Scan barcode
lpantoja0295's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had a fun time reading it! It felt very cliche in the beginning, but you could really watch Keera's character unfold from the alcoholic we meet in the first chapters. She is, of course, a broody, badass, top-notch assassin, but the baggage she carries also obviously takes its toll on her as the story progresses. The ending was one I did see coming, but I was shocked when I finally got to that point! I'm excited to see where this story goes and what's in store for our badass heroine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual assault
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Colonisation
dragongirl271's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
“Why else make a journey you didn’t expect to survive? But maybe you’ll find more than survival here. Maybe you’ll find redemption.”
This is a series I'm thoroughly excited to finish. I had a great time reading this first book. I really enjoy the worldbuilding by Blair and I love a protagonist that's very complex and not always right, which is found with Keera.
A Broken Blade is the first book in The Halfling Saga. We're introduced to Keera, a half-elf (known as “halflings” in this world) who was forced into the King’s service and became his top spy and assassin. Keera's never been happy with the King's rule, but following his orders is how she stays alive. Until, a mysterious figure working against the monarchy appears. Can this “Shadow” help Keera find a new path toward survival and freedom?
Again, I really enjoyed Blair's world. I think she did a good job adding depth to the side characters. We also get a romance subplot with some great tropes without it feeling too trope-y?? Sign me up for the sequels. (Disclaimer: I could still see some of these tropes coming a mile away the second they were hinted at. No, that did not stop me from kicking my feet in glee when they finally happened.)
I think this is also going to be a really good discussion on how messy revolution is. Not everything goes well. People get hurt. Keera's got her own traumas and trust issues. And it seems not everybody is involved for the right reasons. The synopses of the next two books give me hope that the story will stay complex and nuanced.
1st-person POV. Fast pacing. Bisexual main character!!! Tough topics addressed with MC (see CWs at beginning of book).
Tropes included:
Enemies to lovers
There was only one bed
Who did this to you?
This is a series I'm thoroughly excited to finish. I had a great time reading this first book. I really enjoy the worldbuilding by Blair and I love a protagonist that's very complex and not always right, which is found with Keera.
A Broken Blade is the first book in The Halfling Saga. We're introduced to Keera, a half-elf (known as “halflings” in this world) who was forced into the King’s service and became his top spy and assassin. Keera's never been happy with the King's rule, but following his orders is how she stays alive. Until, a mysterious figure working against the monarchy appears. Can this “Shadow” help Keera find a new path toward survival and freedom?
Again, I really enjoyed Blair's world. I think she did a good job adding depth to the side characters. We also get a romance subplot with some great tropes without it feeling too trope-y?? Sign me up for the sequels. (Disclaimer: I could still see some of these tropes coming a mile away the second they were hinted at. No, that did not stop me from kicking my feet in glee when they finally happened.)
I think this is also going to be a really good discussion on how messy revolution is. Not everything goes well. People get hurt. Keera's got her own traumas and trust issues. And it seems not everybody is involved for the right reasons. The synopses of the next two books give me hope that the story will stay complex and nuanced.
1st-person POV. Fast pacing. Bisexual main character!!! Tough topics addressed with MC (see CWs at beginning of book).
Tropes included:
Enemies to lovers
There was only one bed
Who did this to you?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
corditeq's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It isn’t a perfect book, but it is damn good nonetheless. I had been sold it as a “sapphic romantasy”, so I was really confused when the m/f romance started. The main character is bisexual, an alcoholic, and absolutely tormented and broken. The cast of characters was brilliant, and the undertones of discourse about colonisation were fantastic. I am off to read book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide and Grief
jl23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this book and have continued on in the series. The beginning of the book was relatively slow for me. I had a hard time really getting into it due to heavy world building which I still enjoyed.
About halfway through the book is where things really begin to pick up. There are some LGBTQ+ themes. It is a slow burn romantasy with strong plot lines. There are many lovable characters and it very much has found family vibes. I really enjoyed the character development.
