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The Broken Blades #1
Five Broken Blades
It’s the season
for treason…
The king of Yusan must die.
The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.
He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.
And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.
They can agree on murder.
They can agree on treachery.
But for these five killers―each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal―it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.
Let the best liar win.
for treason…
The king of Yusan must die.
The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.
He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.
And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.
They can agree on murder.
They can agree on treachery.
But for these five killers―each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal―it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.
Let the best liar win.
474 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,922 reviews
May 9, 2024
My first 5 star read of 2024. I started this one and could not put it down. It's everything you want in a unlikely group of untrustworthy bad people getting together to pull of an impossible heist (or in this case, an assassination) story. Wonderfully developed characters, each with their own unique voices and stakes, each completely badass and believable in their roles, and just a lot of fun. It can get dark and violent at times (not a complaint) and some of the backstories are truly disturbing in a world where indentured servitude, misogyny, and slaughter are the norm, but there are also lighter moments of humor, comradery, and romance as well. But all the characters have their own agendas and everyone's keeping secrets and somebody (more than one somebody) is definitely lying.
I have to also shout out the author for impressive execution. This is first person present multi-POV and it's done flawlessly. The pacing was spot on and the rotation of POVs was well balanced. There was a nice even doling out of twists and clues and surprises. All done so well as to look effortless, but I know how hard it was. Brava! I'm ready for Book 2!
I received a free ARC which in no way impacted my honest review.
I have to also shout out the author for impressive execution. This is first person present multi-POV and it's done flawlessly. The pacing was spot on and the rotation of POVs was well balanced. There was a nice even doling out of twists and clues and surprises. All done so well as to look effortless, but I know how hard it was. Brava! I'm ready for Book 2!
I received a free ARC which in no way impacted my honest review.
July 3, 2024
I just listened to the audiobook of "Five Broken Blades" by Mai Corland and I have to say that it is an amazing book if you love epic fantasy and great character-driven stories.
In "Five Broken Blades" we meet a cast of diverse warriors, each with their own unique skills and troubled backgrounds. They have to find the five legendary blades, which have shattered and are spread across the kingdom, fighting inner demons, making unlikely allies, and facing fearsome enemies along the way.
In "Five Broken Blades" we meet a cast of diverse warriors, each with their own unique skills and troubled backgrounds. They have to find the five legendary blades, which have shattered and are spread across the kingdom, fighting inner demons, making unlikely allies, and facing fearsome enemies along the way.
May 27, 2024
“five most dangerous liars in the land” and it’s just a bunch of grown ppl being horny for each other instead of focusing on the actual tasks at hand. dawg what happened to approaching romance with actual chemistry and good buildup instead of hitting us
over the head with it like a sledgehammer over n over. how r u gonna write insta love for (basically almost) THREEEEEEEE couples. this book is a money laundering scheme backed by tiktok tropeification people im convinced
over the head with it like a sledgehammer over n over. how r u gonna write insta love for (basically almost) THREEEEEEEE couples. this book is a money laundering scheme backed by tiktok tropeification people im convinced
May 14, 2024
4.5 stars. It only lost a half a star cause I guessed the twist ending. Not that it was predictable. I’m just ungodly smart. Still loved the book
May 11, 2024
I feel like I have read a different book to everyone else. (my goal is not to upset anyone but to be honest to what i thought of a book).
First of all - very early on it is mentioned that the Count only would accept perfection in the girls that work for him and that he had no use for scarred or sickly girls... IDK if im overly sensitive on this point (as i do not have visible scars nor do i have any illnesses) but if sounds extremely odd to me
Second of all – the sexism – look, I don’t actually mind sexism in fantasy books because I do like a story of a female character bending the societal expectations. But this is not like that at all.
The number of times we are told that ‘girls’ are weaker, everyone wants to r- word them with literal quotes being “she is smart, for a girl”, “they all want to devour her”. Or seeing a woman who is a “wh*re” for a gang being all “Used up” – yes used up (not used, used UP). The actual quote says “They think they’ll be loved and protected. At best, they get used up.”
The idea of ONE of the male characters being a sexist and saying such things I would understand, even like, because we can have some character growth etc. but its multiple of them (if not all). And every guy they pass is definitely staring at one of the girls (cos she is just so pretty no one can keep their D- soft) and how she is likely to be SA by literally everyone.
(I can understand the world being sexist, but the author did not world build it that way - there was only one mention that a prince could have such beliefs, but not why literally every other character is exactly the same and their beliefs were not challenged).
Thirdly – the writing - this book is written extremely young - in a sense that everything is repeated so many times I had a feeling that the author did not trust us to have noticed very obvious things. Sometimes things were repeated twice or three times on the same page. I also think it was quite obvious who the ‘traitor’ was. there was a moment at the end I thought I was wrong and it got me excited, just to find out I was right. (obv im referring to a traitor within the group of six, not any side characters).
Last big point – the romances – omg this is the most insta love/insta attraction book I have ever read (between ALL 3 couples). There is absolutely no nuance at all as, again, we are told over and over again how everyone is into the person next to them. I think the author thought that by continuously saying things like - ‘I hate being away from X, not that I like X of course’, ‘im just doing it for money, not for her, obviously’, ‘I definitely don’t like her’, ‘its definitely not because I care’ – that we are supposed be left wondering if he does, in fact, like her (and I will repeat myself like this book repeats everything, It is told to us SO many times).
There is not one chapter from either one of the six POVs that did not mention how they are horny or attracted to the person they are travelling with (at least not until around 80% in). They feel like hormonal teens that every time they see a bit of skin, or another person gets close, they are just instantly horny.
On the positive – the back stories - There was an attempt to give each character a back story and I mostly liked it. I think if the author focused on that more, it would have been really interesting because some of the back stories sounded cool enough. I personally feel like any character work took a back seat to mediocre romance.
Additionally, the story did get better at around 70% in (exactly when I feel like the author eased up on the romance a tinnny bit).
To end this review, even though no one is reading, it is not the worst book I have read by any means, nor do I think people wouldn’t enjoy it. but you need to adjust your expectations. If you do want an easy story, maybe an audiobook that you can play when you are doing something else, then I do think this might work for you because info will be repeated so its not like you will miss anything without physically reading and paying full attention.
I did personally almost DNF this book 3 times, but I finished it because its rare for me to be this excited about a new release. I pre ordered 3 copies of the book (2 SE and 1 normal hardback) and used a credit on audible to read it on the release day. My bad financial decisions are obviously not the fault of the hype or the author but trust me, I was so desperate to love this book and I was convinced I would. I am glad that the author will get her coin from this hyped release, but I really hope she will take her great potential and write a bit more of a unique/fleshed out story.
First of all - very early on it is mentioned that the Count only would accept perfection in the girls that work for him and that he had no use for scarred or sickly girls... IDK if im overly sensitive on this point (as i do not have visible scars nor do i have any illnesses) but if sounds extremely odd to me
Second of all – the sexism – look, I don’t actually mind sexism in fantasy books because I do like a story of a female character bending the societal expectations. But this is not like that at all.
The number of times we are told that ‘girls’ are weaker, everyone wants to r- word them with literal quotes being “she is smart, for a girl”, “they all want to devour her”. Or seeing a woman who is a “wh*re” for a gang being all “Used up” – yes used up (not used, used UP). The actual quote says “They think they’ll be loved and protected. At best, they get used up.”
The idea of ONE of the male characters being a sexist and saying such things I would understand, even like, because we can have some character growth etc. but its multiple of them (if not all). And every guy they pass is definitely staring at one of the girls (cos she is just so pretty no one can keep their D- soft) and how she is likely to be SA by literally everyone.
(I can understand the world being sexist, but the author did not world build it that way - there was only one mention that a prince could have such beliefs, but not why literally every other character is exactly the same and their beliefs were not challenged).
Thirdly – the writing - this book is written extremely young - in a sense that everything is repeated so many times I had a feeling that the author did not trust us to have noticed very obvious things. Sometimes things were repeated twice or three times on the same page. I also think it was quite obvious who the ‘traitor’ was. there was a moment at the end I thought I was wrong and it got me excited, just to find out I was right. (obv im referring to a traitor within the group of six, not any side characters).
