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The Unbroken

(Magic of the Lost #1)

C.L. Clark (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 676 ratings · 383 reviews

Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet's edge between treason and orders. Someone ...more

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Paperback, 464 pages

Published March 23rd 2021 by Orbit

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Start your review of The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost, #1)

Nov 20, 2020 chai ♡ added it

Shelves: 2021-releases, fiction, lgbtq-rep, arc, lgbtq-ff, adult, lgbtq-trans-side, poc-rep, read-in-2021, adult-sff

me, gazing tenderly at the cover: oh to be held in the gentle embrace of this woman's powerfully ripped arms

This is a sapphic North-Africa inspired military-political fantasy in which an imperial princess fights for her throne and a conscript fights for her freedom, and I'm so excited! ...more

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Dec 26, 2020 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley

My thanks to Orbit books, C.L. Clark and Netgalley.
I hated this story. Actually despised it! Yet, I kept thinking that as bleak as it was, maybe somewhere? Well, that somewhere took me to the 55% mark. Up until then? Hints. Maybe, just a few promises of what may come.
I would usually quit a book at 30%. That's my bullshit line.
This story took way too long to come into its own. Still, I realize that it's Fantasy. That's the only genre I'll spend this much time getting to know. Just because it's ...more

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Mar 15, 2021 may ➹ is currently reading it

a book about colonialism with a big-muscled sapphic is exactly my jam!!

// buddy read with cath and fanna! (tag later)

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Nov 28, 2020 Dave rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-have, netgalley-books, fantasy-all, x-netgalley-2020-read

Clark's "The Unbroken" is an epic fantasy about loyalty and picking sides. The main character Tourraine is a soldier off to help the Queen-to-be put down a rebellious colony. Like many other "Sands," Tourraine is returning to her birthplace from whence she was stolen as a child and trained to be a so,diet for the Empire. Here, her loyalties are tested as she struggles with whether her loyalty lies with the Empire, her fellow indentured soldiers, or her birth people who she barely remembers. Her ...more

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Aug 26, 2020 anna (½ of readsrainbow) is currently reading it

Shelves: 1-fantasy, 2-sapphic, wishlist, 2-authors-of-color, 2-protags-of-color, 5-adult-lit, arcs, 2-lgbt, pub-2021

this cover said sun's out, guns out!! & if that isn't enough to make u wanna read a sapphic political fantasy centering a soldier and a princess, i don't know what will ...more

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Nov 15, 2020 charlotte, (½ of readsrainbow) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic-and-fantasy, non-white-characters, adult-lit, 4-point-5, m-lgbt-side, favourite-characters, aoc-et-al, lgbt, black-or-african-characters, i-put-the-b-in-lgbt

read it for the mother-daughter relationship

read my full review on reads rainbow!

Rep: Black lesbian mc, bi mc with physical disability due to injury, Black side characters, wlw side characters, mlm side character, nonbinary side character

CWs: violence, gore, past attempted rape, threats of rape, torture ...more

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2020 Ellie (faerieontheshelf) marked it as to-read

Shelves: lgbtqia, fantasy, anticipated-future-releases

2020 has been a year of revelations, one of them being that I'd do pretty much anything for queer women with great biceps ...more

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Mar 25, 2021 JulesGP rated it really liked it

I’m going to start by saying that the content of The Unbroken is incredibly rich and in-depth. The first half reads like a non-fictional account of the climate, politics, art, history, etc of Qazāl which is a plus for world building but a heavy weight to carry for pacing. Just when scenes seem to be taking off with dialogue and character interaction, the author breaks in with 3x as many details of, for example, the courtyard they are entering or fabrics that went into the making of their clothin I’m going to start by saying that the content of The Unbroken is incredibly rich and in-depth. The first half reads like a non-fictional account of the climate, politics, art, history, etc of Qazāl which is a plus for world building but a heavy weight to carry for pacing. Just when scenes seem to be taking off with dialogue and character interaction, the author breaks in with 3x as many details of, for example, the courtyard they are entering or fabrics that went into the making of their clothing. In the end, I think most of us read fiction for characters or action and that is lacking in the first half. The second half is better.

There are battles, intrigue, magic, the story moves faster from one point to the next. I’m not saying it is lightening quick, just explaining that it picks up.

