Reviews

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

insipidurbanism's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

gabsouth's review against another edition

4.0

Great fantasy book that has all of the proper prerequisites, heroin that doesn't know their destiny, faithful soldier, mentor and aloof killer. Good description and plot lines for a first book. My only wish is that there were more to read.

curles_and_curves's review against another edition

I really could not get into this book. 

emargent's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

mathildur's review against another edition

4.0

You guys know that book I started reading back in February? I finally finished it!! Honestly it was not the book's fault that it took me so long, I was buddyreading it with a friend and we couldn't find the time to meet and sit down to read very often. It probably impacted my experience with the story as well, which is a shame, because this was really good! I found it engaging and exciting to read, definitely continuing with the series. 

eponineeurydice's review against another edition

3.0

This was okay! Not great but not bad either! The first half was incredibly boring for me and I don't think the book had to be this long. There were so many characters and so much info which I felt was unimportant and fonfusing, but maybe that was because I listened to the audiobook and had a hard time focusing because of the narrator. But there were some interesting phrasings and kinda cringey writing as well lol! At one point, the main character gnashes her teeth... things like that which felt unrealistic or silly. But the last third or so was engaging and interesting, so I will put the sequel on my tbr and maybe read it instead of listen to the audiobook. I didn't have many expectations for this book and I was right, it wasn't my favorite thing in the world.

the_sunken_library's review against another edition

2.0

An unbelievable slog.

For me the descriptive style of writing quickly became exhaustive. Sometimes "she said this" is perfectly acceptable. We don't always need 5 sentences describing the nashing of teeth after every uttered syllable.

I found the characters clichéd and unlikeable. Soz.

The story is a mishmash of tales I have consumed before - Stargate, Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time etc. Nothing new or exciting. If you are going to repackage something you need to do it really well. This for me was a poor imitation.

Also, have the deceny to explain a major world building feature thoroughly. Don't just say "spindles", "spindletouched" and "spindlerotten" 200 times in the prologue and force the reader to work out what the hell you are talking about. For anyone about to start the book - spindles are gateways to other worlds (parallel or literally other planets she doesn't bother explaining). See, not hard.

There's a second book to the series and I really don't think I can be bothered with it.

lpstanford7's review against another edition

Honestly I found this book drawn out and boring. There were a few plot twists that kept me going but overall really disliked the book. 

montynan's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

There is no doubt that Victoria Aveyard is a genius writer and an even more brilliant world builder. I felt extremely immersed in this world and its language, though it was difficult to adapt to it throughout the book just because of how different it is. It is clear she draws inspiration from Tolkien and it is done well. I enjoyed getting to know the characters for who they are and their flaws and I can’t wait to continue learning about them and see how the story evolves!

enbyrd44's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25