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The Broken Blades #2
Four Ruined Realms
The lies are bigger and the plots more treacherous when your favourite backstabbers return in the mind-blowing sequel to instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Mai Corland's epic adventure fantasy Five Broken Blades
The King of Yusan may be the greatest liar of them all.
His sister's ring is in his sights, and he will do anything to get what he wants. Even manipulating the five blades to steal it...
Bonded by deceit, the blades must rely on their skills to pull off King Joon's pursuit or risk his legendary wrath.
A foreign rule of law stands between them and Quilimar, the Queen of Khitan. Now they have one month to steal the powerful Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord. But that impossible task might be easier than trusting one another, even though their lives, their families, and the realms depend on it.
They can all agree on one thing: the king can't win. But can they beat him at his own game?
Because for the blades, this time it's not just personal, it's revenge. Lies may have torn them apart, but now vengeance will bring them together.
The lies have only just begun...
The King of Yusan may be the greatest liar of them all.
His sister's ring is in his sights, and he will do anything to get what he wants. Even manipulating the five blades to steal it...
Bonded by deceit, the blades must rely on their skills to pull off King Joon's pursuit or risk his legendary wrath.
A foreign rule of law stands between them and Quilimar, the Queen of Khitan. Now they have one month to steal the powerful Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord. But that impossible task might be easier than trusting one another, even though their lives, their families, and the realms depend on it.
They can all agree on one thing: the king can't win. But can they beat him at his own game?
Because for the blades, this time it's not just personal, it's revenge. Lies may have torn them apart, but now vengeance will bring them together.
The lies have only just begun...
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2025
1367 people are currently reading
28888 people want to read
About the author
Mai Corland
7 books1,320 followersMai Corland is a Korean American attorney and writer, born in Seoul and adopted into New York. From there, she ran away from winter and studied in Florida at Rollins College and the University of Miami. Due to a variety of questionable decisions, she currently lives in the cold again with her partner, children, and a goldfish who will outlive them all. When not writing, you can find her asleep or clutching her latte machine. Mai writes award winning children’s and young adult books under Meredith Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,554 reviews
March 15, 2025
i can’t even call this walmart soc anymore because it’s an insult to the crows. this plot is making zero sense and it feels like she’s just coming up with it as she’s writing it. and don’t even get me started on the characters
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pre-read: that’s right folks, the walmart six of crows are coming back for another book, sure to be full of horny characters, insta-love, and murder!!
———
pre-read: that’s right folks, the walmart six of crows are coming back for another book, sure to be full of horny characters, insta-love, and murder!!
December 14, 2024
I liked this more than the first book because it leaned fully into the fantasy element instead of the romance aspect and I like that. We have our crew of misfits as they continue on another mission after the assassination of the king in the last book. Alot of this book is spent either on the road, or in a prison or on a mission with lots of fighting, sword fights and there is a bit of movement on the plot especially towards the end. There is a little romance subplot but some of the couples are separated for a good amount of time. There are twists, deaths and a big twist in the epilogue. I’m trying so hard to write this review without any spoilers so this is where I’ll stop and come back after pub day. Thanks to Red Tower for this arc for an honest review.
January 14, 2025
3.5-4 stars
Did the characters get on my nerves a lot? Yes. Did I still inhale read this book just like with the 1st one? Also yes. Normally I wouldn't be glad book 3 is coming out in 2025 as well, but this is the one time I'm ok with a same year release of the next installment. I NEED IT NOW.
Tbh everyone annoyed me at one point or another. The writing style is still simple and straightforward. It's not hard to piece together the details at all. My main complaint here is the POVs sound a little too similar to each other and the straightforwardness of the narration can get very melodramatic, especially for Sora chapters. If I have to hear about Daysum one more time, I'm gonna lose it. Also I did not need Sora to girl's girl for Quillimar the entire time when Quillimar was bad news. She had a tough life? Get in line!!!
As much as I like Aeri's unhinged energy, I'm afraid if it were not for the cute owl kindness, she and Royo would be the most useless hets in this story. They aren't! I do feel like their (shrugs) romance or whatever was a waste of time. I know people complained about Aeri in book 1 being like omg they're my family when she barely knows these other murderers, but she really has no one and it makes sense she's attached to the other POV characters despite not being super close to them. I can see that desperation hitting hard with her attachment to Royo, but these two are just not very interesting as a couple.
Speaking of uninteresting couples, I'm glad Sora and Tiyung were separated for the entire book LOL. Tiyung chapters were such a waste of time. At least the most hetero character is thrown in jail and lampshaded as useless because that's exactly what he was this entire time. I must have forgotten that Hana was Sora's first love, because knowing this, I can assert for real that Sora has bad taste in men but decent taste in girls.
Idk what to say about Sora, I felt for her in book 1, but she got on my nerves in book 2. The first half of the book, we could not get a pause about her Daysum thoughts. Again, it makes sense Daysum is her focus, but Mai Corland didn't need to remind me every waking moment we were with Sora. I could have also done without the constant reminders that Sora is so good and moral from other characters' POVs because it got very sanctimonious when Sora is out there OK with murder a good portion of the time too. The amount of guilt our POV characters felt was too repetitive. Like, yes I KNOW already. The writing is straightforward enough that we are told multiple times about their guilt wrt murder.
The only one I didn't get annoyed at was Euyn (yeah, I know), because he was so unapologetic and said and thought horrible things with his whole chest while everyone was like "no i won't be bad!!!!" He was like the moral butt monkey of this installment because everyone was saying he's the worst and unredeemable, again, for logical but repetitive reasons. Despite him being the most ok with murder and war crimes (arguable), Euyn as a character was the most tolerable to read about because he wasn't constantly morally posturing and just did what he had to do. His finaly scenes were honestly so bold I can't believe someone in the main cast finally did something ballsy. In a series about murderers, we don't need to waste this much time posturing about morals in the same way, 5 different times. Just do things!!!
Poor Mikhail LOL. He definitely had a sip of the stupid juice this installment. Like how was it supposed to be a (non pleasant) surprise that Joon wanted all 5 relics when that's why the gang was sent to Khitan in the first place under convoluted conditions but the end is still the same lmao? I enjoyed the new Gayan characters we met, though. The journey to get the corpse head seemed like a waste of time, though - Euyn and Mikhail already had their moments where they saved each other and were willing to follow each other to the death. Unless there's some new revelations we get about Gambria in book 3 and this whole ordeal, I don't see why the side quest was a good idea in terms of plotting.
On to a positive note, this book runs on lesbian affair drama. I won't elaborate. You'll just have to read to find out whom I'm talking about. There's so much of it like lmao. Khitan is actually pretty fun when you're the reader and not the MCs getting trailed and almost killed every chapter.
I had a long list of complaints, but I actually did enjoy most of Four Ruined Realms. Since this is Entangled Publishing, I know the books from them are supposed to be accessible and easy to read with minimal subtext, and that's what you get here. Four Ruined Realms is still an entertaining ride. I'll be seated for book 3.
Did the characters get on my nerves a lot? Yes. Did I still inhale read this book just like with the 1st one? Also yes. Normally I wouldn't be glad book 3 is coming out in 2025 as well, but this is the one time I'm ok with a same year release of the next installment. I NEED IT NOW.
