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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ambaright's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It took me a while to read this book, I started it and read the first 200 pages in Jan 2023. However, a rough spring semester of my junior year of college led me to have a sad and long hiatus from reading. I finished this book five months after I started it, making it the first read of 2023. What I love about Victoria Aveyard, is that no matter how long I take a break from her books, I am able to return back to it with full steam and become entranced again.
Realm Breaker truly is a book about how the A team fails and how the B team, full of a bunch of misfits, come together to save the world. I loved all of the characters and their quirks, the world building is astounding (like the Queen herself always does). I can’t wait to see how Corayne continues to rise to the challenge and save the Ward.
Realm Breaker truly is a book about how the A team fails and how the B team, full of a bunch of misfits, come together to save the world. I loved all of the characters and their quirks, the world building is astounding (like the Queen herself always does). I can’t wait to see how Corayne continues to rise to the challenge and save the Ward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was almost a DNF for me, except that by the time I was thoroughly bored by very little happening of importance, I was already almost done. As an audiobook, at least, the story flies by, unafraid to spend a very long time on each event without quite being dull. I wasn’t engaged by the chemistry of the main band of heroes, though a particular character who appears helpful and then is shown to be nefarious was much more interesting. This lands in a weird middle ground, like it’s trying to be a character-centered narrative with a traveling party that’ll be a tightly-knit found family by the end, and it’s aiming to be a grand journey epic that takes its time and goes to interesting places and is more concerned with the journey than the destination. I can recognize that it has an assassin with a mysterious past, a battle-hardened immortal, a squire trying to never fail anyone like he failed his last knight, a young woman finally making her way in the world, and an old woman who is prophetic and mysterious. It also has a queen trying to consolidate her power, a mysterious and malevolent prince, and a traveler trying to get help. However, these brief descriptions are more exciting than what actually happens in the story. I recognize the roles they play in the narrative but I don’t care about them as people and I keep forgetting who everyone is. I made my list of important characters without reviewing the list from the official blurb (available above), and my list doesn't quite match because it feels like the characters were chosen based on tropes, but a slightly different list were actually interesting in the story.
Part of what makes everyone feel interchangeable is that most of their individual goals aren’t well-defined. The main antagonist wants to open the spindles as a kind of revenge for his twin being stolen and raised to an inheritance that he only lost due to the luck of being born second. That explains why he’s angry but doesn’t sufficiently explain why he chose this particular plan as his revenge. The queen is my favorite character, her goals and motives are really clear and they make sense in the story. I understand why she’s doing what she’s doing, whether or not I think it’s wise or good. As for the others, they want to stop the spindles from being opened because the spindles let in deadly creatures. Great, love a “save the world goal”, but their individual goals other than “stop the antagonist and don’t die” are lost in favor of cultivating mystery and potential later reveals. It makes them feel interchangeable, because even if their goals are explained before or during the journey they don’t seem to affect what actually happens. At one point they get imprisoned, and not only has one of them been in prison before, they’ve been in this particular prison and already has a way to get out as soon as they decide to implement it. It means that even a prison break (traditionally a pretty dramatic bit of story) is anticlimactic and almost immediately solved.
The events of the prologue felt like they should have been the end of the first book, there's so much tension and depth in such a brief space, and then the rest of the book doesn't live up to that promise.
The worldbuilding related to the spindles is interesting, but the details don’t have time to matter before this portion of the trilogy is over. I have no interest in the sequels. This was bland in an inoffensive but uninteresting way. I don’t hate it, I don’t like it, it’s just blah and I don’t recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Slavery, and Excrement
abbypeekreads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
After reading and loving Aveyard's Red Queen series, I was so excited to see she has another series going. While Realm Breaker felt totally different from her previous series, a lot of what I love about Aveyard's books was there, and I'm happy to say that overall I enjoyed this book!
First, let's discuss the world building. I had a bit of a back and forth relationship with it, mainly because I felt it bogged the story down in the back half. But even so, I always appreciate when a world is incredibly well-developed, and Allward is nothing less than that. Each region was so unique, each with their own geographical descriptions and cultural norms, and it made for an intriguing and complex landscape for the story's events.
I had so much fun getting to know the characters of this story. They were a ragtag bunch, which I surprisingly formed attachments to early on. Each of them brought a unique perspective to the story, and while most of them didn't have much 'development', I think there's a lot of room left to explore their growth throughout the series, which gets me excited. I craved a bit more detail regarding Taristan's backstory and motivations, but I have a feeling that will come later in the series.
