“History gorges itself on women raised high and then brought low by men grasping for their power.”
A YA fantasy novel, Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard is a standard fiction read for beginner readers exploring the YA genre. Set in the imaginative world of immortals, Spindles, and Corbloods, Realm Breaker explores the journey of 17-year-old Corayne, an immortal named Domacridhan, 30-year-old Sorasa Sarn, and 17-year-old Andry Trelland as they set out to close a Spindle and to stop an evil force from taking over their world.
Although a great novel filled with an adventurous plot, Realm Breaker was a very repetitive book similar to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. As a loyal Sarah J. Maas fan, I was not very happy to find such a similar plot line: immortals, assassins, different realms, magic, and royalty were present in this book as well. Aveyard’s writing was not as enjoyable as I remember; I read her Red Queen series when it first released. Even with the Red Queen series the plot dragged on and on and I am concerned that the following books in the Realm Breaker series will do the same. I did not enjoy the pacing either; pages and pages were filled with unnecessary descriptions that dragged the book on for what seemed like forever.
As a romance fan, it’s sad to say that I did not enjoy the slow-burn romance in this novel as well. Again, the plot seemed to drag on with very little space for romantic relationships despite the possible love triangle between Dom, Andry, and Corayne. Romance in YA novels are a very important aspect and I was very disappointed when there was barely any room for romantic scenes as there was for Red Queen. On the bright side, I did enjoy the characters! I always love a good, stubborn female role and Corayne was just that. Sorasa, the assassin, reminded me a little too much of Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass but she was still a great character that added just the right amount of sass to the plot. Andry Trelland was an okay character; I felt like he wasn’t that developed as a character and could have used more time focused around his life but he was still an enjoyable character to read about. Lastly, Domacridhan. He was my least favorite character just because of the uncanny resemblance to another Throne of Glass character. Despite this, I do have to say Aveyard did a great job developing his character and showing the reader how an immortal’s view of life differs from that of a mortal.
Even though I did not enjoy this book, I still think it’s a great read for beginner YA readers who are looking for a book in the fantasy/adventure genre. I don’t believe that books have an age limit but for the sole reason that there are some gruesome descriptions, I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 15. Even though I was not a fan of this book, I do believe that many YA readers will find this book a great read.
Maddy, although I haven’t read the book, I too have found some of repetitiveness in YA fantasy, so I know how you feel! It’s frustrating. I also enjoyed the beginning of Aveyard’s Red Queen series, but the final Red Queen books and her newer book, Carve The Mark, didn’t really do it for me :/ It’s unfortunate, I was really rooting for her!