Now here’s the part that frustrated me the most, I did not like the two main characters very much. Balladairan Princess Luca Ancier is young and hopes to take her place at the throne very soon. Her uncle believes that sending her to Qazāl, a nation that they hold under subjugation, will give her the necessary experience to rule or maybe kill her off which would make him the king. She’s an okay character but I wanted so much more, not just the fact that she uses crutches due to her permanent injuries. There’s a person there and I wanted to know her but that’s what happens when we get so much architectural information rather than character defining scenes. Finally, Touraine, who I badly wanted to hero worship because one look at the cover and I was won over. She is a Lieutenant with the slave soldiers who were stolen as children from Qazāl and raised to be fighters for Balladaire. Of course, it’s a bitter homecoming. They’re viewed as traitors by the locals and yet are slaves to the Balladairians. It’s a powder keg that’s due to set off, not only because of the “Sand’s” return but also because revolution is in the air. Back to Touraine. She’s confused, not the brightest, oftentimes weak, and worst of all, cannot make up her mind which causes much turmoil. Not the stuff of heroes but maybe that is the author’s aim. Luca and Touraine have an interesting dynamic together which is still hazy at this stage but I’m looking forward to see how their relationship evolves. Interestingly, I found many of the secondary characters to be much more impactful even though their appearances are brief.

Let me end by saying the writing is top notch and the author’s turn of phrase is magical. I intend to keep reading this series because it’s worth it and I still recommend because the author unabashedly went all out to create something special. There are shortcomings but I have no doubt, they will be straightened out and there will be amazing works in the future.

Read an Arc courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for a review. ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 mishi rated it really liked it

Shelves: 3-5, sapphic-plus, z-fl-mc

This was a thrilling read, full of diverse and queer characters. I love the entire world-building element of The Unbroken. It was vivid and skilfully constructed. The Unbroken explores the concepts of colonialism and racism. The story is told from the POV of two characters that couldn't be more different. Luca, the heir apparent to the throne and Touraine, a conscript soldier.

I enjoyed the politics and the unexpected twists and the search for magic. But the romance, which was the whole reason I This was a thrilling read, full of diverse and queer characters. I love the entire world-building element of The Unbroken. It was vivid and skilfully constructed. The Unbroken explores the concepts of colonialism and racism. The story is told from the POV of two characters that couldn't be more different. Luca, the heir apparent to the throne and Touraine, a conscript soldier.

I enjoyed the politics and the unexpected twists and the search for magic. But the romance, which was the whole reason I wanted to read the book, felt underdeveloped to me. I would've liked more interaction between Touraine and Luca before they go around yearning and crying for each other. (view spoiler)

Between Touraine's good intentions, dumb decisions and terrible luck she made a very interesting protagonist that I wanted to hug her, punch her or both sometimes. (view spoiler)
Where Touraine is lead by her heart and emotions, Luca follows her head, and is supposedly shrewd and clever. She is driven by the desire to take her rightful throne from her uncle. For the most powerful character of the book, she didn't utilize her power well enough till that end speech of hers.. Luca's character has a lot more potential and I hope it will be utilized in the next installment.

The side characters were all well developed and interesting. I especially liked Jaghotai, Djasha and most of all Aranen. The General, I just can't decide if I hate or not.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The last 100 pages were the best of the book and I would give anything to read Luca's letter. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

ARC copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Feb 13, 2021 Tammie rated it really liked it

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars for now, with the potential for a higher rating on reread.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book that I think I'll need to reread to be able to fully process, but on first read, I liked this book a lot. I think the way that CL Clark explores the effects of colonization, both at the macro and micro level, is really well done and nuanced, and sparks a lot of discussion. For me, the way that Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars for now, with the potential for a higher rating on reread.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book that I think I'll need to reread to be able to fully process, but on first read, I liked this book a lot. I think the way that CL Clark explores the effects of colonization, both at the macro and micro level, is really well done and nuanced, and sparks a lot of discussion. For me, the way that Clark explores this central theme and all the themes that stem from this, is definitely the standout element of this book. Clark dives into internalized racism, white privilege, and cultural appropriation, among other themes, and I just felt like it was all woven into the narrative so seamlessly.

