Victoria Aveyard is an amazing storyteller and a wonderful writer. I feel like I am always drawn into her characters and books and can really find them realistic and relatable. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this early, but now it sucks that I have to wait so long to finish the series!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

First of all, I need to stop requesting high fantasy ARCs. This book is HUGE. It is the sequel to Realmbreaker, which I also read as an ARC last year. It picks up right at the end of Realmbreaker, so it immediately has action and adventure. One of my gripes with RB was that a lot of it was world building and setting up the rest of the series -- this is not the case with BB. You are tossed immediately into the action, and it doesn't really stop for the entirety of the novel. This is a true high fantasy adventure with a ragtag band of misfits.

I really like how this sequel build on the band of misfit's stories and their relationships with one another. I enjoyed learning more about Sorasa and Sigil, and Valtik's antics and weirdness was one of the highlights of the book. Corayne, our MC, also gets a lot of development -- including learning how to fight and hold her own. I LOVE that Dom is kind of the overbearing father figure to her. While I don't particularly like the multiple POVs in this, I do think it adds to the story by making it more fleshed out and what not. I also like that we get POVs for Erida and the "villains" of this story.

It took me forever to read it. Mostly because for the first 25% of the book...I was trying to remember what happened in RB with the spindles, and Taristan, and what the plot is. The plot also feels very repetitive in this with "oh, let's go close a spindle, let's get allies, oh no, the villains know what we're doing, we're the only hope" etc. Like, I thought maybe something good would happen? But...honestly...nothing went the way it should have gone and the cliffhanger ending is almost worst than the first one.

This book did have some heart warming moments though, and there are some GOOD quotes in it. Overall, 4/5 stars and a realization that I need to stop requesting lengthy arcs.

I mean, the scope for this book is EPIC. And as a reader, you're torn because you find yourself not only rooting for our group of heroes, but for the villains, too! Now, that's an achievement. A worthy sequel to the series!

Where to start! This series just keeps getting better! I was glued to every page as each character took their turn on this action-packed stage.

This series is truly up there with Tolkien and Martin.

In this sequel to Realm Breaker, author Victoria Aveyard continues to raise the stakes for our heroes. The world as they knew it is over, and enemies and friends must unite to fight an enemy that continues to stalk them. Even more exciting and readable than the first, Blade Breaker is the perfect tie between an epic adventure's beginning and conclusion. Worth every page.

Umm... imagine my surprise coming to the end of the book and realizing this was a trilogy. Not a duology.

Which, already, I think is a compliment. Usually, in trilogies I feel like there is a lull in the story at book two. Authors don't really know what to do with the "in-between" book. NOT VICTORIA AVEYARD. HELLO!?? This book KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF.

By far Aveyard's greatest strength is her creating and development of characters. (Corayne, my beloved). I cannot wait for book 3!!

We are back for the sequel to Realm Breaker with some old friends and many new adventures. Mortals and immortals alike must deal with death and chaos while many people’s pasts come back to haunt them. New and old magic is in the air and this group of unlikely heroes must work together to face Queen Erida and the evil she has planned. Will they be successful? Will they all make it to the end of this novel? I highly recommend that anyone who picks up Blade Breaker read Realm Breaker first. The world-building and character development will be hard to follow if the original pieces are missing. A fun fantasy and I have already added the next book to my TBR list.

This was a slow start for me, particularly since it had been long enough since I read the first book that I struggled to remember who was who and what was happening!
The world building was great and the character arcs are such that I found myself rooting for both sides.

Wonderful. Just wonderful. This books is such a good sequel to the first. And talk about some emotional damage. Such a dynamic world, great battle scenes and plot building… such a good sequel.

A HUGE thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Boy, did I think Red Queen was heart-wrenching. You've seen nothing yet. And Victoria Aveyard doesn't pull any punches. So, prepare for heartbreak.

It's a little hard to summarize this monstrosity of a book, without spoiling anything. But essentially, our lovely cast of heroes must truly band together to fight Queen Erida and Taristan’s forces. The only problem is a new threat lingers in the shadows, much more deadly than our heroes have ever faced.

