"The Unbroken" by C.L. Clark (BR)

[Emmett]

July's Amazing Eights challenge winner is The Unbroken by C.L. Clark. Come one, come all! Read along and share your thoughts below.

Do be sure to use spoiler tags and chapter markers when posting, please!

I think this interview with the author has a good amount of background information for anyone who is on the fence about reading! (no spoilers though, don't worry)

[Emmett]

I am excited for everyone's thoughts as I read an ARC of this earlier in the year and absolutely loved it... Definitely one of my favorite reads of this year.

C.L. Clark has quite a few short stories free to read online as well. They are all worth the time, in my opinion 😄

[Mel]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Emmett! And thanks for the link to the interview. Ever since I saw that gloriously badass cover and read the blurb, this one has been high on my to-read list. Certainly excited to start!

[Mel]

So, I've clearly been reading more sci-fi and low fantasy lately, because I got unreasonably excited to open my book to a map. Then I noticed the little hand-written notes - a nice touch.

Chapter 1
(view spoiler)[She dug half-moons into the soft, weather-worn wood of the railing and grumbled, “We have a job to do.” I liked the half-moon detail. It somehow helped me feel the wood beneath my fingernails. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 2
(view spoiler)[I feel such grief for the man who recognized Touraine and called her Hanan. A link to her past, lost before they ever had an opportunity to speak.

Ooh~ I was wondering was kind of fantasy elements might be at play in this book. This silver scar and healing ability has me intrigued. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[When the three royal guards were described as her constant shadows, I wondered what kind of relationship they had, and am glad to see we find out. It's touching that her father's lover continues to watch over and protect her. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[Between the calming sensory mindfulness techniques, and the night terrors, I appreciate touching on the mental health of Tour as a soldier. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7
(view spoiler)[Noo! Not Cheminade! She was actually sympathetic to the Quazai people. First the old camel man, now her. The people who seem like promising allies or sources of information are gone so quickly... ;_; (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Finished Part 1
(view spoiler)[So, phew! Tour hasn't been executed, so that's something at least.

What really stands out to me so far, is the portrayal of different colonizer characters. The outright scum, like Rogan: liar, rapist, delighting in their pain. The general, who held the whip back just enough for it to look like kindness. The governor-general, who married a Quazali, even as she ruled his land and hosted parties for torturers. Just thinking about all the different cogs in the system.

Then on the other side, there are the Sands. Tibeau, who is eager to escape. Pruett, who has no love for Balladaire, but who is for surviving within the system. And Touraine, who taken younger, wants to prove herself loyal to the country that enslaved her.

Just some interesting character studies. It will be interesting to meet the rebels more, to see where their varied motivations lie. And of course princess Luca. (hide spoiler)]

[Emmett]

Sounds like you are enjoying it, Melissa. Glad to hear it 😊

I found that (view spoiler)[the characters were actually quite distinct, although I know a lot of others that read it would not agree with me.

Excited for you to read more about the rebels! (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Chapter 12
(view spoiler)[For a leader to be respected, they must show power. Never show doubt, for a ruler does not doubt. A ruler decides. A ruler acts.

Touraine stood to the right, just behind Luca’s seat, the most ornate chair she had. Stiff and haughty, just as Luca had commanded.
Everyone was waiting for her word, and that thought alone filled her with a secret thrill that straightened her back and eased her grip on her cane. They were here for her.
It occurs to me that I don't often read of women who revel in their power. Not that I don't encounter powerful, competent characters. But they are often burdened with their responsibilities out of necessity, or unassuming in their efficiency. They aren't thrilled by it the way Luca is. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 20
I admit that at this point the book is dragging a bit for me. I wish we had more of (view spoiler)[Touraine confronting her identity, but if anything, she has avoided the issue. (Although I have a strong suspicion who Jaghotai is. Just waiting for the reveal.) (hide spoiler)] In comparison, (view spoiler)[the search for magic (hide spoiler)] feels less important. At least, the characters care about it more than I do. Alright, I do a little, but more along the lines of (view spoiler)[Touraine's magically healed arm. Whatever happened to that? We're not going to learn more how that happened? (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Emmett wrote: "Sounds like you are enjoying it, Melissa. Glad to hear it 😊

I found that the characters were actually quite distinct, although I know a lot of others that read it would not agree with me.

