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The Halfling Saga #4

An Honored Vow

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“Your land is not the one you take, it is the one you die for.”

Still reeling over her discovery of a staggering secret about her closest ally, Keera has no time to rest. She and her fellow rebels plan a desperate rescue mission after King Damien takes one of their own hostage. Opening the kingdom’s magical seals has transformed Keera in ways even the wisest Fae elders could not have anticipated. With the kingdom’s Halfling population suddenly posing a risk to the crown, the land is plunged into violence as the king begins a new blood purge.     Keera and her allies gather an army to meet Damien’s forces in a final confrontation of epic, and tragic, proportions.

The epic final installment in the Halfling Saga will thrill fans of Melissa Blair’s lush, action-packed, romantasy series.

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2025

423 people are currently reading
11821 people want to read

About the author

Melissa Blair

11 books1,998 followers
Melissa (she/her/kwe) is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed ancestry living in Turtle Island. She splits her time between Treaty 9 in Northern Ontario and the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Canada. She has a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, loves movies, and hates spoons. Melissa has a BookTok account where she discusses her favorite kinds of books including Indigenous and queer fiction, feminist literature, and non-fiction. A Broken Blade is her first novel.

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5 stars
1,468 (31%)
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3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 638 reviews
Profile Image for ✨Julie✨.
776 reviews1,593 followers
March 9, 2025
✩ 1 star ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Fae, Elves, Halflings & Mortals
➼ Evil King
➼ Magic
➼ Training
➼ Found Family
➼ Kingdom at War
➼ 4th & Final Book
➼ First Person POV

This was boring as hell and should have been a DNF. I firmly believe that book three and four should have been significantly edited and condensed into one book. Almost nothing happens in this book until the 70% mark and I’m shocked that I made it that far. There is way too much focus on side characters with zero personality that I frankly do not care about. Gerarda in particular was mentioned endlessly and added almost nothing to the story.

I’m pretty sure I said this after finishing book three, but this series desperately needed a few funny characters for comedic relief. I get that war is serious but this was such a dull read. Also, where the heck was Riven?! He’s barely in this book at all and they spend zero time building their relationship or sorting out their issues.

This is a spoiler so turn away now if you don’t want to know, but at the end, Keera says she needs a year to go find herself and leaves Riven to pick up the pieces and build the kingdom on his own. I’ve seen other readers applauding this decision but this is such a cop out in my opinion. If you’re in a relationship with someone, you don’t just get to run off on your own. You work through things together and support each other. At this point, I honestly hope she never comes back and that Riven finds someone who is deserving of him. Such a selfish choice.

I hate not finishing a series, but this one should have been left unread.

✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼

Pre-read: The third book was honestly pretty disappointing, but I feel compelled to finish out the series. Hopefully I’ll be able to drum up some interest in these characters this time around. 🙃
Profile Image for Maeghan 🦋 HIATUS on & off.
556 reviews519 followers
April 12, 2025
2.75✨
It was tiresome to read about them underestimating Damien every damn time. Can we please learn? 3 times I actually said : well what did you expect?????

Where the hell was Riven?????? It’s like his character was just brushed aside for the sake of the FMC.
I’m beyond disappointed. Keera’s character was completely ruined in this one. She even went to the point of questioning Riven’s worthiness for his powers???? wtf was this.

‼️ Spoiler here ‼️
At the end, Keera leaves for a year to *find herself* while Riven builds a Kingdom on a very uncertain ground? This was so selfish and entitled. Who abandons their partner like this when facing such difficult times?
‼️ End of spoilers ‼️


It feels like the series was written by 2 completely different authors. Book 1 & 2 were perfection but 3-4 … ooof.

A broken blade - 5✨
A shadow crown - 5✨
A vicious game - 3✨
An honored vow - 2.75✨
Profile Image for aeryn rose.
335 reviews1,059 followers
August 8, 2025
3⭐️

What an amazing end to such an amazing fantasy series. I am kind of at a loss for words at the moment. The only thing I’ve been doing for the past 100 pages is crying and then cried some more when it was over. While this wasn’t my favorite book in the series, this definitely packed a punch for a finale.

One thing that I’ve always enjoyed about this series is how action packed it is for only 400 page books and this one was no different. There was constantly something going on and usually I never get bored. However, this one was a bit different.

I felt that the plot in this book seemed to draggggg big time. It took me a lot longer to become invested because the entire middle of the book is felt like it took ages to get the point. This is very much a more complex fantasy series so there were multiple plot points going on at one time, yet it felt like forever to actually really get into each of them. This book just didn’t hit it for me on the same level that the others did and that’s okay!! I still very much enjoyed myself.

