Fate Breaker (Realm Breaker, #3) by Victoria Aveyard

 Fate Breaker (Realm Breaker, #3) by Victoria Aveyard-625 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Synopsis: 

A dark fate descends. A shattered alliance must rise.

The Companions are torn apart and the realm hangs in the balance, at the edge of ruin. Taristan and Queen Erida rise triumphant from the battlefield, while Corayne barely escapes with her life; her Companions left behind to uncertain fates.

But not all hope was lost: Corayne managed to steal Taristan's Spindleblade. Without it, Taristan can’t rip open any more Spindles. Without it, he can’t end the world.

Now, from every corner of the realm, the Companions race to reunite while they rally old allies and seek unexpected new ones, in one final push against darkness.

But Taristan and Erida are all but invincible. With their cruel god, What Waits, on their side, they will sacrifice anything and anyone to his hunger.

Everything has come to this. In the final clash between good and evil, a ragged alliance makes its bravest stand against a ruthless enemy . . . and the demon god who would consume the realm entire.

Thoughts: In this final installment of the trilogy plot points wrap up well and the ending is pretty satisfying. One small flaw is that there's a lot of build up to the final battle in the first 450 or so pages, but the final battle itself feels a bit rushed. Overall, though, this was a good read as was the entire series. 

Blade Breaker (Realm Breaker, #2) by Victoria Aveyard

 Blade Breaker (Realm Breaker, #2) by Victoria Aveyard-578 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis: The fate of the world rests on a blade's edge.

Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father's powerful sword.

But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.

Queen Erida's army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.

Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she's to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.

But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.

Thoughts: I liked this more than the first one in this series. There's a bit more action and the characters seem more fleshed out. I am excited to read the last book in the trilogy soon. 

Realm Breaker (Realm Breaker, #1) by Victoria Aveyard

 Realm Breaker (Realm Breaker, #1) by Victoria Aveyard-568 pages

⭐⭐⭐1/2

I got to meet Victoria Aveyard thanks to The Novel Neighbor bookstore in Webster Groves. It was a great experience. The event was for Fate Breaker which is the final book of this trilogy. Realm Breaker introduces readers to Allward and a diverse cast of characters (Andry, Sorasa, Dom, Corayne, and others). Taristan and a powerful wizard are threatening Allward and Andry Trelland, a squire, is one of two survivors of an expedition to defeat Taristan and his wizard companion. Andry returns home to Galland to tell his story of what happened to the Galland Queen, Erida. Twists and turns abound in this book and there's a twist right in the middle that's kind of a jaw dropper. I did like this book, but I do think it could have been even better. Hence the 3 1/2 stars rating. I am intrigued enough to read the next book, though. 

Heather's June Books

Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce
 First Test 240 pages
 Page 268 pages
 Squire 399 pages
 Lady Knight 431 pages
 This series follows Keladry of Mindelan's journey to become the first Lady Knight since Lady Alanna won her shield 15 years before.

Daughter of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce
 Trickster's Choice 422 pages
 Trickster's Queen 467 pages
 Alianne of Pirates Swoop is trying to convince her parents of her true calling and when she least expects it is given the chance to show them her talents.

Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
 The Goddess Test 293 pages
 Goddess Interrupted 296 pages
 A re-telling of old Greek tales in a modern world.

The Selection by Kiera Cass 327 pages
 Like the Bachelor, but the winner gets to be a princess after almost being killed and having her heart broken.

Pandora Hearts Vol. 1 192 pages
 by Jun Mochizuki
 I can't tell if this is supposed to be based on Alice in Wonderland or something else entirely. I found it to be a convoluted story with very little background information. I'm not particularly inclined to finish the series.

My Little Monster Vol. 1 169 pages
 by Robico
 Chock full of socially awkward people doing weird things, I can't wait for volume two!

Red Queen 383 pages
 by Victoria Aveyard
 I really don't know what to say about this book. I liked the story, but there are so many characters that didn't have enough background. She wants you to feel for them but they are no more than mannequins without thoughts and feelings of their own, just pose-able space holders to keep the dialogue going.