The Unbroken is C.L. Clark's debut novel but it doesn't read like a debut because of how good the author's writing style is.

I don't always say this but I tend to avoid books that are more than 350 pages because I always get intimidated by them. But this book is a game-changer. I was hooked from the beginning up until the last page. This says a lot about Cherae's writing. She got me hooked with the plot through her beautiful storytelling. She made me love the two main characters by writing about them in a raw and honest way. Touraine and Luca are not perfect characters. There were times when I would get so frustrated with them. But Cherae gave these two characters justice by developing them slowly, thus, making the character development unexpected and worth the wait. I love how Cherae took the time for Touraine and Luca to grow, instead of hurrying for them to develop into "ideal main characters".

I also love how the synopsis did not give too much information on what's going to happen in this book because it made me really anticipate the adventure that it's about to give. Even though this book is action-packed, I must say that this is a slow-paced story, but since the author's writing style is *chef's kiss*, I didn't mind it at all because I thoroughly enjoyed reading Clark's prose. If you're not convinced yet on how well-written this book is, take note that I devoured this book in less than 24 hours! ;)
On a more serious note, this book also heavily discussed social injustice. Most of the parts that I've annotated and highlighted throughout the book are parts where there's a social injustice being shown and it is so painful to see even if this is just a work of fiction because I know that these injustices also happen today in real life.

Touraine was stolen when she was just a child. This caused Touraine so much trauma and throughout the book, there were scenes where you could really see that she wasn't raised in a way that a child should be raised. She might look strong and indestructible on the outside, but she actually has a lot of pain on the inside. Who wouldn't feel hurt when you're in your place of birth but everyone treats you like you don't belong, right?

On the other hand, Luca might be the "weaker" main character, but I'm glad that she didn't stay that way. She just seemed weak at the beginning because she is trying to figure out how to be a leader of a breaking nation when she is all alone, with no parents to look up to. But one thing I really liked about Luca is how smart she is. I hope to see more of her intelligence in the sequel.

This book is perfect for those who are looking for an action-packed adult fantasy that is full of political intrigues.

I read half of this book yesterday and half of it today. What made this 545 page military fantasy such a pager-turner for me? The details… Tour has returned to the place of her birth after twenty-some years as a soldier in the conqueror’s army. And even after thwarting an assassination attempt on their arrival, her loyalty is questioned. And now the details: the slight glance or the flicker of a finger may convince the Balladairan military admin that she is in league with the Qazal rebels. Her life requires a balancing act.

Even though Tour has achieved the rank of lieutenant, she is not to be trusted because she is a Sand… Yet, when Princess Luca (the protagonist of the other thread) hatches a plan to end the rebellion without the spilling of blood, Tour is seen as a possible spy for the colonials. With the old generals doubting their every move, Luca tries to secure enough support for a chance at the crown, and Tour… she’s just trying to survive.

I first want to go back to the idea of military fantasy and how Clark demolishes that old stereotype of the dry-musty battle-plan-ridden book of yesterday… Clark completely humanizes these characters, Tour is the star for me (but Luca is close behind). She has an unyielding desire be ok with herself and her own actions. And she makes great decisions and terrible mistakes. Will she be tempted by her history in Qazal or will her relationship with Luca sway her?

A couple other things I enjoyed… With dual narrative pieces. How long should chapters be? Should they be even lengths? Should they end with cliffhangers? I think the author did a wonderful job with this… I’ve read books where there were definitely chapters for the “other” character. Uneven in plot, importance, and writing style. But Clark’s polished writing makes for that pacing I spoke of in the beginning of my review.

The Unbroken is an excellent fantasy novel that delves into colonialism on such a personal level. It a book that I will be recommending to all my friends.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

I really enjoyed this one. It has everything I love. It's epic, military fantasy, with very little romance. It's political and action packed. I loved Touraine and Luca! Such a wonderful dynamic between them. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I was confused at times about the countries and different cultures. That could just be me.

I loved the writing and will keep an eye out for more from this author.

This has been, hands down, one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I’ve been looking for books with messy, complicated relationships lately, so that sounded fantastic, plus being promised critique of colonialism on top and that cover? With those arms? 😍

Unfortunately, while it’s a good book, I have to admit I found it something of a struggle, even if it was no fault of its own.