OMG THAT ENDING. I need book three like right now! Otherwise I might just die. Prepare dear reader, for EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!

After closing the spindle, Corayne and the Companions seek allies to help defeat Taristan and Queen Erida and save their world. Considering this is a trilogy, I expected this book to end badly/sadly, but I really wasn't expecting it to be this depressing. I know that they're going to come back and win in the next book, but right now things look pretty bleak.

thank you to Harper Collins Canada Frenzy for the ARC! THIS BOOK WAS AMAAZZZING OMG

CW: death, war, murder, violence,

This book picked up right where the previous one left off, and the story was continued so beautifully. Some sequels can be tough to get into for me because of the time gap, but this was so easy, it welcomed you in with open arms and was just so good.

The characters were all very well established in book one, and the growth everyone experienced in this instalment was just so good. Corayne's character is just so well built, I love her so much, and really enjoyed seeing her strength in this book. Andry is a sweet babe and I loved his quiet strength, and how that played into the group dynamics. Dom is forever a mood, I like that though his character isn't unique in the sense that he's a many year old immortal that's surly and whatnot, but he does feel unique in a way. I think the lack of in your face romance helps, Dom isn't just like a body for sex like some other immortal broody characters boil down to. Sorasa broke my heart in this book, her story is just so full of pain and strength, I loved getting a little peek behind the curtain with her. And Vatik is also always a mood in her own weird way.

Erida and Taristan were amazing/horrible in book one, and were the same here, but on a much more elevated and scary level. But they're both such well formed characters, you find yourself kind of rooting for them at times?

The plot of this book is go go go, in the greatest way possible. I don't want to say much here, but the plot gave me everything I needed. It's very gritty, with our characters trudging through the world fighting the bad guys.

It's character driven, the magic system is great, and though I read this digitally, the map is perfect. Everything about this book just worked. This series is 10/10, one that I love and recommend!

I didn't like this sequel as much as the first one. The actions were all repeating and not a lot of new elements were brought. I still like the idea of the story, but this book felt really like the second book action dump before the last book and the end of the story. I hope the next book will bring more elements!

Je n'ai pas autant aimé cette suite que le premier livre de la série. Les actions se répétaient beaucoup et pas vraiment de nouveaux éléments ont été apportés. J'aime toujours l'idée de l'histoire, mais ce livre représentait plus une grosse masse d'actions dompées avant le dernier livre et la fin de l'histoire. J'espère que le prochain livre apportera de nouveaux éléments!

Thank you to the publishers for this ARC!

I will start this by saying I enjoyed this way more than book one which was a struggle for me. I felt that this built upon what was great about book one and kept that momentum going. I’m excited for more people to be emotionally devastated like I was with this one! Aveyard continues to crush her fans.

This book picks up where the previous left off and, like the previous, it alternates between viewpoints to tell the story. I was very lost at first because I didn’t remember the first book and, once I did remember, I still had no connection to any of the characters. They are all, even the villains, rather flat, and there wasnt even much driving the plot. The basic “save the realm” goal is there, but there was no suspense or tension as everything unfolded. Here seemed to be a lot of filler, a lot of wandering around, and a lot of needless violence (by needless, I mean it did not advance the plot of the character development (not that there was any of that) in any way). I had to drag myself to the ending, not sure if I would even notice if I dont read the final book in the series.

This is the second book in the series by Victoria Aveyard. When I saw that NetGalley had this second book, following on from Realm Breaker, I was super excited.

Book 2 in the series continues the story of our Companions: Dom, Corayne, Andrey, Sorasa, Sigil, Charlie, and the witch. They cross the country so fast it’s hard to keep track of the map in your mind, and the fantasy element definitely comes in mind here.

There are so many things to like about this though- it made me want more between some of the couples. I liked what happened with Hell Mel, and some of the other immortals.

There is going to be one more book which I wish was out sooner! Definitely recommend and a great second outing. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Never in my million years I would say that I was prepared for that ending. ‘Cause holy cow all those twists and turns left me gasping and scrounging for more. Can’t wait enough for it be out!! It was definitely a full 5 stars read for me.

Blade Breaker is the much anticipated sequel to Realm Breaker. It starts right after the ending of Realm Breaker, and you are instantly immersed into the Realm and the fight to close Spindles before What Waits enters the Realm.

