The Series That Stole My Heart
That’s it. The verdict is in. Mai Corland is officially on my “if she writes it, I’ll read it” list. I knew it about this series from book one, but I have to admit I was worried about it. You know the kind of series I’m talking about. Book one is fabulous, book two is good, and by book three you’re only reading it out of obligation. But not so with the Broken Blades trilogy. Each book was better, sharper, and more emotionally brutal than the last. I finished Three Shattered Souls not only satisfied, but wrecked, healed, and grateful all at once.
This was a finale, folks. It was much bigger than just the third book of a trilogy. Corland somehow managed to cram an epic fantasy saga into three relatively short books.And then, when I turned to the final page, that rare feeling of completeness washed over me, the sort of feeling you typically reserve for epic tales such as the Throne of Glass series. And this was only three books! That’s something worthy of a standing ovation.
I’ll truly miss the Blades. The series itself has been criminally underrated, and the final installment was the perfect conclusion to the series. Quick, punchy, ruthless, and full of heart. This series gave me everything I could have ever wanted and then kicked me in the gut a little for good measure.
Characters Who Became Family
If I have to choose the best part of this series, it would have to be the characters. The found family dynamic of this series? Hands down the most believable that I’ve ever come across. I don’t know whether it was the exact scene in which the allies became friends or the friends became family, but it was all so organic that by the time the final page was turned, I felt as if they’d all known each other forever, just as I felt as if I’d known them all forever as well.
But Aeri and Sora, especially, captured my heart. I’ve seen some people online refer to Aeri as immature in the previous books, but I just don’t see it. To me, she’s the glue that holds everyone and everything together, the unsung hero behind the madness.
Royo? Don’t even make me talk about him right now. That man is written so amazingly! Truly a man written by a woman. And poor Mikail, the chaotic angel he is. I loved all the characters for their complexities and flaws. Corland doesn’t shy away from making them morally ambiguous, making them choose the wrong decision for the right reasons, and I think that’s what made them all so believable.
Even the romance, while a bit more on the backburner this time around, I actually kind of appreciated because the true love story of the book was the love the Blades had for one another.
Political Chaos, Relics, and Emotional Whiplash
From a plot perspective, 'Three Shattered Souls' begins immediately after the events at Quu Harbor, and it does not let up for a moment. The Blades are on the run, armed with stolen Dragon Lord relics, against a usurper who might be even worse than the god-king himself. I think I got whiplash from the action, but it was the good kind of whiplash.
I continued to be impressed by the world-building, with the elements of magic, mythical relics, and political intrigue working well together without ever feeling overwhelming to the reader. Corland has the skill to pack this much into less than 500 pages without ever making it feel rushed. The only problem I saw with the pacing was that there were a few times it felt like things were either moving at lightning speed or were oddly quiet with very little happening at all.
I think one of the things I enjoyed the most was the way the relics, while being very cool magical items, represented the power and responsibility of the wielder. It’s very “with great power comes great responsibility,” but with a much darker, stab-you-in-the-heart fantasy twist.
That Ending (I Am Not Okay)
But let’s discuss the ending, without giving anything away, because I am not going to ruin this for anyone. It was bittersweet, painful, and somehow just right. There’s one loss in particular that just broke me, but I also appreciate Corland for having the courage to go there. Sometimes stories have to hurt in order to feel real.
I actually ended up slowing down my reading towards the end because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. That’s how much this series has gotten under my skin. When a book makes you pause because you don’t want it to be over, you know it’s done something special.
And that epilogue? I’m going to go ahead and say that it was a tease for a spin-off series because I am not ready to live in a world without these characters. I will gladly beg for a novella, a sequel series, a grocery list, anything.
If you read book one and were unsure if you were going to continue with this series, trust me when I say it is worth it. This is a perfect binge series. Actually, I think this series is best binge-read because the worldbuilding is a bit dense if you take too much time between books.
Final Thoughts
I loved this series from start to finish. It had found family, heists, grumpy romance and sunshine romance, multiple POVs, heartbreak, and hope. Everything I love in a fantasy series. Mai Corland brought amazing character work and a fitting end to the series.
While I'm sad this series is over, I'm happy I found a series that I loved so much and in consequence, a new favourite author. Whatever Mai Corland writes next, I'll be there in a heartbeat.
Rating: 5 stars (and a thousand damages to my heart)