Touraine has been stolen as a child and indoctrinated to be a soldier for the empire of Balladaire. After a few years of service, her company gets sent to her homeland to help supress a rebellion. Luca is Balladaire’s legitimate heir, who goes to Qazāl to deal with the rebellion and prove herself capable of ruling to get her uncle off the throne. Along the way, the two women get hopelessly entangled, both in politics and with each other.

The main star of the book are absolutely the themes. The way it examines colonialism from both sides of the coin and uses it to craft the story is masterful. The way Touraine is loyal to the empire that mistreats her and very slowly and gradually starts to reconsider things and fight for her own place in the world. The way Luca tries to be a better ruler but makes horrible choices anyway. The question of improving the system or tearing it down. Often, fiction offers easy answers, but this did not. It felt very real. I also liked that the colonial power was France-inspired instead of England as is more typical.

The relationship developing between them is equally messy. Clark is not afraid to explore the uneven power dynamic in all its complexity and potential for conflict. It was absolutely my favourite aspect because I simply haven’t seen many fictional books like it before.

It also deals prominently with religion, which is directly tied to magic, and I found the approach extremely fascinating – Balladaire has no magic and renounced all worship of gods, claiming it to be to be uncivilised superstition. Yet the thing Luca is most curious about is whether there is any truth in the stories of Qazāli healing magic, which could help save her homeland.

So after all this praise, how come that I struggled with it? Honestly, I’m not completely sure myself. If there is a flaw I could see, it’s that the pacing is a little uneven in places, not nearly to the extent it’d bother me this much. I think my main problem was the tension – it’s unpredictable and very intense, with characters making a lot of choices that make you want to yell “WHY are you DOING this” at them, and while this is a feature for most people, I was apparently in the mood for something more chill and fluffy, something I didn’t realise until I was a good way through.

If you want an intense book and the premise sounds good to you, I would absolutely still recommend it. And I am definitely interested in the sequel – I just hope that with the next one, the timing will be better.

Recommended to: fans of The Traitor Baru Cormorant and The Shadow Campaigns should definitely check it out, as should those looking for post-colonialism in fantasy and messy f/f relationships

Though I enjoy the general concept for this story, I am not vested enough in the character's story to continue.

I am finding it so difficult to gather all my thoughts on this book because there is just so much to talk about. Usually, when I write reviews, I like to start by talking about what area of the book I thought was the strongest, but with The Unbroken, every aspect was fantastic. (Speaking of which aspects of the book were strongest, I think it’s safe to say that Touraine’s arms are really the stars of the show here).

The worldbuilding blew me away, the characters were so well developed, and the plot had me on the edge of my seat constantly wondering what would happen next!

The world of the Unbroken is heavily influenced by the French colonization of Northern Africa. C. L. Clark paints a vivid picture of Qazal, from the slums, to the markets, to the heavily colonized quarters of the rich Balladairian merchants. Right from the start the horrors that Balladaire has wrought onto the colonies is made clear. From stolen children, to stolen land, there’s nothing that Balladaire has left untouched. When presented with this situation you would think that any native-born Qazali would hate the Balladairians through and through, however, for our main character Touraine, this is not the case.

For me, this is what made Touraine such an interesting character. She was uprooted from her homeland at such a young age, and when initially landing at the docks, the only emotions she can muster towards Qazal is disgust. For Touraine, the only things she remembers about her “home” are what her teachers in Balladaire drilled into her. Qazal is a land of the uncivilized. The native people are beneath her. She has been educated to know that their belief are antiquated and savage. I’m not going to get into spoilers, but the best thing about The Unbroken was Touraine’s character development. Throughout the book you get the see Touraine question her beliefs time and time again, wondering at the end of the day, who the real savages are.

Our other main character, Luca, is equally as interesting. Luca has been sent to the colonies by her uncle (the sitting regent) tasked with quelling the growing rebellion. Luca has a singular goal, and that is to peacefully stop the rebellion, and prove that she is finally ready to take the throne. What surprised me the most about Luca was how naively optimistic she was about Balladiarian relations with the Qazal. She initially recruits Touraine to help her negotiate with the rebels, which is something I never would have thought a royal of an imperialistic country would do. Throughout the book Luca struggles with wanting a solution that serves both sides while also proving that she is fit for the throne.