Excite..."

Oh, I agree that the characters are distinct. Perhaps I see the structure a bit too much though and I also can't help but see them as their roles, representing the different political viewpoints and interests.

[Megan]

I just finished Chapter 2. (view spoiler)[Like Melissa, I was intrigued by the sudden appearance of magical healing! Especially since, aside from the overall series title (Magic of the Lost), the book's external materials don't overtly hint at its fantasy aspects.

I'm excited to get to read this, though I haven't yet had much time to sit down with it. I really appreciate nuanced, very positional explorations of colonialism, and I'm super intrigued about how Clark has built this world through this mix of characters. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Glad to see you've joined in, Megan!

I've just finished Part 2. Halfway through the book now, and Things Are Going Down.

Chapter 23
Yes!(view spoiler)[ A good old fashioned bout of Family Therapy though Hand-to-Hand Combat. Shouting match while trading blows. "You were never there for me!" and all that jazz. Love it. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 24
Nooo~ (view spoiler)[Don't go to Cantic~! Touraine you fool! Traitor! Ugh. Even though I suppose it makes sense for her character, it's so frustrating to watch. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 25
No! (view spoiler)[Not Tibeau! It was so distressingly sudden. The bayonet and blood. Rogan leveling his pistol. Touraine shot in the chest. Pruett bashing her head in. Although honestly I don't blame her. Touraine has taken away Pruett's loved ones, one by one. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Chapter 31
(view spoiler)[“Keep your hands to yourself. I’m not your pet anymore.”
“Touraine—” For a moment, something softened her face. Touraine could almost hear her say it: Come back. The temptation to surrender and apologize was there. She could tell Luca wanted it. So did she. Just not with this Luca.
The window of apology slammed shut. “I hope their magic is as strong as you say it is,” Luca said. “If I were you, I would ask your new friends to hide you well.”

So, I admit I wasn't super feeling Luca and Touraine's romantic chemistry, but their Frenemy Chemistry on the other hand... they just work so much better this way when Touraine stands up to her. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Finished - The second half really picked up the pacing.

I can't think of another book where the characters get things so incontrovertibly wrong, and yet I don't hate them. Want to scream maybe at just so many bad decisions with horrible outcomes perhaps... but I suppose sometimes there are no good ones.

There's a lot of room for discussion with this one. On the themes, the characters, the choices they made, and the writing as well.

Megan, I'm curious to see what you think as you get further along.

[Emmett]

Melissa, I'm glad that didn't put you off. I saw a lot of reviews where people complained about character decisions and characters being unlikable, etc.

I felt that their decisions actually made them more human and realistic, rather than the opposite. For me, it added to the story; it didn't take away from it.

Maybe I'm just a confused idiot overflowing with conflicting emotions, but I could see the intention or reasoning behind each bad or wrong decision.

I loved Touraine as a character! I am really looking forward to the next entry whenever it graces this earth.

[Mel]

Emmett wrote: "Maybe I'm just a confused idiot overflowing with conflicting emotions, but I could see the intention or reasoning behind each bad or wrong decision."

Indeed, and I think their motivations being torn and yet also so clear is what makes it work. They may struggle after one thing, but this is the line in the sand they refuse to cross to get it. You can argue the decision, but it's in line with their character. What a person is willing to do, and not willing to do, is such an interesting study.

I definitely did have the experience of "your structure is showing" with the characters though, especially in the beginning. Where they felt lined up as stand-ins for a particular viewpoint and function. But... I'm kind of okay with it? And as the story progressed it became less of an issue.

