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A review by jl23
A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
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