The Unbroken is full of twists and turns. Whenever I thought I knew what decision a character would make, they completely surprised me. I gave this book 4.5 stars for its beautiful writing, well-developed characters, and fantastical worldbuilding. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, although if I’m being honest, I can’t really see what could possibly happen in a sequel since the book wrapped up rather nicely. Regardless, I am still eager to read whatever book C. L. Clark puts out next!

When I tell y’all that I was NOT ready for C.L. Clark to go this hard. I’m typically a fast reader and will a 500 page book in a day or two. This book took me almost a week to get through because it was so utterly visceral and gut punching. So much of the dialogue made me pause and just stare at the wall. I was not expecting this story to be so painful, but it was worth every single page.

C.L. Clark’s debut novel is a North African inspired fantasy novel that is chock full of political intrigue. Clark unapologetically examines the consequences of colonialism, which ranges from land occupation to the erasure of language and culture. This is something that I haven’t done to this level of detail in fantasy, and I absolutely loved it (even though my heart was definitely stomped on several times).

So let’s get into our POVs.

The story alternates between two POVs. Touraine is the Lieutenant who commands her platoon of fellow “Sands” soldiers that are there to carry out the orders of behalf of Balladairan Empire. Mind you, Touraine was stolen as a child and was raised to serve said empire without a chose. Princess Luca is the heir to the Balladairan Empire, but she’s currently embroiled in a battle with her uncle to win back her rightful place on the throne. These two women are POLAR opposites, but it works so well in the story because it allows the reader to experience the colonialism from two vastly different lenses.

As far as our mains go, I LOVED Touraine. So much of her experiences and pain (especially when acknowledging internalized racism) were so relatable for me as a Black woman. While I came to appreciate Luca, so much of what came out of her mouth made me want to throw the book at her. I just…Luca’s character reminds me so much of the white people that “mean well” but still manage to insult you with their ignorance nonetheless.

This book is so queer! This is a queer normative world, and the sexuality of characters are not used as plot points. Touraine is lesbian and Luca is bisexual. This is a slow burn sapphic romance, and when I saw slow burn, I mean literal snail pace. While the jury (aka me) is still out on this ship, I definitely appreciated the normalized queerness of this book.

When it comes to side characters, and there’s quite a few, I was amazed at how fleshed out and complex they all were. Every single one of them contributes to the story is a meaningful manner, and at no point did I think that any of the side characters were fillers.

In terms of pacing, there were moments in the middle where the action of the plot slows down a bit, but that’s really when Clark digs into the visceral annihilation of her dialogue. I don’t want to give anything away but know that these conversations are painful to say the least.

Overall, The Unbroken is an incredible, must read for those who are looking for fantasy that really pushes boundaries and doesn’t take into consideration your feelings while doing it.

Thank you to Orbit Books for providing a copy for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Orbit books, for the chance to read and review this book!

Touraine is a soldier. She was stolen as a child and raised to be a killing machine, to die for the empire, but when her company is sent to her homeland in order to stop a rebellion, she struggles with the ties of blood. Luca is looking for someone able to sway the rebels towards peace, while she gets her uncle off the throne. Touraine and Luca found themselves through massacres, mysteries, rebellion, espionage, in a compelling and captivating epic fantasy, in a crumbling desert empire.

The Unbroken is an amazing story, filled with complex and wonderfully human characters, interesting in their intricacies, doubts and fears. The setting is lush and evocative, the characterization one of the best I've ever read and I loved the way the author talks about Touraine and Luca, intriguing characters, battling with loyalties, blood ties, doubts and so much more. I love reading this book, because the author has a gift for storytelling, the descriptions brilliant, the plot twists thrilling and I was hooked since the very beginning.

Multi-layered military fantasy and political intrigue with sapphic protagonists and colonialism at its center.

Content warnings include: racism, colonialism, violence, execution, death, alcohol consumption, animal attack, loss of limb, slavery, illness, rape threats; mentions of abduction and indoctrination of children, child abuse, riding accident leading to disability and chronic pain, attempted rape.