Last big point – the romances – omg this is the most insta love/insta attraction book I have ever read (between ALL 3 couples). There is absolutely no nuance at all as, again, we are told over and over again how everyone is into the person next to them. I think the author thought that by continuously saying things like - ‘I hate being away from X, not that I like X of course’, ‘im just doing it for money, not for her, obviously’, ‘I definitely don’t like her’, ‘its definitely not because I care’ – that we are supposed be left wondering if he does, in fact, like her (and I will repeat myself like this book repeats everything, It is told to us SO many times).
There is not one chapter from either one of the six POVs that did not mention how they are horny or attracted to the person they are travelling with (at least not until around 80% in). They feel like hormonal teens that every time they see a bit of skin, or another person gets close, they are just instantly horny.
On the positive – the back stories - There was an attempt to give each character a back story and I mostly liked it. I think if the author focused on that more, it would have been really interesting because some of the back stories sounded cool enough. I personally feel like any character work took a back seat to mediocre romance.
Additionally, the story did get better at around 70% in (exactly when I feel like the author eased up on the romance a tinnny bit).
To end this review, even though no one is reading, it is not the worst book I have read by any means, nor do I think people wouldn’t enjoy it. but you need to adjust your expectations. If you do want an easy story, maybe an audiobook that you can play when you are doing something else, then I do think this might work for you because info will be repeated so its not like you will miss anything without physically reading and paying full attention.
I did personally almost DNF this book 3 times, but I finished it because its rare for me to be this excited about a new release. I pre ordered 3 copies of the book (2 SE and 1 normal hardback) and used a credit on audible to read it on the release day. My bad financial decisions are obviously not the fault of the hype or the author but trust me, I was so desperate to love this book and I was convinced I would. I am glad that the author will get her coin from this hyped release, but I really hope she will take her great potential and write a bit more of a unique/fleshed out story.
May 17, 2024
This book was 100% vibes and 0% substance. It's a collection of tropes stacked in a trench coat. It can't even be called a junk food book, because junk food is still food. This was like eating sugar straight out of the bag and calling it candy.
I think part of the reason this book riles me up so much is because I was really looking forward to it. I got it through Book of the Month, and I thought it sounded so interesting. I was so excited to start it. And then I finally did. And I kind of wish I hadn't, now, because I'm seeing all of these glowing 5-star reviews and people just gushing about it and I'm so happy it found its audience, but I felt like this was one of the most poorly crafted books I've ever read and I have to talk about it. This is going to be kind of long, because I have a lot to say.
Before I get into all of my criticism, I do want to acknowledge a couple things I liked. First of all, I liked that the two female main characters weren't stereotypical fighter-girl types. I have no problem with that archetype, but the genre is over-saturated with it, and it was refreshing to see female characters rely on their softer skills throughout; it made them much more interesting people. Tangential to that, I liked Sora. I thought she was the most fleshed-out of the main characters, and her POV was the most well-written.
For what didn't work for me, I'm going to be focusing more on an analysis of craft and execution than any particular plot or character choices the author made.
First of all, the prose was bad. It was just bad. It was juvenile at best and borderline unreadable at worst. I found Royo's chapters especially difficult to get through because they were written in this incredibly stilted "tough guy" voice. Overall, the sentences were short and choppy, as were the paragraphs, the latter of which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I don't expect everything to be high literature, but I will never understand authors who don't seem to care about engaging with the medium of, yanno, actually writing. You can write something easy and fun and without it being actively terrible. That said, the writing does eventually fade to the background as other, bigger problems become apparent.
I don't know if this author could show instead of tell to save her life. Honestly, I think a large portion of the problems I have with this book boil down to this point. Place descriptions are limited to a handful of vague, generic nouns—a tavern, a palace, a riverboat, a warehouse—and any additional detail is relayed through relativistic terms—"twice as extravagant as usual," "modeled after the palace" (but no clue what the palace actually looks like), "the finest meal I'd ever had," etc.—with no accompanying context to help the reader envision a scene. I don't need Robert Jordan levels of describing things, but could you just tell me what one thing looks like? Just one. Please. (Clothing gets to have one adjective, and it's almost always color—a blue dress, a red jacket, a black uniform. Although I sure do know Aeri likes to wear dresses that show off her legs.) (Also, my focus here is on physical description, but this absolutely also applies to just about every other form of description, including the way the characters are constantly just stating exactly what they're thinking and feeling in their narration.)
Description like this isn't just there to help people form a visual. Personally, I'm not one of those readers who "sees a movie in their head" while they read, so I'm not even asking for description for that purpose. But the details an author includes about their world are what helps it feel real and lived-in. It adds depth to your characters to understand the world they inhabit. Instead of that, we get almost the opposite, with stupid, hand-wavey explanations that show no thought beyond ~vibes~ was put in. To give a specific example,
This leads into my next gripe, which is that the stakes are practically non-existent, both in the larger narrative and scene-to-scene. I'll start with the latter.
The chapters are really short, about 5-7 pages each, and the author can’t help but make sure we know just how Awesome and Badass and Untouchable her characters are that I know that whenever they get into some kind of trouble (attacked by pirates, ambushed by bandits, someone in the group goes missing, etc.), it’ll be resolved by the end of the next chapter…so in 5-7 pages or so. Things just happen, obstacles to quickly overcome but that don’t really impact the direction of the plot. Take that riverboat scene, for example. It's like this author can't allow anything actually bad to happen to her characters in a lasting, meaningful way. So if they're never in any real danger, if there's no proverbial valley for them to rise out of, then there's no tension for me as a reader.
What's more, things don't really seem to impact the emotions/mental state of the characters for more than a couple of pages. An actual line from the book: This is not the serve you think it is—it just means that these characters can commit heinous acts of violence and remain unchanged. Going into this whole warehouse scene, one of the characters counted up the odds and said it would be impossible to overcome…and then they just, like, do. They don’t even do anything special to outwit their opponents or even the odds. They just…overcome them. Because they’re just SO GOOD at killing. Literally HOW is this interesting for anybody to read about.
But this stakes issue bleeds over into the main narrative arc too, and this is where a greater emphasis on actually crafting a world and setting a scene could have really helped. The premise of this story is that these deadly, highly skilled people are coming together to take down the evil god-king. Because he’s evil. And bad. Because the commoners are poor, I think? It’s just never really addressed why there’s this plot to kill the king, or why our characters (or we, as the audience) care about taking him out. Individual character motivations tend to be around what each person gets out of his death (freedom, money, the crown, etc.) but there is little-to-no discussion, either amongst the characters or internally in anyone’s narrative, as to what the king has done that makes him deserving of death (there is one character whose motivation is based around revenge on the king, but it's barely discussed until super late in the game and it falls flat). There are a few throwaway lines scattered throughout letting us know that he is Bad and Evil and Cruel and Mean, but it’s not exactly baked into the book.
Part of the problem here is that the narrative doesn't really build on itself. The plot is just a string of unconnected events—they're attacked by pirates! Now bandits! Now a deadly beast! Now a gang!—that don't actually have anything to do with their larger goal of trying to kill the king. They’re just…things that happen to them while they’re journeying. It reads like you’re listening in on a child playing with their dolls—genuinely, that’s what reading this book reminded me of. The author clearly came up with a cast of characters and just decided to act out various scenarios and decided that’s what a book is. The “narrative” is flimsy as hell. The world is nonexistent. Absolutely no care was put into crafting a story—it had all the thought of a kid smashing their dolls’ faces together, saying, “Now kiss!”
I've got a thousand other tiny gripes with this book, from the twist (which was so obvious from such an early point that I thought that surely it was intentional misdirection) to the way certain storylines just get dropped/don't lead anywhere to the wooden characters that in no way resemble real human beings. But this has gone on long enough, and I obviously need to take a step back and go read something that I actually like and just be done with this. Sorry for the rant.
