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Writer's pictureAllen & Unwin
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Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

Learn about the epic fantasy debut taking the world by storm.

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

Take Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, age the characters up, make them all killers who must assassinate a king, sprinkle in some spice and political intrigue, and you've got Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland!


In a land where injustice reigns under the God King Joon, five skilled assassins, motivated by various grievances, are tasked with his assassination. Despite their expertise in deception, they must navigate treachery and forge an unlikely alliance to achieve their goal, with only one able to claim the throne.


Check out this brilliant letter from author Mai Corland to learn more about the creation and inspiration behind Five Broken Blades...

Dear Reader, Thank you for selecting my first adult fantasy novel. Although I’ve previously written award-winning children’s literature, Five Broken Blades, is my most ambitious work yet in terms of story, narratives, and the world in which they live. And I believe it is my best. Changing from the charming space of middle grade has allowed me to tell a story of the various forms of love from the love of another to the love of a nation. Of what a person would do for love—to get it, to keep it, and what they would do if they lose it. In Five Broken Blades, I was able to explore revenge and hatred and the intersection with morality. And finally, the novel is a study of power, what power and the lack thereof does to a person. There are five killers, five “blades,” but six narrators of various skin colors, abilities, and sexualities. When I grew up, I never saw narrators who resembled me physically and there was an overall dearth of queer or disabled characters. It is my hope that other readers do not experience that same lack of representation. This is a story I consider casually diverse, meaning the characters happen to have different attributes while all participating in an epic fantasy adventure. They are as varied as their world, but the violent, patriarchal society they live in cares most about status, not race or lovers. Crafting the diverse world of Five Broken Blades came from the intersection of East and West that has dominated my life. While I was born in Seoul, Korea, I was trans-racially adopted and raised in the United States. I love the legends of Atlantis and El Dorado, the same way I was riveted by the veritable records of Korea and the real Festival of Blood. I loved combining mythologies, food, and cultures to creature a unique setting. And then there are creatures of my own nightmarish imagination I was able to add to the story. Thus, this is not a work of Korean historical fiction, but a globally inspired fantasy that is at times brutal but all times beautiful. Thank you for choosing Five Broken Blades. I hope you love the story and agree that it is my best yet. Love, Mai #fivebrokenblades Out 7th May 2024

And check out the EPIC book trailer below...




 

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

Five Broken Blades

by Mai Corland


Five ruthless killers. Five deadly motives. One King - who must die. Six of Crows meets She Who Became the Sun in a feast of treason and seduction set against a dazzling fantasy backdrop of Korean history and folklore.



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