Blackbird Broken by Keri Arthur

Blackbird Broken (The Witch King's Crown, #3)

by Keri Arthur

On the darkest day, in the darkest hour, when all hope has been extinguished, a hand will draw the one true sword, and a lost throne shall be reclaimed…

Generations of De Montfort women have protected the sword in the stone. Gwen is the last of them, following in the footsteps of her grandmother, Moscelyne.

But the sword has now been drawn, and the new Witch King may well be working with Darkside.

Now the race is on to find the missing artifacts that will stop the king accessing the full power of the sword. But as the attacks escalate and the fractured clues of history are slowly pieced together, Gwen, Mo, and Luc Durant—the motorbike-riding warrior from an ancient order of knights—quickly realize all is not as it seems. Worse still, the true source of the plot to unleash Darkside and restore witch rule is far closer to home than any had guessed.

But as new prophecies rise, and the truth of the sword in the stone becomes clear, another race begins.

One that will end with a crown, a throne, and the fate of all England as its prize.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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Blackbird Broken is the latest novel to come from Keri Arthur, and is the second novel in The Witch King Crown series. It's an Arthurian retelling like I've never seen before, with plenty of twists along the way.

For centuries Gwen's family has been tasked with protecting the sword in the stone. Now that sword is gone, and there is evil threatening to take over at every turn. Yet Gwen is staying strong, with the help of her great-grandmother Mo, and newly found allies such as Luc.

All of whom have already given up so much for the sake of this quest, and who will likely lose even more before it is all said and done.

“Part of me wished they'd just attack and get it over with. I hated waiting.”

Guys, I have been waiting all year for Blackbird Broken, and I couldn't be happier to finally have it in my hands! Lately I've been getting kind of sick of all the Arthurian retellings out there (there are a lot these days), but Keri Arthur's version has had me captivated from the start, with plenty of creative twists along the way.

On that note; holy cow. This book gets dark. Granted, Blackbird Rising got pretty dark at times too, so that isn't terribly surprising. What is surprising is what actually occurred within these pages. Which is to say, a lot.
There were times where it broke my heart, and times where I found hope building up again. Not to mention my curiosity. I had so many questions and theories about what was going on, and for that reason alone I was pretty satisfied by the way things went towards the end of this novel.

“Maybe, an inner voice whispered. He's not the person you grew up with. Not anymore.”

Of course, the bad side to finishing the book is that I now have to wait another year to read the next one. Though I personally have no doubt that it will be worth it. Basically, I think I'm trying to say that I've loved every book that Keri Arthur has written since I discovered her a few years ago. Her series have been so unique and such a breath of fresh air. Can't wait to see what she thinks up next!

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 November, 2020: Finished reading
  • 20 November, 2020: Reviewed