I think part of the reason this book riles me up so much is because I was really looking forward to it. I got it through Book of the Month, and I thought it sounded so interesting. I was so excited to start it. And then I finally did. And I kind of wish I hadn't, now, because I'm seeing all of these glowing 5-star reviews and people just gushing about it and I'm so happy it found its audience, but I felt like this was one of the most poorly crafted books I've ever read and I have to talk about it. This is going to be kind of long, because I have a lot to say.
Before I get into all of my criticism, I do want to acknowledge a couple things I liked. First of all, I liked that the two female main characters weren't stereotypical fighter-girl types. I have no problem with that archetype, but the genre is over-saturated with it, and it was refreshing to see female characters rely on their softer skills throughout; it made them much more interesting people. Tangential to that, I liked Sora. I thought she was the most fleshed-out of the main characters, and her POV was the most well-written.
For what didn't work for me, I'm going to be focusing more on an analysis of craft and execution than any particular plot or character choices the author made.
First of all, the prose was bad. It was just bad. It was juvenile at best and borderline unreadable at worst. I found Royo's chapters especially difficult to get through because they were written in this incredibly stilted "tough guy" voice. Overall, the sentences were short and choppy, as were the paragraphs, the latter of which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I don't expect everything to be high literature, but I will never understand authors who don't seem to care about engaging with the medium of, yanno, actually writing. You can write something easy and fun and without it being actively terrible. That said, the writing does eventually fade to the background as other, bigger problems become apparent.
I don't know if this author could show instead of tell to save her life. Honestly, I think a large portion of the problems I have with this book boil down to this point. Place descriptions are limited to a handful of vague, generic nouns—a tavern, a palace, a riverboat, a warehouse—and any additional detail is relayed through relativistic terms—"twice as extravagant as usual," "modeled after the palace" (but no clue what the palace actually looks like), "the finest meal I'd ever had," etc.—with no accompanying context to help the reader envision a scene. I don't need Robert Jordan levels of describing things, but could you just tell me what one thing looks like? Just one. Please. (Clothing gets to have one adjective, and it's almost always color—a blue dress, a red jacket, a black uniform. Although I sure do know Aeri likes to wear dresses that show off her legs.) (Also, my focus here is on physical description, but this absolutely also applies to just about every other form of description, including the way the characters are constantly just stating exactly what they're thinking and feeling in their narration.)
Description like this isn't just there to help people form a visual. Personally, I'm not one of those readers who "sees a movie in their head" while they read, so I'm not even asking for description for that purpose. But the details an author includes about their world are what helps it feel real and lived-in. It adds depth to your characters to understand the world they inhabit. Instead of that, we get almost the opposite, with stupid, hand-wavey explanations that show no thought beyond ~vibes~ was put in. To give a specific example,
This leads into my next gripe, which is that the stakes are practically non-existent, both in the larger narrative and scene-to-scene. I'll start with the latter.
The chapters are really short, about 5-7 pages each, and the author can’t help but make sure we know just how Awesome and Badass and Untouchable her characters are that I know that whenever they get into some kind of trouble (attacked by pirates, ambushed by bandits, someone in the group goes missing, etc.), it’ll be resolved by the end of the next chapter…so in 5-7 pages or so. Things just happen, obstacles to quickly overcome but that don’t really impact the direction of the plot. Take that riverboat scene, for example. It's like this author can't allow anything actually bad to happen to her characters in a lasting, meaningful way. So if they're never in any real danger, if there's no proverbial valley for them to rise out of, then there's no tension for me as a reader.
What's more, things don't really seem to impact the emotions/mental state of the characters for more than a couple of pages. An actual line from the book: This is not the serve you think it is—it just means that these characters can commit heinous acts of violence and remain unchanged. Going into this whole warehouse scene, one of the characters counted up the odds and said it would be impossible to overcome…and then they just, like, do. They don’t even do anything special to outwit their opponents or even the odds. They just…overcome them. Because they’re just SO GOOD at killing. Literally HOW is this interesting for anybody to read about.
But this stakes issue bleeds over into the main narrative arc too, and this is where a greater emphasis on actually crafting a world and setting a scene could have really helped. The premise of this story is that these deadly, highly skilled people are coming together to take down the evil god-king. Because he’s evil. And bad. Because the commoners are poor, I think? It’s just never really addressed why there’s this plot to kill the king, or why our characters (or we, as the audience) care about taking him out. Individual character motivations tend to be around what each person gets out of his death (freedom, money, the crown, etc.) but there is little-to-no discussion, either amongst the characters or internally in anyone’s narrative, as to what the king has done that makes him deserving of death (there is one character whose motivation is based around revenge on the king, but it's barely discussed until super late in the game and it falls flat). There are a few throwaway lines scattered throughout letting us know that he is Bad and Evil and Cruel and Mean, but it’s not exactly baked into the book.
Part of the problem here is that the narrative doesn't really build on itself. The plot is just a string of unconnected events—they're attacked by pirates! Now bandits! Now a deadly beast! Now a gang!—that don't actually have anything to do with their larger goal of trying to kill the king. They’re just…things that happen to them while they’re journeying. It reads like you’re listening in on a child playing with their dolls—genuinely, that’s what reading this book reminded me of. The author clearly came up with a cast of characters and just decided to act out various scenarios and decided that’s what a book is. The “narrative” is flimsy as hell. The world is nonexistent. Absolutely no care was put into crafting a story—it had all the thought of a kid smashing their dolls’ faces together, saying, “Now kiss!”
I've got a thousand other tiny gripes with this book, from the twist (which was so obvious from such an early point that I thought that surely it was intentional misdirection) to the way certain storylines just get dropped/don't lead anywhere to the wooden characters that in no way resemble real human beings. But this has gone on long enough, and I obviously need to take a step back and go read something that I actually like and just be done with this. Sorry for the rant.
June 30, 2024
The buddy read with my beloved queen : ♾️ ✨
This book : 2.5✨
« He feels like home, but not the one I grew up in or have now, the promise of returning home after years away »
What I liked :
- 6 POVs was mostly well done
- Small chapters
- Politics
- The romance was to die for but was only a very, very, very small fraction of the book. « I look at her. She’s worth going to the Tenth Hell for. » ❤️🔥
- Likeable characters with good background stories. « I’d rather live a life caring and getting hurt than a life in fear »
What I disliked :
- the writing didn’t flow easily. The sentences felt clipped
- The pacing was all over the place. At some point I simply couldn’t stand it anymore. A few things were happening but not what we cared for
- What era is this? They’re talking about chamber pots and then saying things like : « I dunno » 🙃
- Constant phrases like : « but she’s just a girl » ? Would’ve been nice to know the era. Severe sexism. One of the characters called his late mother a whore a few times
- Their god system exists but isn’t explained
- It dragged a lot
- Lots of things were predictable
- You get through roughly 500 pages to get to an ending that makes you believe you read all of this for nothing
« The world will grab and pull at your humanity, try to strip you bare, but ultimately you decide wether to hang on or let go »
—-•
So happy to do this BR with my beloved Queen Meagan✨ ❤️
The cover art on this one 😍
This book : 2.5✨
« He feels like home, but not the one I grew up in or have now, the promise of returning home after years away »
What I liked :
- 6 POVs was mostly well done
- Small chapters
- Politics
- The romance was to die for but was only a very, very, very small fraction of the book. « I look at her. She’s worth going to the Tenth Hell for. » ❤️🔥
- Likeable characters with good background stories. « I’d rather live a life caring and getting hurt than a life in fear »
What I disliked :
- the writing didn’t flow easily. The sentences felt clipped
- The pacing was all over the place. At some point I simply couldn’t stand it anymore. A few things were happening but not what we cared for
- What era is this? They’re talking about chamber pots and then saying things like : « I dunno » 🙃
- Constant phrases like : « but she’s just a girl » ? Would’ve been nice to know the era. Severe sexism. One of the characters called his late mother a whore a few times
- Their god system exists but isn’t explained
- It dragged a lot
- Lots of things were predictable
- You get through roughly 500 pages to get to an ending that makes you believe you read all of this for nothing
« The world will grab and pull at your humanity, try to strip you bare, but ultimately you decide wether to hang on or let go »
—-•
So happy to do this BR with my beloved Queen Meagan✨ ❤️
The cover art on this one 😍
May 12, 2024
4.5⭐️ (rounded up)
Loving somebody is needing two hearts to live instead of just the one. You're better off alone.
