A Broken Blade

The Halfling Saga

De: Melissa Blair

Narrado por: Kyla Garcia

My body is made of scars,

some were done to me,

but most I did to myself.

Keera is a killer. As the King’s Blade, she is the most talented spy in the kingdom. And the king’s favored assassin. When a mysterious figure moves against the Crown, Keera is called upon to hunt down the so-called Shadow.

She tracks her target into the magical lands of the Fae, but Faeland is not what it seems—and neither is the Shadow. Keera is shocked by what she learns and can’t help but wonder who her enemy truly is: the King that destroyed her people or the Shadow that threatens the peace.

As she searches for answers, Keera is haunted by a promise she made long ago, one that will test her in every way. To keep her word, Keera must not only save herself but an entire kingdom.

©2022 Melissa Blair (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

enjoyed it thoroughly.

Want more. predicted a few things but I can usually do that with any story so I'm not making it down, the author did a good job hiding them. I'll be looking for more of the story is there is more to find <3

Needs to be made into a movie asap!!!!

This needs to be made into a movie immediately I love the stories. I love the characters. I love the world that was built. I typically don’t preferred books with so much romance, but the story was so engaging it was worth it. I think that the voice actor reading the story was B+. I don’t think she had much brains when it came to the male voices. Overall a great listen!

SO GOOD

Went in blind (as I always do) because someone said if I liked The Assassin’s Blade, I will like this book. And let me tell youuuu how much it did NOT disappoint. Definitely a little more predictable than SJM, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the plot, character development, and little twists. Immediately starting the next book bye!

Oh What Intrigue

This is my first Melissa Blair book. It was not disappointing. It’s filled with twists and intrigue all nestled alongside political turmoil.

The narrators did a wonderful job creating the separate characters.

Good story

This is a good story. I felt like it moved a little slow. But first books in a series are usually about the set up. And the narrator was a little too monotone. But the story is good and it’s well written.

It was decently enjoyable, for a fantasy romance

I'm not quite the demographic for, more or less, for the usual YA/NA fantasy romance, so I did not have high expectations. To my relief, this was not quite Sarah J Maas' brand of romantasy. This has much more thought put into constructing the plot, planning it's events and twists, So t's not just relationship drama with a fantasy backdrop, like some otber books in the genre, and I was very grateful for it. I was lurred in by a pretty cover, a promise of diversity and curiosity, so I decided to give it a try. I was not dissapointed in diversity, the author handled it pretty well, and I really appreciated a bi main character.

After a (very) rough beginning which would benefit from more editing or even rewriting, the book gradually became an enjoyable enough listen. There is more to the characters and situations, than the initial dull setup, but it's revealed very gradually throughout the story. The plot does not stagnate and keeps it moving pretty well. The main character, Keera, has her issues, which seem kinda skin deep at first, but gain more weight when we learn more about her past. Alcoholism is one of them. Not a perfect portrayal of it, but not bad either. The romance is okay, too, even if my focus was mainly on the plot. I expected it to be a toxic relationship for the sake of creating drama, like in many other romantic fantasies, but even though it seems that way at first, the pair gradually progress into a healthy relationship, based on respect and understanding. You can tell the author tried hard to not fall into the pitfalls of toxivity. 1Although that manifests mostly in book 2.

Yes, there are a lot of familiar and widely used elements, and the writing could be improved in some parts. But the story is consistent, the author clearly put some serious thought into worldbuilding, unpacking the characters, their worldview, taking the time for Keera to form genuine connection with each secondary character.
The beginning of the story was kinda bad. It felt like the story and the protagonist do not know what they are, what they are trying to be. It's like, the author knew how Keera will be later, And, in order to hide details that will be gradually
revealed later, Keera was intentionally dumbed down. Felt like she was dropped into the story togwther with the reader,and does not know herself, or her environment, at all.

BUT. Credit where credit is due: it got significantly better after approx. 1/3 of the story, as more and more details about the world and Keera were revealed. It also explained some of why she was the way she was in the first part of the book. From the moment she met other important characters, she started making much more sense. The writing also improved. I was kind of impressed with the steady and attentive worldbuilding and plot progression (expectations were low). The author actually put thought into steadily expanding the characters and the world. It was a pleasant surprise that in a fantasy romance the plot is the one to take the front seat, and not the romance. Or at the very least, they both are important. And the romance was fine, did not annoy me that much, so I consider it a win. The relationship progressed and regressed, the love interest was trying to walk that "Not toxic, but still attractive" line, and I appreciate the effort.

Overall, it's far from amazing, but I found the story casually enjoyable. And the protagonist really fits the cover art. Whoever created the artwork, nailed it.

Outstanding

I love that we traveled through the majority of the map in the first book. The writing is absolutely beautiful and I dove head first into this world. Keera may be one of my favorite FMC’s & I can’t wait to see what comes of her story!! Her character development is heartwarming. This book is a MASTERPIECE!!!

Very good!

Not much smut until the end buttt well written! Can’t wait for book number 2!

More narrators

Kyla was wonderful. Because I had to imagine her as every character it took me a minute, but this was excellent. I think for any new readers if Kyla had assistance, as in, a male covering the male voices , then it would be even better.

sweet

I really love the growth of the characters and the way kera overcomes being an alcoholic over the time l