Narrated by Kyla Garcia, A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair is the first in the Halfling Saga. Keera is the King’s Blade and his favorite assassin. She is tasked with hunting down the Shadow, who is making moves against the crown. All is not as it seems and soon the listener will be swept up in this fast-paced fantasy.
by Melissa Blair
Series: The Halfling Saga #1
Narrator: Kyla Garcia
Length: 13 hours and 21 minutes
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 4.5 cups Speed: 1.35x
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.
I confess I am not on BookTok and missed all the hype surrounding this release. It wasn’t until it came across an email that I read the blurb and listened.
Keera is a halfling in this new adult fantasy perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and Blood and Ash. The tale starts off slowly as we learn about the kingdom, the key characters and its history. There is magic and those who serve are forced by magic. For example, one girl cannot go beyond the boundaries, not even to tough the ocean waters.
We learn that the people in the kingdom are starving and that a dark force known as the Shadow is moving against the king. When Keera is tasked to bring him down, she travels to the land of the Fae but soon discovers all is not as she was led to believe. Her loyalties will be tested towards the kingdom, the young blades in training and the people of these lands.
Keera is a skilled assassin but also trouble and broken by her past and carries the names of those she has killed with her. When we meet her she is a drunk, but we get to witness her finding herself again. Her loyalties lie more with the people she wants to keep from harm, making her role difficult.
The world is filled with fae, elves, magic, and more. The author did a lovely job of building the world and explaining the magic, politics and ruling kingdom without info dumps. As the story progressed, the pace picked up.
The romance is a slow-burn that will progress over the saga. While I am not completely sold on it yet, the author held my attention and has me curious to continue the series.
Kyla Garcia narrates and did a great job giving voice to Keera, the Shadow and secondary characters.
A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair is the first in Halfling Saga with an assassin protagonist who will be tested. #NewAdult #Fantasy #FantasyRomance #Audiobook #KylaGarcia Share on XAbout Melissa Blair
Melissa (she/her/kwe) is an Anishinaabekwe 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 Discourse Studies, loves movies, and hates spoons. Melissa has a BookTok account where she discusses her favorite kinds of books including Indigenous and queer fiction, feminist literature, and non-fiction. A Broken Blade is her first novel.
About Kyla Garcia
KYLA GARCIA is a stage, film, and television actress who received her BFA from Rutgers University. She wrote, produced, and starred in her first one-woman show, The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly, which was adapted into an audiobook.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Carole @ Carole's Random Life
This sounds like something that I would enjoy. I may have to give the audiobook a try.
Kimberly
Glad to hear I piqued your interest 🙂
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters
I’m so intrigued by this one! I’ve been thinking about getting it from Libro.fm. I had no idea it was huge on TikTok until someone shared that the reason it blew up was because the author’s personal marketing was so out there!
Kimberly
I hope you grab it.
Maureen @ Maureen's Books
This sounds like a very interesting world. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Kimberly
Thanks Maureen!
Wendy
I’m not on BookTok either. I’ve just started seeing this book around. Your review has me tempted!
Kimberly
LOL, happy to tempt you!
Angela (Angel's Guilty Pleasures)
Very nice review. I’m not on or seen BookTok before, so thank you for sharing this adult fantasy novel. I’m always looking for something new and strong heroines are a plus especially if they have flaws. I’ll have to check this out.
Kimberly
I look forward to your thoughts 🙂
Felicity Grace Terry
Not on BookTok either, in fact I only heard about it a two/three days ago.
The first time I’m hearing about this book … I’m betting it won’t be the last though.
Loving the simple and yet totally eye-catching cover and such a great premise, its definitely a book i shall be keeping a look out for.
Kimberly
I love the cover too.