The character work for both Luca and Touraine is also fantastic. I would definitely have liked to know some our side characters a little more, but the two main characters were very well fleshed out, and most importantly, they felt so real. I love Touraine. I would die for Touraine (and her biceps). She deserves the world and I found her growth throughout this book so satisfying, and I cannot wait to see where Clark decides to take her character. Luca, on the other hand, is one of the most unlikable and frustrating characters I have read in a long time. That being said, she is SO incredibly well-written. I can't really speak to how well her disability was represented (she uses a walking stick due to an injury and experiences chronic pain), but I did feel like Clark did a good job of making Luca way more than just her disability, and she felt like a very nuanced character to me.

I think the only thing that really fell a bit short for me was the romance - I definitely felt like their relationship was underdeveloped, and was more there as a way to explore the themes, rather than a relationship that I could genuinely root for.

The worldbuilding and politics in this book was top notch. If you are a fan of political fantasies, this is a must-read. I'd also consider it a military fantasy, but definitely heavier on the politics and strategy than actual fighting. The magic in this book is on the lighter side, and definitely very vague - I'm excited to see it get explained a bit more as the series continues, as it leaves off on a very interesting note. One thing that I really personally appreciate about the world that Clark has created is that it is a queer-normative world. I think this is really refreshing to see in a fantasy world, especially one that deals with heavier themes like colonization where characters are already experiencing other forms of oppression.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it certainly did not disappoint. ...more

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Feb 15, 2021 AnnaLuce marked it as dnf

Shelves: covers-i-love, lgbtqia, disappointing-reads, netgalley-edelweiss, 2021-reviews, sapphic

DNF p. 150

I really really really wanted to love this but this just is not 'clicking' with me. I'm sure more patient readers who love military fantasy or tales of political intrigue will be able to appreciate The Unbroken more than I was.

The writing was okay but the characters, pacing, and world-building did very little for me. Not only could I not picture Touraine nor Luca but their personalities seemed very one-note. Most of the secondary characters seemed very stereotypical of the genre (Ca DNF p. 150

I really really really wanted to love this but this just is not 'clicking' with me. I'm sure more patient readers who love military fantasy or tales of political intrigue will be able to appreciate The Unbroken more than I was.

The writing was okay but the characters, pacing, and world-building did very little for me. Not only could I not picture Touraine nor Luca but their personalities seemed very one-note. Most of the secondary characters seemed very stereotypical of the genre (Cantic with who is as hard and cold as her 'blue eyes', Rogan is the classic villainous bully, Touraine's lover, Pruett, and Tibeau, seemed to exist merely as fodder to Touraine's temperament).

While I 100% agree with N.K. Jemisin when she said that creating fantasy worlds is challenging as you are inevitably influenced by "real (if bygone) cultures" I was hoping for a more unique setting. We have the colonialist evil empire Balladaire that is basically France while Briga and Qazal seem to be heavily inspired by Morocco and Algeria. Maybe later in the novel the author expands on this world a bit more but so far the only 'innovative' thing about it is that there seems to be no gender inequality and that same-sex relationships are viewed in the same way as heterosexual ones. These two things are wins in my books given that I am a queer woman and I am tired of reading fantasy novels in which women and LGBTQ+ folx are oppressed. What did not sit well with me was the choice to address female characters in positions of power with male titles (Touraine and Cantic are addressed as 'Sir' while the governor of Qazal City, who is a woman, is addressed as 'Lord Governor'). This might have worked if there were no female titles but they are also used only not when describing those who have authoritative positions. This leads me to speculate that even in this world female equivalents of 'Sir' and 'Lord' are not seen as conveying the same authority as the male ones. But why would that be the case given that in this world where there seems to be no gender inequality? Sure, in our world, 'Master' has connotations of power and control whereas 'Mistress' is used to describe teachers and women who engage in relationships with married individuals. But in the world of The Unbroken men and women are seen as the same (I am not including other genders because up to the point I have read there were no enby characters), why would women in positions of power have to be addressed with male titles? It would have been more interesting if the author could have created titles that could have been applied to all genders.

