Five Broken Blades (Deluxe Limited Edition) (The Broken Blades, 1)

This book was so good!!!! This book was like an elaborate chess game with a whole cast of different players all with different motivations. I loved that this was told from all 6 main characters points of view, and I loved the politics, and the twists and turns, and betrayals. This was a book where I genuinely liked every character, but at the same time I trusted no one. This was very fast paced and I devoured it. It is a Romantic fantasy which is new from Red Tower. This publisher puts out a lot of Romantasy and Fantasy Romance, but this book was truly a high fantasy novel with a few romance plotlines that played into some of the characters motivations, but everything is closed door and the romances happening are not at the forefront of the story. I really loved this book and the writing and I can't wait for more from this series. The ending is crazy and exciting and the story leaves off in a place that I'm excited to see what happens next but isn't necessarily a cliffhanger. Mai did an amazing job of wrapping this storyline up and leaving the reader feeling satisfied with this story, but also excited for the future.

This book was very much an impulse buy for me. I heard that it was a lot like Six of Crows, involving a group of misfits who have to work together to complete a heist. I also saw that Rebecca Roanhorse gave it 5 stars. Lastly, I have been in the mood for swords; like any sword at all, and the title is pretty self-explanatory. I did really enjoy this. It is very much a popcorn read; it’s a light read with a style that involves short chapters and a pace that makes it easy to keep thinking “oh only one more chapter”. The book is told in first person point-of-view from six different perspectives, all with very different personalities and voices. First person POV is always my favorite narrative style as it really allows you to be inside a person’s head. It can be hard to pull off when there are multiple characters, though, as it involves the author adapting their writing style to each unique character. All the characters think and speak differently, so it was really well done here. If you listen to the audiobook, they do have different narrators for each person, so that helps for sure, but the writing really provided a solid base for all the narrators to go off of when they have to act as their character. One slight warning I would give is that the characters aren’t all working together from the start. Most start off in a pair with another POV character, and then about halfway through is when they start meeting the other pairs. I thought it would involve misfits being thrown in together at the start, but the slightly slower way to introduce them did give the author more time to set each character up and better develop each of their motivations for being part of a plot to assassinate an immortal king. All of the characters have secrets to hide as well, which is always fun to try and sleuth out as the reader. I docked a star off because while it does build to a good ending, it didn’t quite hit the pay off I was hoping for. Still a fun, easy breezy read. I would recommend it if you want a fast-paced book centering around a band of misfits, assassins, and thieves working together to accomplish a very difficult task. Fair warning that it can be dark at times. Romance is a fairly heavy sub-plot of the book as well, but it loops into each character’s motivations. It creates tension between the relationship and what secrets these morally-grey characters actually have.

This book was amazing! I was hooked from the first page! ❤️ I love all of the characters and that we got everyone’s point of view. I am a sucker for multiple povs and this book had it all. I love that the story started out with each pairing and that you got to know them before everyone came together. I don’t even know which couple was my favorite because they all were great! Everyone knew what their role was, but they weren’t trusting of each other. It made for a very entertaining book watching them all try and work together to complete this mission! This book has a little spice, but it’s not explicit. There is romance and you keep waiting for something to happen between the couples. You see feelings develop, but they aren’t always acted on. There’s a lot of will they/wont they will some of the couples. And the twists 😱 the twists just kept on coming! You think you got to the twist and then BAM, another twist. I absolutely loved it! It made for a very wild ride and I need book 2 immediately!!

This was a pretty good story. I both liked as well as disliked the multiple perspectives. There are people I didn't like that I didn't really want to read from but it was ok. Some of the events were very predictable, right from the beginning. I think I liked Sora and Royo the best. I disliked Mikai and Eyun most lol. It was a decent read.

Five Broken Blades is a dark fantasy inspired by Korean myth, lengend, and culture. It weaves multiple POVs together until they all collide together. Each person has their own moral code, their own dangerous secrets, and their own agenda and I loved how just when we thought we knew someone something else was revealed. I found each character to be distinguishable and multi dimensional. They each had multiple layers to their personality. They could all be soft and sometimes sweet only to turn around and show how lethal and secretive they can be. It makes them feel real with their own flaws but it also makes it feel like no one can be trusted because while yes each character has their own weaknesses and secrets, there is an underlying vibe that everyone is holding something even bigger close to their chest. This helped the pace keep this quick, sharp, and urgent consistency. I would say this is light fantasy romance. It has some kissing and suggestive moments but it’s all fade to black. I really enjoyed the diversity and LGBTQ+ rep inside the pages. Could I have used a bit more smut with my romance? Duh but hello I’m not gonna hold that against the book as that is just my personal desires. There was a romance between two characters that I didn’t quite enjoy as much but that’s not to say I out right hated it. I think I just need it to be explored more deeply because it feels more surface level compared to the others. But the little pockets of romance we got was great and brought even more tension between these characters. Five Broken Blades was a heart pounding, suspenseful, and twisty high stakes fantasy. I was immediately sucked in and found it hard to put down. This was such a great read and I need book two asap after that ending. Thank you RedTower, Entangled, and Mai for sending me an arc! 4.5⭐️ 1.5🔥 What to expect: -revenge -multiple POVs -ex lovers reunited -cuddling to stay warm -fighting huge birds that can & will eat you -enemies to lovers -she has been forced to become the best at poisoning people -“let’s kill the god king” -everyone has secrets so no one can be trusted -found family vibes -lots of traveling TW/CW: the author included a detailed list of content warnings so please look at it before reading! Some of these include poisonings, murders, violence, death of children & animals, substance abuse, rape & genocide discussed/mentioned graphically, etc…