The Unbroken drew me in first with its cover, which perfectly portrays Touraine, the main protagonist, a conscripted soldier for the Balladairan Empire. What appealed to me after was the North African inspired fantasy setting with a plot centered around rebellion against a colonizing Empire. What then made it even more interesting was that Luca, the second protagonist, is the heir to said Empire.

The dual POV worked perfectly here, the back and forth between two characters with completely different origins and motivations being intensely intriguing and part of what I liked most about the book.
Both protagonists are sapphic, though if you're looking for a fantasy with a prominent romantic subplot, this is not the book for you.
Luca is white and disabled from a badly healed leg after a riding accident, and she's the Balladairan Empire's heir. Touraine is Black and was taken as a child by the Empire and brutally raised to be a solider, part of a whole squad of stolen children who can barely remember anything about where they come from, but who also aren't truly part of the country where they were raised.

The plot starts off with them arriving in Qazāl, which incidentally is also where Touraine was born, and where Luca is supposed to squash the rebels that have started to gain movement in the colony. A complex web of intertwined events centered around the two protagonists begins.

It's not a happy story, dealing with the brutality and horrors of colonialism, racism and dehumanization. Other important topics are rebellion, identity, home, family and loyalty. Especially the latter is constantly questioned! They are all conntected and woven into the plot masterfully, from both characters' perspectives. Character development is constant, but definitely not a straight line.

Equally twisted was the progression of the plot. It was never predictable and went into so many different directions, it always kept me on edge. It was very exciting to read, and the ending, while concluding the immediate plot, also leaves my mind running wild with theories about where it might be headed next!

A great debut, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!

Wow. This one hits hard with the awful truths of colonialism and abuse of the conquered, and I'm not even sure if that's what hit the hardest. Even the expert weaving of faith-based magic into the story isn't enough to lighten the punch.
Expertly written and brilliantly plotted. Clark created a world where the deep character study of a soldier who finds herself back in a home she doesn't remember to fight a war she never wanted flows from moment to moment with gravitas and emotion.
Touraine was taken from her home as an infant and conditioned to do anything for the conquering country that raised her. But when her company gets sent back to the land from where they were taken and forced to enforce the rule of the conquerors, she suddenly finds that things are not as black and white as she was taught. Add the young ruler of the Empire to the mix and it's a guaranteed flame to a powder keg. It's a clash of personalities, believes, desires, and greed that will claim a high cost before things can be resolved.
This book is not only a masterclass in character development, it's also a study in loyalty, revolution, revenge, and even, surprisingly, love. Every action taken, whether good or bad, is (mostly) taken out of love and consideration for others, even the ones that end up backfiring spectacularly. It's a study of consequences with high stakes that pulls you in and doesn't let go. Highly recommended.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for the phenomenal read!

The Unbroken is a dual POV epic fantasy that follows two women from very different backgrounds. One is a disgraced soldier of Qazali origin and the other is the future ruler of the Balladairan Empire.

Touraine is saved from sure death for a crime she did not commit by Luca is exchange for being a pawn in her plan towards peach between the Qazali rebellion and the Balladairans. However Luca's version of peace is still a very much colonized version where even granting the people minimal rights is a power struggle, And Touraine having the most freedom she's ever had really has to grapple with her place in the world. All she knows is serving the empire in different roles. So it's interesting to read about her basically decolonizing her mind to reject the notions that have been programmed into her. Right now she's an outsider who has been tugged away from everything she knows and her Sands(fellow soldiers) she can relate to.

There was a little point where it lagged in the middle while we get to know the characters more in the routine they've settled in. It does end up picking back up as Luca and Touraine battle each other on different sides. There's romantic tension between the two but it's not a sweet romance where they perfectly fit. Luca is the master and the one with dominant power which is something that can't be ignored.

CL Clark does an great job describing the world of Qazal. I love fantasies where you can picture the town clearly and are given vivid descriptions of what people wore and ate.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first I was really lost when it came to the world building, it felt like a lot was thrown at me at all once. But as I neared the middle of the book I started to realize I understood the world building and was enjoying the characters and fast paced plot. I also think the pacing was off at times, where we would have a lot of action and then things would slow down significantly for a good chunk of the book.