Tbh everyone annoyed me at one point or another. The writing style is still simple and straightforward. It's not hard to piece together the details at all. My main complaint here is the POVs sound a little too similar to each other and the straightforwardness of the narration can get very melodramatic, especially for Sora chapters. If I have to hear about Daysum one more time, I'm gonna lose it. Also I did not need Sora to girl's girl for Quillimar the entire time when Quillimar was bad news. She had a tough life? Get in line!!!
As much as I like Aeri's unhinged energy, I'm afraid if it were not for the cute owl kindness, she and Royo would be the most useless hets in this story. They aren't! I do feel like their (shrugs) romance or whatever was a waste of time. I know people complained about Aeri in book 1 being like omg they're my family when she barely knows these other murderers, but she really has no one and it makes sense she's attached to the other POV characters despite not being super close to them. I can see that desperation hitting hard with her attachment to Royo, but these two are just not very interesting as a couple.
Speaking of uninteresting couples, I'm glad Sora and Tiyung were separated for the entire book LOL. Tiyung chapters were such a waste of time. At least the most hetero character is thrown in jail and lampshaded as useless because that's exactly what he was this entire time. I must have forgotten that Hana was Sora's first love, because knowing this, I can assert for real that Sora has bad taste in men but decent taste in girls.
Idk what to say about Sora, I felt for her in book 1, but she got on my nerves in book 2. The first half of the book, we could not get a pause about her Daysum thoughts. Again, it makes sense Daysum is her focus, but Mai Corland didn't need to remind me every waking moment we were with Sora. I could have also done without the constant reminders that Sora is so good and moral from other characters' POVs because it got very sanctimonious when Sora is out there OK with murder a good portion of the time too. The amount of guilt our POV characters felt was too repetitive. Like, yes I KNOW already. The writing is straightforward enough that we are told multiple times about their guilt wrt murder.
The only one I didn't get annoyed at was Euyn (yeah, I know), because he was so unapologetic and said and thought horrible things with his whole chest while everyone was like "no i won't be bad!!!!" He was like the moral butt monkey of this installment because everyone was saying he's the worst and unredeemable, again, for logical but repetitive reasons. Despite him being the most ok with murder and war crimes (arguable), Euyn as a character was the most tolerable to read about because he wasn't constantly morally posturing and just did what he had to do. His finaly scenes were honestly so bold I can't believe someone in the main cast finally did something ballsy. In a series about murderers, we don't need to waste this much time posturing about morals in the same way, 5 different times. Just do things!!!
Poor Mikhail LOL. He definitely had a sip of the stupid juice this installment. Like how was it supposed to be a (non pleasant) surprise that Joon wanted all 5 relics when that's why the gang was sent to Khitan in the first place under convoluted conditions but the end is still the same lmao? I enjoyed the new Gayan characters we met, though. The journey to get the corpse head seemed like a waste of time, though - Euyn and Mikhail already had their moments where they saved each other and were willing to follow each other to the death. Unless there's some new revelations we get about Gambria in book 3 and this whole ordeal, I don't see why the side quest was a good idea in terms of plotting.
On to a positive note, this book runs on lesbian affair drama. I won't elaborate. You'll just have to read to find out whom I'm talking about. There's so much of it like lmao. Khitan is actually pretty fun when you're the reader and not the MCs getting trailed and almost killed every chapter.
I had a long list of complaints, but I actually did enjoy most of Four Ruined Realms. Since this is Entangled Publishing, I know the books from them are supposed to be accessible and easy to read with minimal subtext, and that's what you get here. Four Ruined Realms is still an entertaining ride. I'll be seated for book 3.
May 29, 2025
Ja nie mam słów. To istne arcydzieło
May 5, 2025
3.75
I was having doubts in the first half of the book, I feel like half our cast of characters took 10 steps back in character development… but that ending drew me right back in haha.
I liked Five Broken Blades better, but I’m excited to see how Mai Corland wraps it up in the next book!
I was having doubts in the first half of the book, I feel like half our cast of characters took 10 steps back in character development… but that ending drew me right back in haha.
I liked Five Broken Blades better, but I’m excited to see how Mai Corland wraps it up in the next book!
November 16, 2024
5/5 but I’m not happy
Read
February 16, 2025(english review below)
3.5 🌟
La historia a nivel de fantasía sigue siendo sencilla y fácil de seguir, pero ha habido una mejora en la pluma de la autora a nivel narrativo y eso me ha gustado bastante. Al estar los personajes más separados (tanto física como emocionalmente por los hechos del anterior libro) el enfoque ha dejado de ser el romance y la personalidad/pasado de cada uno de ellos, ya que ahora les conocemos mucho mejor. Eso ha dado paso a partes más lentas de misiones donde no me he sentido muy dentro de la historia… siento que también se me han hecho repetitivo algunos aspectos característicos de personajes como Mikail y Sora, mis favoritos: son mucho más que secretos, Gaya y Daysum, pero en sus povs solo hablan de estos temas. El final me ha sorprendido MUCHO y hay una cosa que pffffff… preparaos amigas, preparaos 😭
-
3.5 ⭐️
The fantasy storyline remains simple and easy to follow, but I’ve noticed an improvement in the author’s writing style on a narrative level, which I really enjoyed. With the characters now more distanced from each other—both physically and emotionally due to the events of the previous book—the focus has shifted away from romance and their personalities/backstories, as we already know them much better by now. This has led to slower mission-driven sections where I didn’t feel fully immersed in the story… I also found certain character traits, especially in Mikail and Sora (my favorites), to be somewhat repetitive. They are so much more than just secrets, Gaya, and Daysum, yet their POVs keep revolving around these topics. The ending took me by COMPLETE surprise, and there’s one thing that just… pfffff—get ready, besties, get ready 😭.
3.5 🌟
La historia a nivel de fantasía sigue siendo sencilla y fácil de seguir, pero ha habido una mejora en la pluma de la autora a nivel narrativo y eso me ha gustado bastante. Al estar los personajes más separados (tanto física como emocionalmente por los hechos del anterior libro) el enfoque ha dejado de ser el romance y la personalidad/pasado de cada uno de ellos, ya que ahora les conocemos mucho mejor. Eso ha dado paso a partes más lentas de misiones donde no me he sentido muy dentro de la historia… siento que también se me han hecho repetitivo algunos aspectos característicos de personajes como Mikail y Sora, mis favoritos: son mucho más que secretos, Gaya y Daysum, pero en sus povs solo hablan de estos temas. El final me ha sorprendido MUCHO y hay una cosa que pffffff… preparaos amigas, preparaos 😭
-
3.5 ⭐️
The fantasy storyline remains simple and easy to follow, but I’ve noticed an improvement in the author’s writing style on a narrative level, which I really enjoyed. With the characters now more distanced from each other—both physically and emotionally due to the events of the previous book—the focus has shifted away from romance and their personalities/backstories, as we already know them much better by now. This has led to slower mission-driven sections where I didn’t feel fully immersed in the story… I also found certain character traits, especially in Mikail and Sora (my favorites), to be somewhat repetitive. They are so much more than just secrets, Gaya, and Daysum, yet their POVs keep revolving around these topics. The ending took me by COMPLETE surprise, and there’s one thing that just… pfffff—get ready, besties, get ready 😭.
November 5, 2025
Four Ruined Realms
Four Ruined Realms is the second book in the Broken Blades trilogy and continues the story of the group of misfit mercenaries who are on a mission to obtain the dragon relics in order to dethrone the king. I really enjoyed the first book, so I had high expectations for this second one, but I confess that this one disappointed me a little. I expected much more from the development and the characters, but for me, a large part of the book was unnecessary stalling, with the characters staying in the same place for too long, and when the story did advance, it felt like it hadn't progressed as much as it could have. I found the ending of this book very rushed, and something about what the author did didn't make sense to me; it felt like it was done haphazardly and didn't deliver what could have been a very good ending. This second book is undoubtedly weaker than the first, and I hope the third is better than this one because otherwise it will join that group of book series that had a lot of potential but lost its way.