The characters in this book just have such a special place in my heart that I couldn’t help but sob when some of the ones I really liked didn’t end up living by the end. I was grieving the loss of not only the characters, but also the end of a book era that has taken my heart on the journey of a lifetime. Keera, Nik, Riven, Gerarda, Gwyn — my babies. I will never be able to forget you or this story.

If I had one message to the author after finishing this book, it would be that I am blessed to have read such an incredible story written in such a whimsical, lyrical way that you just couldn’t help but fall in love with everything there was. This series was incredible and if you haven’t picked up this series yet, I would a million times recommend it. It takes some getting used to because so much happens in what is relatively short for fantasy books so strap in and enjoy the ride.

I know I did. 🩶

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭:

The end of an amazing era is finally here and I’m so sad to be leaving this universe once this book is over 😭🩶
Profile Image for Kendall (worst reading slump of my life).
196 reviews74 followers
May 12, 2025
Time to finish this.

I am so sad this is over

Some things to expect inside:
~ First person
~ Complete badassery
~ Crying
~ 🌶️🌶️/5 spice rating

This series was absolutely amazing, was it perfect? No. There were some bumps for me, But all in all, this is a five star series for me. The character development, amazing. The depth that you get to know these characters? Unreal. The trauma that these characters go through is something I never would have expected to happen in this series. And the love I have for them is to the moon and back.

The world building is always great. Not too much, not too little. But the description of actions is what I have a hard time with. The action scenes were hard for me to wrap my mind around. With the big battle scenes I had to really focus and try to dissect what was happening, and some of it didn't even make sense to me. Really, don't even get me started on the end battle scene. That's why it got knocked a star. Zero time for processing. IYKYK.

Honestly, this whole book was five stars until the last fifty pages. The back and forth with fighting was so dragged out for no reason. The little twist was predictable, which is fine, but I wish it was followed through with. That’s all I can say without spoilers. I will say though, I loved the epilogue. I loved reading about Keera finally giving herself that break that she so desperately needed, because honestly, everyone besides Gerarda treated her like crap. Even Riven wasn't on his game and I was disappointed in him.

Keera is up there with one of the best FMC’s I've ever read about. She stands on business, she gets shit done, she doesn't take any BS period. She is loyal AF to her people and even to herself, which I think is a hard thing to write about. That balance can be tipped so easily and it sometimes might make the character seem a little selfish. But Keera is extremely well balanced, even after going through everything she did. In the end everything ended up being as it should be. A good end to a great series.
Profile Image for Caitlin_.
122 reviews160 followers
November 16, 2025
3⭐️

I…I don’t know what to say other than I’m not sure if the same author who wrote books 1-3 is in the same room with us.

This was a completely different experience; like Blair rewrote most of the characters and had them take on different personalities, and growth (or lack there of) arcs. I’m disappointed, but still enjoyed the series.


*************

✨ Preread

So not ready to say goodbye to these characters but here we are 😭
Profile Image for ♥Milica♥.
1,817 reviews719 followers
February 1, 2025
I loved this like the rest of the series BUT, Riven deserved better. You'll know what I mean when you read it. He and Keera had so little interaction, and he was a bit sidelined during all the important parts. Keera meanwhile evolved even more which I like, I just wish it wasn't at Riven's expense.

I'm also not the biggest fan of "the year". I listened to that and I literally went "you've gotta be kidding me", and sure it worked out ALRIGHT at the end, and maybe I wouldn't have minded as much if the rest of the book wasn't how it was in regards to that situation, but...it was unnecessary (to me, argue with a wall).

Otherwise, I loved the action scenes, the found family we got to know throughout the series, the emotions I felt while reading, the love and care the author put into her world and characters, the writing, and the overall ending. I'd definitely reread/relisten to this, and would gladly recommend it to other people.
Profile Image for Jackie.
7 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2025
The more I think about this… the more upset I get about the ending of this saga. So many important characters had character arcs that completely fell flat. Our story was not just a story about Keera… but also Riven, who was completely missing from this book and practically unrecognizable. The author took him from a powerful MMC (and them as a power couple) and reduced him to something subservient and broken. Riven was the reason for the rebellion she led… and Keera took him out of the equation very purposefully and deliberately. It was painful to read. All throughout the series we see Keera have mistakes, trauma, struggles, and things that she isn’t proud of… that is then turned into strength and forgiveness. In this book? Keera condemns other characters for the same behaviors going as far as saying Riven might be undeserving of having his powers back and not having time for Syrra’s pain. I kept waiting and waiting for those things, especially the discussion of Riven’s powers and worthiness, to be revisited and remedied, but it wasn’t. Then, Keera leaves Riven at the end of the book, which may have been fine if it wasn’t the exact thing she was upset at Riven for throughout the entire first half of the story - leaving her. Basically, it feels like it’s okay when Keera does things and feels things and needs time to process and sometimes drops the ball, but not any one else in the book. The story itself and the plot ideas I loved, especially Gwyn’s retribution. But there were so many important emotional moments glossed over, others handled inappropriately, and lots of development that frankly never happened. And so many missed opportunities for great, impactful messaging that never came even though I was desperately holding out hope that they would be woven into the ending somehow. And that doesn’t even touch on the whole main conflict in the book being her new power to unlock halfling power and what she was going to do with it. We never saw resolution there either or what that would look like for her people after the war. I was so excited for this book … and I am so disappointed in not just the ending, but also the author’s messaging to her readers. It just wasn’t okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ovium_Reads.
238 reviews19 followers
January 13, 2025
This was a tough one for me. The Halfling Saga has been one of my absolute favorite series. I've been super excited for this one and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. While I did enjoy most of the book, there are a few things that I was disappointed with and made this book my least favorite of the 4.

