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bergha1998's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.75
I was not expecting this book to be so unique, I thought it would just be a Romantasy. But it’s so much more dialogues about racism, addiction, slavery. Very well done and interesting. I’m excited to read the second book.
Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, Character Development, 2 🔥
“And still he found beauty in the darkness of it, in my light and my shadows.”
Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, Character Development, 2 🔥
“And still he found beauty in the darkness of it, in my light and my shadows.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Genocide, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Alcohol, Classism, Grief, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Addiction, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault
anntharai's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
I do wonder if this book is a victim of its own hype. I was hesitant to read at first due to the hype around itd then when it came up available on my library app I thought it had been long enough but I still found myself with expectations. It was fine. I'm not sure if it felt like a cliff hanger, Straight up sequel bait, or like they wanted to write a longer book but split it in two...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Violence, Racism, Murder, Classism, Death, Blood, and Colonisation
Moderate: Torture
evelinateran's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-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
I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down! The plot was engaging, the characters were great and the world was fascinating! A great story and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes! If you loved Throne of Glass, A Broken Blade is a must read! It’s a must real regardless!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Colonisation
bammys's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Im torn over how to rate this book because it shifted from being really engaging and hooking at times to bland at others. I think it was a good book but overall it felt more like a bunch of scenes were written separately and strung together later rather than a coherent step by step plot. It had some good twists and great character development for the MC, but other parts (like the relationship with the antagonist and the plan the MC enacted to reach the end point) felt underdeveloped. I liked how some things were left unanswered for the next book and I liked the cliffhanger ending, both left enough room for me to want to pick up the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Self harm
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism
batesbarb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The central concept and world building of this book were really interesting. Unfortunately, the actual writing is clumsy enough in places that it gets in the way of the story at times. The descriptions are often overwritten in a way that clashes with the close first person viewpoint. It feels artificial and grating, which makes it harder to get invested in the characters and events. The characters are all supposed to be well into adulthood (even in the context of long-lived elves and halflings), but they all seem to act and speak like teenagers. Combined with the writing style it winds up feeling much more YA than I think the author intended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
cassandramt17's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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: Alcoholism, Murder, Classism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
noellelovesbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings: Blood/gore, alcohol abuse/addiction, self-harm, suicidal ideations, depression, loss of a loved one, genocide, forced servitude/slavery, racism, and colonialism. Mention of assault, torture, and abuse.
6/3/2023
Did I stay up, when I have to work in 6 hours, to finish this book...even though I've already read it? Yes, yes I did. A fantastic book that was even better the second time around! I'm so excited I reread this so when I jump into book 2 [most likely tomorrow after work lol] I'm ready with all the info.
4/25/2022
If you’ve been on Booktok since at least last fall, you know that Melissa Blair had a chokehold on us, as everyone was desperate to read, and find out who wrote, this fantasy. From the moment the first video dropped we were all hooked on solving the mystery.
When the final reveal was announced Booktok was thrilled!
The way Melissa crafted Keera has me in awe. Keera is complex and feels broken, weighed down by the guilt of every innocent she’s been forced to kill. For years, as the King’s “Blade”, she’s been forced to hunt down countless Halflings, like herself, in order to appease the King’s quest to maintain power and control of the kingdom. A task she’s always hated but tries to use the little power she has to help, other halflings when she can.
Having had rebellious thoughts in her youth countless years of being forced to do the King’s bidding have led to Keera feeling hopeless and no longer holding regard for her own life. Every time she closes her eyes she sees visions of the countless people she’s murdered in the name of the King.
This book is so beautifully crafted I cannot wait to find out what happens next. I’m so excited to see that Melissa was given a 3 book contract with a publisher so she’ll be able to continue to craft this amazing story. I’m only sad because with the re-release of this book in August, through Union Square publishing, I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait until we’re able to devour book two.
If you’re looking for a well-crafted Fantasy with a complex main character, of unknown origin, who will do whatever it takes to protect those under her care…I highly recommend picking this book up. This book was written, and dedicated, to Booktok and has so many tropes that we know and love along with a beautiful story that I can’t wait to delve deeper into!
6/3/2023
Did I stay up, when I have to work in 6 hours, to finish this book...even though I've already read it? Yes, yes I did. A fantastic book that was even better the second time around! I'm so excited I reread this so when I jump into book 2 [most likely tomorrow after work lol] I'm ready with all the info.
4/25/2022
If you’ve been on Booktok since at least last fall, you know that Melissa Blair had a chokehold on us, as everyone was desperate to read, and find out who wrote, this fantasy. From the moment the first video dropped we were all hooked on solving the mystery.
When the final reveal was announced Booktok was thrilled!
The way Melissa crafted Keera has me in awe. Keera is complex and feels broken, weighed down by the guilt of every innocent she’s been forced to kill. For years, as the King’s “Blade”, she’s been forced to hunt down countless Halflings, like herself, in order to appease the King’s quest to maintain power and control of the kingdom. A task she’s always hated but tries to use the little power she has to help, other halflings when she can.
Having had rebellious thoughts in her youth countless years of being forced to do the King’s bidding have led to Keera feeling hopeless and no longer holding regard for her own life. Every time she closes her eyes she sees visions of the countless people she’s murdered in the name of the King.
This book is so beautifully crafted I cannot wait to find out what happens next. I’m so excited to see that Melissa was given a 3 book contract with a publisher so she’ll be able to continue to craft this amazing story. I’m only sad because with the re-release of this book in August, through Union Square publishing, I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait until we’re able to devour book two.
If you’re looking for a well-crafted Fantasy with a complex main character, of unknown origin, who will do whatever it takes to protect those under her care…I highly recommend picking this book up. This book was written, and dedicated, to Booktok and has so many tropes that we know and love along with a beautiful story that I can’t wait to delve deeper into!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Racism
Minor: Torture, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
amivireads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Violence
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