[Megan]

Ahhhh I just got to the end of Part 2. (view spoiler)[Touraine!!! I'm here for her, even with the egregious sky-falling decision to leak Luca's plans to Cantic. I appreciate the way that Clark's portraying the process of Touraine struggling against her long-held perspectives, beliefs, ideas of what's safe. The way she's struggling against decolonizing her mind & heart: one step forward, one step back, one step completely sideways. I'm loving the scenes with her and the rebels, and as much as I'm "GAH, nooo!" about her decision, I'm heartbroken for her, that she thought she's doing the best thing she can do to protect the Sands, who no one else will even prioritize.

I'm less interested in Luca, at least at the moment. She's still fooling herself thinking that her idea of securing peace isn't actually her securing power, even if she's risking power to gain it. And "let's girlboss some benevolent colonialism, now with magic!!" is far less interesting to me than what Touraine's going through. I'm looking forward, though, to Luca and Touraine inevitably clashing now that she knows Touraine betrayed her.

I wrote down this quote, though I forgot to write down the page/chapter, but I really liked this line, from right after Touraine learned the old man at the hanging was her uncle: "She'd never considered herself lost before, but every day since she'd stepped into this sky-falling city, the path she'd expected to walk crumbled beneath her boots." (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Riiiight? Poor Touraine, (view spoiler)[she still can't help but have that twisted connection to Cantic. You know it was literally beaten into her, but still, it's so painful to read. (hide spoiler)]

Hahaha! (view spoiler)[Your "let's girlboss some benevolent colonialism, now with magic!!" is so on point! Another flawed character, but... I don't hate her either. Still, I kept wanting Touraine to stand up to her more and push back. Only then when she does... *sigh* Now with a bit of space it seems almost comedic: "No, Tour, not that way! When I said push back, I didn't mean off a cliff." (hide spoiler)] smh

[Nicol]

Anyone listen to the audio book? Recommend?

[Mel]

Sorry, not an audio listener, so I can't say. Emmett or Megan?

[Anna]

I listened, I didn't love the accents, but nothing super horrible.

edit: I mean it was weird that there was an accent, not that I have a problem with people who have an accent!

edit2: Sigh, please excuse my brain, it has been slowly roasting in temperatures that are not meant for a Nordic body! So, why does Touraine have an accent? I understand that when she starts learning [name of language I've forgotten], then sure, yes I can see why there'd be an accent, but not all the time? It was distracting to me, because I kept wondering why?!

Someone on Audible has commented that it was overacted. I don't know if they mean the same thing, because I thought it was pretty one note overall. The narrator's voice is very pleasant, but it wasn't a very lively narration imho. The sample is pretty good, it has all the things I'm talking about :)

[Nicol]

Anna wrote: "I listened, I didn't love the accents, but nothing super horrible.

edit: I mean it was weird that there was an accent, not that I have a problem with people who have an accent!

edit2: Sigh, pleas..."

Thanks! I think I'll take a gamble on it

[Mel]

Anna wrote: "I listened, I didn't love the accents, but nothing super horrible.

edit: I mean it was weird that there was an accent, not that I have a problem with people who have an accent!

edit2: Sigh, pleas..."

Oh interesting... I'm assuming a French accent since Balladaire is pretty clearly French-inspired. Did all the Balladairans have one? It'd be weird if it were just Touraine and no one else from that country...

Although I'm guessing the shifting accent was just the narrator, I'll supply the headcanon that she's merely an accentmorph, who unconsciously shifts their accent to match those around them. Or subtle code-switching, perhaps?

[Anna]

Yes French (North African), and it made no sense to me that someone would have an accent in what is essentially their native (close enough) language. And ... I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember if everyone had an accent, but many people did.

[Megan]

No idea about the audiobook; I read this in print. (Definitely curious about the choice of who gets accents and why, though.)