I'm incredibly torn on this rating. For me, it is a five star book. The world building remained as incredible as the first one, if not better. Aveyard's descriptions are poetic and a testament to wonderful writing. I love the adventure that these characters are on, the allies they meet, and the bonds they form. The only part I didn't enjoy were the vast amounts of time spent in Erida's point of view that I didn't really think necessary. Others seem to be falling in love with the villains, but nothing about them is appealing to me. I liken them to The Darkling in Shadow and Bone, there aren't really any redeemable qualities. They kill people that don't need to be killed and ruin lives in their quest to literally destroy the entire realm. Aveyard may have a redemption arc planned for them, but I'm not sure what readers are seeing now that makes them be their cheerleader. They are evil.

However, I suspect the only reason why this book will remain 4+ stars is because people won't pick it up after not enjoying the first in the series. The reason why they did not enjoy Realm Breaker would be the same reason why they wouldn't enjoy Blade Breaker. Descriptions are lengthy, and so much time is spent on setting and world building that we don't get to really get a lot of character depth. Coraynne is boring, Andry is just as boring, but tortured. The only one that is interesting is Sarn. This book is chunky, but at least a quarter of it is filler. Other than friendship based off of saving their own skin, there aren't really any relationship building among them except between Sarn and Dom (which I do love).
The cliff hanger on the end was not cool! I love and hate a good cliff hanger. I personally can't wait for the next in the series, and I think this would make an epic tv show.

For those that love adventure and large books with every detail, this book is for you. If you're looking for the characters to become more interesting than they did in the first, don't waste your time.
When I determine my ratings, I give 5 stars to books that I would read again, and 4 stars to books I would recommend to anyone that I know enjoys that genre. I would not read this book again (even though I would read the next one in the series) and I would not recommend this book to anyone unless I knew they read specifically for the adventure and the world building. Therefore, I am going to leave this at a 3 star. Which I see is not a popular opinion among early beta readers, but in my opinion it is an accurate rating based on the average YA Fantasy reader.

Corayne has to save the Ward….again. This second book picks up immediately where the first book leaves off, with little summary so a note to the reader that reviewing the first book would definitely help with this. We are back on the ward and spindles are opening as the new queen and her chosen consort attempt to give What Waits and what he is looking for in the conquering of all the wards. This book is his action packed is the first, with creatures you couldn’t imagine being released by the spindle. But even more disturbing than the behavior of the creatures from the hidden world, is the behavior of some of the humans in their search for power. Corayne and her friends, because at this point that’s what they really are, have a battle that they are severely outnumbered in ahead of them, but above all else they have hope. I am both pleased and frustrated that I have to wait for another book to learn what happens next, and I need the author to put that out immediately lol.

Slow to start… but then THAT ending. It’s a second book in a series, and reads that way for about half-three quarters. But I’m a fan of the author and love the world building and the story telling. I understand the need for a second book like this before the big big things happen, to get things lined up and in order.
I could do without Erida’s POV as much. Maybe once in a while but I kept losing interest and would put the book down and read something else, or skim/skip through her bits only collecting the important parts. I know people love Erida, and I know that’s the point, you either love or hate her. In my opinion I don’t think her POV matters as much in this book. It’s very repetitive, we get it.. shes power hungry, proving herself as a queen in a man’s world and relenting to the dark side. That goes on and on for all her chapters. What I am interested in is a Taristan POV. I’m interested in knowing more about this person who was broken and made by their harsh environment and reality and then taken in by this otherworldly/realm power/god? and his priest.
I’m also not into the Andry and Corayne love interest thread, mostly because I think Andry has the personality of a chair and could do without his POV as well. I pictured Corayne with someone more adventurous. She’s the daughter of a pirate and ancient blood that wants her to roam. Andry is safe buttered toast. He’s fine, and good, but not enough for her.
What I am loving is Sorasa Sarn, and her journey of figuring out who she actually is or wants to be. I love this band of merry and not so merry people. I like that this is very lord of the rings-esque. Really enjoyed it once it got its footing, already can’t wait for the next one.