Four Ruined Realms is the second book in the Broken Blades trilogy and continues the story of the group of misfit mercenaries who are on a mission to obtain the dragon relics in order to dethrone the king. I really enjoyed the first book, so I had high expectations for this second one, but I confess that this one disappointed me a little. I expected much more from the development and the characters, but for me, a large part of the book was unnecessary stalling, with the characters staying in the same place for too long, and when the story did advance, it felt like it hadn't progressed as much as it could have. I found the ending of this book very rushed, and something about what the author did didn't make sense to me; it felt like it was done haphazardly and didn't deliver what could have been a very good ending. This second book is undoubtedly weaker than the first, and I hope the third is better than this one because otherwise it will join that group of book series that had a lot of potential but lost its way.
July 29, 2025
I really enjoy this series. I did like the first book more but this one still held my attention the entire time and has me hooked to continue the series. I have the ARC for the third book so I look forward to reading that asap.
Highly recommend this series if you enjoy multiple POV, twists and turns, and some fantasy in your life!
Highly recommend this series if you enjoy multiple POV, twists and turns, and some fantasy in your life!
February 7, 2025
“Yours in this life and the next”
February 5, 2025
“𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒊 𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕?”
our favorite group of misfits are back and even better than ever before with yet another seemingly impossible task in front of them. really though, corland truly outdid herself with this one. the missions/quests? phenomenal the lies? betrayal? never knowing what’s going to happen next? astonishing
the amount of quotes i highlighted would probably make people want to claw their eyes out if i included them all. with everything going on in the world at this time, her commentary truly made my heart ache at some points.
“𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒑 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒏.”
i love the way that every single one of the characters is written. none of them are perfect and they are all honestly so relatable in their own ways. if i had a choice though, i would be aeri any day of the week. she’s truly a queen and i too would like to change my wardrobe every time i go somewhere new??
i also absolutely adore that we get the pov of every single main character. it makes the story more well rounded and you can truly see how despite having to trust their lives to one another, they don’t truly 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 one another.
“𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇. 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐. 𝒔𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒆.”
if you need me i will be (not so) patiently waiting for book 3.
our favorite group of misfits are back and even better than ever before with yet another seemingly impossible task in front of them. really though, corland truly outdid herself with this one. the missions/quests? phenomenal the lies? betrayal? never knowing what’s going to happen next? astonishing
the amount of quotes i highlighted would probably make people want to claw their eyes out if i included them all. with everything going on in the world at this time, her commentary truly made my heart ache at some points.
“𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒑 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒏.”
i love the way that every single one of the characters is written. none of them are perfect and they are all honestly so relatable in their own ways. if i had a choice though, i would be aeri any day of the week. she’s truly a queen and i too would like to change my wardrobe every time i go somewhere new??
i also absolutely adore that we get the pov of every single main character. it makes the story more well rounded and you can truly see how despite having to trust their lives to one another, they don’t truly 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 one another.
“𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇. 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐. 𝒔𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒆.”
if you need me i will be (not so) patiently waiting for book 3.
September 20, 2025
⋆. 𐙚 ˚four / five stars ✰
of COURSE the next book isn’t out yet because of COURSE i got invested in an unfinished series 🫠
anyways i enjoyed this one just as much as the first!! i think if you’re looking for an easy to read adventurous fantasy then this series is suchhh a great place to go. i’m def more invested in the characters and their dynamics and what happens to themsigh euyn than the plot itself but the way the books are written just makes that work so well for me.
𐙚⋆.˚pre-read
i literally haven’t stopped reading all night and am already halfway through help i fear i’m addicted
of COURSE the next book isn’t out yet because of COURSE i got invested in an unfinished series 🫠
anyways i enjoyed this one just as much as the first!! i think if you’re looking for an easy to read adventurous fantasy then this series is suchhh a great place to go. i’m def more invested in the characters and their dynamics and what happens to them
𐙚⋆.˚pre-read
i literally haven’t stopped reading all night and am already halfway through help i fear i’m addicted
February 20, 2025
3.5 STARS
Alexa, play Latent Perception by Before I Turn.
Idk, man. I LOVED book one, but unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters this time around. I've been reading other reviews to validate my feelings, and it does appear that other readers have commented on the lack of character dynamics and relationships. Maybe I would feel differently if I read the two consecutively. Overall, I think it was a miss of a sequel, but not as bad as Blood & Honey. 😬
"'But if I abandon what I love just to live, what kind of life is that?'"
"There's always hope with the sunrise that the new day might be better than its predecessor. I have to believe that, believe in hope, or there's no point to living."
Alexa, play Latent Perception by Before I Turn.
Idk, man. I LOVED book one, but unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters this time around. I've been reading other reviews to validate my feelings, and it does appear that other readers have commented on the lack of character dynamics and relationships. Maybe I would feel differently if I read the two consecutively. Overall, I think it was a miss of a sequel, but not as bad as Blood & Honey. 😬
"'But if I abandon what I love just to live, what kind of life is that?'"
"There's always hope with the sunrise that the new day might be better than its predecessor. I have to believe that, believe in hope, or there's no point to living."
February 7, 2025
Very good! It was fast paced with short chapters and multiple POV. It flowed very well from the first book and the action was really great! The fantasy element was perfect, I’m really looking forward to the next book.
March 20, 2025
I feel like Four Ruined Realms is *objectively* better than the first book, especially in terms of world expansion and the fleshing out of other realms connecting to the grander plot, but I had a few qualms with the character development of certain characters, especially when ones I loved in the first book became much more irritating to me.
RTC!
RTC!
January 5, 2026
currently playing ♫
⏪ ⏸ ▶️ **“run boy run” – woodkid** ✧༺♛༻✧
(low, dramatic, slightly unhinged energy that feels like running headfirst into bad decisions)
four ruined realms is one of those books that didn’t completely blow me away, but somehow still managed to sink its claws into me. i closed it feeling conflicted: underwhelmed yet curious, disconnected yet invested enough to keep going. and honestly? that’s kind of impressive in its own frustrating way. it’s giving “i’m not obsessed but i will be thinking about this at 2 a.m.”
the six of crows comparisons are impossible to ignore, and it’s clear that’s the blueprint the author was aiming for. the problem is that it never quite hits that same magic. the writing itself felt stronger this time around, smoother and more confident, but the characters… not so much. instead of growing more compelling, some of them actually unraveled for me. we get more insight, more personality, more brooding - and somehow that made me like them less. a bold choice, truly.
once again, the group is dragged into a dangerous, elaborate scheme that spirals way beyond their control before they even understand what’s happening. there are big twists. big moments. dramatic reveals. but when they landed, i didn’t feel the emotional punch i wanted because i was already too detached from most of the cast. the stakes were high on paper, but my heart just wasn’t fully in it - which hurt, because the potential was absolutely there.
that said, sora completely carried this book for me. she was the emotional anchor, the one character i genuinely cared about and wanted answers for. at this point, i’m continuing the series almost entirely for her arc and to see how it all ends. four ruined realms isn’t a standout favorite, but it’s an “okay journey” that still has me lining up for the finale: and sometimes, that lingering curiosity is enough to keep you hooked.
