Cover Image: A Broken Blade

A Broken Blade

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Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Blair and Union Square & Co. for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

*Check CW as this book includes mention of self harm and alcoholism*

I'd like to start out by saying, big applause on the marketing campaign for the original release of this book. I'm on booktok, and the who-wrote-it mystery was awesome! I really enjoyed this story, especially because "booktok favorite" tropes were included, and I'm a 'basic reader' myself (I enjoy all the faves). It is a fantasy/romance story with all your favorite fantasy themes included - which is why I didn't give it a 5 star. It was super enjoyable, but a little too similar to a lot of fantasy books I've read. It would've been nice to have a twist or something that made it stand out more than its marketing.

I'd definitely recommend it, though, to any fantasy fan, and I can't wait to read the other(s).

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Thank you Netgalley and Union Square & Co for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bruh, that cliffhanger! I needed the second book like yesterday after that plot twist!

A Broken Blade is like skipping the first two books of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas and running head first into Heir of Fire. I know, I know, this book gets compared to TOG a lot. There's a lot of similarities to the series and honestly I don't care. I really liked A Broken Blade and it's grumpy slow burn romance. Keera is an amazing female lead and Riven is on my list of book boyfriends except for that mind-blowing cliffhanger. I should have seen that plot twist coming but nope, I was oblivious to it and just as shocked and betrayed as Keera.

Keera is a Halfling and the King's Blade, an assassin bred to kill and do the King's dirty work. When she is ordered to hunt down and kill the ever-eluding Shadow, she has to enter enemy territory. After unmasking the Shadow, she strikes a deal with him and his allies to bring down the Crown and to save Halflings and Elven from the King's wrath. Keera and the Shadow reluctantly work together and begin to build a friendship and maybe something more...

I love the world-building and character development on all characters. A Broken Blade has a diverse cast and great representation. The pacing is slow at first but picks up around the 30% mark.

I love the slow burn romance between Keera and Riven. The tension, the steam, the consent, the legendary One Bed trope, and the enemies to lovers storyline made for an entertaining read. Gosh, the build up between them is written so good.

Though I will say the romance is not the focal point and feels more like an added bonus to the gripping fantasy story.

Keera is a strong protagonist with many flaws. In my opinion I think it's a compliment A Broken Blade is being compared to such a huge series. Keera is a worthy opponent against the Aelins of the YA/NA world. I'm looking forward to reading more about Keera in the next book.

Like seriously, the cliffhanger is killing me. Where's book two?!

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Assassin, Fae, Elves, Halflings along with a morally gray main character, enemies to lovers, and a one bed trope so I think all the boxes have been checked off and included in this story. It was good but not great or fabulous just started too slow for me. I think others might enjoy this more.

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🔪A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair🔪

Rating: 4/5

Thank you NetGalley, Melissa Blair and Union Square & Co. for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to read this book because I remembered that there was a big book too mystery about who the author of the book was. Sadly I wasn’t really apart of booktok when all this was going on so now I’m getting to read this!

A Broken Blade is the debut novel of Melissa Blair and it is amazing! It is a slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance with 2 moody individuals. It’s a little harder to write a review for this book because I don’t want to give anything away. This is just a book you need to read for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!

I did really love Keera, she is trying to do the best she can when for years she has struggled with her past and present. She does struggle with alcoholism (which I’ve seen a lot of people have a problem with because it is fixed so quickly in the book) as well as self harm.

I think the only reason I’m not giving this book a 5 is because I caught so many Throne of Glass parallels. I might have only seen this because I’ve recently read TOG so it’s still fresh in my mind. Overall though it was a really good book and I can’t wait to read the second one.

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A very promising and engaging start to the series! The FMC Keera reminds me so much of Celaena from Throne of Glass, so if that's your kind of heroine, I'd definitely pick this series up. There is the intriguing Shadow which serves as her foil, and lots of political intrigue. A deserving fantasy for sure!

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3,5*
I think there's a lot of potential and it's surely a book i would recommend it you're not into fantasy.
It's entertaining and i liked the characters. The world building is well done, I had some issues with the pace that I found uneven and a bit too slow.
I enjoyed it but I think that the author will surely grow and deliver very interesting stories
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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I reviewed this book prior to the re-release. It seems my review has not changed so I am including the original here.

