This was an intriguing read and kept me on my toes. I really liked all the different narrators and thought they did a fantastic job. This read in audiobook form was fantastic as well. I've ordered a copy of the physical book to share with friends.

Perfection from beginning to end (including narration), this book has it all! There is this incredible world building and enigmatic characters that jump right off the page.

Five people have been brought together to kill the unjust king, King Joon. Each with their own unique motives, skills , and their secrets, they embark on a journey that will change the course of their lives… in ways that never see coming.

This was so freaking good. The intensity of each of their stories and their reasons for accepting the task was intrinsic to my enjoyment of the story. With atrocities happening in these pages that are similar in scope to what we are seeing in the world now, felt powerful.

The connections made between these untrusting and jaded individuals was what really had claws in me. The writing and the setup for the inevitable explosive ending was MASTERFUL, and I enjoyed each and every savored moment of this book. I cannot wait to see what Mai Corland has in store for us next.

Lastly, this is absolutely the best way to produce an audiobook for something like this. There is a phenomenal full cast, giving the ideal voice to each character, capturing the depth and intensity individually.

“A thief, a strongman, a spy, an assassin, a nobleman, and an exiled prince add up to a ring of liars. Trust is a surefire way to wind up with a blade in your back.”

Not gonna lie, I’m still reeling from that ending. This is a thick book, but I was so immersed in the story that it just flew by. I love that the story was told from so many POVs. Since everyone is lying to some extent, the reader learns things and sees complications long before they happen. Even so, there were multiple twists along the way that I didn’t expect. I enjoyed this book and am curious to see what happens next.

I hesitate to call this a romance, but the book does include three separate love stories. Each would-be couple has real affection, but significant obstacles. It was interesting to see them all play out.

The audiobook is narrated by Donald Chang, Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Sophie Oda, Jaine Ye, Roger Yeh. I absolutely love that each of the POV characters had their own distinctive narrator. It’s a very well done audiobook.

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland and narrated by Donald Chang, Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Sophie Oda, Jaine Ye and Roger Yeh is an outstanding heist with antiheroes aplenty and one mission, to unalive King Joon in the name of vengeance. The problem is, will they work together or separately, and who will ultimately prevail?

Each protagonist is a villain in their own right and each is unique. I am not normally a fn of audiobooks with a large cast, but this one, is simply outstanding. Every narrator has their part an they have been matched so very well. A huge hat tip to the production crew aswell as this production was perfection

I call the protagonists anti-heroes, because, you feel you should not support them, but it is impossible not to.Each has a unique back story, each has a human side and each is on a mission

Absolutely an audiobook to listen to in one go but also one to savour. Brilliant

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media | Recorded Books the author Mai Corland and brilliant cast of narrators for this outstanding ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland is the first in a new adult fantasy series about five (or six) thieves, killers and liars who must work together to kill the King. I absolutely loved the cast of the characters in this book. Sometimes books with multiple characters and POVs blend together too much to tell a compelling story. But this book was not like that! I think each character was so different from the next one and written well that I was never confused who's POV I was on. Despite this book having five main different characters, I still felt as if the author's storytelling allowed me to get to know each one.

I enjoyed the beginning exposition of the novel of each set of characters' journey to coming together. I think these scenes really helped me as a reader learn about each character and set them apart from each other before they came into contact with one another. And once the characters came together I enjoyed the dynamics between them with the banter and deciept. The climax of the book was nail biting and the one big twist I never saw coming! I can't wait until the next one.

Speaking to the audiobook, I really love the cast of audiobook narrators. I think each respective narrator brought a unique voice to each of their characters, which especially helped differentiate between POVs. I definitely recommend this audiobook as the way to read Five Broken Blades!

DNF

I was really looking forward to this one but unfortunately I couldn't get into it. It may have been the multiple point-of-views. It was hard to find a connection with even one character. It doesn't help that the chapters can be very short. I also wasn't a fan of the romances that were given. There wasn't much development for them and I didn't see how they got from point A to point B when it came to them. I do think that there is an audience for it, but it just didn't work for me.

4.5 stars rounded up

Synopsis: 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 hitman 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.

