BLADE BREAKER

Follows Corayne’s continuing quest to save the world from the demon god who is seeking to invade.

The Companions—Corayne and her fellow ragtag band of unlikely heroes—have won the first battle, but the war is far from over. Readers may need to refresh themselves with Realm Breaker (2021), as this sequel drops readers right in the thick of the action involving numerous individuals (many of them point-of-view characters) and countries in the story’s complicated geopolitical landscape. Most of the viewpoints are those of Corayne and her present Companions, with occasional perspectives from other characters (such as Queen Erida, sympathetic in her struggles against sexism despite her evil goals, and Ridha, searching for allies and finding something more) who offer peeks at the rest of the world. The first act is slow, as the characters plan their next moves and their individual story arcs are established. The journeys of Amhara assassin Sorasa and former Gallish squire Andry, who grapple with changed loyalties, are especially notable for how they play out within the group’s dynamics. Once the action starts, however, the heroes’ breaks between facing all manner of men and monsters—notably undead Ashlander armies—become shorter and shorter, building to a nail-biting reckoning of a climax. The cast has a wide variety of skin tones, and there’s positive, casual representation and acceptance of queer and nonbinary characters.

Will leave readers gasping for more.