My third issue was the pacing which kind of dragged. There were a few scenes that seem very reminiscent of other fantasy books (such as Luca getting her rapier) or Touraine being recognized by an old man.
While the story might in the long run develop the characters more and or provide a more detailed world-building I don't feel compelled to continue. If you are thinking of reading this I recommend you check out some more positive reviews.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 theresa marked it as unreleased

Shelves: lgbtq, 21-releases, wlw-mc

this book has me excited for a number of reasons:
- North-Africa inspired
- 'it's gay. real gay' (author's twitter)
- the author calling it 'Touraine's Arms' (just LOOK at those arms, that cover)
- this quote from i09's article (which includes an excerpt of the book): 'The destinies of two women—one, a soldier; the other, a princess—become intertwined...'
- politics
- assassinations
- LISTEN, two women's destinies becoming 'INTERTWINED' in a 'REAL GAY' book is all i could ever want

I also talk about boo ...more

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Jul 20, 2020 C.L. Clark rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Here's an excerpt of the first two chapters: https://www.orbitbooks.net/orbit-exce... ...more

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Jul 20, 2020 sol marked it as to-read

Shelves: bipoc, lgbtqia

this is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me
I cAn fEeL iT.

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Jul 21, 2020 Lea | That_Bookdragon marked it as to-read

Shelves: owned, releasing-2021, tbr-pile

Excuse me while I go scream about this book.

THE COVER THE DESCRIPTION

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

also, it's gay

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ...more

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Feb 06, 2021 fang rated it liked it

Shelves: bi-bi-bi, trope-only-one-bed, author-of-color, sff, qtbipoc-rep, ownvoices, poc-rep, side-trans-rep, side-mlm, arcs

3.5 ish stars

The unbroken is brutal and painful and has some of the best character arcs I've ever read, I honestly wish I hadn't noticed some flaws because of how amazingly written this book is. At it's heart the book is about colonialism, how it tears apart people, how generational trauma affects people and the hollow feeling that your home has been stolen from you.

The premise:

Touraine was kidnapped from Qazāl as a child and trained as a soldier for their colonizer, Balladaire and now has to n ...more

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Jan 14, 2021 Emmett rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley

*I received a free ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Is January too early to declare my favorite book of 2021? Because GOD. DAMN. this was good. Like snap my neck and call me Sally, yee-haw! kind of good, if ya feel me.

I am relatively certain The Unbroken was tailor-made for me, having everything I like in fantasy and leaving out everything I don’t like. I was immediately roped in by the story and invested in the main characters within just the first tenth of the nov ...more

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Feb 04, 2021 Bob/Sally rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-grimdark, lgbtqa, female-fronted-fantasy, female-author

If you're expecting this to be a typical fantasy where the heroine miraculously brings together opposing sides through the love of friends and family, then you're in for a rude awakening. The Unbroken is a brutally honest look at all the ugliness of colonialism, rebellion, racism. It's a story about not even knowing which side you're supposed to be on, much less which side to choose. It's so good, so unexpectedly tragic in every way, that I was left speechless as I turned the final page.

C.L. Cla If you're expecting this to be a typical fantasy where the heroine miraculously brings together opposing sides through the love of friends and family, then you're in for a rude awakening. The Unbroken is a brutally honest look at all the ugliness of colonialism, rebellion, racism. It's a story about not even knowing which side you're supposed to be on, much less which side to choose. It's so good, so unexpectedly tragic in every way, that I was left speechless as I turned the final page.

C.L. Clark explores the clash of cultures and empires through Touraine, a soldier taken from her home so long ago she no longer recognizes it as home. She's come to identify with the Balladairan captors who erased her culture and trained and educated her to like them even though she'll never be accepted as one of them. She's loyal to the Empire, but her love is for the Sands, her fellow conscripts from the conquered desert colonies. Coming back to Qazāl reopens old wounds for all of them, testing sympathies and highlighting inequalities as they're forced to take up arms against their own people.

Fittingly, for a book that's all about women, a book in which nearly all of the leadership roles are filled by women, a book in which women-loving-women is the predominant relationship on display, it's only fitting that the overarching conflict is represented by four women - Touraine, Pruett, General Cantic, and Princess Luca (actually, there's a fifth, but to talk of her would be to wade deep into spoilers). Pruett is a soldier of the Sands and a lover to Touraine, a woman whose own loyalties are cleaner and simpler, and whose love tugs hard at Touraine's loyalties. Cantic is the woman who trained the Sands, a mother figure and a mentor, whose loyalties are muddied at best, and whose influence over Touraine further clouds her loyalties. Princess Luca embodies the Balladairan empire, a woman who has come to Qazāl to end the rebellion and take their magic, a woman who raises Touraine above her station, and whose affections strain not just loyalty but identity.

Balladaire was a land of gifts and punishments, honey and whips, devastating mercies.

