A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
I’m so happy to be participating in the tour for Melissa Blair’s debut novel A Broken Blade! I came across this book back in December when all the #BookTok hype was going on so I was ecstatic to be selected. I was lucky enough to be able to interview Melissa Blair as well, so scroll down after my review to check out the interview and enter the giveaway for a finished copy!
Check out the rest of the tour schedule at Turn the Page Tours.
About the Book
TITLE: A Broken Blade
AUTHOR: Melissa Blair
PUB. DATE: August 2nd, 2022
PUBLISHER: Union Square & Co.
GENRE(S): ADULT FICTION—Fantasy
TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING(S): Sexual assault mentioned, Substance addiction, Suicidal ideation, Self-harm, Murder, Torture, Colonialism
BUY LINK: https://bookshop.org/a/11727/9781454947875
My body is made of scars,
some were done to me,
but most I did to myself.
Keera is a killer. As the King’s Blade, she is the most talented spy in the kingdom. And the King’s favored assassin. When a mysterious figure called the Shadow starts making moves against the Crown, Keera is forced to hunt the masked menace down.
She crosses into the magical lands of the Fae, trying to discern if her enemy is Mortal, Elf, or a Halfling like her. But the Faeland is not what it seems, and neither is the Shadow. Keera is shocked by what she discovers and can’t help but wonder who her enemy truly is…
The King that destroyed her people? The Prince that tortures them? Or the Shadow that threatens her place at court?
As she searches for answers, Keera is haunted by a promise she made long ago. A promise not only to save herself but an entire kingdom.
Meet the Author
Melissa (she/her/kwe) is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed ancestry living in Turtle Island. She splits her time between Treaty 9 in Northern Ontario and the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Canada. She has a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, loves movies, and hates spoons. Melissa has a BookTok account where she discusses her favorite kinds of books including Indigenous and queer fiction, feminist literature, and non-fiction. A Broken Blade is her first novel.
My Thoughts
Q&A with the Author
- Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and A Broken Blade?
Sure! I’m an introverted nightowl and all-around story lover. I love board games, my dog, and reading in a hammock. I was bored living by myself during lockdown and decided to write a book inspired by all of the paranormal fantasy romance BookTok was obsessing over in 2021. That became A Broken Blade which follows Keera an assassin forced to serve the king who stole the land of her kin and makes her hunt them down to enforce his rule, but when the Keera is sent after the Shadow she realizes this may be her only chance to take the king down once and for all.
- Where did you get your inspiration for the book? Was there any particular moment that sparked the idea for the story?
The story came to me not as a book but a series. The two big moments that I was obsessing over aren’t even in A Broken Blade. The first takes place thirty years before and the second you’ll have to wait for Book 3 for. But from those I was able to build out the world and the arc for the series and it made sense to begin Keera’s journey where it begins in A Broken Blade. You learn so much about her in book 1 but there’s also so much more to come.
- Which character do you relate to the most? Did you put pieces of yourself anywhere else in the book?
Riven is the most similar to me. We see the world in the same way, he often feels out of place and so do I, we also think in the same logical way so understanding him is the easiest out of everyone. Keera’s fears are rooted in many of my own, but we handle them in completely differently. In some ways, Keera has the strength and composure I wish I had when tackling obstacles.
- This is your debut novel! What has your publishing journey been like?
Unconventional to say the least. I have queried a few projects over the past seven years and have gotten some traction but nothing ever ended up published. My idea for this book was to self-publish this fun series as a side project, perhaps earn enough to work less and focus on writing more. I initially published it anonymously as part of a fun BookTok mystery which was amazing and got people excited, but I never would have imagined eight months later my book would be out in bookstores with a traditional publishing deal. It has been a roller coaster and I feel like this is only the first whirlwind and there are many turns left to go.
- How are the next few months looking for you? Are you working on the sequel for A Broken Blade or doing something else?
Yes! I am currently doing edits for book 2 and finishing up the drafts for the rest of the series. I also have a few other projects keeping me busy, but you’ll have to keep an eye on my TikTok to keep up to date with that. I can’t say anything yet.
- I’d love to end my questions with some book recommendations! What are your favorite books and what are you reading now?
I can never come up with a definitive answer for this question, but I love Five Little Indians by Michelle Good and Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. I’m listening the sequel Fevered Star right now.
Thank you so much @turnthepagetours for including me on this tour and to Melissa Blair for taking the time to answer my interview questions. Best of luck to entrants on the giveaway!
Giveaway
Up for grabs we have ONE (1) finished copy of A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair. This giveaway will be available from July 25th through August 6th at 11:59 PM CST. Open to US residents only. No giveaway accounts allowed. To enter, click the (link/button) or enter below!
GIVEAWAY LINK: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1e4a114d71/?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
