A Broken Blade, Melissa Blair
A Broken Blade, Melissa Blair
110 Rating(s)
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

A Broken Blade

Author: Melissa Blair

Narrator: Kyla Garcia

Unabridged: 13 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/02/2022


Synopsis

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.

About Melissa Blair

Melissa Blair (she/her/kwe) is an Anishinaabe-kwe of mixed ancestry living in Turtle Island. She splits her time between Treaty 9 in Northern Ontario and the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Canada. She has a graduate degree in applied linguistics and a BookTok account where she discusses her favorite kinds of books including Indigenous and queer fiction, feminist literature, and nonfiction. A Broken Blade is her first novel. TiKTok: @melissas.bookshelf.

About Kyla Garcia

Kyla Garcia is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. Born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, she discovered acting at the age of eight when she played Lady Macbeth in a children’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. She made her off-Broadway debut at fifteen when she played Dorothy in Oz: A Twisted Musical. Eleven years after she discovered her passion for acting, she would go on to play Lady Macbeth once again in London at the Globe Theatre, where she studied Shakespeare during her third year at Mason Gross School of the Arts. She received her BFA in acting from Rutgers University.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lucie on March 07, 2024

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Union Square & Co.). All thoughts and opinions are my own. ✅ Gorgeous cover ✅ Strong, but flawed and morally grey MC ✅ Enemies to (almost) lovers ✅ Only one bed / Forced proximity ✅ Holding her as she wakes up from a nightmare ✅ Politics ✅ Lies and......more

Goodreads review by Kei ✨ on December 11, 2021

I spent at least the first 60% of this book wanting to put it down. It dragged on and on and on. Keera was an uninteresting alcoholic and the other characters were cut and paste from other fantasy novels and just plain boring. Then, the only plot twist in the book, I actually guessed from a certain......more

Goodreads review by ashlyn on January 05, 2025

How is A Broken Blade not a global sensation? Like, where’s the fanfare? The movie deal? The TikTok obsession? This book had me gasping so much I probably scared my neighbors. At one point, I yelled “OH MY GOD” so loudly, my cat side-eyed me like, girl chill. My jaw was on the floor the entire time-......more

Goodreads review by Lila on March 04, 2022

Got this book because of the BookTok mystery but stayed for great plotline and badass female protagonist. I was slightly disappointed the author chose to reveal herself just as I started reading this book as I hoped to try and figure it out on my own (I would have failed because Tiktok algorithm nev......more

Goodreads review by Jena on January 22, 2024

2.5 stars When it was first released, A Broken Blade blew up on Booktok, and it's clear why. This story is full of popular tropes and elements, and while that was enough to get me to pick up the book, the writing, characters, and core story itself never compelled me to keep reading. It's a difficult......more


Quotes

“A dark and romantic fantasy.”

Insider

“Assassins are a staple, and…Blair use[s] that character trope to challenge some of the traditional notions of colonialist narratives.”

Paste magazine

“Blair creates a rich fantasy world full of magic, romance, danger, and intrigue.“

Booklist (starred review)

“Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass.”

BuzzFeed

“There are fae, elves, magic, sword fighting, morally grey characters, as well as LGBTQIA and indigenous representation—what’s not to love?”

Barnes&Noble.com

“Gripping and fierce. This is much-needed fantasy with its fangs honed sharp by the power of resistance. Melissa Blair has built a tremendous world."

Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights


Awards

  • Barnes & Noble Best Book