Powered by Blogger.
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Music
    • Shop
    • Life Pages
  • About Me
  • Contact
    • Review Requests
    • Policies and Ratings
  • Download Theme

dearrivarie

A Broken Blade is a classic fantasy story that checks off all the boxes to become a beloved internet tale. In an era where TikTok has quickly and easily become the dominant social media platform, this is a perfect example of how its influence has impacted this niche of fantasy. With Melissa Blair also having a BookTok platform dedicated to sharing her favorite reads, this truly read as a love letter to TikTok's bookish community.

isbn: 978-1454947875 | pages: 448
      publication date: august 02, 2022 | source: publisher
     genre: fantasy, new adult
     rating: 5.7/10 
     w
riting: 5 | atmosphere: 7 | world-building: 6 | plot: 6 |  characters: 5 | impact: 5

b o o k s h o p *    |    g o o d r e a d s    |    a m a z o n
links with an (*) are affiliate where, when used to purchase gives me a small commission to support my blog at no extra cost to you!

I received a copy from Union Square & Co. in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts shared below reflect my personal opinion.

If you spend any amount of time on bookish social media, you'll easily come across videos, graphics, posts, etc. that describe books using tropes - at this point it's almost become a guaranteed way to pitch or review a story. For her debut, Melissa Blair essentially took the top tropes and blended them all together. From a kickass heroine with an unknown past, a dark and mysterious love interest, political intrigue, and of course "there was only one bed," A Broken Blade takes what is familiar to many YA fantasy fans and ages the story up to a NA audience to tackle darker themes of colonialism and addiction.

From the beginning, Keera is presented to us as a character abiding by her tropes but with the potential to reveal more about herself as time passes. While she falls into some stereotypes, such as reminding the reader on multiple occasions that she's that much stronger than xyz character, I appreciated that she didn't sit idly in her role as the skilled assassin. We got to see her in combat and use strategy to stay one step ahead of her opponents as well as her healing process as she fights her dependency on alcohol. There was room to grow and the author leaned into that, taking a character arc that's so widely used and molding it for Keera herself.

That same could be said for the plot and the rest of the cast - I could have easily read and dismissed this book as "every other fantasy novel involving fae" and I admit to having fallen into that headspace at first. But it's admirable to note that the story doesn't rely on its tropes to carry readers through all 400+ pages and instead uses the familiar to present and highlight commentary on systemic violence and colonialism. With the premise of the world based on the eradication of the Elves and the enslavement of Halflings, there's a conversation started surrounding the unfair claim of land and erasure of culture based on one race's superior savior complex.

As the first book in a projected duology, A Broken Blade sets the scene for a new fantasy world that is easily accessible to a wide audience due to its usage of familiar characters and plot arcs and begins an adventure that leaves room for lots of development in its sequel.

Thank you again to Union Square & Co. for a copy of A Broken Blade in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts shared reflect my personal opinion.


8:00 AM No Comments

Hello there, I hope you've been well as the seasons start to change and the weather becomes colder. I've definitely hit a rough patch over the past couple of months when it comes to feeling a sense of disillusionment about my internet presence and contribution (which honestly came out of the blue). After taking a couple months to clear my head, I'm finally starting to miss the routine of blogging and feel a little more centered about continuing to share on this small corner of the internet.

This rough patch affected pretty much every single hobby of mine and my reading pace fell drastically. But I recently finished some books and it's gotten me thinking about my next read so here's a little list of hopefuls that I'd like to get to before the end of 2022.

        
all covers are linked to a bookshop affiliate link - when used to purchase gives me a small commission to support my blog at no extra cost to you!

heart of the sun warrior 
by sue lynn tan
This should come as no surprise if you've been around since the start of the year. The sequel to Sue Lynn Tan's Daughter of the Moon Goddess comes out (in exactly 10 days!!) and I'm more than ready to jump back into the world of the Celestial Kingdoms. I fell in love with everything about book one, from the complex characters to beautiful storytelling, and cannot wait to see where the next chapter of Xingyin's journey takes her.

the atlas six
by olivie blake
I don't think you can mention 'dark academia' without someone bringing up The Atlas Six. While I originally wasn't interested in the premise and admittedly felt intimidated by the whole dark academia aesthetic, I recently read R.F. Kuang's Babel and have been 100% converted so now I just want to read about another cohort of academics who may very well break my heart.

foul lady fortune 
by chloe gong
Here's another book that I was originally on the fence after finding myself enjoying These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends but feeling like I missed something because I didn't love them like the rest of the internet. However, the longer I sit on the fence, the more my curiosity is piqued and reading Michelle's (@magicalreads7) review sealed my fate and now a copy sits on my shelves.

        
all covers are linked to a bookshop affiliate link - when used to purchase gives me a small commission to support my blog at no extra cost to you!

the silence that binds us 
by joanna ho
I could make an entire post of books that I picked up and ended up 'pausing' for no reason and The Silence That Binds Us would be on that list. Easily one of my more anticipated releases of the year, I could not tell you why I read 20-some pages and then stopped. I'm finally tackling it again and this time am fully dedicated to follow through from start to finish.

the bear and the nightingale 
by katherine arden
Another title that should be familiar to you if you're a frequent visitor - I adore Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy and have been itching to reread them for years. My friend Mari (@macnbooks) recently finished the entire trilogy and hearing her thoughts has made me miss the characters and world so much which solidified the decision to finally start my reread.

the night circus
by erin morgenstern
According to Goodreads, I read The Night Circus in 2016 and in the six years that have passed since then, I can recall absolutely nothing about the story other than the magical vibes and what the synopsis tells me. I have also had this book in my room for the past six months with the intention to reread it and have just never followed through so I'm putting it into words now with the hopes that it'll give me that final push to pick this up.

I'm feeling a bit rusty after being away for so long but it is nice to feel that buzz of excitement to create once again. I would love to know what you have been up to, if you've read anything good and what books are on your end of year tbr - please share them with me down below ♡

7:00 PM 2 Comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

DearRivarie

DearRivarie
Hi there! My name is Rivalie (Riv for short). Welcome to my blog where I share book reviews, discussions, and more fun things! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic day! 🌸

Blog Archive

  • ►  2023 (3)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ▼  2022 (26)
    • ▼  November (2)
      • a blade through the shadows | a broken blade by me...
      • end of the year | listed
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (3)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (3)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (5)
  • ►  2021 (26)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (3)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (2)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2020 (50)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (2)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (5)
    • ►  July (4)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (6)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (5)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2019 (23)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ►  2018 (42)
    • ►  December (10)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (4)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (6)
  • ►  2017 (53)
    • ►  December (9)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  September (5)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (4)
    • ►  June (4)
    • ►  May (6)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (8)

Socials

instagram

buy me a coffee ☕

subscribe on feedly

follow us in feedly

Popular Posts

  • doom at your service - book recommendations
  • endless halls and rising tides | piranesi by susanna clarke
  • the deep divisions of hatred and atrocity | our violent ends by chloe gong
  • bargained relationships and butterfly feelings | this time it's real by ann liang
  • moments between heartbeats | an arrow to the moon by emily x.r. pan

Labels

Books Fashion/Beauty Journaling Life Happens Lists Movies Music PetitMas Recommendations Review Wrap Ups

officially part of



NetGalley

Reviews Published 100 Book Reviews 80%

affiliate purchase links *

image attribution

Image by coolvector on Freepik

Views - Last 30 Days

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM

Created with by ThemeXpose