THE PLOT
Five of the most dangerous liars in the land have unbeknownst them been gathered to work together for a single mission: kill the god king Joon. Under his merciless rule, nobles flourish while the poor and innocent suffer and are often sold. Now, each of the five "blades" will come for him. They can all agree on murder. They can all conspire. But it is not enough to forge alliances. They have to find a way to trust each other, but only one can take the crown. May the best liar win.
"I'm nothing but a blade."
"You are made of steel, but you are so much more."
MY THOUGHTS
Not once in this book could I ever predict what was going to happen. This book threw my for a loop EVERY chapter. You never know what to expect; you never know what's going to happen next.
When I first started this book, I didn't know what to think but I was almost immediately drawn in. The world building, the characters, the actual plot, the relationship between the characters...I loved all of it. This book is very heavy on character depth and you really need to get to know the characters before you can jump into this story. Each one of them were unique and had their own motives for why they wanted the god king Joon dead. At first, it was hard to keep up. You get EVERY character's POV. So a lot of names to remember and a lot of backstories to keep in mind. However, I think that's what set this book apart from others is just how much thought and depth Mia Corland put into her characters when she was writing this.
The plot itself was not what I was expecting. The blurb that comes with the book is a bit misleading...let me explain. Over 300 pages of this book is getting to know the characters and how they relate to each other and come together. The supposed MAIN point of the book was supposed to be to kill the king. However, that acted more as a subplot. The main point of the book was how the characters come together and their JOURNEY to kill the king, rather than the action of actually killing the king.
Another thing I really loved about this book was the romance subplot of the characters in this book. I was not expecting it, but I LOVED it!! As if I thought these characters couldn't get more real, bring in the slight romance. You see relationships grow and you see relationships break. You feel a wheel of emotions when connecting to these characters that you just don't see as genuine.
With the way this ended, I KNOW there is going to be a book 2. Rumor already has it and I've heard it and now I can understand why and I cannot wait. I'd read book 2 ASAP if it was already out!!! The plot twists and the end absolutely baffled me and I was not expecting what was given. I guessed some of it but there was SOOO much. The more I write this review, the more I need book 2 LMAO
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves or is willing to give Korean mythology a try!! I had never read anything like this before and I absolutely devoured it. It has slight fantasy elements, but it was more of an action book with thriller aspects to it! Please give this a try it is so unique and different but in the best way possible!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The blurb of this book HOOKED me I had to start this ASAP!!
Loving somebody is needing two hearts to live instead of just the one. You're better off alone.
THE PLOT
Five of the most dangerous liars in the land have unbeknownst them been gathered to work together for a single mission: kill the god king Joon. Under his merciless rule, nobles flourish while the poor and innocent suffer and are often sold. Now, each of the five "blades" will come for him. They can all agree on murder. They can all conspire. But it is not enough to forge alliances. They have to find a way to trust each other, but only one can take the crown. May the best liar win.
"I'm nothing but a blade."
"You are made of steel, but you are so much more."
MY THOUGHTS
Not once in this book could I ever predict what was going to happen. This book threw my for a loop EVERY chapter. You never know what to expect; you never know what's going to happen next.
When I first started this book, I didn't know what to think but I was almost immediately drawn in. The world building, the characters, the actual plot, the relationship between the characters...I loved all of it. This book is very heavy on character depth and you really need to get to know the characters before you can jump into this story. Each one of them were unique and had their own motives for why they wanted the god king Joon dead. At first, it was hard to keep up. You get EVERY character's POV. So a lot of names to remember and a lot of backstories to keep in mind. However, I think that's what set this book apart from others is just how much thought and depth Mia Corland put into her characters when she was writing this.
The plot itself was not what I was expecting. The blurb that comes with the book is a bit misleading...let me explain. Over 300 pages of this book is getting to know the characters and how they relate to each other and come together. The supposed MAIN point of the book was supposed to be to kill the king. However, that acted more as a subplot. The main point of the book was how the characters come together and their JOURNEY to kill the king, rather than the action of actually killing the king.
Another thing I really loved about this book was the romance subplot of the characters in this book. I was not expecting it, but I LOVED it!! As if I thought these characters couldn't get more real, bring in the slight romance. You see relationships grow and you see relationships break. You feel a wheel of emotions when connecting to these characters that you just don't see as genuine.
With the way this ended, I KNOW there is going to be a book 2. Rumor already has it and I've heard it and now I can understand why and I cannot wait. I'd read book 2 ASAP if it was already out!!! The plot twists and the end absolutely baffled me and I was not expecting what was given. I guessed some of it but there was SOOO much. The more I write this review, the more I need book 2 LMAO
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves or is willing to give Korean mythology a try!! I had never read anything like this before and I absolutely devoured it. It has slight fantasy elements, but it was more of an action book with thriller aspects to it! Please give this a try it is so unique and different but in the best way possible!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The blurb of this book HOOKED me I had to start this ASAP!!
June 30, 2024
The pacing was horrendous and I only liked 2 out of the 6 main characters. Ugh I’m so mad rn almost 500 pages and for what?
Review to come. Book gets 2 stars…..
BUT my buddy read with My Beloved Queen Maeghan 💖 gets ♾️ ⭐️’s. 🥹 thank you for going on this wild ride with me lol. I can’t wait for our next adventure 💖💖
Review to come. Book gets 2 stars…..
BUT my buddy read with My Beloved Queen Maeghan 💖 gets ♾️ ⭐️’s. 🥹 thank you for going on this wild ride with me lol. I can’t wait for our next adventure 💖💖
June 26, 2024
"We're all bound by this mission. I suppose we all have our own reasons and secrets, but we just killed for one another and hid one another's crimes. That's a kind of blood ship stronger than kin or clan."
I really enjoyed sitting down and reading this book. I could not put it down once I started it, the easy writing and short chapters made this a fast and enjoyable read. The mystery and plot twists kept you glued to the pages wanting to know "who did it?" The characters and their backstories were all different and creative. A thief, a strongman, a spy, an assassin, a nobleman, and an exiled prince made up a band of unlikely characters that simply made the book the entertaining adventure that it was. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the banter they all had.
"For now, we've saved each other. Tomorrow, we may stab each other in the back...Hard to say."🤣
THE PLOT
The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon. But for these five killers―each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal―it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.
CHARACTERS
↝Euyn--exiled prince, brother of King Joon
↝Mikail--King Joon's spymaster & Euyn's lover
↝Sora--poison maiden owned by a count who wants her freedom
↝Tiyung-nobleman and son of the count who owns Sora
↝Aeri-a thief who wants to impress her father
↝Royo-strongman hired by Aeri, wants to right a past wrong
There are some hints of romance mixed into the book as characters build their own alliances and relationships.
"I tried to forget you while I was gone. It woul've been better for the both of us, I'm sure. But its not possible. It's never going to be possible"
I took a few steps closer to him. "Why is that?"
He turns and faces me, "Because I'd know you in this life and the next hundred."
"Why did you do that?" I asked. "You just risked death to kiss me."
Sora, I'd die a hundred times to kiss your lips."
I will say the synopsis was a little misleading. Even though they all band together to complete the same mission, this story was more about the journey along the way. The first 75% of the story is about the development of the characters and their backstories and not the mission itself. There are very mixed reviews on this one but overall I found it to be a very easy, quick, and enjoyable read.
Book Club pick of the month! Fingers Crossed! Can’t wait to see what it brings!🤞💖
March 24, 2024
DNF-Ed about 50%
I can’t with Red Tower. This was so disjointed. The character development? Absent.
Aeri… the most insufferable pick me girl. “I’m loud and I’m quirky and I’m bubbly and I haven’t bathed in a week and got thrown into the sea and sweat so much but I still smell like flowers.”