The Unbroken is divided into four parts, and each of them pivots on a twist of love and loyalty for Touraine. I don't know that I've ever read a book with such a conflicted heroine, a story that piles on so many jaw-dropping, stomach-churning twists. It's hard to read at times, and Touraine is often hard to like. She's selfish in many ways, and has something of a savior complex compounded by imposter syndrome. We sympathize with her, we absolutely do, and we feel her pains as if they were our own, but she makes pivotal choices for all sides of the conflict without thinking them through. She's a product of her Balladairan upbringing, tempered by her love for the Sands, and challenged by this newfound sense of home, and Clark captures all the depths of psychological horror and emotional torture that represents.

It would be impossible to fix every betrayal on her shoulders. Too many of them were contradictory.

Even though this is fantasy, the simmering tension and spark of rebellion in Qazāl is all too familiar. It's about fighting for one's home, pushing back those who would erase your history, your religion, your culture, and your very identity. The faces of the rebellion are a mixed bunch, some more or less likable than others, but we understand their struggle. What makes it all so difficult to digest is that there's no clear sense of evil to the struggle, no one hero or one villain, just a lot of people from different cultures and backgrounds with what they believe to be good intentions. Color, race, and religion are all a part of the conflict, but they're secondary to the fact of a large empire conquering and colonizing its neighbors. While it becomes easier to choose sides as the story moves on, but I dare say it never becomes more comfortable.

The Unbroken is brilliant in its brutality. It's a book that makes you think and feel, a story you're almost forced to take part in. While I loved the ending and thought Clark did a fabulous job of bringing closure to so much conflict, the epilogue leaves me torn. It almost feels as if it undermines the struggle and the sacrifice, opening a door to a more typical fantasy resolution, but knowing how many times this twisted and pivoted, I'm anxious to see what's next.

https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/... ...more

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Jan 31, 2021 Delaney rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-or-review-copies, 2021-releases, 2021-books

Review for The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Thank you so much to Orbit letting me read an early e-copy of this via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Summary:
“Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet's edge b ...more

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Mar 29, 2021 Para (wanderer) rated it really liked it

Shelves: healing, epic, lgbtq, read-in-english, arc, 4-stars, fantasy, military

ARC received from the publisher (Orbit) in exchange for an honest review.

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 ...more

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Mar 07, 2021 FantasyBookNerd rated it liked it

Love, Revolution and colonialism.

So I have literally just finished reading The Unbroken, and I have to say my thoughts are mixed on this one. There is quite a lot to like about this book, and these things outweigh some of my reservations about the book.

As with many books by an author that I am unfamiliar with, my interest was piqued by the gorgeous cover art by Tommy Arnold. I love the way that the cover captures the desert setting of the book and the inner strength of Touraine pushing against ...more

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Feb 05, 2021 Landice (Manic Femme) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: faves-of-2021

Just finished and the only word I presently have for you is: WOW!

Also, Book 2 when?

(Edit: Goodreads did weird edition things so I deleted my other review of the Paperback and moved it to the Kindle edition, since that's the one I read, to consolidate)

Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Booktok | Book Blog | Twitter ...more

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Jan 15, 2021 Dom rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bi-rep, wlw, lgbt, unreleased-hype, bipoc-author, lesbian-rep

The Unbroken by CL Clark is a debut fantasy novel set in a North African inspired world. It’s queer, it borders on grimdark, it’s full of political intrigue, and it’s painful. I went into The Unbroken expecting it to hurt my feelings and you know what, I got my feelings hurt a lot. Mission accomplished.

The novel has two POV characters: Touraine, a woman stolen as a child from her home and forced to become a soldier for the Balladairan Empire, and Princess Luca, the precariously positioned heir t The Unbroken by CL Clark is a debut fantasy novel set in a North African inspired world. It’s queer, it borders on grimdark, it’s full of political intrigue, and it’s painful. I went into The Unbroken expecting it to hurt my feelings and you know what, I got my feelings hurt a lot. Mission accomplished.

The novel has two POV characters: Touraine, a woman stolen as a child from her home and forced to become a soldier for the Balladairan Empire, and Princess Luca, the precariously positioned heir to the Balladairan Empire. Through two incredibly different lenses, the reader is taken on a brutal journey of betrayals, massacres, rebellions, and the horrors of colonialism as various parties vie for control of Qazāl.