⏪ ⏸ ▶️ **“run boy run” – woodkid** ✧༺♛༻✧
(low, dramatic, slightly unhinged energy that feels like running headfirst into bad decisions)
four ruined realms is one of those books that didn’t completely blow me away, but somehow still managed to sink its claws into me. i closed it feeling conflicted: underwhelmed yet curious, disconnected yet invested enough to keep going. and honestly? that’s kind of impressive in its own frustrating way. it’s giving “i’m not obsessed but i will be thinking about this at 2 a.m.”
the six of crows comparisons are impossible to ignore, and it’s clear that’s the blueprint the author was aiming for. the problem is that it never quite hits that same magic. the writing itself felt stronger this time around, smoother and more confident, but the characters… not so much. instead of growing more compelling, some of them actually unraveled for me. we get more insight, more personality, more brooding - and somehow that made me like them less. a bold choice, truly.
once again, the group is dragged into a dangerous, elaborate scheme that spirals way beyond their control before they even understand what’s happening. there are big twists. big moments. dramatic reveals. but when they landed, i didn’t feel the emotional punch i wanted because i was already too detached from most of the cast. the stakes were high on paper, but my heart just wasn’t fully in it - which hurt, because the potential was absolutely there.
that said, sora completely carried this book for me. she was the emotional anchor, the one character i genuinely cared about and wanted answers for. at this point, i’m continuing the series almost entirely for her arc and to see how it all ends. four ruined realms isn’t a standout favorite, but it’s an “okay journey” that still has me lining up for the finale: and sometimes, that lingering curiosity is enough to keep you hooked.
April 14, 2025
Mai Corland sure knows how to write a middle book! The second of the Broken Blades trilogy, this book is both full of action and also world-building/background info like most middle books but never feels like it’s dragging. It is go go go-from the moment book 2 ended, to the cliff that Mai leaves us hanging on to in advance of book 3 on July 15. The character development in this book is amazing, and the shifting allegiances keeps you guessing chapter after chapter. Plus, Aeri, Sora and even Quilimar give you the badass, woman-making-it-in-a-world-not-made-for them hope that is so necessary right now. This series is EVERYTHING. People need to run, not walk if they haven’t started it.
February 17, 2025
Such a great second book! I loved these characters in the first book and was shocked by the twists, so I immediately wanted to read this one. It was interesting to see how they were handling the backlash of what happened near the end of the first one. I love how it has multiple POVs as it gives more depth to the characters. It truly kept me entertained by all the twists and suspense of trying to figure out how it'd play out. Loved this one! The preview from NetGalley immediately made me purchase the book. Truly keeps you gripped, trying to figure out how it'll go for everyone with great twists and shocking moments, but action-packed with a great romance factor to it as well!
I received the preview from NetGalley and Entangled: Red Tower Books to read/review. Then, I purchased the novel once it was released. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I received the preview from NetGalley and Entangled: Red Tower Books to read/review. Then, I purchased the novel once it was released. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
December 27, 2025
This one felt very filler.
Like book one, I enjoyed the character dynamics, but felt like the plot wasn’t engaging or unique enough to keep my attention. I was never bored , but I can barely recall the book a few days after except for specific scenes and character interactions.
I think part of this is due to how predictable this is. It is very accessible and a great starter to romantasy.
Whilst the characters are developing slowly. It doesn’t feel complex or ground-breaking.
All in all, still a fun time, but not something I would recommend for the plot.
Think of it as a palette cleanser.
Physical arc gifted by Zaffre.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
Like book one, I enjoyed the character dynamics, but felt like the plot wasn’t engaging or unique enough to keep my attention. I was never bored , but I can barely recall the book a few days after except for specific scenes and character interactions.
I think part of this is due to how predictable this is. It is very accessible and a great starter to romantasy.
Whilst the characters are developing slowly. It doesn’t feel complex or ground-breaking.
All in all, still a fun time, but not something I would recommend for the plot.
Think of it as a palette cleanser.
Physical arc gifted by Zaffre.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
February 4, 2025
This was a 3.5 stars read for me. It was exciting, about halfway through the book the plot kept me on my toes, there was character development, new world building, fun creatures and once again the ending blindsided me! That being said, I found that the plotlines started off mimicking Five Broken Blades making it initially predictable and slightly dull, Euyn was more aggravating than usual and overall, this novel felt like a stepping stone for the final installment of the series.
However, it was still a great read sprinkled with little pearls of wisdom: "Life is for living, for making mistakes, and wringing the most out of good moments because the bad will aways be there."
Bonus: the novel is GORGEOUS. The sprayed edges and stenciled artwork are sublime! It also come with a list of character name pronunciations and titles and a Five Broken Blades resume. Thank you, Mai Corland!
So, Four Ruined Realms picks up exactly where Five Broken Blades concluded (with that spectacularly unexpected ending might I add). Our five blades must now work together on this new seemingly impossible mission to Khitan where Joon has tasked them to steal from his own sister: queen Quilimar. Is it possible to succeed a mission with the very people that just tried to double-cross you? The gang must learn to trust each other all over again... but the mission doesn't go according to plan because everyone's keeping secrets... again! And just when you think you have the intrigue figured out: BOOM! Mai Corland throws a plot twist with ninja star-like precision!
I truly loved so many things about this novel:
- The story is still told in 6 POV which gives the reader the impression they have more information and insight. I felt like I was "in the know"... I was not! I am excited to see what the new characters have in store for us!
- It was a refreshing change of misogynistic pace to go from Yusan to Khitan where "Women are not only attractive decoration here but active participants." Euyn could've learned a thing or two during his stay... but no *twitch* he remains excessively prejudiced (and dense) which does bring up the nature vs nurture debate.
- The action scenes are fun to read as they were easy to follow, they made logical sense, you see our heroes in their elements and you witness the bonding and trust slowly build. The beasts themselves were eerily impressive. "There are too many predators. There are too many dangers in this world to just be a pretty little thing."
- Last but not least, the theme of love is present throughout the novel in the most heartwarming way and it does dive in it's complexities: the love of a child for their parent(s) even if they're bad, truly loving someone means loving them and their flaws, realizing that sometimes love might not be enough, the importance of love for a meaningful life ("But if I abandon what I love just to live, what kind of life is that?") and last but not least, the strength love can give you ("She's apologizing for her tears. As if being sad, as if love is some kid of weakness. Love is the greatest strength. Love powered her to endure all these years for her sister."). Just beautiful
So it's a 3.5 stars but I already pre-ordered the final installment!
However, it was still a great read sprinkled with little pearls of wisdom: "Life is for living, for making mistakes, and wringing the most out of good moments because the bad will aways be there."
Bonus: the novel is GORGEOUS. The sprayed edges and stenciled artwork are sublime! It also come with a list of character name pronunciations and titles and a Five Broken Blades resume. Thank you, Mai Corland!
So, Four Ruined Realms picks up exactly where Five Broken Blades concluded (with that spectacularly unexpected ending might I add). Our five blades must now work together on this new seemingly impossible mission to Khitan where Joon has tasked them to steal from his own sister: queen Quilimar. Is it possible to succeed a mission with the very people that just tried to double-cross you? The gang must learn to trust each other all over again... but the mission doesn't go according to plan because everyone's keeping secrets... again! And just when you think you have the intrigue figured out: BOOM! Mai Corland throws a plot twist with ninja star-like precision!