All in all, I had fun diving into this new world Aveyard has created! It gave me Lord of the Rings vibes, which I hadn't been expecting but ended up liking a lot. While there was still a few things left to be desired with this book, and I had hoped for more focus on the magical elements of the world and the Spindles, it's good to remember that this is just the first book in a full series. I'm certain that more and more will be revealed over time, which only makes me more excited to get to Blade Breaker soon!
First, let's discuss the world building. I had a bit of a back and forth relationship with it, mainly because I felt it bogged the story down in the back half. But even so, I always appreciate when a world is incredibly well-developed, and Allward is nothing less than that. Each region was so unique, each with their own geographical descriptions and cultural norms, and it made for an intriguing and complex landscape for the story's events.
I had so much fun getting to know the characters of this story. They were a ragtag bunch, which I surprisingly formed attachments to early on. Each of them brought a unique perspective to the story, and while most of them didn't have much 'development', I think there's a lot of room left to explore their growth throughout the series, which gets me excited. I craved a bit more detail regarding Taristan's backstory and motivations, but I have a feeling that will come later in the series.
All in all, I had fun diving into this new world Aveyard has created! It gave me Lord of the Rings vibes, which I hadn't been expecting but ended up liking a lot. While there was still a few things left to be desired with this book, and I had hoped for more focus on the magical elements of the world and the Spindles, it's good to remember that this is just the first book in a full series. I'm certain that more and more will be revealed over time, which only makes me more excited to get to Blade Breaker soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
maple_dusk's review against another edition
Couldn't get interested. Fantasy doesn't appeal to me unless it's alongside a genre that I really like.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
madisone's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
nora_knight's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
As the introductory book to a series, I enjoyed it. It took a while to introduce each of the characters and set off on their quest, but it seems to set up an exciting adventure and I'm already anticipating reading the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Slavery, Death of parent, and Alcohol
jessicaludden's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.5
*4.5*
“‘Well, if you don’t belong to a place, perhaps we belong to each other? We who belong nowhere?’”
I really liked this and my only “complaint” is that I need more. There is a massive amount of world building in this book, which is necessary because it’s a very complex world. Victoria does a great job including lots of detail and lots of descriptions, almost to the point where it’s too much. I loved the world building don’t get me wrong, but I would’ve traded that for a little more character interaction. I loved the characters and I loved their potential relationships with each other, but I think we should’ve seen more of it. My favorite scenes included these characters having one on one conversations and building that trust between each other. I absolutely loved the scene with Dom and Andre having a heart to heart about the shared grief and survivor’s guilt they’re feeling. Scenes like that are what I felt was missing from this. I would’ve loved to see more Dom and Sorasa, more Sorasa and Corayne, and more Corayne and Andry. I’m okay with it for now because I know we’re going to get more in the rest of the series, but I couldn’t help but feel that part missing from the story. It was also difficult for me to get attached to characters like Sigil, Charlie, and Valtik because they showed up so much later in the story and we didn’t really get a feel for who they are. What surprised me the most was how much I loved the villains, especially their potential little romance occurring. Taristan is such a great villain and Erida is so complex. I love their dynamic and I can’t wait to see them try to take over the world together (and possibly get closer at the same time). Overall I loved the world and loved the characters. I’m not gonna fault this book for what it was lacking because I know there’s more to come and I’m so excited!
Favorite Quotes:
“Corayne knew herself, and while she was her mother’s daughter, she was not her mother’s equal.”
“‘Boys do stupid things to feel like men, no matter how old they are.’”
“The Amhara has great need for those who can pass unseen, and who is more unseen to men than a woman?”
“Andry, afraid of the city ahead. Corayne, afraid of the sword on her back. Dom, afraid of nearly everything.”
“‘If I could, I’d make you a knight right here. You’ve certainly earned it by now.’”
“‘So the realm stands on the brink of destruction. It might have tipped already. And for some reason, you need me to join this…’ He glanced down their line. This time his scrutiny felt like an insult. ‘Merry band of heroes?’”
“He doesn’t belong here with us, as much as he tries to. The end of the world is no place for Andry Trelland. He doesn’t deserve it.”
“He imagined leaving Sarn behind at almost every turn, but found he could not picture her battling a bounty hunter to death, and certainly not over someone as unimportant as Charlon Armont.”
