Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
Out Now from HarperTeen; 563 pages
Content Warnings: Gore, violence, sexism, death, PTSD, grief, strong language
About the Author: “Victoria Aveyard is an author and screenwriter, born and raised in a small town in Western Massachusetts. She has a BFA in Writing for Film & Television from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Her books include four #1 New York Times bestselling and USA Today bestselling novels, two New York Times bestselling novellas, a New York Times bestselling short story collection. She lives full-time in Los Angeles with her dog Indy. Realm Breaker, the first installment in her next young adult fantasy series comes out May 4th, 2021. The Red Queen series is currently being translated into 41 languages and counting.” (Bio taken from author’s website.)
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Victoria Aveyard’s Realm Breaker submerges her readers into the Allward, a realm full of magic. The story’s prologue begins, tragically, with a group of champions who fail to stop the evil Taristan from opening a passageway between worlds, known as a Spindle. Realm Breaker then transports its readers to a small sea-side town where Corayne an-Amarat is stuck, unable to be the person she dreams of becoming. Corayne is quickly drawn into the struggle to save her world when an Immortal and an assassin arrive on her doorstep to tell her that only she can stop Taristan’s plot. In company with a group of unlikely allies, Corayne embarks on a seemingly hopeless mission to stop the being who will turn their world to ash.
After falling in love with Aveyard’s Red Queen series, I was so excited to read Realm Breaker—and I was not disappointed. Allward’s history, magic, mythology, and characters make this story unmissable. The story has a diverse cast of characters: a young woman who descended from a royal bloodline, an honor-bound squire, an immortal desperate for revenge, an assassin, a sorceress who speaks in riddles, a forger hiding their past, and a bounty hunter. Aveyard’s book also includes some of my favorite fantasy tropes: found family, ragtag group of heroes, enemies-to-lovers, villain romance, and a major theme of destiny. Realm Breaker is full of empowered women who have strong, tough personalities and are not dependent on their male counterparts. The women, especially Corayne, follow their own compasses and hold the fate of their world in their hands. The complex characters and intricate world-building make Realm Breaker a wonderful addition to the YA Fantasy genre, and I excitedly await the sequel.
PRR Writer, Frances Drye