Five Broken Blades (Five Broken Blades)
-
-
3.8 • 39 Ratings
-
-
- $19.99
Publisher Description
It's the season for treason …
The king of Yusan must die.
The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the god king Joon.
He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined … or sold.
And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness—from the hired hit man seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.
They can agree on murder.
They can agree on treachery.
But for these five killers—each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal—it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other … but only one can take the crown.
Let the best liar win.
This audiobook is narrated by Donald Chang, Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Sophie Oda, Jaine Ye, and Roger Yeh.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Five of the most deceitful, untrustworthy scoundrels in the land of Yusan must find a way to work together in this heist thriller with a fantasy twist. It wasn’t hard for the royal spymaster to recruit this small band of killers to murder the ruthless and much-hated King Joon. But from Sora, the steely poison expert, to Royo, the troubled hitman, what none of them counted on was how their journey together would change them. The characters are the heart of Mai Corland’s action-packed novel, and we loved learning each assassin’s backstory in chapters that reflect each individual point of view (which a full cast of narrators handles to great cinematic effect). It’s satisfying to listen as the jaded crew builds trust, forming just the kind of unlikely surrogate family they all need. For an adventure full of intense violence, fantasy romance, and unexpected friendships, don’t miss Five Broken Blades.
Customer Reviews
Not worth it
I rarely write reviews, but Five Broken Blades was such a disappointment that I felt compelled to share. I listened to the audio while reading along in the book. I’ve never struggled so much to stay awake while reading a book. It took over 250 pages before anything remotely engaging happened and even then, the momentum lasted for just a few short chapters before fading again.
There’s no denying the physical book is beautifully designed, and that’s probably its strongest point. But beyond the cover, there’s little substance. The writing felt dry, the story dragged endlessly, and the characters failed to spark any real interest or emotion.
In the end, Five Broken Blades is all style and no substance. I only finished the book out of spite of already purchasing the book and audiobook. If you’re looking for a book with compelling plot and characters, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.
Don’t Get the Hype
26% in and I just don’t care. I was listening to the audiobook as fast as I could (3x speed) and it still felt like it was just crawling along at a snails pace. The bells instead of hours just feels pointless. Just say hours already. All of a sudden, 14 chapters in, this character is suddenly saying “gods on high” before everything. This is in no way an adult book. This feels so YA it’s practically cliche. I’m sorry. I just can’t anymore. Even more importantly, I just don’t want to.