Literature / Realm Breaker

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Realm Breaker is a trilogy of young adult high fantasy novels by Victoria Aveyard.

The realm of Allward is in peril. Someone has opened a Spindle, a portal that can lead to another realm. This particular Spindle leads to the Ashlands, a realm of walking corpses that Taristan and his lackey, the evil priest Red Ronin, can control. With the use of a Spindleblade and Taristan's Corblood, they plan on tearing Allward in two in order to appease their demon god, What Waits. A group of knights and mercenaries- collectively referred to as the Companions of the Realm- were sent to battle Taristan and his undead army and close the Spindle, the later being the primary objective of Taristan's twin brother, Cortael, who carries a Spindleblade too.

They catastrophically lose.

Within minutes, most of the Companions are slaughtered. Only Domacridhan of Iona, an immortal being who helped raised Cortael, and Andry Trelland, a squire for the Kingdom of Galland, manage to escape. Thankfully for the realm, Dom and Andry were able to save Cortael's Spindleblade before Taristan could take it, and one other person with Corblood does exist: Coryane an-Amarat, Cortael's only daughter.

After enlisting the help of the exiled assassin Sorasa Sarn, Dom and Andry find Coryane in the port city of Lemarta. For all of her life, Coryane has felt the constant pull of wanderlust in her blood, but her mother, the formidable pirate Meliz an-Amarat, has forbidden Coryane from coming along on her ship. Even though she's skeptical as to Dom and Andry's warnings, Coryane jumps at the chance to travel the realm with them. Their first stop is Ascal, the capital of Galland and where the current monarch, the ambitious and fierce Queen Erida, resides.

Unfortunately, a shocking betrayal forces them to flee Galland in horror. Now on the run, the only option left to them is to find any open Spindles and have Coryane close them, all while hoping to convince various leaders that their world will end if they don't fight. As their journey to saving Allward unfolds, a new group of Companions forms; in addition to Coryane, Dom, Andry, and Sorasa, there's Valtik, a Jydi witch who's equal parts useful and useless; Charlon "Charlie" Armont, an ex-priest with several bounties on his head thanks to his forgeries; and Sigil, a Temur bounty hunter who had hoped to collect on said bounties. Together with her new friends, Coryane may be the key to saving Allward from What Waits' onslaught... or she may fail the realm entirely.

The books in the series include:

1. Realm Breaker (2021)
2. Blade Breaker (2022)
3. Fate Breaker (2024)

This series provides examples of:

