Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 07/06/2024
Published by: Recorded Books
ISBN: B0CSZC98D9
‘Five Broken Blades’ turned out to be quite different from what I expected, with a heavy focus on the main characters and their romantic relationships. Sadly, I was not fond of the characters or romance.
Similar read: Star Bringer by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft
Cover:
Although I do not find this cover captivating, the blades and red background nicely allude to the lethal characters and the dangers they face. It would have been even better if the cover art had stronger ties to the story rather than just featuring five blades.
Writing:
Despite having six points of view (POVs), the casual writing style made this an easy read, and I liked the complete picture provided by the different perspectives. However, the use of multiple POVs made the story a slow burn and constantly dispelled the tension built through cliffhanger chapter endings. The world also seemed painfully generic and underdeveloped, although the creatures were interesting.
The world will grab and pull at your humanity, try to strip you bare, but ultimately you decide whether to hang on or let go.
Storyline:
Fans of character-driven stories with lots of travelling will enjoy this storyline, but I did not find it gripping. Even though there were moments of danger and mystery, much of the focus was on establishing the six main characters and their relationships, resulting in a thin storyline that only picked up in the final third. I must admit, the climax was thrilling, and I loved the surprising twists that set the stage for the next book.
Main character(s):
The six main characters, with their unique personalities, backstories, and struggles, were memorable and full of depth. However, this required a lot of information, leaving little room for the characters to grow and making their narratives less fascinating. I also found the casual portrayal of sexist views by these characters off-putting.
Secondary characters:
A handful of secondary characters contribute to the storyline, but they lacked depth and came across as one-dimensional.
Romance:
The forced romance relies heavily on tropes and instant attractions between all three couples. I cringed at lines like these at the first meeting between two characters:
I mean, yeah, he’s a violent killer, but no one’s perfect.
Our hands fit together like a lock and key, but it’s more than that. He feels like home.
Still, each couple had a unique dynamic and some sweet moments that somewhat made up for the constant horniness.
Narration & Audio:
The different narrators for each POV made these transitions smooth, and their character voices enhanced the listening experience. However, some narrators lacked natural inflexions and failed to express much emotional range.
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