wow wow wow!!! this was phenomenal. this gives major Throne of Glass vibes. I was hesitant starting this when the main character had a drinking problem as that can be so overdone in books, but it was handled really well and added to Keera's character and growth a lot. the ending was really disappointing to me so I'm giving this 4.5 stars. I still can't wait to read the next one!

It was good and I had fun listening to the audiobook, but it's basically a combination of popular fantasy books and it completely lacks originality. I still recommend it if you love enemies-to-lovers, a badass MC and fae.

This book has been blowing up on TikTok and I was so excited to get my hands on it. It was fast and fun and I hope there is more to come!

VERY sad to report that this did not work for me, but I really admire the author and am grateful to have read an advanced copy (late!)

I liked the bones of the story, but from the first chapter I felt a bit too dropped in on the action - I generally like when world building is done on the fly, but this one just felt very hurried.

The alcoholism was an interesting plot line, but I am not sure how well I felt it was handled. Finally, the story just felt kind of generic and as though I had read it 1000 times.

I know this has an audience who loves it, so I may give it another try!!

A broken blade is a very enjoyable fantasy read that also interested me after the BookTok mystery around it was solved. This book had me immediately interested as it had diverse characters and an intriguing plot that definitely kept you hooked. Once you’re in the book, you won’t want to put this down. The chemistry between the ‘enemy’ and the main character Keera was amazing and this book has a lot of popular themes that would definitely appeal to audiences who enjoyed books like ‘The cruel prince’ and audiences who enjoy high fantasy. There isn’t much romance but since this is going to be a series I don’t doubt that it’ll develop. There is a lot of worldbuilding that is a little hard to get past, but once you get the hang of it you’ll love it.

This is a fast-paced fantasy with an evil emperor and a reluctant, morally gray main character who gets drawn into a plot to overthrow him and free the enslaved halflings.

The hype leading up to this book was fantastic and I was a little worried that the material wouldn’t hold up to my expectations, but this was truly well-written and well developed. The world building was complex and I loved the lore and history that was created. The only thing that was a little confusing for me was the term ‘halfling’ being used to describe half human/half elves. While it makes sense to use this term, I am so used to halflings being the short, humanoid creatures of traditional fantasy.

I really enjoyed the romance. Slow burn/enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this one fantastic. I did predict the twist towards the end, but I don’t think it took away from my enjoyment of the story itself, and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Blair, and Union Square & Co for the e-arc of A Broken Blade in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC for this book, but my review will be my honest opinion.

A Broken Blade is an adult fantasy romance about fae, where halflings are oppressed under the rule of a mortal king. It follows Keera, who is the King's blade and assassin. A threat to the kingdom known as ‘The Shadow’ appears, so the king assigns Keera to take care of it. But Keera has already failed to subdue him once before. Luckily, she’s given another chance, but another failure could be life or death for her. She manages to track him down again while figuring out whether the shadow actually posses threat to the crown. They fight again, but instead of delivering the killing blow, the Shadow kisses her.

That threw me off guard, because up until that point I thought I had this story more or less figured out. And that’s the thing about this book, even till the very end there’s still more yet to learn. There are still so many unanswered questions and that makes it all the more thrilling.

While reading this fantasy, it was hard not to see how the reality and struggle of halflings reflects on reality. The racism, colonial rule, the depiction of trauma…it’s all so realistic. For that reason I do suggest you to look up TW first before getting into it. It would feel wrong to continue my review without mentioning this, because it's very much part of the story.

I loved the world-building and the characterization. I think in that respect this book did so well, because everything had depth to it. Keera is such a badass, smart, caring, and complex character. She kills whoever she has to kill, and she's skilled at it. But she is not unaffected by her job. She’s a victim who is simply trying to survive in a system that actively oppresses her. The king himself is the criminal, but he uses halflings to continue his tyranny. When Keera is sent to the fae lands to find the Shadow, she is confronted to think about who the real enemy is. There’s a lot of cruelty, a lot of mistrust, a lot of secrets jam packed in this book, along with some really touching moments too.

The beginning few chapters felt slow for me. I know some people don’t mind reading a few chapters while the story sets up, but personally I’m a little bit impatient. One thing I did appreciate was the passage of time. It makes this story feel all the more realistic to me, as opposed to stories that fit the entire plot into one-two weeks.

Overall, I think it was a well done story, and I think anyone who loves fantasy with fae, should not pass up on this. A Broken Blade was such a well executed, page-turning read!

Thank you for this ARC!

I was so excited to receive A Broken Blade from @netgalley and @librofm . I’ve followed Melissa Blare on TikTok for ages, and was so excited when she revealed that she was the mystery author of A Broken Blade, which was originally published anonymously last year.