Keera has grown so much and endured a lot through this series. We know about her struggles, addiction, trauma, and mistakes. They've helped her grow and become stronger as our FMC. But with all that, it felt wrong for her to condemn some of our supporting cast in this book for the same behaviors or mishaps that she went through. Then there's some stuff with Riven that in earlier books she was upset about him doing but she turns around and does the same things and expects him to just be fine with it.

Speaking of Riven...what happened? He was our big and bad MMC and in this book, he's just broken down and basically Keera's lapdog. What happened to our big and bad power couple? He was really made out to be pretty useless in this one and was basically unrecognizable. That was a huge disappointment.

On a positive note, what I did enjoy were the action scenes. The build-up to our big battle was fairly tense with a rewarding payoff. Our supporting halflings were my favorite parts of this book. Especially Gerarda! She became my favorite character in the book!
Profile Image for Linda.
126 reviews21 followers
March 14, 2025
This book should have been titled, "How to make your MMC completely useless in order to make your FMC appear badass and independent."

Or, "A guide on making every stupid decision possible."

Don't even get me started on how irritating most of the side characters were.
Profile Image for literaryelise.
442 reviews147 followers
January 11, 2025
This was a very solid ending to a series I absolutely adored. If anything, I just wished it had been longer! I will miss these characters.
Profile Image for Crystal.
185 reviews177 followers
January 13, 2025
This is probably the most satisfying ending to a series I've ever read!! The entire book was twist after twist after twist from the very beginning. I fell in love with these characters and did shed tears towards the end. It was just the perfect closure for everything! Absolutely love this series!!
Profile Image for mads.
706 reviews566 followers
January 20, 2025
“Your land is not the one you take, it is the one you die for.”

In my opinion, your feelings on this finale are dependent on how you felt about book 3.

Did you love book 3? Then you'll probably think this is a very fulfilling, well-constructed final book.

If book 3 didn't work for you, you'll probably feel differently (as I did.)

While I do think this was an improvement from the last book, I still consider it to be a downgrade from the first two books. The repetition and overall stupidity of this novel was just... horrendous at times. There were so many decisions made that felt like the author came up with the dumbest thing they could do and chose that option.

And as Riven's self-proclaimed #1 hater, this book absolutely destroyed his character. I detest the man and even I can recognize that he deserved better than whatever this was.

At the same time, this was still compulsively readable and I did like how some things were handled, even if I think that story's actual conclusion left a lot to be desired. The series itself grapples with a lot of important topics through the lens of a really interesting character, bringing something new to the table while being reminiscent of other popular fae books.

Overall, I still recommend the series, I still think the first two books are good; I just wish this had been better.


TW: ableism, addiction, alcohol, blood, colonization, confinement, cursing, death, death of a loved one, drug abuse, drug addiction, genocide, gore, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, murder, mutilation, panic attacks/disorders, self harm, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, suicide, torture, trafficking, violence, vomit, war.
Profile Image for ajpc.
96 reviews28 followers
January 29, 2025
Riven deserved so much better than this
2 reviews
January 11, 2025
While I enjoyed the movement of the book and the action filled scenes, and the character development of the lead character, this book ultimately fell flat for me.

I felt like the main male character was really brought down and made to feel useless so that the female lead could appear more impressive. There’s literally a line where Riven says “Let me be a soldier” and Keera refuses to let him fight or participate. It really felt like he was being held back.