I truly loved so many things about this novel:
- The story is still told in 6 POV which gives the reader the impression they have more information and insight. I felt like I was "in the know"... I was not! I am excited to see what the new characters have in store for us!
- It was a refreshing change of misogynistic pace to go from Yusan to Khitan where "Women are not only attractive decoration here but active participants." Euyn could've learned a thing or two during his stay... but no *twitch* he remains excessively prejudiced (and dense) which does bring up the nature vs nurture debate.
- The action scenes are fun to read as they were easy to follow, they made logical sense, you see our heroes in their elements and you witness the bonding and trust slowly build. The beasts themselves were eerily impressive. "There are too many predators. There are too many dangers in this world to just be a pretty little thing."
- Last but not least, the theme of love is present throughout the novel in the most heartwarming way and it does dive in it's complexities: the love of a child for their parent(s) even if they're bad, truly loving someone means loving them and their flaws, realizing that sometimes love might not be enough, the importance of love for a meaningful life ("But if I abandon what I love just to live, what kind of life is that?") and last but not least, the strength love can give you ("She's apologizing for her tears. As if being sad, as if love is some kid of weakness. Love is the greatest strength. Love powered her to endure all these years for her sister."). Just beautiful
So it's a 3.5 stars but I already pre-ordered the final installment!
May 7, 2025
Uwielbiam pierwszym tom, a ten we wszystkim jest BARDZIEJ.
Pierwszy tom czytałam na luzie, bez oczekiwań i trochę na zimno. Bawiłam się doskonale, ale nie przeżywałam dogłębnie tych wydarzeń. W drugim tomie moje zaangażowanie weszło na dużo wyższy poziom.
Właściwie trudno mi powiedzieć jak do tego doszło, ale między jednym, a drugim krótkim rozdziałem, między groźbą śmierci w lawinie, a opieką nad sówką, między kolejnymi kłamstwami, a odkryciem tożsamości danej postaci, zdałam sobie sprawę, że już nie tylko lubię tych bohaterów i z zaciekawieniem obserwuję ich przygody, ale jestem autentycznie wciągnięta w ich losy, boje się o nich i cierpię, kiedy są rozdzieleni.
Co do spisków, kłamstw i intryg w tym tomie jest bez zmian- jest ich multum i to w każdej perspektywie. Bohaterowie wciąż mają sekrety przed sobą, przed czytelnikiem i jeszcze nie wszystko o nich wiemy. Tu nie było nudnych POV-ów, nawet jeśli jedną postać lubi się mniej, a inną bardziej, to każda jest interesująca. Czuć, że każdy bohater jest odmienny nawet po jego narracji. Mikail jest niezmiennie moim faworytem, Sora odrobinę przygasła, ale liczę, ze odpali się w kolejnym tomie, a Royo gdzieś tylnym wejściem i swoim prostym postrzeganiem świata wkradł się do mojego serca. Aeri nie da się nie lubić, nawet jeśli mam wątpliwości co do jej decyzji.
Bardziej niż wątki romantyczne (których jest w tym tomie mniej) kręciło mnie obserwowanie budowania zaufania między bohaterami, tak bardzo nadwyrężonego po finale I tomu. Scalanie ich kruchych przyjaźni nie tylko przez zimną kalkulację wartości sojuszy, ale prawdziwe sympatie. Podobało mi się też rozwinięcie wątku fantastycznego poprzez artefakty, ukazanie kosztów jakie niesie ze sobą ich używanie, przez co trzeba się z nimi obchodzić bardzo ostrożnie - dzięki prostocie nie było to przekombinowane.
Czyta się tę książkę jakby oglądało się dobry akcyjniak - szybko i nieodkładanie. Krótkie rozdziały i dynamika to dla mnie atuty tej książki, bo nienawidzę sztucznego przedłużania na zasadzie trzeba dobić do 500 stron.
Oby trzeci tom był równie dobry, bo sięganie po niego będzie dla mnie dla mnie dużo bardziej emocjonalne i będzie się wiązać z dużo większym strachem niż teraz.
Pierwszy tom czytałam na luzie, bez oczekiwań i trochę na zimno. Bawiłam się doskonale, ale nie przeżywałam dogłębnie tych wydarzeń. W drugim tomie moje zaangażowanie weszło na dużo wyższy poziom.
Właściwie trudno mi powiedzieć jak do tego doszło, ale między jednym, a drugim krótkim rozdziałem, między groźbą śmierci w lawinie, a opieką nad sówką, między kolejnymi kłamstwami, a odkryciem tożsamości danej postaci, zdałam sobie sprawę, że już nie tylko lubię tych bohaterów i z zaciekawieniem obserwuję ich przygody, ale jestem autentycznie wciągnięta w ich losy, boje się o nich i cierpię, kiedy są rozdzieleni.
Co do spisków, kłamstw i intryg w tym tomie jest bez zmian- jest ich multum i to w każdej perspektywie. Bohaterowie wciąż mają sekrety przed sobą, przed czytelnikiem i jeszcze nie wszystko o nich wiemy. Tu nie było nudnych POV-ów, nawet jeśli jedną postać lubi się mniej, a inną bardziej, to każda jest interesująca. Czuć, że każdy bohater jest odmienny nawet po jego narracji. Mikail jest niezmiennie moim faworytem, Sora odrobinę przygasła, ale liczę, ze odpali się w kolejnym tomie, a Royo gdzieś tylnym wejściem i swoim prostym postrzeganiem świata wkradł się do mojego serca. Aeri nie da się nie lubić, nawet jeśli mam wątpliwości co do jej decyzji.
Bardziej niż wątki romantyczne (których jest w tym tomie mniej) kręciło mnie obserwowanie budowania zaufania między bohaterami, tak bardzo nadwyrężonego po finale I tomu. Scalanie ich kruchych przyjaźni nie tylko przez zimną kalkulację wartości sojuszy, ale prawdziwe sympatie. Podobało mi się też rozwinięcie wątku fantastycznego poprzez artefakty, ukazanie kosztów jakie niesie ze sobą ich używanie, przez co trzeba się z nimi obchodzić bardzo ostrożnie - dzięki prostocie nie było to przekombinowane.
Czyta się tę książkę jakby oglądało się dobry akcyjniak - szybko i nieodkładanie. Krótkie rozdziały i dynamika to dla mnie atuty tej książki, bo nienawidzę sztucznego przedłużania na zasadzie trzeba dobić do 500 stron.
Oby trzeci tom był równie dobry, bo sięganie po niego będzie dla mnie dla mnie dużo bardziej emocjonalne i będzie się wiązać z dużo większym strachem niż teraz.
January 26, 2025
People will sometimes ask me why I continue series that I have already disliked. My answer varies, but underneath it all, if I like the premise, it's always with the hope that emerging from the later books, I will have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of the narative having improved.
And I am happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The beginning of the book had the makings of what I did not like in book 1 - the shallow explanations, the constant telling instead of showing.
But as the story progressed, as the machinations of all pieces on this chess board started to unfold, I was hooked. I was devouring the book. It did not irritate me. I wanted to turn the page and figure out WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
The characters grew. The plot twists twisted. Some revelations were surprising. There were stakes. And heartbreak. And I ate it up.
It is, in my opinion, a massive upgrade over Five Broken Blades. I actually cannot wait for book 3 now. If that is not a redemption arc, I don't know what is.
I am happy I was wrong. I am ecstatic Four Ruined Realms lifted the bar higher. It is always so hard to do a second book right.