Overall I think that this hit the mark on what a fantasy book needs. I enjoyed the major plot line, I think it had a lot of major themes that could be relevant to a lot of people, and it had some unique enough bits to it to keep it interesting. (I think the difference between Fae, Elves, Mortals, and Halflings was pretty clear, but it does seem to be a big point of confusion for many, but I thought it was a fun way to differentiate the races.)

What I think is really great about this book is that it could be really accessible to people who either don't read a lot of fantasy, or who are interested in fantasy and need a good starter book. Everyone has that fantasy book that made them obsessed with the genre and I really could see this being that book for someone because it is easy to read and enjoy, but complex enough that it feels satisfying reading it.

With all of that said- was it my favorite book? No. I think it was good. Average. Hence the 3 star rating. I enjoyed it. I would recommend it to others who enjoy this style of book, but I'm not going to rave about it like I have some other books.

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Thank you NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review!

A hooded figure with silver eyes in your horizon, means your moments are numbered. Keera is the king's deadliest assassin and spy. So, when a masked figure called "The Shadow" has been making noise in the kingdom, Keera is assigned to their trail. This finds her crossing into the mysterious Faeland finding answers she wasn't expecting while also being haunted by a promise she made long ago.

*Trigger warnings; addiction, alcoholism, colonialism, depression, self-harm, and systemic violence*

A Broken Blade exceeded my expectations, with so many books about Fae and Elves I thought there were parts of this book that made it stand out for example its Robin Hood inspired fantasy. I give this enjoyable book four stars.

I thought the world building was interesting and very easy to follow but also different than what I've read. This book deals with mental health as well and I thought it was done very well. The scenes where it is spoken about, I feel like weren't too harsh and intertwined into a fantasy world in a seamless way.

I wasn't expecting a romance to form in this book, but it was just so good. It is a very slow burn but there is a lot of tension that hooks you. There's hate to love, forced proximity and the ever favorite one bed trope. Though most of the romance is near the end it will have you begging for more. As will the plot twist they leave you with, wishing the second book would come out already!

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy!

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm gonna give this book 3.5 stars. It's not at a 4 yet.

I was really surprised at how long it took me to get hooked on this story. I was completely sold on the plot alone but, once I started the book, I was kind of bored.

I guess a little before hitting the half-way mark was when I started getting sucked in, but overall this wasn't a book that had me loosing hours of sleep due to the "one more chapter" syndrome.

I had a bit of a hard time mostly with the world building and the different types of groups (halflings, faes, elves, etc). I usually don't have issues but I don't know, it was a bit confusing in this book for me.

Some elements reminded me of other fantasy books which also has you seeing some twists coming. That doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the ride, though.

It's a good time and I'm looling forward to book 2!

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I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

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This is a new author for me but was quite hyped on social media through bookish box as one of their subscription monthly book.

Honestly this story was very slow and dragged for a good portion of the book. It is an interesting concept but execution was rough. My expectation was a tad higher because a couple of people promoted to me if I like Throne of Glass I would enjoy this.. not so much unfornately. I could not sympathize or connect to any of the character. Overall an okay read. Won’t be continuing on this series though.

Received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

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I could not put this book down from the very start and I’m now counting down the days until the next book is out!!!!!

I was 100% hooked to everything about this book, but I was especially hooked on the world building, it was so beautifully written and described throughout! I also love love love the main character Keera, she is so unbelievably broken in the beginning and the author wrote it with such a believable and empathetic way! But throughout Keeras journey we see her learn and find strength within to get herself on to a better track!

I am so unbelievably excited for the next book because oh my goodnesssss that plot twist right in the last chapter!!!!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

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For any fan of Sarah Maas. It is Thorn of Glass meets Cour of Thorns and Roses with a twist of Robin Hood. The book is fast pace. Keera is very loyal kings soldier eventhough she know kings is evil and cruel to his citizens especially her people. Can she keep her loyalty and still be kind person?

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***4.5***

Overall,
I can see this book / series becoming incredibly popular. I found it very engaging and fast paced. The world building is pretty good, the character growth is great and the romance is very slow burn enemies to lovers. Keera is the Kings Assassin, a trope we have seen in many fantasy retellings at this point, but what follows is an incredibly interesting tale of tragedy, grief, and fighting for what is right.