• Action Mom: Meliz an-Amarat is the Captain of the Tempestborn, an infamous pirate ship that haunts the waters. Her ferocity and fearlessness has garnered her the nickname of Hell Mel. She is also Coryane's mother and, while she doesn't always show it, Meliz loves her dearly.
• Always Identical Twins: Cortael and Taristan are identical twins that come from the line of Old Cor. Because they look exactly the same, Coryane can see some of her own features in her uncle.
• Another Dimension: Allward is one realm among many, with several getting named throughout the trilogy. The Vedera are originally from Glorian, many of them crossed into Allward some one thousand years ago before getting stuck there after the Spindle they initially crossed through flooded over. There's also Meer the Ocean Realm, a watery world with all manner of sea monsters; Irridas the Dazzling Realm, a world of riches and dragons; Infyrna the Burning Realm, a world of fire and hellhounds; and Asunder, What Waits' homeworld. The Ashlands is a realm that had been conquered by What Waits, its world turned into a mass of dust and ash, populated by walking corpses. The Crossroads is a realm primarily made up of Spindles that lead to all manner of realms.
• Big Bad: Taristan and Erida serve as the main antagonistic force of the series. Erida's position as queen means that she has hundreds of thousands of soldiers at her disposal and the wealth needed to fund wars. Taristan's Corblood and Spindleblade means he can open Spindles and his connection to What Waits grants him strength and abilities beyond the average human. Red Ronin is What Waits' direct conduit, but he doesn't interact with Coryane and the Companions much, mostly working as an advisor to Taristan and, by extension, Erida. They're all fighting for What Waits, a supernatural demon-like being who wants to consume Allward.
• Big Bad Ensemble: The main antagonists of the series are Erida, Taristan, Red Ronin, and the being they're fighting on behalf of, What Waits. All four of them want to conquer Allward for different reasons; Erida wants to return Galland into the mighty empire it once was, Taristan wants any realm to rule over, and What Waits wants to turn Allward into a realm of ash and corpses. Red Ronin is a priest of What Waits so his goals directly align with the demon king he's devoted to.
• Catapult Nightmare: Corayne bolts upright after having or receiving a nightmare about/from What Waits.
• Constructed World: The land of Allward◊ is split into two main continents with a stretch of sea breaking the land in two.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Taristan was cast off as the unneeded twin by Isibel. He grew up an orphan and was forced to fend for himself by whatever means necessary. He became a soldier, never knowing his purpose in life until Red Ronin found him.
• Disappeared Dad: Corayne never met her father, only knowing what she does about him through her mother. Since he dies at the start of the trilogy, she never gets the chance to meet him.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Ridha was set up in Realm Breaker as going around to the various enclaves in search of more Vederan allies. In Blade Breaker, she manages to get the Monarch of Kovalinn and even the Jydi raiders on her side and there's the hint of a developing romance between her and one of the Jydi. At the end of that book, Ridha is suddenly struck by a mysterious rider in black with Taristan dealing the killing blow.
• The Exile:
  • Sorasa used to be part of the Amhara, a guild of assassins. When she refused to follow through on a contract (one that included killing children), she was given a tattoo to mark her as a cast off Amhara before being thrown out of the citadel. Sorasa herself believes that this punishment was justified and that she got off very easy.
  • Valnir and Edya were born in Glorian. They both feared the power of the Spindles, leading them to craft the Spindleblades. As punishment, the king of Glorian gave them the choice between death or exile. They both chose to cross into Allward instead of being executed.
• Evil Twin: Taristan is Cortael's evil counterpart. Cortael was raised in Iona by the Vedera in the hopes that he'd be able to open a Spindle to Glorian, the Vedera's homeworld. Meanwhile, Taristan was cast aside as superfluous and grew up jaded and hardened as a street urchin and soldier until he fell under Red Ronin's and What Waits' influence.
• Evil Uncle: Taristan kills his twin brother, Cortael, in exchange for superhuman resilience from What Waits. Cortael happens to be Coryane's father, making Taristan her uncle. Coryane has to battle Taristan over the fate of Allward.
• Give Him a Normal Life: The notorious pirate captain, Meliz an-Amarat, vehemently does not want her daughter, Corayne, to follow in her footsteps and get in danger.
• God of Evil: What Waits is a demon king who consumes worlds, turning them into dusty, ash filled realms where the sky is permanently red and the dead walk.
• God Was My Co-Pilot: The climax of Fate Breaker strongly implies that Valtik is one of the gods of Allward, or at the very least their representative.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: The ending sees all the main countries in Allward sending armies to Iona to aid in the defeat of the Gallish army. Of significant note is the moment when the Kasa and Ibal armies arrive, forcing Isibel to actually consider joining the fight. During the battle itself, at a point in which all seems lost, the world renown army of Temur arrives to turn the tide.
• Greater-Scope Villain: What Waits is a supernatural entity that Taristan and Red Ronin are devoted to. What Waits himself doesn't have much active involvement with what happens in Allward, mostly serving as a terrifying boogeyman for Corayne and the Companions. Even when Coryane meets Him in the Ashlands and then again at the Crossroads, she doesn't fight Him herself, mainly concerned on getting the hell away from Him.
• Jumped at the Call: After Meliz refuses to let her daughter join the Tempestborn for its latest voyage, Corayne is found by Dom and Sorasa who tell her she's the key to saving Allward from certain doom. Though initially skeptical, she can't abide the thought of staying in her childhood cabin for even one day longer.
• Last of His Kind: Corayne and her uncle, Taristan, are the last members of Old Cor, a group of humans that used to live in a different realm before crossing into Allward. All Corblooded humans feel a sense of ever-present wonderlust, never feeling satisfied with staying in one place.