In summary, if you liked the premise, if not the execution of Five Broken Blades, give Four Ruined Realms a chance. It might surprise you. It sure did me.
---------------------
Pre-release thoughts:
I like pain, apparently.
Let's see what this Aliexpress Six of Crows has in store for us next.
And I am happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The beginning of the book had the makings of what I did not like in book 1 - the shallow explanations, the constant telling instead of showing.
But as the story progressed, as the machinations of all pieces on this chess board started to unfold, I was hooked. I was devouring the book. It did not irritate me. I wanted to turn the page and figure out WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
The characters grew. The plot twists twisted. Some revelations were surprising. There were stakes. And heartbreak. And I ate it up.
It is, in my opinion, a massive upgrade over Five Broken Blades. I actually cannot wait for book 3 now. If that is not a redemption arc, I don't know what is.
I am happy I was wrong. I am ecstatic Four Ruined Realms lifted the bar higher. It is always so hard to do a second book right.
In summary, if you liked the premise, if not the execution of Five Broken Blades, give Four Ruined Realms a chance. It might surprise you. It sure did me.
---------------------
Pre-release thoughts:
I like pain, apparently.
Let's see what this Aliexpress Six of Crows has in store for us next.
July 16, 2025
Editing because I can go on the rant that I’ve been holding in. I LOVED the first one and the potential of this one, but I was so disappointed!
Killing off Sora’s sister, really? Shes’s the most likable of the bunch, honestly. I don’t really have strong opinions on Tiyung. He comes right after Sora on my likability scale and I hope they at least can have a happy(ish) ending.
I know that Aeri is younger than she appears. However, her immaturity and lying and decision-making are oof.
*makes a promise not to lie*
*immediately has an opportunity to come clean about the necklace*
*DOESN’T*
I’ll honestly be very disappointed in Royo if he forgives her like the lovesick goober he is.
Freaking Mikail, man. I could rant for days about how much he sucks. He went from being an arrogant jerk in the first book to an incredibly hypocritical, holier-than-thou a**face in this one. He puts Euyn down every chance he gets and just digs and digs at his secrets all while keeping his close to his chest. Decides to kill off the loose ends in one scenario, but is shocked and appalled when Euyn wants to do the same later on. I legitimately cackled out loud when he found out about Sora’s sister. “What are you gonna do now, jerk?!” Obviously keep it to himself because “If it were Ailor instead of Daysum, I wouldn’t want to know until my mission was complete.” How very selfishly noble of him.
What pushed me over the edge was Euyn’s death. Yes, he had a problematic past (like the rest of them), but killing him off was BS. He was exiled for years and finally reunited with Mikhail, only to be treated so coldly by the love of his life. You’d think that after saving his life multiple times, he would have redeemed himself a little, but apparently not. Their relationship felt one-sided to me. I never got the sense of reciprocation from Mikhail. “Yours in this life and the next” is a sweet sentiment, but not when he only returns it half the time Euyn says it. His final thoughts while he died were so damn sad. All the talk about feeling Mikhail’s love and how lucky he was to have loved him every day, while also receiving his love back. Broke my hearrrrt.
Misc:
*I got 0 character development from anyone.
*I actually like the short chapters, but when they all end in cliffhanger-esque sentences, most of them with different variations of “we’re f***ed/all gonna die”, it gets tedious.
*The ending was a chaotic mess.
I’ll skim the third when it hits KU and I can download a free trial. Another Belcher quote - “but I’m gonna complain the whole time.”
Killing off Sora’s sister, really? Shes’s the most likable of the bunch, honestly. I don’t really have strong opinions on Tiyung. He comes right after Sora on my likability scale and I hope they at least can have a happy(ish) ending.
I know that Aeri is younger than she appears. However, her immaturity and lying and decision-making are oof.
*makes a promise not to lie*
*immediately has an opportunity to come clean about the necklace*
*DOESN’T*
I’ll honestly be very disappointed in Royo if he forgives her like the lovesick goober he is.
Freaking Mikail, man. I could rant for days about how much he sucks. He went from being an arrogant jerk in the first book to an incredibly hypocritical, holier-than-thou a**face in this one. He puts Euyn down every chance he gets and just digs and digs at his secrets all while keeping his close to his chest. Decides to kill off the loose ends in one scenario, but is shocked and appalled when Euyn wants to do the same later on. I legitimately cackled out loud when he found out about Sora’s sister. “What are you gonna do now, jerk?!” Obviously keep it to himself because “If it were Ailor instead of Daysum, I wouldn’t want to know until my mission was complete.” How very selfishly noble of him.
What pushed me over the edge was Euyn’s death. Yes, he had a problematic past (like the rest of them), but killing him off was BS. He was exiled for years and finally reunited with Mikhail, only to be treated so coldly by the love of his life. You’d think that after saving his life multiple times, he would have redeemed himself a little, but apparently not. Their relationship felt one-sided to me. I never got the sense of reciprocation from Mikhail. “Yours in this life and the next” is a sweet sentiment, but not when he only returns it half the time Euyn says it. His final thoughts while he died were so damn sad. All the talk about feeling Mikhail’s love and how lucky he was to have loved him every day, while also receiving his love back. Broke my hearrrrt.
Misc:
*I got 0 character development from anyone.
*I actually like the short chapters, but when they all end in cliffhanger-esque sentences, most of them with different variations of “we’re f***ed/all gonna die”, it gets tedious.
*The ending was a chaotic mess.
I’ll skim the third when it hits KU and I can download a free trial. Another Belcher quote - “but I’m gonna complain the whole time.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2026
Why did the last chapter and the epilogue feel like the writing I’m used to from the first book and the whole book up to that point was a snooze fest?? Where was the action! Coming from someone who loved the first book, this was a huge disappointment. 2.75 stars but l round up to a 3 but why have 5 assassins and absolutely no killing until we kill a bunch of guards and then some killing at the end?? I might read the third book just to finish the trilogy, but this was a lot of filler with little payoff. And I was so excited for this book, what a letdown.
July 14, 2025
4.75 stars!!! The tears I cried during this book… I love all these characters. The plot twist!
December 18, 2024
Thank you SO much to Entangled for the opportunity to read this book early as an eARC. The below is my own honest opinion of this second book in the Broken Blades series. For reference, I gave the first book 4 stars.
I will refrain from putting in any direct spoilers for book two in this review but there will potentially be spoilers for book one (as this is the sequel).
First, there were a few things that I liked:
- Tiyung. I actually think he was the standout character here. I think Corland used him extremely effectively in this book!
- Aeri. Surprising, I know. Many of her chapters were good. When she wasn't pining for Royo, I actually liked her. It was weird... but she had the best development in this book.
- SOME Euyn chapters. He was so rarely in this book? And everyone was so against him CONSTANTLY so it was refreshing when we got to hear his thoughts and I enjoyed that they varied so much from everyone else's!
Now... unfortunately, most of this book did NOT work for me. While I still do believe Mai Corland has amazing talent, I do not think this book shows that talent. In book one, her talent lied in the character relationships. Since we had a major betrayal at the end of book one, all of those relationships are broken and most of the book is a major SLOG because of this.