Touraine as a main character had my attention from start to finish. There are layers and layers to the emotional and political conflicts she navigates, and honestly, she doesn’t always (or even often) make sensible or healthy decisions. I’ve noticed other reviewers saying that some of her choices throughout the novel don’t make sense to them, and while that’s valid as an opinion, my counter-argument is that it’s much easier to sit back with the distance of a reader and say we’d make a choice differently. Given Touraine’s massive amount of trauma from childhood to present day, the life or death situations she finds herself in, and the complicated political alliances she’s navigating while extraordinarily out of her depth, I think her flaws and messiness are believable and part of what makes her a compelling main character. You want to root for her even though she often doesn’t root for herself.

The enemies to lovers romance in The Unbroken also has all of my favourite flavors for this dynamic: sapphic, slow burn, morally complicated with questions of power imbalances, reluctant alliances out of desperation, and genuinely being positioned as enemies where both parties make mistakes and treat each other badly. I’m super picky with enemies to lovers dynamics and The Unbroken hits all the right notes for me. It’s also refreshing to read a wonderful high fantasy novel with so much diversity. Both main characters are queer (lesbian and bisexual) and one is Black while the other is disabled with lots of queer and BIPOC supporting characters. The universe is queernorm and sexuality is not a plot point.

Mind the content warnings on this one, though. Content warnings for: racism, graphic depictions of violence, graphic depictions of death, gore, torture, sexual assault. There are probably more I’m missing but those are the ones I noticed immediately.

Overall, The Unbroken is the kind of fantasy book that will draw readers in and possibly polarize them in the process. This is the kind of book I would love to talk to my friends about because I think the variety of opinions would generate some great discussions. If you want a fantasy story full of murder and the promise of magic with a nuanced, powerful, complicated, imperfect main character, The Unbroken should definitely be on your radar.

Thank you to Orbit and Edelweiss for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Feb 14, 2021 Lady H rated it really liked it

Shelves: tbr-fantasy, read-in-2021

This is a smart, mature, and bleak debut that looks at colonialism. It strikes me as being heavily inspired by France's occupation of Algeria, and culturally, it is certainly North Africa-inspired. I did enjoy this -- it has that readability that isn't always found in high fantasy -- but I didn't love it as much as I'd hoped. Mostly, that's because I don't think it went far enough, whether that's with its characters, plot, or worldbuilding.

While there's certainly lots of clever commentary on co ...more

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Feb 22, 2021 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: age-range-adult, rating-highly-recommended, author-rep-black, genre-fantasy, recommendations-all-time-faves

Full review to follow because WHEW this book was phenomenal.

In the meantime, quick discussion of some important points!

Things I liked:
➽ The portrayal of colonization and its effects at both the macro and micro level were absolutely gutting. This was a very difficult book to read and I mean that in the best way possible. The themes of colonization's effects on land, language, economy, etc. are explored, but so are said effects on interpersonal relationships. I don't think I've ever really read a ...more

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Mar 21, 2021 Scarlett Readz and Runz....Through Novel Time & Distance rated it really liked it

4.25 stars

This novel shouldn’t have been so surprising to me, as I’ve heard only the best of things and read a lot of raving reviews about it. The cover alone is simply stunning and creating a lot of buzz among book lovers. Praised as military fantasy, I had semi-reservations about picking this up, since I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of how “military” this read would be.

As a fan of stories with less agreeable and rather more gritty characters that take long-shot risks and develop to com ...more

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Mar 29, 2021 imyril rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copies, make-some-room-2021

Compromised and uncompromising.

A strong debut from a fierce new voice.

4.5 stars

Full review to follow.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Feb 24, 2021 laurel [the suspected bibliophile] rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq, ownvoices, favorites, poc-mc, genfic, fantasy, arcs, 2021-read

She was their pet. And she'd be a well-dressed one, but she'd dance all the same.

