Five Broken Blades (Deluxe Limited): Mai Corland

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland is a high-stakes, ensemble fantasy that mixes espionage, betrayal, and romance in a richly imagined world inspired by Korean mythos. Five master assassins—a pickpocket, a brute-for-hire, a poison assassin, a spymaster, and an exiled prince—are drawn together to kill the immortal King Joon by stealing the very crown that protects him. As they journey through perilous terrain and swirl in shifting alliances, their motivations collide: vengeance, freedom, redemption, and duty drive each character forward. With multiple first-person POVs, Corland builds tension by balancing secrets, trust, and inevitable betrayals—and though some critics say the prose wavers, many readers praise its “addictive” plotting, dynamic cast, and twisty finale that leaves you eager for the sequel Four Ruined Realms .