• Long-Lived: The Vedera are human-like beings that can live thousands of years before ultimately succumbing to old age. While they can be killed through most mortal means, it takes a lot more effort to do so: they're immune to regular poisons, they don't need to eat, drink, or sleep as much as humans, and their superior strength, speed, stamina, and healing abilities make them harder to take down in most combat situations.
• Mad Oracle:
  • Though not completely omnipotent, Red Ronin can still see things that his ward, Taristan, and their backer, Erida, cannot.
  • Valtik seems completely gaga, but her rhymes often reveal hidden truths. Her magic is potent, too, proven when she manages to push a kraken back into Meer.
• Master Forger: Charlie can perfectly replicate nearly every seal and signature in Allward. It's because of this very talent that he has a high bounty on his head in nearly every kingdom in Allward.
• Named After First Installment: The first book and the whole trilogy are named Realm Breaker. The core conflict is about how Coryane's home world, Allward, is in danger of being overtaken by a demon god named What Waits and the people willing to aid him in this endeavor.
• Odd Friendship: Charlie is a forger charged with multiple crimes in multiple countries. Sigil is a highly talented bounty hunter tasked with bringing him to justice. What should be a contentious relationship is actually a friendly one. The first interaction shown between them is absent of any tension, filled with friendly banter instead.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Dragons are beings from another world whose main body is covered in gemstones, making it nearly impossible to penetrate their skin. Otherwise, they seem to follow the standard Western idea of giant, six limbed, fire breathing flying lizards.
• Professional Killer: The guild of the Amhara is made up of professional assassins. Starting at a young age, the Amhara are trained in a variety of ways to turn them into efficient and silent killing machines.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The Companions of the Realm are made up of Coryane, a pirate's daughter; Domacridhan, an immortal prince; Sorasa, an exiled assassin; Andry, a squire that was once loyal to Galland; Charlie, a master forger and ex-priest; Sigil, a highly skilled Temur bounty hunter; and Valtik, an old Jydi witch. They're all tasked with closing any Spindles that Taristan opens, for the more that are opened, the easier it will be for What Waits to conquer Allward.
• Really Royalty Reveal: Sigil's father is Salbhai Bhur Bhar, a highly respected ambassador, implying that Sigil herself also holds significant status within Temur's political landscape.
• The Reveal: Towards end of Fate Breaker, it's revealed that Taristan didn't steal the other Spindleblade: Isibel gave it to him despite knowing what Taristan was after. She was just that desperate for a chance to return to Glorian.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Dom and Ridha are prince and princess/heir of Iona respectively. When Isibel refuses to lay down the branch (the Vederan version of a call to arms), Ridha goes to other Vederan enclaves in search of some allies and Dom searches for another descendant of Old Cor.
• The Squire: Andry has grown up learning knightly values and begins the story as the squire of a Gallish knight. That knight is swiftly killed during the first battle against Taristan. After Erida's betrayal, Andry stops thinking of himself as a squire, but his training persists, helping him out on more than one occasion.
• Tag Line: Each book has a tagline: the first book's is "Save the World or End It", the second's is "Claim the Sword or Break it", and the third and final novel's is "Change Your Fate or Kneel to It."
• That Man Is Dead: During Blade Breaker, Erida explains to Taristan how she was forced to grow up after being crowned at fifteen. She had to cast aside that part of herself in order to take over the responsibility of governing a country while fending off her ambitious cousin and sexist nobles. Erida realizes that that girl is still inside her, holding her back. When Taristan asks where that girl is now, Erida simply says that she is dead.
• Tough Leader Façade: After the death of her parents, Erida was forced to take on the crown and its responsibilities when she was only fifteen. She had to cast aside the girl she used to be and don a mask of stoic authority in order for any of the nobles who serve her to take her seriously.
  Erida to Taristan: I was fifteen when I took the throne. Far too young. Only a girl. [...] When the high priest put the crown on my head, I told myself to leave that girl behind. [...] There was no room for her on the throne.
• The Undead: The army Taristan gets from the Ashlands are animated corpses in various stages of rot. Ronin commands them to act as a supplement to the Gallish army.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Erida is quite attracted to Taristan, but it takes them some months before they officially consummate their marriage.
• Venturous Smuggler: Meliz an-Amarat's crew don't only work as pirates, but also as smugglers, shipping any number of wares and goods to many different countries. Corayne's work as the ship's unofficial clearance agent helps keep them from getting arrested.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: The first book opens with a prologue that introduces the reader to Andry, Domacridhan, Cortael, and the other ten Companions of the Realm as well as Taristan and Red Ronin. Each of the Companions get named and we see a bit of their personalities, some more than others. Only Andry, Domacridhan, Taristan and Red Ronin make it to the end of the prologue; everyone else is either killed by Taristan himself or by the undead army Red Ronin summons.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The epilogue of Fate Breaker gives glimpses into each of the main characters' lives after the primary conflict was resolved: Sigil, Charlie, and Garion are working together by collecting on Charlie's bounties with Garion saving his paramour before Charlie can actually get executed; Sorasa and Dom traveled back to Ibal with the intent of returning to the Amhara citadel; Coryane and Andry sailed to Kasa with help from Meliz and the Tempestborn so Andry could introduce Coryane as his girlfriend; and Erida and Taristan are stuck in the Crossroads, their bodies burned up by What Waits.