You need this book if you are a fan of:
✨ badass assassin MCs
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ action

This book was such a fun ride. If you’re wondering about the balance of romance to fantasy, I would put it as more of a Throne of Glass. While there is a romantic plot line, it’s not the main draw of the book.

The world building was really well done, and I overall found it very easy to follow without any infodumping.

I struggle with exclusively listening to fantasy books, so it was so helpful to have the kindle version in case I needed to reread something. I alternated between the ebook and audio, but really enjoyed the narrator’s performance.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘢,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘐 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. “𝘕𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭,” 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

A Broken Blade is such a fitting title and I didn’t realize it until now . Keera is the King’s blade— a royal assassin forced to kill her own kind. Where the King is Mortal, Keera is a Halfling and the King despises them and this he has them hunted down or forced into work . In order to get the jobs done, Keera drowns herself in liquor .
Until the Shadow arrives and has the skills to end Keera’s reign as Kings Blade . Even though she’s a murderer— she tries to provide any mercy she can. All that will end if this Shadow takes her out and she’s replaced .

This story is a stellar debut . The character development and the journey we watch Keera take as she battles her addiction to substances is heartbreaking.. she drowns herself in order to keep going. Even though she feels guilt and anguish over her choices- she makes them nonetheless making her an incredible morally grey character . This isn’t a cinnamon roll disguising as a badass . Keera is a badass assassin who won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done.. even though it sends her straight to the bottom of a bottle afterwards.

The author also takes the huge issue of colonization and by adding a magic system, takes a simple fantasy novel to the next level . It’s a complex world rife with oppression and this debut sets up everything really nicely as a jumping off book so that we can really get into the action in the next one (hopefully).
This book is my fav of the month so far, I’d encourage you to pick it up if you love:

🔪 Strong, morally grey MC
🔪 First person POV
🔪 Enemies - Lovers
🔪 Political scheming
🔪 Found Family
🔪 One bed
🔪 Fae + magic

Apparently this book blew up on TikTok but I’m not on there because I’m too old to learn new technology 😂 so I may be late to the game but I’m glad it found it’s way to me!

"Hiding in the shadows would not protect him for long. I knew something of shadows, having trained to live within them. Shadows were largest just before sunset, but lost their power when night inevitably fell. For Shadows don't truly exist in the dark. It was time for me to bring the night."

This is an amazing debut novel by Melissa! Wow the writing is sharp, world building is epic, characters are relatable and well defined, and the storyline is tight! I mean the world building! I could see it all in my mind and it was LotR-esque! So vivid and stunning!!

I see nods to Throne of Glass and FBAA but this takes them and makes them unique! Yes, Keera is an orphan assassin to a tyrant king like ToG but Keera has this kindness and determination to do good. I loved seeing her relationship with Gwyn! She really looks after Gwyn and brings her gifts and does these experiences for her and basically tries to bring light into her life as a servant that can't leave the castle. And the fact that she starts and funds this movement to help Halflings escape! Keera's this amazing person!

Riven is dark, mysterious, and brooding. Just how we like our MMC! With his story line I see FBAA but way better!! I enjoyed seeing his found family with Nikolai and Syrra and both of those characters are well fleshed out and fantastic!! Melissa has this way of writing that makes each character completely different but yet something in each of them is so relatable you love them!

This is action packed and I flew through this in one sitting and now am eagerly awaiting the next book! I can't recommend this book enough! Absolutely amazing! Thank you Melissa, Netgalley, and Union Sqare & Co for the opportunity to read this! One of my favorite reads of 2022!!

A Broken Blade is the first book in the Halfling Saga by author Melissa Blair. The Halfling Saga is a new adult fantasy with a dash of enemies to lovers romance. This book was a really solid start to a promising fantasy series. I can’t wait to grab a copy of the next book and see where things will go from there.

My review is purposefully going to be a little vague, because the book is written king od vague and mysterious surrounding certain characters and events, and I don’t want to ruin any of the surprises or fun I had along the way. It’s one of those books that you just have to experience for yourself to understand. But here is what I can tell you….

This story is about our main character, Keera who is a halfling, half elf and half human. In this world halflings are deemed only worthy of being slaves to the crown. Keera was chosen from a young age to train as a warrior spy for the king, and she has been very successful in that role, but it has come at a serious cost to her. When we meet her, she is just a shell of a person and she has a drinking issue (among other things). One of my favorite aspects of the book was watching Keera come into her own. Keera gets an assignment from the King to track down and kill an assassin called The Shadow, and that quest sets Keera off on a totally different course than she ever though was possible.

