Four ruined realms

The exciting second installment in Corland's Broken Blades series (after Five Broken Blades) reunites Sora, Royo, Aeri, Euyn, and Mikail on a treacherous mission into new lands, all inspired by Korean mythology and history. Having barely completed their last heist, each of the five blades has been blackmailed or bribed into taking on a new task: retrieve the Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord from Yusan's neighboring kingdom of Khitan. However, lingering distrust from recent betrayals threaten to tear the group apart. Sora's desire to save her sister, Royo's quest for forgiveness, and Euyn's ambitions clash with secrets revealed about Aeri's lineage and secrets still closely held to Mikail's chest about his own. As they embark on this challenging heist, a series of unexpected reveals lead them to question if the Golden Ring is really what King Joon is after or if they are falling into an elaborate trap. Corland makes it easy for readers to reenter this vivid world by including plentiful reminders of the plot and character dynamics of book one that manage not to stall the momentum. Her skill at blending political intrigue with emotional stakes makes this a worthy and exhilarating continuation of the series, and sets the stage for even more twists to come. Readers will be rapt. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary. (Jan.)

In Corland's fantasy sequel, a group of royals, spies, and other skilled adventurers work through their differences as they pursue a plan to overthrow an evil king. A failed attempt to murder the tyrannical King Joon of Yusan has revealed secrets that rattle the group of five would-be assassins. One of them, the gem thief Aeri,is the king's daughter, and it turns out that it was King Joon who brought her, Strongman Royo, "poison maiden" Sora, former royal spymaster Mikail, and Yusan's banished crown prince Euyn together--not to kill the king, but to murder his sister, Queen Quilimar. Now, Aeri has lost the trust of her cohort--especially Royo, with whom she shares a mutual, albeit hesitant, attraction. Sora is more determined than ever to free her beloved sister, Daysum, from indentured servitude; she also needs to break her former traveling companion, Tiyung, out of the horrific Idle Prison. Mikail, meanwhile, seeks to liberate his homeland of Gaya, which King Joon subjugated decades earlier, by helping Euyn--his former lover--usurp the throne. Despite interpersonal conflicts and differing motivations, the group journeys to the kingdom of Khitan, hoping to forge an alliance with Queen Quilimar to overthrow King Joon. As they contend with enemy spies, villainous dignitaries, and megafauna such as zaybears, they try to repair their former bond. In this second installment of a fantasy series that began withFive Broken Blades(2024), Corland presents a thoroughly entertaining dark fantasy that's filled with palace intrigue, adventure, and chaos. Aeri, Sora, Royo, Mikail, Euyn, and Tiyung take turns narrating the story, giving readers multiple perspectives on the myriad conflicts that the characters face. The detailed, highly developed worldbuilding also brings the book to life, enthusiastically exploring such topics as gender roles ("Mercy is seen as weakness when it's doled out by a feminine hand"), equality, oppression, and folklore in ways that are sure to engage readers. The numerous perspectives may be difficult to keep straight at times, but this doesn't detract from the well-constructed story. A compelling fantasy tale with a memorable ensemble. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.