Realmbreaker was good, but it was confusing at times. It was a dense fantasy book with a fairly large page count.

Victoria Aveyard went all in with the intricate worldbuilding which included a ton of descriptive writing. I found myself struggling with the first few chapters and almost DNFd it more than once. However, I will say push through and keep reading because it does get better! I liked the multiple POVs. I really enjoyed the characters - especially Dom and Andry! I can't wait to watch the characters grow.

Also... THAT ENDING has me impatiently waiting for the next book because I Need to know what happens next

Realmbreaker is a strong start to what I hope is going to be a great new high fantasy series. I highly recommend reading it.

This book starts slow, but has an amazing adventure.  You will travel along with the characters as they decide if they should save their world or destroy it! I could not put it down.

I will be recommending this book for purchase as an addition to our school library.  Thank you for the opportunity to read.

Realm Breaker is set in Allward, a world where Spindles - doors to other realms - are thought to be a myth, as are the Immortals and Elders, beings who can manipulate the Spindlegates that connect Allward to other realms.  The prologue details a disastrous battle which takes place when Companions of the Realm seek to stop Taristan, a rogue Immortal, and his wizard accomplice from using a Spindleblade to tear new spindles between realms to aid the evil entity he worships.  Half the companions are human and half are Immortals.  The only two who escape with their lives are Elder Domacridhan and Andry, squire to the knight Cortael, who manages to flee with Cortael's spindleblade.  When the story begins, Dom and Andry are heading to a Spindle temple to thwart Taristan's plans. They must engage the help of Corayne, secret daughter of Cortael and a pirate queen, who has the corblood required to wield the spindleblade.  Along the way they enlist the aid of assassin Sorasa and others to help their cause.  Shifting viewpoints and flashbacks detail the characters' backstories, setting up the quest to protect Allward and make sure the Spindles that can open destabilizing passages between realms are closed.  This complex tale will have readers spellbound as the ragtag band of heroes overcomes one challenge after another

A ton of students love this author but I was never into her previous work. This book though really shows the author's growth and development. I bought a copy for the library and will be getting one for myself as well.

I just could not get into this book.  It is a very slow start with too much information up front and not enough story to hook the reader. I tried twice and I actually plan to try again when less busy, but for now dnf. Sorry.

Aveyard missed the mark here. There are too many characters with too little development. There isn't enough to make the reader particularly care about any of them. She does a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. The plot drags on for pages and pages with nothing happening, and then there will be a brief flash of excitement and we are back to nothingness. The villain feels like a poor man's Sauron. I'd say it's a poorly executed good idea, but the book drags so much that I'm not even totally sure what the idea is, even after finishing it. Some diehard fans will enjoy it, but it felt like an overall miss.

This a tome for sure. Students who love epic fantasy and who have read through Sarah J. Maas' backlog will for sure enjoy this. Many POVs, sweeping world, and action packed. Keep this one in your classrooms for independent reading. It'll be a popular one.

Meh.

I mean, it was ok. It had the potential to be really good, but it was missing...something. I still can't articulate what that something is, but it was enough to keep me from being really invested in this book.

This book was a little difficult at the beginning, just because it introduces A LOT of characters all at once. It took as bit to sort them out. And then the characters keep being problematic. I mean, I liked them, but there was nothing compelling about them, so I ended up just not caring about them, or about what happened to them.

The villain was also an issue for me. We have the classic *he's going to destroy the world* scenario, but the villain isn't really written to command terror. He's a mustache-twirling Snidely Whiplash-type, and it just didn't work for me.

Overall, I was disappointed with this one.

I wish I had enough time to finish this book before it was published! What I've read has stuck with me and I can't wait to purchase the audiobook so I can listen in the car!

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard has been one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of 2021, for me. However, I also felt similarly with Red Queen back in 2015, at least until all of the sequels proceeded to ruin the series for me (mostly)… However, I have hope that the sequels to Realm Breaker will not mess with my mind and heart in the same way! Victoria Aveyard is a master world builder and composes beautifully-written characters whose current lives and past backgrounds draw you in completely. While I was hooked immediately with the stunning map, the introduction to Corayne in chapter 1, Andry in chapter 2, and Sorasa in chapter 5 really, really captivated me. While I am still out on Dom’s character, I also really loved the supporting characters, Erida, Ridha, and Valtik, too, to name a few! The concept of light and darkness as presented in Realm Breaker (and many other fantasy series) never ceases to amaze me. Following in the footsteps of Brandon Sanderson, Sarah J. Maas, and many more, Victoria Aveyard has all of the tools at her disposal that she needs in order to write and complete a stellar, best-selling fantasy series that could surpass Red Queen and prove her growth and adaptability as a writer and author.

Pleasantly surprised with this book. I didn't expect it to be an entire novel of "getting the gang together" but I liked that it spanned as long as it did while moving the actual plot forward. I think it's a great set up to a series that I'll definitely continue!

I loved the “Red Queen” series, so I was very excited to begin this journey and very grateful to NetGalley for letting me read this early! 

Victoria Aveyard just has a way of telling her stories that transports you right into the setting. Realm Breaker did just this and more. I enjoyed the structure of having multiple POV’s without it being too much to follow. 

