Sora is a kind and beautiful poison maiden and indentured servant to the Southern Count of Yusan. Royo is a broody muscle-for-hire, saving money to free an innocent man from prison. Euyn is an exiled Prince, constantly looking over his shoulder due to the high bounty on his head. Mikail is the royal spymaster, a highly trained swordsman, and Euyn’s former lover. Aeri is a street-level thief with a quirky personality. What do these five people have in common? They’ve all been hired to accomplish the impossible – kill the God-King Joon. All players have motive to kill the King – but those motives do not extend to trust amongst each other. If they succeed, revenge and riches are the rewards. But if they fail – or if one of them betrays them – death or worse will come. Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland is a debut novel in which these five dangerous liars must work together to achieve the impossible – or else face unimaginable consequences and lose what’s most important to them.
Book
The five “blades” certainly have horrific backstories. Sora and her sister Daysum were sold to Count Seok years ago – but if Sora manages to kill the King, their debt will be paid and they will be free. And to make sure she keeps true to her mission, the Count’s son Tiyung is to escort her. Royo blames himself for his dead lover’s death and her father’s imprisonment. And his monetary reward will be more than enough to set him free. Prince Euyn was exiled due to his unimaginable cruelty towards the prisoners of the palace. But with King Joon dead, he will be crowned and given a chance to be a better King than his brother. Mikail survived a genocide of tens of thousands of his people when he was a young boy, at the hands of King Joon. Needless to say, he has enough motivation to see the King dead. And Aeri – well, Aeri is a bit of a mystery to everyone, including readers of Five Broken Blades.
Nevertheless, they each have a crucial role to play in their mission. If just one of them backs out or dies, then the entire plan fails. And each step of the way, they are challenged not only by outside forces, but also by each other and themselves. Each person will need to learn how to work together, even though they are nearly strangers. But more than their own lives are on the line – if they succeed, they could improve the lives of everyone in Yusan and the surrounding territories. They just have to watch out for their own backs and not get any funny ideas while they’re at it.
Review
Corland delivers a wonderfully entertaining debut with Five Broken Blades. The world-building, interesting characters, and multiple POVs will suck readers in from the beginning. Each character’s POV is easily distinguishable and provides the perfect pace for this fantasy heist. The author delivers action, romance, and a mythology rooted in Korean culture that guarantees a fun ride from start to finish.
Mai Corland joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about her experience as a debut author and how she drew from established lore to tell her story. Keep an ear out for the interview in a future episode and preorder Five Broken Blades, available May 7.
I read this book within just 5 days and have started re-reading it. I am obsessed and absolutely in love with this book. So excited for the sequel.
It’s so good! Keep an ear out for the interview with Mai coming soon!