While there were some sweet moments towards the end, the majority of the book lacked romance or connection between the main characters. 75% of the book felt like it lacked emotion. And Riven honestly felt like a completely different character, which left me feeling disappointed.
Profile Image for Ashley.
351 reviews15 followers
Want to read
May 7, 2024
I need this book in my hands ASAP
March 1, 2025
An Honored Vow was a solid read, but it was my least favorite in the series. ⚔️🔥 The action, emotions, and romance were still there, but for some reason, it didn’t hit as hard as the previous books. That said, the character arcs were satisfying, and the ending tied everything up well. While it wasn’t my favorite, it was still a good conclusion to an incredible series! ✨📖

Around 4.5 ⭐️’s
Profile Image for Jennifer.
316 reviews29 followers
February 8, 2025
4.5 ⭐

An Honored Vow is the final installment of The Halfling Saga and I am so pleased with the ending of this series. When I first picked up this series early last year, I instantly fell in love with the world and characters that Melissa Blair put on the pages. I thought the way she addressed Keera and her faults was sensitive while not sugar coating the trials that she faced. Her growth over the course of this series was amazing and I appreciated the way she learned to lean on others at the end (even while continuing to be self-sacrificing for the ones she loved).

The battles felt a little rushed at times, but when you have multiple characters on the field it can sometimes feel chaotic as everything unfolds.

I know this will continue to be a series I recommend to others and will remain a favorite.
54 reviews
March 24, 2025
*3.5⭐️
Unfortunately, this finale didn’t deliver what i was hoping for. The very end was satisfying enough, but this instalment wasn’t nearly as great as the previous two in my opinion
Profile Image for Katy | kaeosreads.
56 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2025
This made me cry as much as Kingdom of Ash.

What a satisfying conclusion to one of my favorite series.
Profile Image for Vanessa Pierson.
107 reviews2 followers
January 13, 2025
The ending made me cry. 😭 I was worried there for a minute - I wasn’t sure there would be enough time to wrap it all up?? But she did it and did it so well😭😭
Profile Image for Kiki ✨.
134 reviews9 followers
January 1, 2025
I wasn’t ready.. so many tears were shed!! I definitely wasn’t ready for the story of Keera to end!! As the others, such a fantastic read that I cannot gush over!!
Profile Image for Sam H.
51 reviews1 follower
January 18, 2025
It's a 2.25 rounded up to 3 for Goodreads.

Good grief, I am so disappointed.
Profile Image for aels_lectures.
320 reviews14 followers
October 4, 2025
une bonne conclusion mais exécution assez bancale comparée au reste de la saga.
Riven a juste disparu ? Je suis un peu déçu concernant la romande. Il y avait un peu de longueur, je pense que le tome 3 aurai pu suffire de conclusion en rajoutant quelques trucs du tome 4. M’enfin, c’était pas mauvais. Et les 3 premiers tomes sont géniales donc :

je recommande tout de même la saga !
Profile Image for Abby.
85 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2025
i SOBBED through the ending, such a beautiful ending!!! you need to read these!!!!!!!
Profile Image for Kate.
67 reviews6 followers
January 19, 2025
Permanently heartbroken
Wow wow wow wow wow
I’ll be sobbing for the next 3-10 business days
Nobody. Talk. To. Me.
Melissa Blair idk what you put into these books but I felt. EVERY. SINGLE. EMOTION.
I finished this like 10 minutes ago or something and I am STILL sobbing!!! Please I need more 😭
Profile Image for Jodie Simpson.
201 reviews13 followers
September 12, 2024
5⭐️ Finishing ‘An Honored Vow’ was bittersweet as this series was truly amazing and I’m sad to say goodbye. With a cast of characters who have my whole heart and the detailed world building threaded through all four books, it means that a regular re-read will hold onto the joy forever.

One of my favourite parts of The Halfling Saga was watching Keera’s character arc from barely surviving as a reluctant and shut down human weapon to choosing to lead and to love.

We met Keera in book 1 as she held the trauma of her past and her role as the King’s Blade and watched as she grappled with the addiction which helped her cope. In book 2 we witnessed Keera start to let people in, although still with very little trust and eventually make some connections as she started to create her own family around her. Already a warrior, in book 3 we watch her grow into a powerhouse while still exploring her insecurities and healing her trauma. Finally, in the fourth and final book we see Keera choose to lead the people towards a brighter future. Despite such personal growth, she never loses her strong, badass nature.

Alongside Keera, we also see so many downtrodden characters take the opportunity to step up and into new roles for themselves. It’s so heartwarming to see the strength rising from within characters such as Gwyn, Myrrah and even Gerarda as the already powerful warrior settles into her own leadership role. As they form a solid found family they all become pieces of the puzzle needed to rise against the evil King.

An Honored vow took us slowly to the finale, savouring every moment of training the new warriors, developing a deep understanding of the world as it was and as it wants to be and allowing each character to find their own story. I relished the slow journey with characters who have my heart as it made for a solid end where all loose ends were tied up, no questions were left unanswered.

The finale was action packed, unpredictable, full of believable layered twists and I was wholly satisfied.

If you have read the first three books and are hesitant to complete the series, fear not… this was the ending we needed.

If you read this review without having started The Halfling Saga, go and buy book one now! You will not regret your time spent with Keera and every instalment is perfection.

Forever one of my favourite series of all time.

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