Blade Breaker, the sequel to Realm Breaker, was highly anticipated by the fans of the new series from Victoria Aveyard, and did not disappoint those who've fallen into love with her complex YA Fantasy.
From the blurb;
'The fate of the world rests on a blade's edge.
'Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father's powerful sword. But while she successfully closed on of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.
'Queen Erida's army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.
'Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she's to save the realm and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.
'But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.'
Despite being fully situated within Aveyard's fantasy realm as the second novel, Blade Breaker is a slow burn with a very slow beginning. After an action packed opening chapter the novel stops to a crawl before picking up pace again on the hunt for the next realm altering torn spindle.
Corayne continues to build her strength and knowledge, learning from her brethren to fight, but her idealism put's the group in ever growing danger, and by the penultimate chapter it is obvious that she remains too green to properly protect those she loves.
With chapters alternating perspective across our cast of characters we get a broad view of not just each individual character's adventure but also of the Ward as we step frequently into the shoes of Erida as she scorches across the land blazing a path to empire.
Through the course of the novel new allies are won, while greater threats are unleashed upon the ward in equal measure. While our character's fight to save the realm and bring those in power to their cause, their enemies are just as swift to undo each step they take.
Inspired by The Lord Of The Rings it is easy to see which concepts Aveyard has drawn on most from the renowned fantasy series. We hope to see her further these fantasy elements and take them truly into her own in the third and final instalment to this series.
The concluding chapter is a heart ripping read as our characters fight their greatest threat yet, and leaves readers on a cliff-hanger begging for answers.
We give Blade Breaker Three Stars
ISBN - 978-1-4091-9399-9 Hardback Cover Price - £16.99 First published in Great Britain in 2022 by Orion Fiction
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