“Mortals are impossible to fathom, especially Sorasa Sarn.”
“An immortal Veder, a Jydi witch, a copper-eyed assassin, a royal squire, a criminal fugitive, and a pirate’s daughter, the Ward’s hope. What a mess we are, Dom thought as Sarn claimed a corner of the room.”
“As in Ascal, Andry was torn between duty and desire. The squire will march and fight and carry on until he drops. Until someone gives him permission to stand back, and be a little less strong.”
“Sarn is still occupied, Valtik is useless, Corayne can barely swing a blade, and Andry is somehow sleeping through everything.”
“‘Even when it isn’t the end of the world, the realm is a dangerous place for women,’ Sorasa added, gesturing between herself and the bounty hunter. Sigil grinned broadly. ‘And so we became dangerous.’”
“No amount of squiring had prepared him for a girl like Corayne.”
“Charlie not so much, but if he is trampled, so be it. His blood isn’t saving the Ward anytime soon.”
“‘Well, if you don’t belong to a place, perhaps we belong to each other? We who belong nowhere?’”
I really liked this and my only “complaint” is that I need more. There is a massive amount of world building in this book, which is necessary because it’s a very complex world. Victoria does a great job including lots of detail and lots of descriptions, almost to the point where it’s too much. I loved the world building don’t get me wrong, but I would’ve traded that for a little more character interaction. I loved the characters and I loved their potential relationships with each other, but I think we should’ve seen more of it. My favorite scenes included these characters having one on one conversations and building that trust between each other. I absolutely loved the scene with Dom and Andre having a heart to heart about the shared grief and survivor’s guilt they’re feeling. Scenes like that are what I felt was missing from this. I would’ve loved to see more Dom and Sorasa, more Sorasa and Corayne, and more Corayne and Andry. I’m okay with it for now because I know we’re going to get more in the rest of the series, but I couldn’t help but feel that part missing from the story. It was also difficult for me to get attached to characters like Sigil, Charlie, and Valtik because they showed up so much later in the story and we didn’t really get a feel for who they are. What surprised me the most was how much I loved the villains, especially their potential little romance occurring. Taristan is such a great villain and Erida is so complex. I love their dynamic and I can’t wait to see them try to take over the world together (and possibly get closer at the same time). Overall I loved the world and loved the characters. I’m not gonna fault this book for what it was lacking because I know there’s more to come and I’m so excited!
Favorite Quotes:
“Corayne knew herself, and while she was her mother’s daughter, she was not her mother’s equal.”
“‘Boys do stupid things to feel like men, no matter how old they are.’”
“The Amhara has great need for those who can pass unseen, and who is more unseen to men than a woman?”
“Andry, afraid of the city ahead. Corayne, afraid of the sword on her back. Dom, afraid of nearly everything.”
“‘If I could, I’d make you a knight right here. You’ve certainly earned it by now.’”
“‘So the realm stands on the brink of destruction. It might have tipped already. And for some reason, you need me to join this…’ He glanced down their line. This time his scrutiny felt like an insult. ‘Merry band of heroes?’”
“He doesn’t belong here with us, as much as he tries to. The end of the world is no place for Andry Trelland. He doesn’t deserve it.”
“He imagined leaving Sarn behind at almost every turn, but found he could not picture her battling a bounty hunter to death, and certainly not over someone as unimportant as Charlon Armont.”
“Mortals are impossible to fathom, especially Sorasa Sarn.”
“An immortal Veder, a Jydi witch, a copper-eyed assassin, a royal squire, a criminal fugitive, and a pirate’s daughter, the Ward’s hope. What a mess we are, Dom thought as Sarn claimed a corner of the room.”
“As in Ascal, Andry was torn between duty and desire. The squire will march and fight and carry on until he drops. Until someone gives him permission to stand back, and be a little less strong.”
“Sarn is still occupied, Valtik is useless, Corayne can barely swing a blade, and Andry is somehow sleeping through everything.”
“‘Even when it isn’t the end of the world, the realm is a dangerous place for women,’ Sorasa added, gesturing between herself and the bounty hunter. Sigil grinned broadly. ‘And so we became dangerous.’”
“No amount of squiring had prepared him for a girl like Corayne.”
“Charlie not so much, but if he is trampled, so be it. His blood isn’t saving the Ward anytime soon.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Murder
mayaschmerf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
caitlin033's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Chronic illness