How far would you go for those you loved?

A BREAKING OF REALMS is a fascinating dive into themes of love and loyalty and how those two things mix, like oil and water. And sometimes it’s enough to break the world…

But before we dive into the review, don’t forget to like the post and subscribe to the blog so you never miss new book reviews, original short stories, insights into writing your own novel, or updates on my own books.

Also, here is a reminder of how I rate what I read (these will be on a scale of 1-10, 1 being low, 10 being high):

• Plot Structure: How well the story was put together.
• Character Development: Level of growth a character achieves and how well the author makes them feel “real.”
• Language: Level of swearing, innuendos, verbal abuse, and other triggers.
• Violence: Level of fight scenes and gore.
• Sexual Content: Level of physical intimacy.

Disclaimer: The more I write, the harder I critique books on plot structure, characters, and themes. Thus my reviews reflect this. However, if you see a book appear on the blog, it’s because I enjoyed reading and thought you, as a fellow bookie, would enjoy it as well. As always, reading is subjective and what resonates with me may not resonate with you. And that’s OK! We’re in this to discover new books that are family appropriate and worth taking the time to read.

Book Description:

The Review:

ABoR is a great read with lots to enjoy. It is a true epic fantasy and takes you on a journey through what I equate to the Scandinavian tundra. When a wild dragon hatchling falls from the sky, Skalda takes it in. This choice propels us through the entire novel.

Skalda is a fun character to get to know. At her coming of age ceremony, she uses pure ingenuity to win the rite fest that would allow her to touch a dragon egg, with the expectation that it will hatch for her. She is the epitome of a “lone wolf” character until she is forced to join forces with a ranger of the elvish kingdom.

In the novel, we follow Skalda and her brother Eyrek. Where Skalda prefers to hide in the shadows, Eyrek is all about glory and battle. Eyrek has a flat character arc throughout most of the novel until we see him slip, as loyalty wins out over his sense of morality.

This foils Skalda’s character as she begins to connect better with everyone around her, developing a warmth she hadn’t possessed before.

Here’s my favorite passage in the novel in regards to a rider and his dragon (pg. 436).

“Imagine he was not born in the hatchery, but in the wild. Imagine the Order found out about him. How far would you go to protect one dragon?”

“You cannot compare Asulf to a monster—”

“All dragons are monsters, my Lord. Would you protect yours with your life? The lives of your riders? How about the lives of everyone you know?”

Things I enjoyed with this book:

I loved the world-building. It felt real and well-grounded. This book also had a diverse cast of characters that made a fun read. I especially loved Skalda’s rite fest competition. She chooses only a shield as protection as she enters the wilderness in a race to the finish line. Nearing the end of the competition, she’s not in a position to win, but comes in first by using her shield as a sled to fly past the other competitors. Well played, and well written.

Things I didn’t like:

This book has two instances of bedroom scenes in the first half of the novel. Both are brief and can be glossed over in a few paragraphs, yet each of these scenes made me cringe. And not necessarily from the fact that we are in the room with the people involved with the lens pointed at the ceiling.

What bothered me most about these scenes is how the romance is more about lust, and poorly written lust at that. We get battle metaphors as the scene progresses in the second incidence and it nearly made me close the book. Which would have been a shame because I did enjoy this novel. I also felt the romance did little to build the overall storyline. It was just there for no other purpose than to be there.

To save yourself, just skip page 104 and 142 entirely. I promise you won’t miss anything.

One last thing (and this is purely a rant on word choice), but I competed in parliamentary procedure (think boardroom meetings with a gavel) as a high school student, and when you make a proposition to your group, you NEVER say “I motion…” It is always “I move…”

I’ve come across this issue multiple times in various books and it always makes me want to contact the writer and give them a run down of parliamentary procedure rules. 😅 I can’t help myself.

How I rate this book:

• Plot Structure: 7/10; We have a big book, but I feel like very little gets accomplished. Skalda travels while Eyrek loses a potential crown. Outside of this, there is a great deal of great action, but it sometimes bogs down the storyline. I would have liked to see more from the promise of Skalda’s ingenuity during the rite fest as we went on into the novel, but her choices usually were fueled by emotion rather than logic.
• Character Development: 8/10; Skalda spends most of her time on the run with not much to show for it. The last few chapters after she rescues her friends, we finally see some growth from her, but otherwise, her arc felt slow despite all the action elements. Eyrek’s storyline is a little stronger, but he’s so focused on destruction that it’s hard to see any growth from him. Several characters are brought in, but very few actually seem to play any significant role in the overall story. We meet Skalda’s love interest for a brief moment, and then he’s only mentioned a few times, but never seen. Once she starts her quest to return the hatchling, the love interest is only a passing thought.
• Language: 2/10; Minimal language.
• Violence: 6/10; This book is very focused on action and battles. It can get gory in some places, and should be approached with caution for young readers.
• Sexual Content: 7/10; We are in the room with the characters as their romance plays out, though not in great detail. These instances actually detract from the actual story.

I would recommend A BREAKING OF REALMS for adult epic fantasy lovers who enjoy a good dragon story with lots of action and morally gray characters.

BONUS: Check out this week’s Indie Author Spotlight with Jasmine Young, author of the REALM BREAKER series

If epic fantasy is your jam, also be sure to check out my series, THE COMSTOCK CHRONICLES, for a high adventure, epic fantasy with a clean romantic subplot.