Away from Court life, Keera’s eyes are opened to a lot more of the world that she ever experienced. Not only did she run into the Shadow but she also found a group of rebels, and with them comes a great cast of characters. I would have enjoyed the romance element of the story to be a little heavier, but this book was definitely more plot driven. The romance was there but it was pretty minor in my opinion. If you are a fan of plot driven quest style fantasy novels with mysterious and morally grey characters, plenty of secrets and betrayals, then The Halfling Saga might be the series for you. I enjoyed A Broken Blade and I am very interested in the next book.

Thank you for netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this and here's my honest review.
This book started well I was liking the vibes and getting to know our main character but as I got through I found that the story was so predictable just the average fantasy without any new things and as an avid fantasy reader I didn't like this at all. This book didn't have anything you look for in a fantasy at all the characters didn't have any depth at all I honestly didn't care about any of them at all even the main characters,the romance was so plain and ridiculous at times, the plot was predictable as I said and didn't give me any twists and lastly the writing style which was really simple for a fantasy. So in conclusion this could be good for an amateur reader but if you wanna reach higher audience the author needs alot to work on.

A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair, an intriguing premise, but ultimately didn't appeal to me, thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

Thanks to @netgalley for this #gifted e-Advanced Reader Copy of A Broken Blade

This book follows Keera, also known as the King’s Blade. She is the most talented spy I'm the kingdom and the King's favourite assassin. So when a mysterious figure called the Shadow starts to make moves against the Crown she is tasked with hunting the Shadow down. In doing so she crosses into the magical lands of the Fae, in an attempt to establish if her enemy is Mortal, fae or a halfling like her. Keera is left shocked by what she discovers and can’t help but wonder who her enemy truly is… The King that destroyed her people? The Prince that tortures them? Or the Shadow that threatens her place at court?
As she searches for answers, she is haunted by a promise she made long ago. A promise not only to save herself but an entire kingdom.

What I liked 👍
1️⃣ Enemies to lovers
2️⃣ Pace & plot
3️⃣ Found family vibes
4️⃣ Magic & Fae
5️⃣ A complex lead character

I struggled with connecting with this one, I think it has so much potential & some great elements but in some ways it felt like they tried to incorporate all these fantasy elements and it didn't fully connect in a really believable manner. But maybe this is because fantasy is one of my favourite genres and I'm tough to impress on that score 🤣🤔

On the whole if you enjoy fantasy with a dark twist, morally grey main characters & political tension then give it a go! I'd love to hear what you think!

“You don’t get to judge them for being the monsters the King turned them into. The Shades weren’t born as weapons. They weren’t born as killers. They were born as children. Stolen. Ripped from their parents and placed on that godforsaken island.”

Keera is a reluctant assassin for an awful King who is responsible for stealing the land of her people. After making the decision to to take the opportunity to try to bring down the King upon discovering she is to be sent to hunt down a mysterious figure called the Shadow, Keera finds her own found family.
I related to Keera's character and her alcoholism, and found the build up of the enemies to lovers romance to be well done. The fast pacing and diverse representation were equally well done and I cant wait for the next book!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I seen this book all over TikTok and couldn’t wait to read it. The marketing was so fun! This is a quick paced fantasy. A morally grey main character. A faerie society. I really enjoyed this debut novel and I look forward to see what happens next.

CW: substance abuse, addiction, murder, self harm, depression, and more.

I heard a lot of hype about this book on Tik Tok and while it didn't disappoint this is not generally a book I would finish as an ebook. I am more of a physical book reader and this book fits the genre of something I would like to have in my hands to annotate and see my progress because it is a complex fantasy story that can be compared in complexity to Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. I will be purchasing a physical copy to absolutely destroy with pen markings.

This is a fast-paced fantasy adventure with magic, politics, and some of my favorite tropes (hate-to-love, one bed, comforting presence after a nightmare, etc.). While I struggled a little at first to really get into the book because of the politics between the different races that were not that clear, once I got past the 20% mark, it was very easy to get lost in this book and to read “just one more chapter” until I finished it.

Keera is a Halfling (half-mortal and half-something else) working for King Aemon. As the King’s Blade, she is responsible for organizing the King,s Shades (spies and assassins), as well as tracking down whoever the king wants dead and killing them. From early on, we can see how Keera hates the king for what he has forced her to become and to do. She doesn’t enjoy being the Blade, and she would be very happy to see the king dead if only it didn’t mean that the crown would go to Prince Damien who’s crueler and even more dangerous than the king.

Keera is full of guilt because as the king’s blade, she has been forced to hunt and kill halflings for the past 30 years. She wants to get rid of the king, but it’s an impossible feat to perform alone, and she cannot trust or rely on anyone else. When the king sends her on a mission to hunt down and kill the person known as The Shadow, Keera realizes that maybe she’s not the only one wanting to see the king dead, and maybe there are people out there who will be able and willing to help her.

The world-building is well done and complex, but it honestly took me a while to figure out and understand the difference between all the species, and even now, I struggle to understand the difference between the Elves and the Faes in this book.

