiarity and predictability, rather than boring. The audio was also excellent, and that always helps.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for my ALC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, and Blood
Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
Solid inclusion in the ladies who are assassins in fantasy worlds genre with a lot of cool characters. World building can be confusing.
About
Keera is the King's Blade, his favorite assassin. She's killed many in his name, including her own people. Her latest mission is to hunt down the Shadow, a mysterious fighter who's been causing trouble for the crown. But when she chases the Shadow into the faelands, she discovers that everything she's learned about the kingdom and her history may be a lie.
Thoughts
Are YOU a person who likes a YA/NA fantasy novel centered on a female who carries a ton of blades? Because if so, I've got great news for you. "Lady has a lot of sharp objects" is one of my favorite genres, and I was happy to discover that this one is genuinely lethal, and not simply lethal by lip service. (Her kill count in this book alone is well over a dozen.) There are actual several ladies with sharp objects in here, and several fight scenes where they get to show off. This book also features quite a bit of magic, a masquerade ball, political shenanigans, and a sparse amount of lovemaking (spice level: middle?). While there's a clear enemies-to-lovers slow burn going on, it largely takes a back seat to story, so don't expect too much on that front.
World building is sometimes difficult to follow. Terms like fae, elf, mage, and halfling all hold specific meanings that don't always line up with the widely accepted definitions, and then we find out later in the book that some of those definitions were misconceptions anyway. It's a lot to try to keep sorted.
As for the plot, it takes a while to get started. The actual conflict between Keera and the Shadow is postponed quite a bit, and there's a lot of time spend setting up the pieces on the metaphorical game board. I don't think genre savvy readers will find a lot of surprises, but it's still a mostly satisfying series of events, with acliffhanger ending that puzzled me a little bit in terms of its execution .
As a final note, Keera's alcoholism plays a major role in the story and her arc, and might be a difficult read for some.
Solid inclusion in the ladies who are assassins in fantasy worlds genre with a lot of cool characters. World building can be confusing.
About
Keera is the King's Blade, his favorite assassin. She's killed many in his name, including her own people. Her latest mission is to hunt down the Shadow, a mysterious fighter who's been causing trouble for the crown. But when she chases the Shadow into the faelands, she discovers that everything she's learned about the kingdom and her history may be a lie.
Thoughts
Are YOU a person who likes a YA/NA fantasy novel centered on a female who carries a ton of blades? Because if so, I've got great news for you. "Lady has a lot of sharp objects" is one of my favorite genres, and I was happy to discover that this one is genuinely lethal, and not simply lethal by lip service. (Her kill count in this book alone is well over a dozen.) There are actual several ladies with sharp objects in here, and several fight scenes where they get to show off. This book also features quite a bit of magic, a masquerade ball, political shenanigans, and a sparse amount of lovemaking (spice level: middle?). While there's a clear enemies-to-lovers slow burn going on, it largely takes a back seat to story, so don't expect too much on that front.
World building is sometimes difficult to follow. Terms like fae, elf, mage, and halfling all hold specific meanings that don't always line up with the widely accepted definitions, and then we find out later in the book that some of those definitions were misconceptions anyway. It's a lot to try to keep sorted.
As for the plot, it takes a while to get started. The actual conflict between Keera and the Shadow is postponed quite a bit, and there's a lot of time spend setting up the pieces on the metaphorical game board. I don't think genre savvy readers will find a lot of surprises, but it's still a mostly satisfying series of events, with a
As a final note, Keera's alcoholism plays a major role in the story and her arc, and might be a difficult read for some.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Murder, Xenophobia, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Classism, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Blood, Grief, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Sexual assault
Minor: Kidnapping and Vomit
caitlin033's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcoholism, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent and Torture