But the strength of this book is the characters and the action scenes. I found that I was really attached to the characters and kinda swooning over the potential romance. And every time an action scene happens I was completely enthralled.

Despite some of the downfalls foe me, I really do look forward to continuing on in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall rating: 3 stars

The Unbroken was on my most anticipated books for this year mainly because it is a North African inspired adult fantasy written by a Black author, LOVE THAT. The setting was giving me Morocco vibes and I was here for it. We have two POVs: Touraine and Luca. Touraine is a soldier who is returning to the country (Qazal) that she was born in but she has been gone for the majority of her life. She and hundreds or thousands of other children were taken away when they were young and raised to serve this empire. She looks up to a general in this Balladarian army and strives to literally “be the best she can be” LOL. Although Touraine has essentially wiped her hands clean of her homeland, some of her fellow soldiers have not and long to find family members and learn where they’re from. They don’t serve the army because they want to, it is because they have to.

Luca is the princess of this empire. Her parent have died and her uncle is ruling when she is supposed to be the queen. She needs to prove to her uncle she can handle being the queen. She heads to Qazal, which has its struggles between the native people and the Balladarian people who have come in to try and control the country. There are constant clashes between the natives and the government and Luca needs to get it into control and have a healthier, yet still beneficial to the crown, relationship with the government and the people of Qazal.

Without spoiling certain aspects, Touraine finds herself in a sticky situation where the princess saves her and makes Touraine her assistance. Luca thinks that she can use Touraine to be her “spy” and ambassador to the local people to somehow make peace. Needless to say, it does not go smoothly and there’s lots of twists, turns, and battles for the city of Qazal.

The first half of the story was my favorite. I loved the world building, I could perfectly envision the setting. I loved the political intrigue and military aspects of the story. I at first enjoyed the two main characters because I thought they both were unique and I had an idea of where it was going between them. This story has lots of themes of colonialism and the effects it has on the country that has been colonized and what it does to the people. What happens when children are taken away from their home country and their people and raised to fight against them ? It talks about the struggles of coming back to a place you don’t recognize as home, how you feel you’re a citizen of the country that raised you, but the country that stole you and made you be a soldier still treats you as less than.
I felt for Touraine so much, especially in the first half, because she was so conflicted and didn’t know what side was “right” and what her role in all of this should be.

I really liked Luca in the beginning because she seemed like a princess who actually wanted to help. She wasn’t helpless, she was smart and capable. She has a disability but she didn’t let that stop her from being able to fight. She doesn’t take pity for her disability either. She reads and studies and she tries to learn so they she can be a better ruler than her father was. I was so excited in the beginning.

However, around the midway point it started to slow down for me. It’s hard to say why without spoilers but both Luca and Touraine kept being somewhat wishy-washy with their feelings towards each other and this situation going on in Qazal. There was so much back and forth, especially from Touraine, that it was hard to keep rooting for her. She’s supposed to be this super capable, smart, strong army Lieutenant but yet she makes really dumb decisions that put people she cares about in danger.

Another aspect that would have helped is if there was more with the magic. Magic is gone from the city and without it, the story felt less fantastical. I wish it was present throughout the whole book because I would have enjoyed it more. When we do finally see magic, it’s so dark and I loved it and I wish it was a bigger part of the story earlier on.

Overall, a solid start to a series. I’m interested to see what the next book does, but this one could’ve had some changes and maybe been shorter and been a more enjoyable read

3.50 Stars. This was a well written story that unfortunately was not really for me. I love fantasy, especially sapphic fantasy, so this was another book on my most anticipated ‘21 reads list. I was so excited when I was approved for an ARC copy and could not wait to spend this weekend (it’s a long book) reading this. My expectations might have been a little high, but in the end, the quality of this book was definitely higher than my actual enjoyment. Enjoyment wise this book was just in the average or okay category, but I upped my final rating a little because the book was well written.

This is a long book, twice the size of an average read, but I was excited for a big epic fantasy adventure. I knew that this book was slower in parts, and it was, but I actually liked the slower parts. I thought the world building was well done and I loved all the details of culture, government, and military that Clark wrote so well. I felt fully immersed in this new world. I also thought that Clark did really well with not being too info-dumpy which is always appreciated.