Here is a little summary of the important facts:
- Elvarath is ruled by the mortal king Aemon (at least, I am pretty sure that he is mortal, honestly I was a little confused about all the races and their politics at first).
- Halflings are the child of mortals and elves or faes, or they have elves or faes somewhere in their ancestry. Their blood runs amber instead of red, and they are property of the king, not much better than slaves.
- The king of Elverath has a shaky alliance with the Dark Faes. The Dark Faes live in the West and do not care much about the politics of Elverath. They just want to be left alone, and they are also trying to help the Halflings since they consider them as their kind too.
- The Light Faes have been extinct for centuries.
- The Elves are believed to be “extinct”, but they are not all dead. Most were killed by King Aemon, the survivors are hiding and living with the Dark Faes mostly.

Keera is a great main character. As a halfling, she’s at the very bottom of the hierarchy, she was found as a child and has been forced into the King’s service ever since. From the very first chapter, we can see that she is ruthless when it comes to her missions, but also that it costs her to kill innocent people. As the story progresses, we can see more and more of her caring side. She does not really care about herself and her life, but she really wants to help the halflings in her kingdom, acting a little like a Robin Hood whenever she can, and giving money to those who help the halflings.

Keera would be what I consider a morally grey character, but not necessarily by her own choices. She was forced into this life, and she was forced to kill innocent people and traitors, whether she wanted it or not. Because of her training and her life as the Blade though, she has become very efficient and can make tough decisions when she needs to, even when it breaks her heart. She knows how to be efficient and deadly… She is also in desperate need of some love and a hug.

I like the beginning of “found family” we saw in this book. It was not a real found family (yet), because Keera did not spend that much time with them, and they are not even close to really trusting each other, but there is definitely potential there, and I really hope the author will use this dynamic to create a tight-knit unit that Kerra can trust, and that will show her what having friends and people that care for her feels like.

The physical descriptions of the other characters were minimal at times. Honestly, besides the eyes and hair color, we didn’t know much about them, but truly, I didn’t really care as I have a habit to imagine the characters in my head, and sometimes they don’t even completely fit with the description that is given. Still, I think this could be a little improvement for the next book.

I wouldn’t say that there is romance yet in this series, but there is clearly a physical attraction between Keera and another character, and there is a huge potential for an awesome enemies-to-lovers relationship to continue to develop. There is a little bit of mild smut near the end, but it fits perfectly with the progression of the story and relationship. It wouldn’t have made sense for Keera to just jump into bed with anyone simply because she was physically attracted to them, so I love that there is only mild smut, but a promise of more to come because there is sexual tension there, and both parties are clearly feeling “something more” for each other.

The ending promises a second book filled with even more politics, spying, and also some angst (probably… hopefully). I am very eager to read the second book and see what awaits Keera! It did see that “final twist” coming, but I am still very happy about it, and I love all the angst it might bring to the beginning of the next book.

On a side note, I think this book was categorized as “new adult”, and I have to partly disagree. Sure, there is a little bit of smut, the main character is an alcoholic, and because of her mixed blood, she is over 60 years old, qualifying her as an “adult main character”, but the vibe of this whole book is more similar to the YA fantasy books I’ve read than the NA. The main character is not bad at all! But I didn’t feel this “more mature adult” quality that I expect when I read NA books with older MCs.

I'm convinced that this book has everything I've ever wanted in a book: enemies to lovers, one bed at an inn, characters with interesting backstories, amazing plot lines, and superb world-building. I had so much trouble putting it down - even though I had to with moving and work sometimes :( - but this was such a well-written fantasy book. I honestly felt a bit sad upon finishing it, as it's the first in a series, and I don't know when the next book will be released.

I don't want to give too much away, but this book had twists and turns that I did NOT see coming. The perfect amount of suspense and reveal led to a tense but enjoyable reading experience. I loved the characters' chemistry with each other, and the slow burn of it all. The supporting characters were intriguing in their own right as well, perfectly balancing the group out. I seriously need the next book ASAP with the way this one ended. Definitely a 5 star read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a solid start to a new series and a debut novel. It had me hooked from the first chapter and I’m a sucker for any book with an assassin as the main character. Keera is an assassin for the King known as the King’s Blade and she is known as the deadliest of the Halflings. Keera is a badass morally grey character and has her own demons that she deals with as the King’s Blade. As the King’s Blade, Keera is tasked with hunting down the one known as the Shadow who is threatening the Crown.

I don’t want to give away any more of the plot because I don’t want to spoil it for you. I will say that I loved the variety characters in this book.

- Slow burn
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- One-bed trope
- Found family
- Political intrigue

I’m looking forward to book 2 and can’t wait to see where this story goes!