The concept of a young girl being thrown into an unknown world, being chased by a murderous assassin and the inclusion of a crazy witch had me reading past my bedtime.  I truly enjoyed this one!

Another great work by Aveyard with a whole new cast of characters to follow and love. Reminiscent of the classic found family trope with magic and mystery.

Disclaimer- I don't usually like reading fantasy (I'd rather watch it, tbh), and I also don't usually enjoy series. BUT- Aveyard's "Red Queen" series was awesome and so I leaped at the chance to read her newest one. "Realm Breaker" has a bit for everybody- pirates, assassins, bounty hunters, wizards, villains who don't die, magical zombie like creatures, power hungry queens, etc. so there's obviously characters you can root for. Personally, I wanted more slow burn villain romans, but that's just me. The book definitely builds the world and sets up for a fantastic series, so stay tuned!

This book was an interesting read. There was a lot of excellent world building and since this was the first book it was more focused on the world building and characters then in getting the plot moving but it was really interesting even with so many characters being thrown at you. I can’t to read the next book and see where these characters end up. 

Thanks to Harperteen and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

A very long yet inoffensive YA fantasy that feels forgettable compared to other current genre offerings.

This book has pretty much everything I love about high fantasy: unsuspecting, humble heroes who wish for a bigger life, a misfit group that must work together, interesting antagonists who could be admirable if they’d just make slightly different choices.

At 576 pages, it’s a long book, but it went by quite quickly. The worldbuilding and magic system make sense, as does the way the characters come to work together. Of the characters, so far my favorite is the squire, Andry, and the assassin, Sorasa. But really, the entire “fellowship” is interesting, and each offers something to the group. They each have their own reasons for working together.

As for the antagonists, Erida, the queen, is the most interestingly developed. She has clear-cut reasons for what she does—even if we don’t agree with them.

Bonus: No YA love triangle. In fact, only the merest hints of romance. It does, however, have the “chosen one” teenage girl who is responsible to save the world.

I’ll definitely be telling my friends and students about this one. Looking forward to the next book!

Possible Objectionable Material:
We’re saving the world, folks—there’s lots of fighting with pointy objects, and a fair amount of blood. Sorasa is an assassin, and she enjoys her work. There’s some lying, cheating, and stealing. It’s a fantasy novel, so there’s magic of various types. Mild cursing.

Who Might Like This Book:
People who like epic fantasy and are willing to invest in a series that’s going to take a couple of years to finish. It should appeal to both women and men alike. Although it is marketed as young adult fantasy, it is quite accessible to the adult reader.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Also reviewed at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/08/what-contrast.html

I haven’t ready any of her books yet, which is surprising, so this was my first! It follows Corayne, a girl used to living under the shadow of her famous Pirate mother, hoping for something more. She finds out that she is so much more than she seems, and she is joined on a quest to save the world by a group of unlikely allies. I know it sounds like every other YA book, but it was good! I liked the other characters, especially the witch Valtik - she added a little crazy to a pretty somber journey. 

I really liked Aveyard’s writing style, so I will absolutely be getting to her other books asap! The world building ended up being a little tricky for me. I finished the book and am still a little confused as to what was going on. But it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book at all. And I am excited to see where the story goes, and where these characters end up! 

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I absolutely loved the Red Queen series and was beyond excited when Victoria Aveyard announced she was working on a new series. I followed the progress of Realm Breaker through Aveyard's social media, itching for the day I could, FINALLY, get my hands on a copy. Sadly, I think my anticipation hyped up the book too much and I found myself slightly disappointed with the end result. Don't get me wrong, Aveyard is a FANTASTIC story teller and her books are amazing, but Realm Breaker just didn't live up to my expectations (which, I'll admit, were very high). 

Let's start with what I didn't like....

Aveyard is wonderful world builder. She's not afraid to own up to her nerdy obsession with maps and Realm Breaker has a beautiful map in the front that allows you to fully picture the world she's created. However, all of this world building took up the majority of the book. While I love that she put so much thought and detail into Allward, the descriptions bogged down the storyline a little too much. I felt that over half the book was spent describing the geography of Allward and its inhabitants, which meant less time building the actual plot and character development. 

Speaking of characters, there are a LOT of them. It took me about half the book to remember every character and the part they played. And when the story moved into action sequences...well, I found it a bit hard to follow who was doing what. Additionally, when there are so many characters it's hard to get decent character development for each of them, and I found some of them a little flat.

Now to the parts that I loved...

Like I said, Aveyard knows how to build a world. Allward really does come to life for the reader and you feel that you can easily map out the progression of the characters' travels as they move about the realm. Each kingdom within Allward is well developed and Aveyard gives readers a look at everything from the topography to the culture. You really feel as if you are a citizen of the realm when you read her descriptions.

Though some of the characters fall flat, those that Aveyard does develop further are beautifully fleshed out and you feel as if you are really in their head. I hope that Aveyard is able to spend time developing each character further as the series progresses. 

I'm curious to see where the series goes and what new adventures Aveyard has planned for her ragtag group of heroes and their quest. 

In all, I'm a huge fan of Aveyard and, though Realm Breaker was a bit slow (the action really picking up in the last hundred pages or so), I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.