And Royo??? This man who is supposed to be an unfeeling, intimidating assassin… spends two minutes in the presence of a love interest and is like “wow the world is good” stfu
I can’t with Red Tower. This was so disjointed. The character development? Absent.
Aeri… the most insufferable pick me girl. “I’m loud and I’m quirky and I’m bubbly and I haven’t bathed in a week and got thrown into the sea and sweat so much but I still smell like flowers.”
And Royo??? This man who is supposed to be an unfeeling, intimidating assassin… spends two minutes in the presence of a love interest and is like “wow the world is good” stfu
July 2, 2024
Blog | Instagram
Rating: 3 stars
'Five Broken Blades' turned out to be quite different from what I expected, with a heavy focus on the main characters and their romantic relationships. Sadly, I was not fond of the characters or romance.
Similar read: Star Bringer by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟
Although I do not find this cover captivating, the blades and red background nicely allude to the lethal characters and the dangers they face. It would have been even better if the cover art had stronger ties to the story rather than just featuring five blades.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟
Despite having six points of view (POVs), the casual writing style made this an easy read, and I liked the complete picture provided by the different perspectives. However, the use of multiple POVs made the story a slow burn and constantly dispelled the tension built through cliffhanger chapter endings. The world also seemed painfully generic and underdeveloped, although the creatures were interesting.
"The world will grab and pull at your humanity, try to strip you bare, but ultimately you decide whether to hang on or let go."
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟
Fans of character-driven stories with lots of travelling will enjoy this storyline, but I did not find it gripping. Even though there were moments of danger and mystery, much of the focus was on establishing the six main characters and their relationships, resulting in a thin storyline that only picked up in the final third. I must admit, the climax was thrilling, and I loved the surprising twists that set the stage for the next book.
Main character(s): 🌟🌟
The six main characters, with their unique personalities, backstories, and struggles, were memorable and full of depth. However, this required a lot of information, leaving little room for the characters to grow and making their narratives less fascinating. I also found the casual portrayal of sexist views by these characters off-putting.
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟
A handful of secondary characters contribute to the storyline, but they lacked depth and came across as one-dimensional.
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
The forced romance relies heavily on tropes and instant attractions between all three couples. I cringed at lines like these at the first meeting between two characters:
"I mean, yeah, he's a violent killer, but no one's perfect."
and
"Our hands fit together like a lock and key, but it's more than that. He feels like home."
Still, each couple had a unique dynamic and some sweet moments that somewhat made up for the constant horniness.
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟
The different narrators for each POV made these transitions smooth, and their character voices enhanced the listening experience. However, some narrators lacked natural inflexions and failed to express much emotional range.
Rating: 3 stars
'Five Broken Blades' turned out to be quite different from what I expected, with a heavy focus on the main characters and their romantic relationships. Sadly, I was not fond of the characters or romance.
Similar read: Star Bringer by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟
Although I do not find this cover captivating, the blades and red background nicely allude to the lethal characters and the dangers they face. It would have been even better if the cover art had stronger ties to the story rather than just featuring five blades.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟
Despite having six points of view (POVs), the casual writing style made this an easy read, and I liked the complete picture provided by the different perspectives. However, the use of multiple POVs made the story a slow burn and constantly dispelled the tension built through cliffhanger chapter endings. The world also seemed painfully generic and underdeveloped, although the creatures were interesting.
"The world will grab and pull at your humanity, try to strip you bare, but ultimately you decide whether to hang on or let go."
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟
Fans of character-driven stories with lots of travelling will enjoy this storyline, but I did not find it gripping. Even though there were moments of danger and mystery, much of the focus was on establishing the six main characters and their relationships, resulting in a thin storyline that only picked up in the final third. I must admit, the climax was thrilling, and I loved the surprising twists that set the stage for the next book.
Main character(s): 🌟🌟
The six main characters, with their unique personalities, backstories, and struggles, were memorable and full of depth. However, this required a lot of information, leaving little room for the characters to grow and making their narratives less fascinating. I also found the casual portrayal of sexist views by these characters off-putting.
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟
A handful of secondary characters contribute to the storyline, but they lacked depth and came across as one-dimensional.
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
The forced romance relies heavily on tropes and instant attractions between all three couples. I cringed at lines like these at the first meeting between two characters:
"I mean, yeah, he's a violent killer, but no one's perfect."
and
"Our hands fit together like a lock and key, but it's more than that. He feels like home."
Still, each couple had a unique dynamic and some sweet moments that somewhat made up for the constant horniness.
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟
The different narrators for each POV made these transitions smooth, and their character voices enhanced the listening experience. However, some narrators lacked natural inflexions and failed to express much emotional range.
May 18, 2024
⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
( finished. ) 𓆩🍀𓆪 . . . 1 4 / 0 5 / 2 4 ! THAT WAS FUN OKAY MAI CORLAND I SEE U. this was such a fun read (help rina, so insightful 😭) ! so six of crows coded, except i thought this was infinitely better. while the concept may not break new ground in the fantasy genre, it was engaging and enjoyable, and at the end of the day that's all that matters to me ( 3.5★ rounded up ).
⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
⌗ ◌ 🍶𓂃 𓈒𓏸 pre-read
﹙started﹚ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 1 2 / 0 5 / 2 4 ⊹
i haven't read adult fantasy in saur long. i'm nervous to step back into this genre. did i drop to my knees after i read the summary for this book ? that is something i will never confess.
( finished. ) 𓆩🍀𓆪 . . . 1 4 / 0 5 / 2 4 ! THAT WAS FUN OKAY MAI CORLAND I SEE U. this was such a fun read (help rina, so insightful 😭) ! so six of crows coded, except i thought this was infinitely better. while the concept may not break new ground in the fantasy genre, it was engaging and enjoyable, and at the end of the day that's all that matters to me ( 3.5★ rounded up ).
⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
⌗ ◌ 🍶𓂃 𓈒𓏸 pre-read
﹙started﹚ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 1 2 / 0 5 / 2 4 ⊹
i haven't read adult fantasy in saur long. i'm nervous to step back into this genre. did i drop to my knees after i read the summary for this book ? that is something i will never confess.
April 4, 2024
I feel like I didn't read the same book that everyone else did.
April 3, 2024
3.5 Stars
Was I entertained? Yes. Did this book blow me away? No. The plot was good and the characters were fine but neither are that memorable. Pacing was kinda at a 6-7/10 the whole time, including the end. I never felt that there was any real intensity or parts I just "couldn't put down" but on the flip side, every chapter was entertaining and kept me engaged so there were no slow parts either. It kind of felt like a lesser version of Six of Crows but with enough uniqueness to make it stand on its own. I felt that the twist was well done actually! It didn't leave me jaw dropped but it was good enough to make me kinda excited for book 2. Book has LGBTQ+ rep which I always appreciate so points for that but if were on the topic of romance I should mention: the romance is not the best. I think it would've benefited from a more slow burn approach to some of these relationships, some not even materializing until book 2 or 3 (assuming a third book). It all just felt kind of half-baked or rushed and maybe taking the time to let the relationships feel more natural rather than just pairing them off early and going "and you kiss now" would've led to a better emotional response to the characters. Listen I am a mood reader and do not review at a professional level so take these points with a grain of salt and develop you own opinions because they can be vastly different. If you have the chance to read this book, I recommend picking it up and seeing for yourself, you'll find things to enjoy.
Was I entertained? Yes. Did this book blow me away? No. The plot was good and the characters were fine but neither are that memorable. Pacing was kinda at a 6-7/10 the whole time, including the end. I never felt that there was any real intensity or parts I just "couldn't put down" but on the flip side, every chapter was entertaining and kept me engaged so there were no slow parts either. It kind of felt like a lesser version of Six of Crows but with enough uniqueness to make it stand on its own. I felt that the twist was well done actually! It didn't leave me jaw dropped but it was good enough to make me kinda excited for book 2. Book has LGBTQ+ rep which I always appreciate so points for that but if were on the topic of romance I should mention: the romance is not the best. I think it would've benefited from a more slow burn approach to some of these relationships, some not even materializing until book 2 or 3 (assuming a third book). It all just felt kind of half-baked or rushed and maybe taking the time to let the relationships feel more natural rather than just pairing them off early and going "and you kiss now" would've led to a better emotional response to the characters. Listen I am a mood reader and do not review at a professional level so take these points with a grain of salt and develop you own opinions because they can be vastly different. If you have the chance to read this book, I recommend picking it up and seeing for yourself, you'll find things to enjoy.