I’ve noticed in other reviews, that people thought the first half was slow but liked the second better. While I agree about the speed, I was the opposite in what I enjoyed. The book from about 50% to 75%, felt like a real slog to me. The pace actually speeds up, but I felt like there were a bunch of start and stops in all the action and little storylines. It looks like this is going to happen, but then this does, than this, so I could not get comfortable with the story and it was harder to read. The flow of the last quarter, the ending, was much better but I didn’t particularly enjoy reading about anything that was going on.

I think the biggest issue was that I did not like the main characters. I like strong badass women and while both mains acted like they wanted to be, they were anything but. Luca, a princess who did not seem to understand crown politics at all, and Touraine, a lieutenant who disappointed me most of all. Touraine, who is supposed to be the best, the highest ranking of all her soldiers, and instead is an absolute mess. I don’t think she did anything right the whole book except for one choice near the end. It was so frustrating to read about such a useless character. I can’t even count how many people are dead because of her choices. You know when you wish a main character will just go away to some far off city and leave the rest of the characters in peace, well that’s not really a great sign.

Besides the fantasy aspects, I wanted to read this book because it was sapphic. That was a bit of a bummer too. I would not read this book if you are looking for romance. I would say that this book did not have romance. One character likes the other, while the other character just ruins anything that character is trying to do. It’s not much of a relationship and I could not even get why one character pinned after the other when she got nothing in return.

I’m such a character driven reader that not liking the mains really affected my enjoyment. If you are more of a plot driven reader, this book might work much better for you. This book has a lot of wonderful high reviews so I’m a bit of an outlier here. It was well written and well imagined, but it just was not my type of book. I don’t think I will be reading the sequel, but this author has plenty of talent and I will keep an eye on her future books.

The Unbroken starts out extremely promisingly, telling the tale of Touraine, the young Qazali who was taken from her home as a kid and raised in the Balladairean empire as a member of the colonial forces, meant to be the first troops sent back to quell any uprisings in their land of birth. And here she is now, on a boat back to El Wast, a lieutenant in charge of troops known as Sands for their desert origin, accompanying Crown Princess Luca on a tour of her empire's Qazali holdings.

But Luca has an ulterior motive: with her uncle on the throne as her (unwanted) regent, she wants to prove herself worthy of replacing him by investigating Qazali healing magic and finding a permanent solution for the deadly plagues that ravage Balladaire. Her own homeland has long since turned its back on magic and faith, considering both "uncivilized", but Luca is convinced that her people will embrace any remedy that frees them from devastation, and by extension will embrace her own ascension to the throne.

When Touraine's quick thinking saves Luca from an assassination attempt, the soldier comes to the princess' attention. Needing a go-between who will prove acceptable to the local rebels as well as loyal to the Empire, Luca decides that Touraine perfectly fits the bill. Unfortunately, Touraine soon finds herself struggling with both attributes, betwixt and between dissonant aspects of her own identity.

This is such a fantastic premise, based on the French history of colonizing North Africa, and the first third or so is really gripping, compelling stuff. The almost out-of-body feeling Touraine has upon returning to her homeland is something I felt in my bones, as is the complicated relationship she has with colonial Balladaire, feeling both grateful to and resentful of it for all that it's done to and for her. In this respect, it's very much reminiscent of the excellent <a href="https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2019/05/11/the-traitor-baru-cormorant-the-masquerade-1-by-seth-dickinson/">Baru</a> <a href="https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2020/09/02/the-monster-baru-cormorant-the-masquerade-2-by-seth-dickinson/">Cormorant</a> <a href="https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2020/12/22/the-tyrant-baru-cormorant-the-masquerade-3-by-seth-dickinson/">series</a> it's been compared with.

Unfortunately, the similarities end when it becomes disappointingly clear that Touraine is no Baru. Whereas Baru was often too clever for her own good, Touraine is very much not. Touraine has to make several hard choices -- and with the first big one about the guns, I empathized, as that was not a clear line to navigate -- but she keeps making progressively worse and worse choices as the narrative continues. It's really hard to sympathize with a character who keeps doing dumb things. I was also less than thrilled with what seemed to me an inconsistency in the science of the book (ha! I've gotten really tetchy about <a href="https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2021/03/25/deathless-divide-dread-nation-2-by-justina-ireland/">science in speculative fiction</a> recently) as it flip-flopped over whether Balladaire understood vaccines -- tho perhaps that was just an error in the Advanced Reader's Copy that has since been edited out in the finished product.