Review:

Let me tell you. I loved this book. It kept me enthralled the entire time. The entire time. There was action, romance, twists that I just was not expecting and I really enjoyed the journey. I loved that characters (especially how unlovable they were at times) and I thought the story and the world building was really well done. I can't wait to continue the series

The royal spymaster is rounding up a crew of strangers to take down the King of Yusan: an exiled prince, a poison maiden, a thief with unnatural skills, and her strongman bodyguard. They all have their own reasons for taking the job. And they're all hiding something.

I am not one to re-read books. But as soon as I finished this book, I wanted to read it again. I loved the characters and wanted to stay with them longer. I wanted to see their growth and arcs again. And I wanted to see all the clues that I missed leading to the twist ending. My TBR is too long for me to re-read this right away, so I'll settle for telling everyone else how much I loved this book and getting them to read it.

This is a fantasy with romance rather than a full-on romantasy. The high-stakes adventure reminded me of what I liked about TOG, and even though there is pairing off of couples, at least Corland is willing to include same-sex couples. There's intimacy without much in the way of explicit action. Not exactly closed door, but not really spicy either.

I listened to the audiobook, which was great since there was a different reader for each character POV. It really helped bring them to life and highlight their differences. But I'm glad I have the physical book too so that I have the map and character names.

Five-star review to be posted to Instagram and Goodreads on publication day: May 7, 2024.

I love the premise of this story - the female main character is trained to be a poison assassin and is given the task of de-crowning the king. There's found family, thieves, deceit, epic quest, and a little bit of romance.

There are handful of narrators and a handful of POVs. While each chapter tells you which POV you are in, it is kind of hard to keep track of the characters and the plot.

The idea of the story is great, and something I generally enjoy. Some of the execution was a little flat for me - maybe because of trying to keep track of the large cast of characters without the benefit of world building. This is perfect for readers who like epic fantasy but don't want to slug through hundreds of pages of backstory and history.

The romance is very secondary and underdeveloped - so if you are looking for romantasy this isn't going to be the book for you. Loved that there was some queer rep.

I did really enjoy the narrators. I listened at mostly 2.5x. They each did a great job.

Absolutely incredible! There were so many twists and turns to this story, that it kept me guessing until the very end. Even now, I think this author will have more reveals in the book to come. My favorite character was Sora, the poison maiden. With 6 characters, you would think it would be hard to follow, but it was really quite easy. Each character had a unique voice, background, motivations, and mystique. The chapters are also, thankfully, short. Absolutely loved it!

Rated 4.5 Stars

Five Broken Blades was an amazing book. Compelling, interesting and intriguing characters coupled with a plot that is edge of the seat goodness equaled book heaven. It's definitely one of my fave reads this year. I loved it. It kept me engaged and invested from start to finish. I loved the characters, some more than others. I was sold on their journeys, individual and as a whole. I was wholly immersed in their world of lies, deceit, betrayal, plot twists and survival. The narrators did a superb job of bringing this story and its characters to vivid life. It was an absolute joy to listen to. Man, this book was so good. It definitely blew my mind in the best of ways. I so can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series to see what happens next. I very highly recommend it.



Copy provided by publisher through NetGalley

I'm a fan of ensemble casts for audiobooks, each actor adding to the whole performance. Especially when they are all about to betray each other.

In Mai Corland's "Five Broken Blades" (out May 7th, 2024) everyone has a pound of flesh they want to get from the king of Yusan. Did I say king? I meant godking, the King's here only really die when they feel like it. But someone has an idea and they thing they have the people who can execute it. Each has their own motivations for treason, some more noble than the others, but each one wants something. Let's see who survives.

Narrated by Donald Chang Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Sophie Oda, Jaine Ye, and Roger Yeh. It was a hoot listening to y'all connive against each other.

Reasons to read:
-Crew getting together to kill God, I'm in
-Yea those are all really good reasons
-Sure nothing bad will happen when everyone's motivations are revealed
-The banter is great
-You will find yourself liking these not so great people

Cons:
-OK don't like them too much, that's a bit messed up

Five Broken Blades was a well written adventure of 5 dangerous liars/assassins that need to work together to kill the king. This is a well paced story but this also has its back draws. Because of the same intensity throughout there weren't many scenes that stood out or keep me on my toes. The multiple POV's is interesting but with so many there were part that became slightly confusing. The character development, plot twist, and ending were done to perfection. Overall I would rate this book a 3.5 (rounded up) and can't wait for the next book in the series.


Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for providing the ARC audiobook.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.75/5

Five Broken Blades is a riveting fantasy with captivating characters, a fantastic plot, and a world I wanted to dive into.

Five Broken Blades is a new favorite read for me. It started slowly and took me a few chapters to adapt to each character’s POV, but everything clicked once I got through those initial chapters. I loved the character development, relationships, and the splendidly action-packed parts of the quest. The story and world were beautifully crafted, and the pacing was excellent. The ending had me gasping, and I am desperate for book two.

The narrators were excellent. At first, I had to adapt to their voices and style, but I could not get enough once I got through that. Their voices fit the characters and the world very well. I really appreciate that there were multiple narrators for the multiple POVs.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

That was fun! I’ll admit that some of it was predictable, but I didn’t see one of the twists at the end although I probably should have. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel to see what happens to our gang of liars.

When assassins work together, you expect nothing less than treachery and double crossing! This story is an interesting web to untangle. It definitely held my attention and makes me look forward to reading the sequel.

Thank you Mai Corland, RB Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this audiobook! The sound quality was excellent. Donald Chang, Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Sophie Oda, Jaine Ye, and Roger Yeh did an excellent job narrating and bringing each of the characters to life.

What an absolutely gripping story and performance by these narrators. I could not stop listening to this book. Each character brings something unique to the table and keep you guessing throughout. You never know who you can trust.

I know this is going to be the next big series for fantasy readers! Cannot wait for the next installment- truly amazing writing! I have no notes.

Thank you so much for the ALC, such an enjoyable story and experience!

I couldn't wait to get my special edition of this beauty and when the audio popped up on NetGalley I think I actually squealed…

I started as soon as my approval came through and immediately became immersed in this story. It's really just a bunch of BAMF’s from all walks of life setting out to seek vengeance on the king in the most permanent of ways. Why not try to unalive a God King?!

There are a lot of POV shifts in this one, and almost every chapter ends by leaving you wanting more! I really think the audio helped me keep all the characters straight, as there is a different narrator for each. (Chefs kiss to @recordedbooks )

This one really lived up to the hype. The world building was prevalent but not suffocating, the characters were each so dynamic, the hint of romance only added to the story and the ending left me completely speechless. I did not see that coming… like not even a little bit.

Thank you @netgalley for the early audio copy of this bad boy, you made my year. Now everyone go read this book in any format. It's amazing.

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Rated it 3.5⭐️

Five liars from different parts of the world must work together to kill an alleged God King who cannot die unless his crown is removed. The premise of the story is unique and intriguing, and it kept me entertained for the most part. I could feel the desperation of each character as they worked towards their goal. However, the writing could use some improvement. The end did take me by surprise, however, the plot felt somewhat predictable and not well-executed. It seemed like the characters were playing pretend, they would often reveal their plans before executing them, which took away from the suspense.

I want to express my gratitude for receiving an ARC of this book. I consider myself a discerning reader and always look for that "wow" factor in the books I read. This book may not have been perfect, but it was certainly interesting and enjoyable. As long as you approach it with the right expectations and an open mind, without comparing it to other popular books you will likely to appreciate it for what it is.

Short synopsis: 6 people band together to kill the King, each with a history (and secrets) and reasons for wanting him dead.

My thoughts: I would definitely recommend this to those just dipping their toes in the fantasy book realm. The structure was easy to follow, the world building was minimal, and it’s set up perfectly for a sequel which is fun!

This has multiple POV (6 people) which did feel like a touch too many, i had to keep flipping to the beginning of the chapters to remember who’s brain we were in. But at the same time I can’t imagine not having them all in the story. I think they complimented each other perfectly and enjoyed watching each separate relationship develop.

The audio on this was very well done! There was a lot of different perspectives to try to keep straight but the different narrators really helped me keep everything straight!

Read if you love:
⚔️ Journey
⚔️ Strangers working together toward a common goal
⚔️ Muliple POV
⚔️ Fantasy and myths
⚔️ Multiple Romance subplots