May 17, 2024
SO GOOD! I need to the next book now……the way im so invested in all of these characters.
It took me a second to figure out who was who with all the povs but this was such a fun book
It took me a second to figure out who was who with all the povs but this was such a fun book
April 5, 2024
Exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't put it down!
Five of the most dangerous liars have to learn to work together to commit an assassination. You get multiple different first-person POVs, and the characters were easy to keep separate because they each had their own unique personalities and wants/outcomes from the mission.
My favorite character was Sora, the poison maiden. I found her character to be so unique and totally badass! She was one of 18 girls who were sold to a count and put through an illegal poison school where they were slowly dosed with poisons so they'd become immune. She was a total badass.
You also had so many good tropes - grumpy/sunshine, protective, good banter, tending to wounds, one bedroom etc.
Uncovering the lies and trying to figure out who would betray who was so much fun. In the end, my theory was wrong, but the twist was omg so much fun! I can't wait for book 2!
Five of the most dangerous liars have to learn to work together to commit an assassination. You get multiple different first-person POVs, and the characters were easy to keep separate because they each had their own unique personalities and wants/outcomes from the mission.
My favorite character was Sora, the poison maiden. I found her character to be so unique and totally badass! She was one of 18 girls who were sold to a count and put through an illegal poison school where they were slowly dosed with poisons so they'd become immune. She was a total badass.
You also had so many good tropes - grumpy/sunshine, protective, good banter, tending to wounds, one bedroom etc.
Uncovering the lies and trying to figure out who would betray who was so much fun. In the end, my theory was wrong, but the twist was omg so much fun! I can't wait for book 2!
Read
June 18, 2024Well? That’s it. I’m done with pretty books unless I’ve read many of the author’s books.
I think I’ll see what else I have on preorder and cancel them. I’m tired of wasting money. I still have a few that have already came through the mail so I’ll hope I love them.
I mean this is what the libraries for. I don’t care if I don’t get a cool stenciled edge any more.
BOOM! I said it 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I think I’ll see what else I have on preorder and cancel them. I’m tired of wasting money. I still have a few that have already came through the mail so I’ll hope I love them.
I mean this is what the libraries for. I don’t care if I don’t get a cool stenciled edge any more.
BOOM! I said it 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
June 21, 2024
The Formal Review
If you ever thought your decision making skills were kinda wonky, well, I stayed up all night the day before I was going on a long-journey vacation finishing up a book that I'm giving two stars.
Five Broken Blades tries to be a lot of things: high fantasy, twisty heist drama, found family of morally grey characters... but what it ends up being is a malformed romance, coupled with juvenile writing and a lacklustre narrative style.
I don't know if I'm extra salty because I'm sensing that my fantasy era is fizzling to a pathetic end or because of my chronic sleep deprivation. Is this what watching bad action films feels like? Because I really don't understand how this book made me waste the most precious six hours of my day.
This book follows six main characters: a hitman called Royo, another hit-woman called... fuck I don't care to look up, something with a S, her protector-slash-owner Tyung, a thief called Aeri, an exiled prince and a spy. All of them are recruited to assassinate the reigning emperor, who is, unfortunately, immortal. None of them trust each other. What happens next is the supposed plot of the book.
I say "supposed", because I'm actually not sure if it was, in fact, the focus of the book. From what I saw, they were all busy falling oh-so-madly in love. And even the romance wasn't written right. My feelings towards various booktok tropes are lukewarm at best. I don't care if you want to advertise the central aspect of your book through a string of preformed words like one-bed-only or second-chance-romance; just make sure that that's not all we're getting, okay? Unfortunately, the love stories in this book didn't get past their one-word summations. We spent the entire book building up the tropes, and then, out of the blue, they were all kissing and stuff.
One of my biggest quibbles about these books is their perceived sexism. If I were making up a fantastical world from scratch, why would I make all the men chauvinist pigs? I'm so fed up with this. We don't need sexism in fantasy novels to make the female characters seem extra-special. Ordinary women can be as much of a wonder woman if given the chance. At the same time, just because these men aren't your girl-scout cinnamon rolls, they don't need to be wannabe Andrew Tates either.
The writing was rather inadequate for something of this magnitude. Action scenes were drawn out to a stretch, characters weren't three-dimensional, and a lot of significant things were happening off-page. Add to that countless unnecessary povs (I like you, Ty, but you don't matter shit), shallow side characters who also does nothing for the story, and overly simplistic, adjective-deficient prose, you get Five Broken Blades. But as I'm repeating non-stop, it did glue me to itself, so there has to be something addictive there. Or I'm even more of a dumb dumb than I thought.
Also, how anticlimactic was that ending? You could totally read someone's spoilery review and jump into the second book; you wouldn't be missing that much.
TL;DR:- I want a refund for my wasted sleeping hours.
Thoughts While Reading
* I'll never get over high fantasy swearing. What do you mean you say "Gods on high" every time you trip on a pebble? lol.
* Whoa, "Lord Yama, the king of hells" is mentioned. Indian mythology is that you?
* In the matter of life and death, be horny.
* Nothing is sexier than second-chance romance if it's done right. But is it done right?
*One of the characters is giving Fanfiction Draco Malfoy, and I'm not sure I'm thrilled about that.
* I don't know what goes on inside the heads of fantasy writers, but I would've picked prettier names for the minor characters.
*Wait, I can't find my jaw, did it just land on the floor?
* Why is it "five" broken blades when there are six main characters? Am I missing something?
* Just pulled an all-nighter for this. It wasn't even worth it. What am I going to do with myself?
* How can you write a book with grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers, and second chance romance tropes, and turn all of them into insta love? smh.
If you ever thought your decision making skills were kinda wonky, well, I stayed up all night the day before I was going on a long-journey vacation finishing up a book that I'm giving two stars.
Five Broken Blades tries to be a lot of things: high fantasy, twisty heist drama, found family of morally grey characters... but what it ends up being is a malformed romance, coupled with juvenile writing and a lacklustre narrative style.
I don't know if I'm extra salty because I'm sensing that my fantasy era is fizzling to a pathetic end or because of my chronic sleep deprivation. Is this what watching bad action films feels like? Because I really don't understand how this book made me waste the most precious six hours of my day.
This book follows six main characters: a hitman called Royo, another hit-woman called... fuck I don't care to look up, something with a S, her protector-slash-owner Tyung, a thief called Aeri, an exiled prince and a spy. All of them are recruited to assassinate the reigning emperor, who is, unfortunately, immortal. None of them trust each other. What happens next is the supposed plot of the book.
I say "supposed", because I'm actually not sure if it was, in fact, the focus of the book. From what I saw, they were all busy falling oh-so-madly in love. And even the romance wasn't written right. My feelings towards various booktok tropes are lukewarm at best. I don't care if you want to advertise the central aspect of your book through a string of preformed words like one-bed-only or second-chance-romance; just make sure that that's not all we're getting, okay? Unfortunately, the love stories in this book didn't get past their one-word summations. We spent the entire book building up the tropes, and then, out of the blue, they were all kissing and stuff.
One of my biggest quibbles about these books is their perceived sexism. If I were making up a fantastical world from scratch, why would I make all the men chauvinist pigs? I'm so fed up with this. We don't need sexism in fantasy novels to make the female characters seem extra-special. Ordinary women can be as much of a wonder woman if given the chance. At the same time, just because these men aren't your girl-scout cinnamon rolls, they don't need to be wannabe Andrew Tates either.