I did appreciate how C. L. Clark shows that choosing violence is almost always a race to the bottom. While I thought the ending somewhat unlikely, or at least too sudden to be likely, I am glad that Ms Clark hints at how unprepared the rebels are for what comes next. I'm curious to see if she'll explore the workings of government from there on in, both in Qazal and Balladaire. I'll probably read the next book, but am not looking forward to it with any great enthusiasm.

The Unbroken by C. L. Clark was published March 23 2021 by Orbit Books and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9780316542753">Bookshop!</a> Want it now? For the Kindle version, <a href="https://amzn.to/3tWvlGe">click here</a>.

I saw some marketing for this book hyping the romantic elements for this book (some of which I parotted when trying to build hype for the book on twitter), and I think it's misleading. Based on synopsis info, I already knew there was a power imbalance, but it's actually much steeper. By the time Luca and Touraine have full contact with each other, Touraine was pardoned from a death sentence in exchange for working for Luca, and Luca could easily revoke that if Touraine raised her ire. Touraine was conscripted as a child, torn from her family and culture, and conditioned to be a soldier loyal to Balladaire. Touraine has some awareness of the power imbalance, but she still very much seeks signs of approval from Balladaireans, making the romance mirror real life dynamics and also squicky. The Unbroken deals with topics of colonialism, cultural estrangement, the repercussions of war, and religion/ faith. We don't see a lot of the magic system in this book. It's feared and hidden away for strategic use, and Balladaire doesn't practice anymore. What we do see is devastating, and it looks like it will play a much larger role in sequels. There's a large cast of memorable characters. I enjoyed Touraine's bonds with the other conscripts, colloquially known as Sands, especially Tibeau and Pruett. The resistance council is also made up of dynamic characters. All the political leaders are fumbling towards a goal, and it seems like only the most ill-intentioned are able to achieve theirs. This tension between intent and how to execute it powers the story and drives the characters to make difficult, unforgiveable decisions.

Loved the book. Was a great read, and the world building was amazing. Would love to read more by this author. Will tell my friends and family to buy.

I loved this book - one of my favorites from 2021 so far, and Touraine is a compelling, swoon-worthy main character. My crush on Touraine aside, I admire how Clark depicts several nuanced positions in relation to empire with her varied, very human cast of characters. A lot of fantasy books center on “burning down” an oppressive regime, which I’m all for, but I appreciate how Clark doesn’t end the story there, and she doesn’t make it look so simple. Definitely looking forward to the sequel!

I wanted this book because of the cover, because, holy crap look at that woman's arms. I'm shallow, OK? But yes, while Touraine is incredibly hot, this is also an intense and unflinching look at colonialism and belonging.

Touraine was conscripted as a child of five into the Balladairan legions from conquered Qazāl, derogatorily called the Sands. All traces of her life before were beaten out of her – the language, the culture, her own name. By contrast, Luca is the Balladairan princess, used to a life of luxury, though she was badly injured during a childhood riding accident that causes her a great deal of pain and necessitates her using a cane. Both arrive in Qazāl on the same ship with similar goals: to solidify Balladairan rule and crush the rebellion. When Touraine stops a rebel assassination attempt, she comes to the attention of the princess, and things snowball from there. Both women must figure out what – and who – they’re willing to risk to accomplish their goals.

“It baffled her, how stupid the rebels were about the balance of power: the Qazāli had nothing. Balladaire had numbers, equipment, supplies—they were winning, had been winning for decades. Some of the Sands might miss their families, their pasts, but it would be better to stay on the Balladairan side of the conflict.”

This book doesn’t pull any punches about living under colonial rule. I can’t say I know much about French colonialism, but it reminded me strongly of reading Merzak Allouache’s Bab el-Oued, set in post-colonial Algeria, specifically a scene where a French family comes and reminisces about living in the apartment now home to an Algerian family. In this book, the roads are referred to as “rues,” they eat dishes with chickpeas and flat round bread, and the military uniforms are reminiscent of French legionnaires.

