Scan barcode
A review by darkbluereader
Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to Red Tower Books for this ARC, which was sent to the Barnes & Noble location of which I am an employee. This is my honest review.
I can see why a lot of people are going to love this, but it just wasn't for me. I felt most of the chapters were too short to allow for character development (the vast majority of chapters are 3-5 pages), and for the most part I didn't even like the majority of the main characters. Sometimes I hated them and I can deal with unlikeable characters, but this felt too far. The romance between two of the characters (you will know who when you read it) felt super rushed and I didn't feel their chemistry. But the romances between the other characters were handled well, if rushed. At least they had chemistry.
I skimmed almost 100 pages because I got bored and just wanted to get to the climax. Some scenes could definitely stand to be edited or streamlined.
That said, the story was very entertaining and fast paced. However, I can't help feeling like all the events of this book were only a bridge to set up the second book, and I don't like that. I wish it could stand on its own more.
I can see why a lot of people are going to love this, but it just wasn't for me. I felt most of the chapters were too short to allow for character development (the vast majority of chapters are 3-5 pages), and for the most part I didn't even like the majority of the main characters. Sometimes I hated them and I can deal with unlikeable characters, but this felt too far. The romance between two of the characters (you will know who when you read it) felt super rushed and I didn't feel their chemistry. But the romances between the other characters were handled well, if rushed. At least they had chemistry.
I skimmed almost 100 pages because I got bored and just wanted to get to the climax. Some scenes could definitely stand to be edited or streamlined.
That said, the story was very entertaining and fast paced. However, I can't help feeling like all the events of this book were only a bridge to set up the second book, and I don't like that. I wish it could stand on its own more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Xenophobia, and War