If you are looking for something that is smut heavy this isn’t it. If you like strong stories with some spice this might fit the bill. This book is more timid in the spice department book two has more but still pretty tame. So if you aren’t comfortably with any now you know.
I feel like overall the cast is relatively diverse. There are themes of discrimination amongst races of fae, elf, halfling, and mortals.
The main character very much gives me Aelin from “Throne of Glass” vibes. She is strong but jaded and has certain level of self loathing that plays heavily into her character arc.
*spoilers below related to LGTBQ+ themes*
The main character is bi-sexual however, the end-game relationship is female-male. If reading about female-female love interest isn’t your thing (which is the case for me typically) I would still say give this a try. In book 1 there is mainly just mentions of her past relationship and there isn’t much detail. Book two goes into that story line a little more but I found it was relative and very well written. There was one scene that wasn’t for me personally but I just skimmed a couple pages. I’m happy there is diversity in these books and I know that some may not be as open to certain themes or may feel uncomfortable or maybe it just isn’t for you and that’s ok. I just wanted to put it out there for those who may not be interested in these themes or may be new to them.
About halfway through the book is where things really begin to pick up. There are some LGBTQ+ themes. It is a slow burn romantasy with strong plot lines. There are many lovable characters and it very much has found family vibes. I really enjoyed the character development.
If you are looking for something that is smut heavy this isn’t it. If you like strong stories with some spice this might fit the bill. This book is more timid in the spice department book two has more but still pretty tame. So if you aren’t comfortably with any now you know.
I feel like overall the cast is relatively diverse. There are themes of discrimination amongst races of fae, elf, halfling, and mortals.
The main character very much gives me Aelin from “Throne of Glass” vibes. She is strong but jaded and has certain level of self loathing that plays heavily into her character arc.
*spoilers below related to LGTBQ+ themes*
The main character is bi-sexual however, the end-game relationship is female-male. If reading about female-female love interest isn’t your thing (which is the case for me typically) I would still say give this a try. In book 1 there is mainly just mentions of her past relationship and there isn’t much detail. Book two goes into that story line a little more but I found it was relative and very well written. There was one scene that wasn’t for me personally but I just skimmed a couple pages. I’m happy there is diversity in these books and I know that some may not be as open to certain themes or may feel uncomfortable or maybe it just isn’t for you and that’s ok. I just wanted to put it out there for those who may not be interested in these themes or may be new to them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Abandonment
adoptedbuttons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, and Self harm
jocogr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sasclostchild's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
So the first third of the book was very depressing, focusing on our protagonist living the American dream: doing a shitty job they don't like to barely live and to drown their sorrows in alcohol, all while harming a lot of people.
She then turns her life around by quitting alcohol (good for her) and siding with a rebellious group to eat the rich.
This is all accompanied by a very icky straight romance which is not icky because it's straight (although that is a sad part because i was hoping for a sapphic romance but that only exists in a short flashback) but because the dude forces himself on her all the time and the only chemistry they have is some weird interaction between their types of magic that acts as an aphrodisiac making them horny for each other.She still somehow falls in horny because idk if you can call drug addled make outs love
Then the book also fails to close its main arc during the book but fuck I'm not buying the second book.
Still 2.25, because the unfinished story got kinda interesting in the second half
This is all accompanied by a very icky straight romance which is not icky because it's straight (although that is a sad part because i was hoping for a sapphic romance but that only exists in a short flashback) but because the dude forces himself on her all the time and the only chemistry they have is some weird interaction between their types of magic that acts as an aphrodisiac making them horny for each other.
Then the book also fails to close its main arc during the book but fuck I'm not buying the second book.
Still 2.25, because the unfinished story got kinda interesting in the second half
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
caphine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation
booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
4.5
For the people who loved tog and Acotar but knew it was missing diverse and queer characters A Broken Blade is absolutely for you. Blair provides us with lush storytelling f all while the plot is parallel to what we did to indigenous people (USA &canada) Keera is a multilayered character that you can’t help but love because of her big heart all the damage she carries with her. I can’t wait to see where this series goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Body horror and Sexual content