“By the sky above, she wanted to be enough.
No. More than enough. She wanted to be a queen for the histories. Someone who changed Balladaire for the better. Someone who changed the world.”

Touraine and Luca are two sides of the same coin, both trapped by into harmful patterns by what they think they want. Touraine is trying to live up to the ideal of the perfect Balladairan soldier, in hopes of one day getting promoted to better protect the Sands. Luca’s trying to live up to the memory of her father as a wise ruler and she believes the only way to force her uncle to cede the thrown is to take care of the growing rebellion in Qazāl. The truth is that both women are up against impossible odds: no matter what Touraine does she’ll never be Balladairan, and Luca’s father was an imperialist despot, hardly worthy of emulation. Touraine isn’t Qazali and isn’t Balladairan, the only people who know how she feels are her fellow Sands. But early on, after certain events, she’s separated from them and becomes part of Luca’s household. But still, the Sands the only family she knows, so when they’re threatened, she does what she has to to save them.

“The princess leaned against the door, and when Touraine was dressed in the vest and trousers, she made an appreciative sound in her throat and smirked. “It’s a crime to keep those arms of yours hidden away in an army coat.”

This book is intense, and at times I had to put it down because I was simply too emotionally involved. Luca and Touraine make a series of increasingly worse decisions in order to take care of the people they care about. The romantic pull between Luca and Touraine was… complicated. There were times I rooted for them, but most of the time I wanted smack some sense into Luca. It’s not that she isn’t trying to do right by Touraine and the Qazāli in general, but merely having good intentions doesn’t excuse the harm she’s actively causing. The power imbalance, too, gave me pause, but I’m curious to see where their relationship goes next.

“There was something like family here, even if it was the familiarity of desperation, scrounged from necessity and danger. Just like the Sands had become her family.”

Even more complicated, though, was the relationship between Touraine and her mother, Jaghotai. It’s all the pain of colonial Shālan squished down into one interpersonal relationship, and I hurt so much for the both of them. I loved Touraine’s troop of Sands, Luca’s guards, and the rebels, especially Aranen. They were all separately drawn characters with their own motivations. It took a while to get to the magic system, but I enjoyed it. And that’s my main criticism of the book: the pacing was extremely slow and uneven. It took a while to get to the meat of the book, and especially toward the end the pace was almost frenetic.

“Every time she was here, she felt helpless. Always at the mercy of some Balladairan or another, hanging from their whims. Not tonight. Tonight, she came of her own will. She didn’t want mercy. She wanted them to burn.”

Overall, this was an utterly engrossing read, and I will definitely be picking up the next in the series.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

C.L. Clark is back with another brilliant fantasy! The Unbroken is a novel that I've heard so much about it lately. Fortunately, it's also the first in a series (Magic of the Lost), so this is not the last we'll be seeing of these characters.

Touraine was not born to be a soldier – but she was raised to be one. She was taken as a child and forced to work her way through the ranks. Now, she's been sent back to the very land she was stolen from – and she's going to have to make a choice.

Then there's Luca. She's in need of a spy willing to cross the line, take risks, and in general, ignore concepts such as treason. What she needs is a rebel. And it's looking like Touraine may fit that bill.

“Stupid, stupid. Instinct alone saved her life. She lifted her arms just in time to get a slice across her left forearm instead of her throat.”

Guys, there is so much to love about The Unbroken. It is a fierce and compelling tale – one that will tug at your heartstrings one moment and throw you into the center of the action the next. Needless to say, I loved it.

This is probably not the best book to read if you're looking for something bright and happy. The Unbroken is incredibly bleak at times – but that just makes other moments shine all the brighter. It's a fine balance and one that C.L. Clark found.

I think that it wasn't until I was a third of the way in that I found myself getting truly emotionally invested in the story. Don't get me wrong – the horrible things happening in this book were still hitting hard (perhaps too hard). But it wasn't until I started rooting for the characters that it felt more intense and real.

I love how much was fit into The Unbroken. It's fantasy and a little bit science fiction. It's got action, world-building, character development, and did I mention that it's GLBT? I love it so much, and I sincerely cannot wait to hear news of the sequel.