Corland really attempted to push this book more into the epic/high fantasy category and I do not think it was executed well. Her world building was very sporadic and it felt most like each character had to like do a little backstory every time something we didn't know popped up and some of it was so BORING and inadequately developed that I didn't care. Plus, so many names and characters just popped up and I went "huh, who that? Should I know them?" And I wouldn't get a hint until 4 chapters later. It was disjointed and I got frustrated easily with this. I think Corland did better in the first book where she kept the world building lighter, more in the low fantasy category. (There is very little romance in this book, just an fyi for all of you romantasy lovers - and I think the spice is like...... barely a 1? It could have been a YA book. hahaha.....)
I do feel that this book needed longer to stew. It felt like a really good editor could have cleaned this book up and made it shine! It's frustrating also to realize that.... What I really struggled with in particular was this aspect of every single character needing to comment in their mind on EVERY SINGLE THING. So we'd have something happen. Exhibit A in Person A's chapter. Then person B comments on it in their chapter next. Then person C comments on it in THEIR chapter. Then a whole 3 chapters later, we get yet another comment on it from person D. See what I mean?? It was superfluous. You could easily have had one character notice the reactions from the others and comment on that instead.
Which brings me to another point. EVERYBODY was always examining others. It was always "Sora is so beautiful. She must feel so awful about XX. I hope she feels better soon." Or "Mikail is amazing. He's the best swordsman. I wonder how many people he's killed." Meanwhile, these thoughts are happening in the middle of a huge scene and I'm like "Move it along, yall."
Now, what about those other characters I didn't mention above? ... What about SORA? Wasn't she my favorite character in book one?
Yes, I ADORED Sora. ... And Corland turned her from a poison maiden assassin to the optimistic person who brings the group together. Because no one mistrusts her and she mistrusts no one (except Euyn, she hates him so much). It was... FRUSTRATING seeing a woman who could have been merciless or even ... idk CARE more about her mission?? She says she will do ANYTHING for Daysum but never actually proves that. I was disappointed.
Mikail was a TERRIBLE PERSON. I haven't hated a character this much since Aspen from The Selection. Mikail uses his chapters to constantly RAG on Euyn. "He's such a bad person." "I can't believe he did XX." "How dare he think XX" If Corland hadn't TOLD us he loved Euyn, I would never believe it. I honestly DON'T believe it. If you love someone, you love ALL of them. I think Mikail is just obsessed with the past and he never actually loved Euyn. He is the worst person. Not saying Euyn is amazing. But someone who can say all of those incredibly terrible things about their supposed love of their life?? No thank you.
Royo was fine. I liked that he was always so clueless and like "What the ef is happening?" Because it was relatable. I also had no idea what was going on because the book was a mess. hahaha
SO, all in all, do I think you should read this book? It's a toss up. If you absolutely adored book one, you might be okay with book two. If you were barely enjoying book one, skip this one and save yourself the trouble. I don't think I will read book three. I did not feel this was worth my time. It was a 432 page book that felt like 800 pages and only the last 20% actually had plot movement. And that section felt rushed.
To those who read it, good luck! To those who choose not to, I applaud your choice. :)
I will refrain from putting in any direct spoilers for book two in this review but there will potentially be spoilers for book one (as this is the sequel).
First, there were a few things that I liked:
- Tiyung. I actually think he was the standout character here. I think Corland used him extremely effectively in this book!
- Aeri. Surprising, I know. Many of her chapters were good. When she wasn't pining for Royo, I actually liked her. It was weird... but she had the best development in this book.
- SOME Euyn chapters. He was so rarely in this book? And everyone was so against him CONSTANTLY so it was refreshing when we got to hear his thoughts and I enjoyed that they varied so much from everyone else's!
Now... unfortunately, most of this book did NOT work for me. While I still do believe Mai Corland has amazing talent, I do not think this book shows that talent. In book one, her talent lied in the character relationships. Since we had a major betrayal at the end of book one, all of those relationships are broken and most of the book is a major SLOG because of this.
Corland really attempted to push this book more into the epic/high fantasy category and I do not think it was executed well. Her world building was very sporadic and it felt most like each character had to like do a little backstory every time something we didn't know popped up and some of it was so BORING and inadequately developed that I didn't care. Plus, so many names and characters just popped up and I went "huh, who that? Should I know them?" And I wouldn't get a hint until 4 chapters later. It was disjointed and I got frustrated easily with this. I think Corland did better in the first book where she kept the world building lighter, more in the low fantasy category. (There is very little romance in this book, just an fyi for all of you romantasy lovers - and I think the spice is like...... barely a 1? It could have been a YA book. hahaha.....)
I do feel that this book needed longer to stew. It felt like a really good editor could have cleaned this book up and made it shine! It's frustrating also to realize that.... What I really struggled with in particular was this aspect of every single character needing to comment in their mind on EVERY SINGLE THING. So we'd have something happen. Exhibit A in Person A's chapter. Then person B comments on it in their chapter next. Then person C comments on it in THEIR chapter. Then a whole 3 chapters later, we get yet another comment on it from person D. See what I mean?? It was superfluous. You could easily have had one character notice the reactions from the others and comment on that instead.
Which brings me to another point. EVERYBODY was always examining others. It was always "Sora is so beautiful. She must feel so awful about XX. I hope she feels better soon." Or "Mikail is amazing. He's the best swordsman. I wonder how many people he's killed." Meanwhile, these thoughts are happening in the middle of a huge scene and I'm like "Move it along, yall."
Now, what about those other characters I didn't mention above? ... What about SORA? Wasn't she my favorite character in book one?
Yes, I ADORED Sora. ... And Corland turned her from a poison maiden assassin to the optimistic person who brings the group together. Because no one mistrusts her and she mistrusts no one (except Euyn, she hates him so much). It was... FRUSTRATING seeing a woman who could have been merciless or even ... idk CARE more about her mission?? She says she will do ANYTHING for Daysum but never actually proves that. I was disappointed.
Mikail was a TERRIBLE PERSON. I haven't hated a character this much since Aspen from The Selection. Mikail uses his chapters to constantly RAG on Euyn. "He's such a bad person." "I can't believe he did XX." "How dare he think XX" If Corland hadn't TOLD us he loved Euyn, I would never believe it. I honestly DON'T believe it. If you love someone, you love ALL of them. I think Mikail is just obsessed with the past and he never actually loved Euyn. He is the worst person. Not saying Euyn is amazing. But someone who can say all of those incredibly terrible things about their supposed love of their life?? No thank you.
Royo was fine. I liked that he was always so clueless and like "What the ef is happening?" Because it was relatable. I also had no idea what was going on because the book was a mess. hahaha
SO, all in all, do I think you should read this book? It's a toss up. If you absolutely adored book one, you might be okay with book two. If you were barely enjoying book one, skip this one and save yourself the trouble. I don't think I will read book three. I did not feel this was worth my time. It was a 432 page book that felt like 800 pages and only the last 20% actually had plot movement. And that section felt rushed.
To those who read it, good luck! To those who choose not to, I applaud your choice. :)
May 18, 2025
Dzięki Corland. Dzięki. Łamiesz serca jak Bardugo.
Zaczęło się od Pięciu pękniętych ostrzy, czyli piątki nieznajomych, których zadaniem będzie z4bić króla. Króla, który jest nieśmiertelny. Pozdrawiam. Pozdrawiam szczególnie, że jak się do ów misji zjechali złodzieje i truciciele, to nikomu nie można zaufać, a co dopiero współpracować.
