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Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

A book review by Mina Nguyen

A man who has the capabilities to burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army
containing unimaginable beings. With a stolen sword and a newly wedded queen, he is set on
destruction and power. Corayne an-Amarat can feel it; there is a strange darkness. An immortal
and an assassin knock on Corayne’s door, urging her to save the world as the last of an ancient
lineage. Corayne finds herself on a journey completing unusual tasks to prevent all-out war as
she also navigates a world she’s never been accustomed to.
This book has a lot of world-building. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, but the
world-building is complex and there are a lot of factors at play for a young adult fantasy. I was
pretty confused until the first 100 pages because a lot of it is left to mystery, which sets it up to
be further explained in future chapters. I would even say that within the first book, the
world-building hasn’t been fully set, which I think was slightly aggravating since it is 500+ pages
of setting up the plot and developing the villains and heroes. The descriptions could be more
vivid for how intricate the world-building is. As a fan of the Red Queen series, I was interested in
what Realm Breaker had to offer. While I don’t think that Realm Breaker is better than Red
Queen, there are technically two other books to read. I did really enjoy the characters, especially
Sorn, the assassin. The entire book is told through six characters, but not everyone whose
perspective gets read is the hero, which was interesting to read. I liked the connection between
all the characters and their povs. Seeing a character in a different character’s pov helps build and
develop their personality. I also really liked how realistic Corayne’s skills are. Initially, she’s
really sheltered, so she lacks a lot of survival skills needed. I liked that Aveyard made it
incredibly known that Corayne’s skills were not fully developed, and she was still a beginner. She
didn’t pick up anything fast, but she took the time to learn. It’s so much more realistic than
becoming a master at the sword within two weeks, and I enjoyed watching the process unfold.
Additionally, the politics are what really comes to light in this book. In Red Queen, it was the
love triangle and the premise was developed around those three main characters; however,
Realm Breaker has very little romance and sets up the political drama with a few hints of
romance. While I don’t think that this book is for everyone, I would definitely recommend it for
readers who enjoyed all the books within The Red Queen Series or those who want more politics
than romance with heavy world-building!
Books similar to Realm Breaker:
● Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
● A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
● A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab
● City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
● The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Put “Realm Breaker” on hold today