The writing was rather inadequate for something of this magnitude. Action scenes were drawn out to a stretch, characters weren't three-dimensional, and a lot of significant things were happening off-page. Add to that countless unnecessary povs (I like you, Ty, but you don't matter shit), shallow side characters who also does nothing for the story, and overly simplistic, adjective-deficient prose, you get Five Broken Blades. But as I'm repeating non-stop, it did glue me to itself, so there has to be something addictive there. Or I'm even more of a dumb dumb than I thought.
Also, how anticlimactic was that ending? You could totally read someone's spoilery review and jump into the second book; you wouldn't be missing that much.
TL;DR:- I want a refund for my wasted sleeping hours.
Thoughts While Reading
* I'll never get over high fantasy swearing. What do you mean you say "Gods on high" every time you trip on a pebble? lol.
* Whoa, "Lord Yama, the king of hells" is mentioned. Indian mythology is that you?
* In the matter of life and death, be horny.
* Nothing is sexier than second-chance romance if it's done right. But is it done right?
*One of the characters is giving Fanfiction Draco Malfoy, and I'm not sure I'm thrilled about that.
* I don't know what goes on inside the heads of fantasy writers, but I would've picked prettier names for the minor characters.
*Wait, I can't find my jaw, did it just land on the floor?
* Why is it "five" broken blades when there are six main characters? Am I missing something?
* Just pulled an all-nighter for this. It wasn't even worth it. What am I going to do with myself?
* How can you write a book with grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers, and second chance romance tropes, and turn all of them into insta love? smh.
May 20, 2024
all of the people saying this is better than six of crows have got to be suffering from mass psychosis.
everything about this book pissed me off, namely:
- the terrible writing (worst case of “tell don’t show” I’ve ever seen)
- characters that were either bland or insufferable
- the laughably predictable plot twist (the “foreshadowing” was so heavy handed that I guessed the twist less than 15% in)
- the world building that was practically non-existent
- romances that were so ridiculous I was rolling my eyes every page (someone “feels like home” immediately after meeting them??? be so serious)
and if I took a shot every time a main male character (who we’re supposed to sympathize with and find likable) said something overtly sexist or referred to grown women as “girls” my liver would’ve shriveled up and died.
only thing that would’ve made this book better is if all of the characters were executed for treason at the end.
everything about this book pissed me off, namely:
- the terrible writing (worst case of “tell don’t show” I’ve ever seen)
- characters that were either bland or insufferable
- the laughably predictable plot twist (the “foreshadowing” was so heavy handed that I guessed the twist less than 15% in)
- the world building that was practically non-existent
- romances that were so ridiculous I was rolling my eyes every page (someone “feels like home” immediately after meeting them??? be so serious)
and if I took a shot every time a main male character (who we’re supposed to sympathize with and find likable) said something overtly sexist or referred to grown women as “girls” my liver would’ve shriveled up and died.
only thing that would’ve made this book better is if all of the characters were executed for treason at the end.
June 16, 2024
Yours—in this life and the next.
A thief, a strongman, a spy, an assassin, a nobleman, and an exiled prince walk into a bar… Yup, pretty sure chaos will ensue. The reader immediately jumps right into the action, and Corland’s writing makes it very easy to acclimatize to the characters and different points of view. The reader is the keeper of secrets. He or she knows everything the characters don’t know about each other… Well, maybe not everything. My head was spinning by the end! Is there a traitor in the group? Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else and what is happening?!?
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite character. I was so glad Royo was introduced to the group, as he hardly fit into the motley crew and contributed a lot of humor to the story. Euyn and Mikail’s undying love for each other? Swoon. I already can’t wait for book two! Red Tower Books’ special editions are to die for. 😍
Side note: I spent a good 300+ pages pronouncing Euyn as Yoon. My husband pointed out to me, “It’s probably Ian.” I’m a dumbass. 🤦🏻♀️
Edited to add: Mai Corland has confirmed Euyn’s pronunciation IS Yoon! I’m a genius!
A thief, a strongman, a spy, an assassin, a nobleman, and an exiled prince walk into a bar… Yup, pretty sure chaos will ensue. The reader immediately jumps right into the action, and Corland’s writing makes it very easy to acclimatize to the characters and different points of view. The reader is the keeper of secrets. He or she knows everything the characters don’t know about each other… Well, maybe not everything. My head was spinning by the end! Is there a traitor in the group? Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else and what is happening?!?
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite character. I was so glad Royo was introduced to the group, as he hardly fit into the motley crew and contributed a lot of humor to the story. Euyn and Mikail’s undying love for each other? Swoon. I already can’t wait for book two! Red Tower Books’ special editions are to die for. 😍
Side note: I spent a good 300+ pages pronouncing Euyn as Yoon. My husband pointed out to me, “It’s probably Ian.” I’m a dumbass. 🤦🏻♀️
Edited to add: Mai Corland has confirmed Euyn’s pronunciation IS Yoon! I’m a genius!
May 10, 2024
DNF @ 80% but I'm actually going to rate this since I read over halfway.
The plot and the characters were interesting, but I couldn't get past the writing. There was too much telling, not enough showing. Like, something would be really obvious, but then a character would follow it up with an unnecessary explanation. This happened more times than I could count.
It didn't help that the narration from half of the characters felt very much like those scenes in reality tv shows, where someone is explaining what was going on in their head during a dramatic situation. That's really the best way I can describe it.
The plot and the characters were interesting, but I couldn't get past the writing. There was too much telling, not enough showing. Like, something would be really obvious, but then a character would follow it up with an unnecessary explanation. This happened more times than I could count.
It didn't help that the narration from half of the characters felt very much like those scenes in reality tv shows, where someone is explaining what was going on in their head during a dramatic situation. That's really the best way I can describe it.
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 3, 2024dnf… sorry but i’m not about to let yall convince me this is good when it’s literally just characters being horny for each other ALREADY when i’m only 50 pages in and idk the assassin guys pov was just corny as fuck like i cannot take it
Want to read
May 6, 2024new friend group activity just dropped: murder
February 29, 2024
A solid 4.5. I’m mostly upset that I have to wait for a sequel for a book that hasn’t even been published yet
June 27, 2024
In a world where deception is currency, Mai Corland's Five Broken Blades asks: What happens when the deadliest liars in the land are forced to work together?
📍 New Adult Fantasy
📍 Korean-Inspired
📍 Morally Gray Characters
📍 Multiple POVs
📍 Romantic Subplots
I loved the Korean-inspired world and fast-paced plot full of twists. The morally gray characters kept me guessing. However, juggling six different perspectives sometimes felt overwhelming and made it hard to connect deeply with anyone.
While not perfect, I found it an entertaining read overall. If you enjoy political intrigue and complex characters in your fantasy, give this one a shot.
📍 New Adult Fantasy
📍 Korean-Inspired
📍 Morally Gray Characters
📍 Multiple POVs
📍 Romantic Subplots
I loved the Korean-inspired world and fast-paced plot full of twists. The morally gray characters kept me guessing. However, juggling six different perspectives sometimes felt overwhelming and made it hard to connect deeply with anyone.
While not perfect, I found it an entertaining read overall. If you enjoy political intrigue and complex characters in your fantasy, give this one a shot.
Read
June 12, 2024dnf @ 42%
fantasy books with 4+ POVs are not typically my favorite so take my opinion with a grain of salt
i just didn’t vibe with the writing style. its the author’s adult debut but the writing feels very YA and a bit repetitive.
i hoped the romance would save me but 2/3 couples met off page and nearly every couple had some form of insta-lust 😭
there wasn’t much lying or plotting or murdering going on … it was more like 3 couples traveling separately and being horny
so it lost me :(
fantasy books with 4+ POVs are not typically my favorite so take my opinion with a grain of salt
i just didn’t vibe with the writing style. its the author’s adult debut but the writing feels very YA and a bit repetitive.
i hoped the romance would save me but 2/3 couples met off page and nearly every couple had some form of insta-lust 😭
there wasn’t much lying or plotting or murdering going on … it was more like 3 couples traveling separately and being horny
so it lost me :(
Want to read
May 10, 2024i'm so easy to influence bc cari just pitched this as an adult six of crows so naturally i am here now
May 15, 2024
2.5⭐ because at least I finished it, but I think the author thinks I'm a moron.
