Realm Breaker

By: Victoria Aveyard

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Irresistibly action-packed and full of lethal surprises, this stunning new fantasy series from Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Queen series, begins where hope is lost and asks: When the heroes have fallen, who will take up the sword?

A strange darkness grows in Allward.

Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

She soon discovers the truth: She is the last of an ancient lineage—and the last hope to save the world from destruction. But she won't be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions:

• A squire, forced to choose between home and honor.
• An immortal, avenging a broken promise.
• An assassin, exiled and bloodthirsty.
• An ancient sorceress, whose riddles hide an eerie foresight.
• A forger with a secret past.
• A bounty hunter with a score to settle.

Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.

©2021 Victoria Aveyard (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Slower read.

I really enjoyed the Red Queen series, but this was just slow. I didn't connect with any of these characters as well as I did with her earlier books

I mean, it's all right...

It has a very strong start, good character introductions, and then I'm just left sitting there like "okay, so, like, is it trying to be a traveling simulator?" We're introduced to Andry, Corayne, Dom, and Sarn (Sarn's best character, sorry Dom enjoyers). After some good opening scenes and motivations, it's like the author said "yeah, but, like, more of that, for the entire story." Then the characters proceed to evolve slower than a Magicarp. *Then* we're introduced to Charlie, Sigil, and the Witch whose name that I can't be asked to remember, and I'm just over here, holding my beer like "okay, but when does the good part happen?" I have three hours left and the good part hasn't come yet, and at this point I don't think any amazing twist or event will save this.

Also, I can't be the only one who thinks have multiple POVs is a fruitless endeavor if most of those POVs are all traveling together, can I?

More to Come

This book feels like a big set up for the series. It is slow at times and there are a lot of characters, but it does have its exciting moments.

Good story narrator not so much

Story’s not too bad. But I can’t get over the narrators different masculine accents. Her regular voice is really good.

Pretty Good

A little slow at the start, but a good story. Has some unexpected plot twists.

i was not sure how to take it slow, but picks up.

struggled at first. but the end is a cliffhanger. excited about this new series

Another great book by Victoria Aveyard!

Exciting plots times, entertaining characters, and great narration make this book a fun adventure! The book is told through a variety of view points throughout the story that piece together the world and characters’ histories and ambitions.

Looking forward to the rest of the story

This book was mainly world building. More background than plot but it was necessary. I’m excited to see what Victoria Aveyard does with the rest of the series. It takes about halfway through the book for the action to really start and personally, it left me wanting more at the end.

The narrator was fine. She was consistent. Some of the voices she chose annoyed me (especially for the assassin and the witch). It doesn’t make the story unbearable but it’s not the best narrator they could have chosen. Definitely would’ve benefited from both a male and female narrator.

Epic fantasy at its best, with great narration

An intriguing works with lots of depth. A diverse cast with good chemistry. A story with many twists and turns. A fantastic narrator. The speed of the book ebbs and flows as the viewpoint switches between characters, but it adds to the richness of the tale. Despite this, there is so much more in waiting. Questions that haven’t been answered and characters that haven’t been explored. I expect it will be a very full next book and am thoroughly looking forward to it.

Good but not great

I really loved her other series, so maybe I was expecting too much. the storyline is great. lots of good characters. different and fast paced. but I was not 100% invested. I hope the next book builds on this foundation.