I finished this today, so spoilers for the whole book: (view spoiler)[

* I was really engaged by Touraine's journey. I liked her arc a lot, and it was the backbone of the story for me, the way her perspective shifted, even as she held tight to what she valued (her fellow conscripts), even when she saw how she wasn't always living up to her values (by turning away from Pruett). I loved how the ideas of having choices--even if there are no good ones--and having faith got woven into her character (and in the story in general).

* Luca wasn't always as engaging for me, though I did feel for her and her lack of good choices, and in the second half of the book, I was most interested in her when she was coming up against her inability to do magic--her determination, her choices, her wrestling with the idea of faith, too.

* I am intrigued to see the establishment of Qazal self-rule, after such a traumatic transition and suspecting it (and magic in general) will be a pawn in the Luca's attempt to take the thrown from her regent uncle. I'm also really intrigued to see what Touraine's relationship to magic might be like, now that she has it and she used it (and I was waiting for Rogan to die a horrible death, but I still didn't predict just how it happened!). (I'm also interested in seeing where the magic stuff goes in general. I didn't always have a super clear idea of who had what capabilities.)

* I think you all are spot-on about how the characters make difficult choices because there weren't any good ones available to make. That's really what made the book stand out for me, even with Luca (who I didn't often feel sympathetic toward). (hide spoiler)]

[Stephanie]

Finally managed to read this over the weekend! I rounded up to 5 stars from 4.5.

(view spoiler)[
I enjoyed the book a lot, even though it can be difficult to read stories where there are no good choices, I thought the author did a great job. Even though the content was grim, I didn't feel like it was something overly dwelled on or being used just to show how dark things were.

Touraine was a great character and like others said, even though her choices weren't necessarily good, I understood why she made them and I still sympathized with her. I didn't find her unlikeable at all.
Luca was also an interesting character and I thought the way she was written was well-done.

The part that didn't work for me so much was the supposed budding romance between the two of them. I'm not sure if that's something I was supposed to be invested in or not. I completely understand Luca's end, although I'm not convinced it would truly drive her to withdraw from Qazal as written, but Touraine's side is harder for me to believe given the power differential, although maybe that's something that will be further explored later on. (hide spoiler)]
Overall I was really impressed and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

[Mareike]

I didn’t have the attention span for this last year when it came up in the Amazing Eights Challenge, but I’m giving it another go today because I found the beginning interesting.
Looking forward to reading everyone’s thoughts!

Megan wrote: "I just finished Chapter 2. [Spoiler removed] ..."

I got up to chapter 2 last year, so I remembered this and I really wonder where this will go. (view spoiler)[It’s interesting that this is a new development and that it happened just after Tourraine felt that “tingling” when touching one of the rebels while putting the noose over her neck. (hide spoiler)]

Currently listening to Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[and I like that there’s a second POV. (hide spoiler)]

[Mareike]

Melissa wrote: "Finished Part 1 [Spoiler removed]"

Also just finished Part 1 and I agree with all of this.
(view spoiler)[I also really like that we got glimpses of Tourraine struggling with herself about what she wants/what the right thing to do is. Stick with her training and try to prove herself or try and find out if her mother is really alive, etc.
So far, this is a really good examination of how colonialism works on people’s characters and psyches. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Glad to see you getting to this one Mareike. :)
Yeah, the conflicting loyalties and how the characters weigh them in the decisions they must make is one of the most interesting parts of the story.

[Mareike]

I was so bummed when I couldn’t get into it last summer.

Here’s a thought I had about the title and how it might have a double meaning:
(view spoiler)[If we read the “unbroken” as “not broken” it might refer to someone or several someones or an entire culture that has not been broken.

If we read it as “un-broken” it might refer to someone who has been broken in some way, but put themselves back together again.

And I think both work for the story and its characters. The rebels are clearly “unbroken” in some ways. Whereas several of the characters, Luca, Tourraine, are “un-broken” in some ways. Both physically and emotionally. Or, in Tourraine’s case, she might become “un-broken” eventually. (hide spoiler)]