FIVE BROKEN BLADES, by Mai Corland, is the first book in this series. The idea behind it (found in synopsis--no spoilers) immediately captured my attention. "The King of Yusan must die." Enter the five best liars in the in all the lands--each with something important to gain, and revenge to be had at any cost. However, King Joon is called the "god king" for a reason, and it will take a perfect plan to even get close. ". . . Life is timing, and timing is luck." We are introduced to our main characters individually, in the area they are now in, and learn of the situations that put--or trapped--them there. There's the strongman/hitman, a beautiful assassin, a skilled thief, a spymaster, and a disgraced Prince (thought to be dead). Each one of them has their own Point-of-View in the novel. Rather than complicate things, this enables the reader to really get to know each character--and I, personally, quickly became attached to each and every one of them. ". . . But memories can cut like a blade." The pacing is fast, and the action moves throughout many of the realms--all of them of significance to at least one of our main characters. The mission is one that they know could kill them all, yet a sense of "found family" permeated the last third of the novel, especially. ". . . Love is a balm . . . as well as a blade on your neck." Overall, this novel delivered in every way I had hoped it would. From fantastic characters, individual motives, secrets, and action, the excitement kept up right to the final page. I can't wait for the next book, FOUR RUINED REALMS to be released. Highly recommended.

A gorgeous book. And an amazing story.

I liked this book very much!! After initially reading the blurb of Five Broken Blades I knew it was going to be a good read. It gave DND, heist, found family, deception, and romance! All amazing things. The found family aspect was my favorite and it paired with the fast paced plot. With the POV’s switching so often the plot ran quickly but I didn’t feel it lacked in bonding moments for our characters. It’s been a while since I’ve read more than 2 POV’s so this was a great break from my norm and hearing so many different voices was refreshing. The ending was satisfying in the way of leaving you wanting the next book simply for so many answers. On to characters!! I adore Royo, his brooding softness and inner turmoil. Sora is flying by the seat of her pants and just wants a peaceful life with her sister which she better get!! From the get go Euyn, Mikail, and Aeri we’re all sus. And that’s all that I’m saying about that. 😤 I will say this group of the most dangerous and deadly is quite different than I thought they’d be but everyone has their own motive, secrets and weaknesses. I just think we got to see their softer sides sooner than I anticipated. I hope in the next books we get to see more malice, more actions and more will to take back their lives. Overall I rate this a 4.5⭐️’s and will be diving into the 2nd book as soon as it arrives on my doorstep!

Really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun to get to know and I liked the relationships between them. The pace was fast and I liked the writing. Is it a perfect book? No. But overall I would def recommend to read!

Cover came in damaged on multiple places on the back.. I was very looking forward to this one so very disappointed.

This is fantasy but there is no magic or anything like that. Sure, there are talks of immortality but that's about it. Nothing more than that. The story also had some dark themes, just mentioned...but no on page details. So, we follow 6 characters and they're on this journey to unalive this cruel king. Now, they all have their own reasons and different abilities to be in on this plan. They're a team, but they're also unreliable narrators. Most of them are liars. So, we don't know who is going to betray but somebody is. I liked Sora the most. She seemed genuine and her interactions with Tiyung were cute, especially towards the end. It's kind of like Boy obsessed/It's always been you kind of romance. Royo and Aeri had grumpy/sunshine feeling to their relationship. That was fun to read! Though, throughout the story I knew there was something more to her. Mikhail was the tortured soul who I thought was okay but sometimes I liked him. I liked his interactions/bonding with Sora. They just seemed to get each other better than anyone else. Euyn....on the other hand, ugh he was so séxist. Everytime I was in his head, I wanted to dnf the book. It grated on my nerves whenever he was like...She is just a girl.... and he is such an idíót 😑😒 Anyways, it was still an okay read. I found this through goodreads challenge.

This was such a fun read. I have so many people raving about this series of books, and I decided to give it a try. Not just that, but I decided to try an immersive read (ebook and audio) and that made the whole experience much more fun. Mai introduces us to such a wonderful cast of characters. Who is trustworthy? Who is out for themselves? The five most dangerous assassins in the land are brought together with one mission: to murder the god king Joon. He is a tyrant who rules his people with an iron fist, and his time has now come to an end. Each of the assassins has their own goals after the murder of the king, from wanting to right a wrong, to wanting freedom. But to complete their mission, they must learn to work together, and that is easier said than done. The book is good on its own, but if you add in the fantastic audio it really brings the book to more life. Each character is read by a different person, and they all do a wonderful job of bringing their character to the forefront. There are epic fights, love, laughs and so much more. If you fancy going on an adventure, then I highly recommend this book. It's endearing, heart pounding, romantic, and laugh-out-loud funny. Everything you could want from a book. I can't wait to read the next two books in the series.

Ugh. I want more. Now. Please. Struggled with who everyone was for a beat but got over myself and trusted the process and this is one of my fave reads of the year.