King Joon is considered an immortal, a god-king. Someone wants him dead though, and has a plan involving five very different individuals. Each one is a masterful liar with skills that can make the assassination a reality, but only if they can trust one another and work together.

FIVE BROKEN BLADES alternates viewpoints as we get to know the team through their own perspectives and the eyes of the others. Royo is a brawny hitman, used to utilizing his muscles to beat up others. Sora is a poison maiden, used to utilizing seduction to gain access to her targets. Aeri, Euyn, and Tiyung round out the team, and tidbits of information about each one of them- and the secrets they hold onto dearly- are unveiled piece by piece.

Sora is without a doubt my favorite character. Mia Corland dives deeply into Sora’s history. It’s hard not to empathize with the hollow life she’s led. She’s had so few close relationships that my heart aches for her. I’m both fascinated and horrified by the myth of poison maidens. I hope at some point Mia Corland provides us with more details about which myths and legends she was inspired by in creating this phenomenal world populated with such exciting and diverse characters!

I haven’t fallen into a world like Mia Corland’s since reading the Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas fantasy novels, and yes, FIVE BROKEN BLADES is truly THAT good! I started reading FIVE BROKEN BLADES with some trepidation, as I’m not always a fan of liars and the blurb advertises the characters as the greatest liars in the land. However, I quickly became entranced with the story and the characters and am still thinking about it even days after finishing it. FIVE BROKEN BLADES is so much richer than being just about lies, as it shows humans facing their lowest moments and surviving against the odds and still willing to take chances against all odds. The characters, the world-building, and oh the twists and turns kept me reading well past my bedtime and I can only hope the second book is coming out soon!