Cover
I really like this cover; the glowing eyes were the first things that drew me in. Why are they glowing? I want to know! Well, no spoilers but you find out in the book.

Recommendation
If you are fans of high fantasy with Elves and Fae I recommend this to you. I don’t generally like to compare books to others unless it feels like a blatant rip off. This book felt very original to me and I can’t wait for everyone to delve into this world. I also can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out. It didn’t not end on to big of a cliff hanger but there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered.

***I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley, Union Square & Co, in exchange for my free and honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early #ABrokenBlade #NetGalley ***

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It's got fae, assassins, a mysterious and broody love interest, an enemies to lovers romance with so much tension... OF COURSE I LOVED IT.

I love Keera as an imperfect MC who is accepting & facing everything she has had to do to survive. Riven is my favorite kind of love interest, I really enjoyed the witty banter between characters & the political intrigue.

I highly recommend <3

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I tried so hard to like this book, and am so disappointed that I couldn’t get into it.
The characters feel bland and recycled. Not one of them was engaging enough to make me want to read another chapter.
The main character is every stereotypical fantasy female assassin, and a wanna-be Aelin that lacks the likability and real swagger of the character.
The plot is predictable, and it feels like drudging through knee deep mud to get further through the book.

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A Broken Blade follows Keera, a halfling who serves the mortal King as an assassin and spy. Known as the King's Blade, Keera is the best of the Shades. Someone nicknamed the Shadow begins wrecking chaos. Keera is sent by the King to hunt them down, but the things she learns along the way make her question everything.
Throughout the entire book, I kept loving how perfectly Melissa Blair paired an inticing plot with super interesting characters. The more I learned about Keera, the more I loved her. The witty snaps the characters took at each other were fantastic. I loved the romantic development, it's among my favorites for sure.
The political intrigue was excellent. The twists were tasteful- they added so much to the story without being outrageous. The characters backstories and their present situations are brutal, but in a way that draws you in and makes you feel for them.
I felt this novel set up perfectly for future books in the series, and I don't know how I'm going to wait for the next installment.

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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

I was cautious going into this one because of all the hype on social media but I found this to be absolutely deserving of some hype!

This story has everything. A broody assassin who is drowning her pain in alcohol. She is not as heartless as she seems. Her job may be to kill as the king's Blade, but she can't let go of any death she causes. Mix this in with another broody persona, known as the Shadow, who has a price on his head and we have an amazing book ya'll!!!

There is deception. There is suspence. And, throughout it all, romance!! I highly recommend this to fans of fantasy!

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5/5

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: Fantasy series (book 1)
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩: eARC

𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:
“The weight you bear is not your punishment, Keera. It is your heart. One day it will stop bleeding.“

“Keera,” Riven said, looking at the dagger in my hands and then gazing out the window. “You could cut me worse than any blade.”

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Fae, elves, halflings, and magic
Enemies to lovers romance
Morally gray assassin
Broody fae male
Political secrets and deception
Couldn’t put this one down!

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
This was a book that made me want to shirk all my adult responsibilities so I could stay home and keep reading. The story absolutely sucked me in and I am already counting down until the next book is out!

We’ve got Dark Fae, elves, humans, and halflings; an evil king, a broody fae male, and a morally gray assassin; political secrets and deception, mixed with an enemies to lovers romance that is filled with romantic tension… what MORE could you want in a fantasy book?!

I really love to MC, Keera. She feels everything so deeply and I loved watching her begin to face all the horrible things she’s been forced to do. She’s an MC that is far from perfect, and it’s just so refreshing. Riven is a cold, broody fae male, but let me just say I think he is SO swoony. I can’t say more because *spoilers*, but I really loved him.

This was such a fun adventure and I am really looking forward to what comes next. Fantasy lovers, I definitely recommend checking this one out!

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~ This is an Arc review., all opinions are my own ~

4.5/5✨
1/5 🌶

I loved this book so much and it caught me of guard as I did not expect it.

What felt like Throne of Glass fan fiction at the start turned into this amazing story with love, trauma, found family, plot twists and so much more!

Not often does the forst book in the series give so much as this one did and I am here for it! Definitely one of favorite reads on the year.

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