Drugi tom serii Mai Corland nie traci ani chwili – wrzuca nas prosto w sam środek politycznych intryg, zdrad i pełnych napięcia relacji między bohaterami. Całe szczęście autorka oferuje krótkie przypomnienie wydarzeń i postaci z poprzedniej części, jednak i tak zdecydowanie polecam czytać tomy bezpośrednio po sobie, bez dłuższych przerw – połapanie się w akcji potrafi przyprawić o zawrót głowy, jeśli nie pamiętamy dokładnie, kto jest kim.
Akcja w Four Ruined Realms momentami przypomina klimaty dobrze znane fanom Szóstki Wron – zwłaszcza kiedy Mikail zaczyna coraz bardziej przypominać Kaza Brekkera, a i samo włamanie daje solidne skojarzenia z kultową ekipą Wron. Do tego dochodzi wątek poszukiwań artefaktów o potencjale podobnym do amplifikatorów z trylogii Grisza – drobne smaczki, które zauważą fani niuansów.
Polityka – zapomniałam, ile jej tu było! – gra pierwsze skrzypce. Sojusze, zdrady, wielowarstwowe motywacje i napięcia między postaciami sprawiają, że trzeba być czujnym na każdym kroku. Ale to właśnie czyni ten świat tak wciągającym – nie ma tu prostych wyborów ani jednoznacznych bohaterów.
Jeśli lubicie fantasy pełne knucia, emocji i bohaterów balansujących na granicy dobra i zła – Five Broken Blades i Four Ruined Realms nie zawiodą.
Współpraca reklamowa @wydawnictwojaguar
Zaczęło się od Pięciu pękniętych ostrzy, czyli piątki nieznajomych, których zadaniem będzie z4bić króla. Króla, który jest nieśmiertelny. Pozdrawiam. Pozdrawiam szczególnie, że jak się do ów misji zjechali złodzieje i truciciele, to nikomu nie można zaufać, a co dopiero współpracować.
Drugi tom serii Mai Corland nie traci ani chwili – wrzuca nas prosto w sam środek politycznych intryg, zdrad i pełnych napięcia relacji między bohaterami. Całe szczęście autorka oferuje krótkie przypomnienie wydarzeń i postaci z poprzedniej części, jednak i tak zdecydowanie polecam czytać tomy bezpośrednio po sobie, bez dłuższych przerw – połapanie się w akcji potrafi przyprawić o zawrót głowy, jeśli nie pamiętamy dokładnie, kto jest kim.
Akcja w Four Ruined Realms momentami przypomina klimaty dobrze znane fanom Szóstki Wron – zwłaszcza kiedy Mikail zaczyna coraz bardziej przypominać Kaza Brekkera, a i samo włamanie daje solidne skojarzenia z kultową ekipą Wron. Do tego dochodzi wątek poszukiwań artefaktów o potencjale podobnym do amplifikatorów z trylogii Grisza – drobne smaczki, które zauważą fani niuansów.
Polityka – zapomniałam, ile jej tu było! – gra pierwsze skrzypce. Sojusze, zdrady, wielowarstwowe motywacje i napięcia między postaciami sprawiają, że trzeba być czujnym na każdym kroku. Ale to właśnie czyni ten świat tak wciągającym – nie ma tu prostych wyborów ani jednoznacznych bohaterów.
Jeśli lubicie fantasy pełne knucia, emocji i bohaterów balansujących na granicy dobra i zła – Five Broken Blades i Four Ruined Realms nie zawiodą.
Współpraca reklamowa @wydawnictwojaguar
December 11, 2025
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Review ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
This made me want to read Six of Crows again. I saw some similarities but I still liked it a lot. The ending from the first book and the beginning of this one was a seamless transition. There was a little less romance than the first book which made it better for sure. I was actually interested to read everyone’s pov in this one compared to the first.
Although I liked this one more, it still bugged me how the first little bit was allllll talking. There was no action, it was just conversation. I feel like by the second book we should be over having every single chapter as conversation. There was no progression to the story until like 20% of the way in.
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Quotes ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
“ʟɪꜰᴇ ɪꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ, ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʀɪɴɢɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ.”
“ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’ꜱ ᴀɴ ᴏʟᴅ ᴇxᴘʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ɪꜱɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴇᴇɴ. ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.”
“ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴɢᴇʀ, ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ɢʀɪᴇꜰ. ɪɴ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴡᴀʏꜱ, ꜰᴜʀʏ ɪꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ. ꜱᴀᴅɴᴇꜱꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʙᴀʀʀᴇɴ ᴇxᴘᴀɴꜱᴇ.”
“ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ’ᴠᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ ᴏꜰ,” ɪ ꜱᴀʏ. “ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ɪꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛʀɪᴋᴇꜱ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ɪ’ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ.”
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Review ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
This made me want to read Six of Crows again. I saw some similarities but I still liked it a lot. The ending from the first book and the beginning of this one was a seamless transition. There was a little less romance than the first book which made it better for sure. I was actually interested to read everyone’s pov in this one compared to the first.
Although I liked this one more, it still bugged me how the first little bit was allllll talking. There was no action, it was just conversation. I feel like by the second book we should be over having every single chapter as conversation. There was no progression to the story until like 20% of the way in.
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Quotes ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
“ʟɪꜰᴇ ɪꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ, ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʀɪɴɢɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ.”
“ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’ꜱ ᴀɴ ᴏʟᴅ ᴇxᴘʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ɪꜱɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴇᴇɴ. ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.”
“ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴɢᴇʀ, ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ɢʀɪᴇꜰ. ɪɴ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴡᴀʏꜱ, ꜰᴜʀʏ ɪꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ. ꜱᴀᴅɴᴇꜱꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʙᴀʀʀᴇɴ ᴇxᴘᴀɴꜱᴇ.”
“ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ’ᴠᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ ᴏꜰ,” ɪ ꜱᴀʏ. “ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ɪꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛʀɪᴋᴇꜱ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ɪ’ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ.”
February 6, 2025
FOUR RUINED REALMS, by Mai Corland is Book 2 in The Broken Blades trilogy. I absolutely loved the characters and the premise of book one! This book focused more on the character and plot development, than on the romance angles, and I think the broader expansion of the regions and different populations was a fantastic adventure.
"It's not an auspicious beginning, bringing dead liars into Khitan . . . ."
We follow our favorite liars: Sora, Aeri, Royo, Mikail, and Euyn, from where they left off at the end of book one. In addition to those we met previously, we are introduced to some new ones, including Queen Quilimar of Khitan--King Joon's sister.
The book was fast paced most of the time, and for the times it slowed down it was to show new parts/populations that helped to evolve the book further.
". . . If it can't be trust, let vengeance bind us."
Overall, a fantastic follow-up to one of my favorite novels of 2024, and I am eagerly awaiting Book 3: THREE SHATTERED SOULS, releasing this summer.
Highly recommended, to be followed after FIVE BROKEN BLADES.
"It's not an auspicious beginning, bringing dead liars into Khitan . . . ."
We follow our favorite liars: Sora, Aeri, Royo, Mikail, and Euyn, from where they left off at the end of book one. In addition to those we met previously, we are introduced to some new ones, including Queen Quilimar of Khitan--King Joon's sister.
The book was fast paced most of the time, and for the times it slowed down it was to show new parts/populations that helped to evolve the book further.
". . . If it can't be trust, let vengeance bind us."
Overall, a fantastic follow-up to one of my favorite novels of 2024, and I am eagerly awaiting Book 3: THREE SHATTERED SOULS, releasing this summer.
Highly recommended, to be followed after FIVE BROKEN BLADES.
June 14, 2025
Me gustó un poco más el primero, pero en la misma línea🤩
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