The... Abhorrent and blatant sexism throughout this book is literally 90% of the character traits. There was not a single chapter where the words "for a girl" or "my whore of a mother" were said. Either that, or a character was staring at a woman's legs. There is SO much leg-staring. Even while they're literally escaping death at each turn. "Her long legs catch my eye as I bury an ax in my opponents head." (That's not an actual quote but that's the vibe... very cringe 😬)
One of the redeeming factors (because it was.. unique?) and yet one of its biggest downfalls is that this book reads like a bunch of monologuing diary entries. It felt like I was being talked at during a reality tv interview.
The only POV that sounded like an actual human adult wrote it was Sora, the only character worth liking. And maybe Ty, whose POV DOESN'T SHOW UP UNTIL LITERALLY PAGE 167. Your entire premise is "five liars" and there's 6 people. Just change the tagline, or don't introduce a character's POV if it adds literally nothing to the story because it doesn't, we find out all his "secrets" from someone else! His POV was literally so pointless and like I guess he came into use later in the story, but initially he had NO reason to be there.
Also, it takes until 72 pages til the end for the "heist" to even happen, then it's done and we move on with the "twist" which lasts a page or whatever and then it's done.
I kept reading because actually I liked how short most of the chapters were, I appreciated the quick jumps between POVs. Mostly because, again, the characters had the personality of sawdust. But the author didn't trust the reader to understand the hints and clues being dropped. She kept repeating things that I caught onto the first time and then she was like "DID YOU GET THAT?!? HE DOESN'T TRUST HER"
The only thing I think I can maybe forgive is the instalove? Since we get most everyone's back stories you can kind of forgive that. Even though I'd have a hard time loving someone who repeatedly call his mother a whore. Also, hence the 6th POV because that makes it so much more convenient to pair off everyone with their travel buddy.
Idk, like this review if you felt that you read a totally different book than everyone else. It's so annoying because I'm a girl who gave Fourth Wing 5 stars. The vibes were there! FW wasn't a work of literary art by any means but the immersion was there and I'll rate well based on vibes anyday. But this is now my third attempt with a Red Tower book after the DISASTER that Sanctuary of the Shadow was 🤢
So where does this leave me? Do I cancel all my preorders from Red Tower? They're beautiful books but at what cost. AT WHAT COST, RED TOWER?
The... Abhorrent and blatant sexism throughout this book is literally 90% of the character traits. There was not a single chapter where the words "for a girl" or "my whore of a mother" were said. Either that, or a character was staring at a woman's legs. There is SO much leg-staring. Even while they're literally escaping death at each turn. "Her long legs catch my eye as I bury an ax in my opponents head." (That's not an actual quote but that's the vibe... very cringe 😬)
One of the redeeming factors (because it was.. unique?) and yet one of its biggest downfalls is that this book reads like a bunch of monologuing diary entries. It felt like I was being talked at during a reality tv interview.
The only POV that sounded like an actual human adult wrote it was Sora, the only character worth liking. And maybe Ty, whose POV DOESN'T SHOW UP UNTIL LITERALLY PAGE 167. Your entire premise is "five liars" and there's 6 people. Just change the tagline, or don't introduce a character's POV if it adds literally nothing to the story because it doesn't, we find out all his "secrets" from someone else! His POV was literally so pointless and like I guess he came into use later in the story, but initially he had NO reason to be there.
Also, it takes until 72 pages til the end for the "heist" to even happen, then it's done and we move on with the "twist" which lasts a page or whatever and then it's done.
I kept reading because actually I liked how short most of the chapters were, I appreciated the quick jumps between POVs. Mostly because, again, the characters had the personality of sawdust. But the author didn't trust the reader to understand the hints and clues being dropped. She kept repeating things that I caught onto the first time and then she was like "DID YOU GET THAT?!? HE DOESN'T TRUST HER"
The only thing I think I can maybe forgive is the instalove? Since we get most everyone's back stories you can kind of forgive that. Even though I'd have a hard time loving someone who repeatedly call his mother a whore. Also, hence the 6th POV because that makes it so much more convenient to pair off everyone with their travel buddy.
Idk, like this review if you felt that you read a totally different book than everyone else. It's so annoying because I'm a girl who gave Fourth Wing 5 stars. The vibes were there! FW wasn't a work of literary art by any means but the immersion was there and I'll rate well based on vibes anyday. But this is now my third attempt with a Red Tower book after the DISASTER that Sanctuary of the Shadow was 🤢
So where does this leave me? Do I cancel all my preorders from Red Tower? They're beautiful books but at what cost. AT WHAT COST, RED TOWER?
July 7, 2024
First of all, this novel is physically GORGEOUS!!! The sprayed edges with stenciled artwork are sublime!
Second of all, the book is actually great! The plot itself is simple: five killers, for five different reasons, want to kill Yusan's God king Joon. But a god is immortal, no? Surprise: someone found a way to (probably) make him mortal. The author slowly guides us through our 6 companions’ tumultuous journey to the next god-king's public appearance... a journey throughout which they'll have to fight tooth and nail to survive, learn to trust each other, heal old wounds and maybe even find love. The intrigue was thrilling and enjoyable! I just had to survive the plot twists but the author sprinkled just the right amount of clues through the whole novel for everything to cohesively come together by the end!
What I truly enjoyed was the 6 POVs. I found it was a great way to slowly introduce the characters and their haunting backstories without overwhelming the reader. The heroes themselves were from different socio-economic status, had different skin tones, sexual orientations, different biases and flaws!
Yes, I love me some tragic heroes! Euyn, for example, was raised to be very sexist but seems to be learning from it: "She's very smart for a girl, but then again, she is an assassin. Maybe I should give her more credit."
I also found it beautiful that the power of love was a recurrent theme: "The odd thing is, I remember feeling taken care of by our parents. We were poor, like the rest of our village, but we were happy. I never doubted that we were loved..." The fact that our 5 blades (and Ty) begin to overcome their trauma and heal in this new found family of dangerous champions is heartwarming.
I am giving it 4 stars because I found some of the interpersonal connections and attractions too hastily made and some of the dialogue leading to it was a little on the nose.
This novel is well worth the read... I have already pre-ordered the sequel and will probably re-read Five Broken Blades in a few months to make sure I picked up on every little detail! Well done Mai Corland!
Second of all, the book is actually great! The plot itself is simple: five killers, for five different reasons, want to kill Yusan's God king Joon. But a god is immortal, no? Surprise: someone found a way to (probably) make him mortal. The author slowly guides us through our 6 companions’ tumultuous journey to the next god-king's public appearance... a journey throughout which they'll have to fight tooth and nail to survive, learn to trust each other, heal old wounds and maybe even find love. The intrigue was thrilling and enjoyable! I just had to survive the plot twists but the author sprinkled just the right amount of clues through the whole novel for everything to cohesively come together by the end!
What I truly enjoyed was the 6 POVs. I found it was a great way to slowly introduce the characters and their haunting backstories without overwhelming the reader. The heroes themselves were from different socio-economic status, had different skin tones, sexual orientations, different biases and flaws!
Yes, I love me some tragic heroes! Euyn, for example, was raised to be very sexist but seems to be learning from it: "She's very smart for a girl, but then again, she is an assassin. Maybe I should give her more credit."
I also found it beautiful that the power of love was a recurrent theme: "The odd thing is, I remember feeling taken care of by our parents. We were poor, like the rest of our village, but we were happy. I never doubted that we were loved..." The fact that our 5 blades (and Ty) begin to overcome their trauma and heal in this new found family of dangerous champions is heartwarming.
I am giving it 4 stars because I found some of the interpersonal connections and attractions too hastily made and some of the dialogue leading to it was a little on the nose.
This novel is well worth the read... I have already pre-ordered the sequel and will probably re-read Five Broken Blades in a few months to make sure I picked up on every little detail! Well done Mai Corland!
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