Touraine is a conscript, torn from her home as a child and sent into the army of her enemy. For over twenty years she's lived, breathed and exemplified the pinnacles of perfection for the empire. But it's never enough, because when she's drugged, attacked and kidnapped by the rebels, her people focus on the death of a soldier and Touraine's supposed role. She is saved only by the world of the empire's princess, who ...more

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Dec 30, 2020 Shelley Parker-Chan added it

Shelves: fantasy

You know that shiver you get when you encounter fiction that excavates truth? This book is SO TRUE: all the ugly, painful, deeply personal complexities of revolution against empire, captured in shimmering pointillist detail. I’m in awe

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Jan 17, 2021 Katy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy_2021

The Unbroken is a North African inspired military fantasy in which we follow the story of a princess and a soldier from opposing sides who have to work together to achieve their goals. Set against a backdrop of a colonised city rife with rebellion and mistreated citizens, with vivid and luscious writing, this book captures the heartbreak and complicated loyalties of a war torn country perfectly.

The two main characters we follow are Touraine, a military conscript who is from a faction of the mil The Unbroken is a North African inspired military fantasy in which we follow the story of a princess and a soldier from opposing sides who have to work together to achieve their goals. Set against a backdrop of a colonised city rife with rebellion and mistreated citizens, with vivid and luscious writing, this book captures the heartbreak and complicated loyalties of a war torn country perfectly.

The two main characters we follow are Touraine, a military conscript who is from a faction of the military called the ‘Sands’ who are looked down upon and seen as lesser who is fighting for her freedom, and Luca a princess from Balladaire who is trying to prove herself as a good leader in order to claim her throne. Luca is also disabled and uses a walking stick, I’m not disabled so I don’t know good a representation this was, but I liked how it was handled and how it shaped but didn’t define Luca’s character.

This book is heavy on the politics, with the city of Qaza-l currently being run by the country of Balladaire, who are very much the colonisers and trying to ‘civilise’ the people of Qaza-l, and a rebellion is brewing amgost the Qaza-li so our two main characters are trying to negotiate peace between the Balladaireens and the Qaza-li, Luca with the intention of bringing a stop to the rebellion and prove to her uncle she is good enough to be queen and Touraine with the intention of protecting her fellow sands.

There is interesting discussion on colonisation in this book and how that affects the people whose country and culture are being stolen, as well as the Balladaire empire thinking they know best and being unwilling to leave in peace.

Touraine also has a lot of ties to the rebels, which she discovers when she is kidnapped by them at the beginning of the book. This was interesting to explore and added an extra element to Touraine’s character, she is very much someone whose loyalties are torn in many directions and it is clear that she struggles with this and it leads to some questionable decisions on her part on occasion. She also has a very interesting dynamic with the General, called Cantic, who at the start of the book seems on Touraine’s side but then throughout the book seemingly becomes more and more of a villain in Touraine’s mind, which I think reflects her changing loyalties. I really loved the other rebel leaders, who we see a lot of through Touraine’s eyes, especially Aranen and I’m really excited to see more of her in book 2.

The plot of the book is very strong in my opinion, it is fairly steady throughout and not too action packed so if you like lots of action it may not be for you, but adore politics and negotiation dynamics so I enjoyed this!! The ending is also quite explosive and at one point I thought the author had done something very shocking but it turned out not to be true but it still shocked me haha. The setting is also so immersive, especially if you like dessert based fantasy, and the writing is very evocative and captures the environment so well.

A couple of things I struggled with in the book were a) the writing at times, sometimes I feel like we skipped very minor things in a scene but it made the text a little hard to follow and sometimes took me out of the story. I think the best way to describe it is sometimes it felt a little patchy. This is the author’s debut book though so I feel like this will improve with time! B) I wasn’t totally sold on the relationship, obviously this is a very nitpicky thing as I’m always happy to have lgbtq relationships in fantasy, especially sapphic ones. At first I thought I was going to love it because of the first scene as well as the princess/body guard dynamic but I just didn’t feel like there was a lot of connection between them and then suddenly feelings seem to come out of nowhere? The power dynamics were obviously very complex so this might have contributed a bit to the strange relationship haha.

The fantasy elements are there, but not very explored, however I didn’t feel like this was really necessary, this book definitely felt like a political book, and I feel like the magic is something that is going to be explored in future books so I’m excited for that. The magic felt like this unknown, as just slowly starting to come back into the world, and Luca wanting to find out more about the magic was a major part of her motivations.

In conclusion this was a strong start to a new adult fantasy series, almost reminiscent of an adult an ember in the ashes, full of politics, sapphics and biceps!! ...more

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About C.L. Clark

C.L. Clark

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Cherae was a 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow and graduated from Indiana University’s creative writing MFA. She’s been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she’s not writing or working, she’s learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and [post-]colonial history. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in ...more