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chrisscorkscrew 's review for:
Five Broken Blades
by Mai Corland
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a ripping adventure yarn with a lot going for it - it is fast-paced, there is good world-building and plenty of action - but it’s quite poorly written (not much depth and lots of telling rather than showing) and one thing drove me absolutely mad. The main characters were paired off in an unnaturally neat way and as the book was written in the first person from all their perspectives, there were endless narrative references to them thinking about each other or fancying each other throughout the book which was a real shame.
My favourite part of the whole book were the giant attacking birds near the beginning - they were something cool and fresh feeling and I was far more interested in them than the rather hackneyed romantic tropes the book descended into (although thankfully spice itself was minimal).
My favourite part of the whole book were the giant attacking birds near the beginning - they were something cool and fresh feeling and I was far more interested in them than the rather hackneyed romantic tropes the book descended into (although thankfully spice itself was minimal).
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail