The life of a fantasy hero is never easy. They are often thrust into an adventure not of their choosing, losing those that they love on the way towards an objective that seems impossible to meet. In C L Clark’s Unbroken, one of the protagonists is Touraine, a soldier who much overcome all the usual challenges that fantasy offers, but also struggle within the confines of a society designed to keep people like her down. The world of Magic of the Lost is not for the faint of heart as only the strong and the lucky will survive
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Touraine was stolen as a child and brought up by her captures to become a conscript in their army. Now Touraine and her company are returning to the land of Qazal, a place many of them never knew. After years of being the vanguard for the Balladairan army, they must now police those that could be considered their own. Also among the flotilla of ships is Luca, the Balladairan Princess who must prove her worth if she is to ever rule the Empire, but how should she rule? An assassination attempt brings Touraine and Luca together. These two vastly different people will determine the fate of Qazal and the Empire.

Having read a lot of fantasy the structure can often follow a pattern of being a single protagonist, or several. Unbroken differs in that it has two leads, and the time is split just between them. This makes it one of the most character led fantasy books that I have read. Not only do we learn a lot about the motivations of Touraine and Luca, but also the relationship between the two of them. Too often in this genre the various characters are off on their own adventures will little interaction. Here, we learn how each character feels about the other and we see the relationship from both perspectives.

An in-depth relationship within a genre book is always welcome, but the real boon is how Clark uses it to drive the story. Luca is always going to have a significant impact on the people of Quzal, both the locals and those that have migrated from the other areas of the Balladairan Empire, as she is a Princess. It is her meeting with Touraine that changes the course of history. Touraine herself has links to important family members and between the two of them, whether they are in peace or conflict, changes the politics of the city.

Clark paints a very human relationship and highlights character flaws. Some of the decisions that both make lead to unforeseen consequences that will haunt the characters for the rest of the lives. What makes the interaction between Touraine and Luca so intense is their diverse backgrounds. Clark can explore many of our own society’s ills via these two. A company of conscripts who have fought at the front for years and yet still have no power. The reason behind this? Their background and skin colour. The politics of Quzal plays out along race lines. Touraine starts off wanting to improve life for her Company from within, but with the dice loaded against her, is joining the revolution the only choice?

Unbroken is best placed in the Low Fantasy spectrum of the genre as its hides most of its magical elements. Whether true magic exists or not is an important part of the story. There are moments of explosive action, often coming from nowhere as guerrilla tactics are preferred over conventional war. Much of the book is set in one city and with two main characters, this allows a level of character exploration seldom seen in the fantasy genre. The relationship between Touraine and Luca drives events. If you like your characters well developed and relationships fully realised, then this fantasy outing is for you.

Normally I am not at all drawn to military fantasy. However when you see a cover with that amount of fierceness in a character, it certainly wants to make you give a book a chance. And I'm glad I did.

The Unbroken is about colonization, identity and what that all entails. Stolen children, brainwashing, rebellions, treason, trying to find one's footing in a world that has cut away all the land for you to stand on. And I think that is what makes this miltary fantasy stand out from others I've read in the past. It is completely character driven with two characters being the spill of it all.

Touraine is a soldier who was stolen as a child from her homelands and raised in the empire. Now she has to fight against her own. But she doesn't feel like they are her own. She is loyal to the empire as she has been taught to believe. Yet she never quite fits in there either. Always just some dirt under someone's sole. Never a ful person. And when everything is swept from under her feet, she only has her own to look at.

Luca on the other hand is the crown princess to the empre that wants to claim her throne. And she wants to do that by breaking the rebellion and bringing peace to the colonies. But what about an actual conscience and seeing what the actions of you and yours have caused?

There are so many bits and pieces weaved throughout the story that it becomes so much more than a military fantasy. It is an exploration of colonization and who you are in the world. What it is you really stand for. And along the way I fell in love with so many of the side characters. Gil who stands by Luca always, Touraine's mom, the rebel leaders. They all have so much that shaped them who they are.

Having said that, it is a beast of almost 500 pages and I would have liked just a smidge more of action in the middle to really be invested. Now I lost investment here and there. I did get it back, but I needed a little more to make this a 5 star read which it could have been for sure!

Genre: Fantasy
Age group: Adult
Pub. date: March 23rd 2021
Format: Ebook – thanks to Orbit for the ARC, this review reflects my honest thoughts
Pages: 464
Goodreads link
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 who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren’t for sale.

I’ve been putting off this review because I feel like it deserves smart thoughtful analysis, because it’s a smart thoughtful book looking at complicated issues, but I just keep getting stuck on those arms, so:

First, to get this out of the way: Those ARMS!

That cover am I right? Raise your hands if you’re interested in this book because of those arms, I know I was. So I went in not knowing anything about the book other than buff sapphic lady on the cover. And I thought it might be like a fun campy book cause the only comparison I had was Gideon, nope. It is a very different kind of book, and one I personally enjoyed a lot more. There is a good amount of ladies thirsting over those arms, so I was not disappointed.

So what is the book actually like? Thirst aside?

It’s a very thoughtful, detailed look at colonialism, inspired by French colonialism in North Africa. The book is politics-heavy, and the main characters spend a lot of time dealing with how they feel about everything that’s going on. And I really liked how that played out, because neither Touraine nor Luca know really where they stand when the book begins and figuring that out is messy and complicated.

The story is set about a generation after Luca’s dad, leading the Balladairan empire, conquered the Qazāli land. Luca is here trying to prove her worth by quelling the local rebellion. Touraine is a Sand, an army conscript stolen as a child and raised to be a soldier. She hasn’t been back here since she was a child, and now she is torn between her loyalty to the empire and shadows of her past. They both struggle with their place in the empire and this colonial dynamic.

Luca and Touraine had an assigned role and initially, they weren’t really questioning it, and then things kept happening and challenging them. The ways they adapted often involved a lot of fuck-ups and was messy and very human. There were some points where this could’ve been interpreted as idiotball, but I thought everything fit very well to the character’s conflicting motivations and loyalties. I liked their relationship too, they’re clearly drawn to each other, but there’s the whole power difference between them, and often working towards different goals. The world is queernorm, so they don’t get any trouble for both being women, and there are many sapphic couples in the story.

Touraine’s the star of the show, and I was with her all way, even when her choices were strange. But Luca is also very interesting because she starts off nice, and wanting to help and reform, but the more she came to terms with her motivations, the less I liked her.

As a side note, I really liked how much history was woven into the story, and how it tied in with the magic and lack thereof. Past conflicts still have real consequences in the present. I really liked the bits about the empire that fell before the Badelarian empire expanded, and I’d love to read more about that. What we do learn of the magic is very mysterious, and I’m into that.

I’m not sure if this is a problem of the book, or a feature of dealing with heavy complicated subjects and feelings, but it was a pretty slow read. Things are harsh often it seems like whatever the characters chose people would suffer. So I was in this odd place where I liked it whenever I read it, and thought the way it showed colonialism from different perspectives and everyone having their own goals and reasons was very smart, but I didn’t find myself picking it up that easily.

All in all I strongly recommend this and I think it’s going to be among my favorites of the year, it’s really stuck with me, with the caveat that it’s not a light easy read.

Recommended for: fans of historical fantasy with colonialist focus and buff women

There was something absolutely exceptional about this - very different - fantasy book. I'm going to try and capture it as best as I can. It certainly had weaknesses, and it's meant to be a hard read, but this is fantasy rooted in historical realism at its finest.

First off, I was completely bowled over by the main character and her experiences. Why haven't I read a fantasy book from the perspective of a character like Touraine before? For the first two hundred pages, I was gushing to anyone who would listen about her.

Taken from her home, a new colony of the Balladaire Empire, at a young age and conscripted into the army, Balladaire is the only home Touraine has ever known. It has punished her, cared for her, given her purpose and, when she returns to Shalan, the country/colony that she was taken from with her colonial battalion (known dismissively as "The Sands") she is faced with a choice - remain loyal to the Empire that has both destroyed and given her life, or return to a place where she can't speak the language or speak the culture.

That's an incredibly powerful issue in itself (and one that, for all the Empires that are thrown around in fantasy literature, is never really dealt with - to my knowledge - and you can really tell the author's own understanding and impressively nuanced writing on the topic). Yes we meet down-trodden people who then spark a rebellion in fantasy literature, but that's not what Touraine is doing. She has lived on the edge of two worlds all of her life and is welcome in neither, so her true loyalty lies with her adopted family - the conscripts and colonial troops who have bled and died next to her.

When Touraine is framed for the murder of a full citizen from Balladaire, she meets the Princess Luca, who is waiting to regain her thrown from the hands of her regent uncle and sent to govern over the Qazali. Luca sees an opportunity - a "native" who can infiltrate and negotiate with the rebels who threaten the Empire's hold on this colony on her behalf.

Add to that, rumours that there is a magic native to this region, one that can heal and potentially remove the greatest threat to the Empire; plague.

This bubbling pot of fear, and rebellion and loyalty and belonging is told so, SO well. From the conscripts themselves, some of the Sands are desperate to return home, to reunite with families and to join the local rebellion. Others have no intention of ruining their best chances for survival. Others just want to get by and do the best they can. Touraine falls into this last category, but finds her point of view shifting throughout the story as she finds that she can create a place for herself in this world.

The setting is also this stunning North African-inspired city-river-desert arrangement. And a lost, abandoned city just across the river that cannot be entered. I for one love solid descriptions of streets and layouts and architecture - it appeals to the archaeologist and art historian in me, although I know that won't be to everyone's tastes.

The author also describes this as a queernorm world. And it's perfect - there's no discussion or issue about people taking lovers, partners or being married. And many characters seem to have very fluid sexual preferences without it becoming A Thing - this is normal for this world and it is beautiful to read this done well. Add to that, this is an incredibly female-heavy cast. All genders wear practical trousers and women hold positions within the army without discussion or complaint - thank goodness.

This all being said, there will always be some issues with a plot that is trying to do SO MUCH.

First: Touraine is used like a pawn. She is given the impression that she has agency, and knows that she doesn't because, for everything that is given, it can just as easily be taken away. As such, Luca is sending her (the potentially least qualified person) to negotiate with the rebels but Touraine is not quite representing anyone's interests fully, not even her own. This leads to a heck-tonne of betrayals. So many betrayals. Betrayals everywhere. To the point where people really need to stop trusting this woman and turning to her for leadership. No matter how handsome and well-muscled she is, please don't trust her - she doesn't know her own mind yet.

I know that a huge part of that is Touraine finding her own agency for the first time, and working out where her loyalties lie and what her cause is. But seriously, stop letting her into your meetings and your homes.

Second: this is a chonky book but it felt like so much still went unsaid, particularly between Luca and Touraine. This is a romance I wanted to enjoy (but at the same time I am so glad that it was absent because there are some quite big issues with a colonial romance when one person is in an extreme position of power). But not just that so much was left unsaid between the two main characters, but it also felt as though a lot was being withheld from the reader. I wasn't entirely clear about Touraine or Luca's motivations partway through the book as they seemed to get lost in the wider story.

Third: the magic. In some ways, you could completely loose the magic from this entire book and it wouldn't take away from the story itself, and the characters would probably behave in entirely the same way. The magic isn't yet explained well (although I could pick up some things that I presume are setting this up for the next in the series). Just like Luca and Touraine's relationship, I'm sure that more is coming...

Fourth: There are a lot of characters and I wasn't convinced that Touraine that was keeping track of them all. Despite some proper tragic things happening, for reason number 2, this didn't seem to weigh on her mind as much as I'd expect.

However, this book reads like an incredible undertaking. It is sensitively, brutally told, featuring a beautifully detailed world, and I was completely bowled over by it.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

The Unbroken
C.L Clark

When I found Net galley was a thing, I did the thing that I expect most bloggers do; I requested a bunch of books, my thought process being “I’m a brand-new blogger with a 0% feedback rating, I’m barely going to get approval”. Instead, what happened is I got approved for eleven in 3 days and now I’m metaphorically drowning in a TBR list that I keep adding to with physical books because Broken Binding is a store that everyday assaults me from their twitter page, feeding my addiction. So that’s how my March is going.
My first big ARC review, how exciting. Thankyou to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the copy of “The Unbroken” in return for an honest review.
“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 who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren't for sale.”
I’m just going to say straight off the mark, that this was a fantastic book. The Unbroken has been on my radar for a while and I was super hyped to get approval for this. C.L Clark wasn’t an author I was familiar with and after reading this I was massively impressed with the amount of dedication she’s put into this book and the incredible amount of research really shines through, giving this book a real weight behind it.
2021 is really turning out to be an interesting year for books with release line-ups looking incredible all year round, but not only do these books look and sound remarkable, we have a year that in my opinion has some true diversity in the books that are being discussed. We aren’t getting piles of similar books all written by older white men about loosely based westernised fantasy, instead we have books like Shelley Parker-Chan’s ‘She Who Became the Sun’, Suyi Davies Okungbowa’s ‘Son of the Storm’ (I was just approved for the ARC for this and that’s super exciting), Tasha Suri’s ‘The Jasmine Throne’ and C.L Clarks ‘The Unbroken’. I’m not someone that focuses on who the author of the book is, but instead the merits of the writing itself. It is undeniable that POC need a stronger representation in the publishing world and I’m glad that’s something that’s finally happening, because of this incredible diversity finally pouring through we are getting some breath-taking worlds, and some beautiful stories coming to the forefront of the genre and I couldn’t be happier about that
The Unbroken seems to be inspired by the French occupation of Algeria and Morocco in the 1800s, the Quaz-li and the desert tribes being based on north African countries and cultures. As well as the Balladairans mirroring the efforts of the French to pacify its people through fear and subjugation, attempting to eradicate their religion and kill off their culture. This story really focuses on the appalling racism and effects of colonization of a people, something that feels way too prevalent and is still seen too often today. Not only in our own western countries but places like China with the genocide of the Uighur people. But the world Clark has crafted isn’t all grimdark, we do get a wonderful queernorm setting, we have a story filled with LQBTQ characters and relationships that are so open and natural instead of the classic light suggestions or whispered words behind closed doors, plus a world with a lot less misogyny. It was fantastic to read a story with so many strong female characters in positions of power, something that would never have been done in our world, The Unbroken’s people definitely seem to be doing better than us at quite a few things.
This book is described as a military fantasy, but not in the way I normally would expect. When I think of the term, I think of something more along the lines of the Power Mage Trilogy or Joe Abercrombie’s ‘The Heroes’. That’s probably my own misunderstanding of the genre but instead of an action-packed story, The Unbroken was much more about the politics and people, and weirdly enough the lack of action really didn’t affect me much. Clark excelled with her story telling and character development so much that this book was entertaining the entire way through.
Clark’s book focuses on Touraine and Luca, two characters from vastly different walks of life. Touraine, kidnapped as a child and indoctrinated to fight and honour the Empire of Balladaire, ripping away her culture and people. Luca, the Princess of said Empire, struggling to take control of her birth right from her Uncle. Clark’s character writing for me really was the shining light of this book, Touraine, and Luca both frustrating me to the point that I wanted to shout at the pages multiple times. I was angry at the decisions these two characters made, angry at the story for the way it was going, and at times caught myself being frustrated by the direction of the author. But honestly, this was all my own fault, it took me a while, but I realised that these choices I was frustrated at, the ones I believed shouldn’t have happened were actual realistic human decisions. They messed up in big ways but always while trying to do what they thought best at the time. They did these things because Clark wrote genuine human characters and had them act like the imperfect beings that humans are instead of the heroes that we are used to in Fantasy. These choices being the product of their upbrings and experiences they had faced in life to this point, and it took me a while to see that. Clark really did an excellent job of intertwining these two characters in a wonderfully written relationship, again showing their imperfections hundred times over, a friendship blossoming even under the constraints of their stations and the issues each faced trying to do the right thing for their people. I loved watching the dance play out between the two of them because without their meeting they would never have become the people that they needed to be.
On top of these two we have an excellent support cast joining them, Djasha, Aranen and Jaghotai being exceptionally well written, all with very vivid and intricate personalities that added a ton to the story. I would really liked to have read parts of the story from their POVs, which is such a rarity for me, normally wanting to cut down on POVs so I’m not being deviated away from the characters I love the most, instead I found myself wanting to see more. Also, a special shoutout to Captain Rogan and the Comte de Beau-Sang for being a truly disgusting human. I spent the entire book wanting to punch them in their stupid little faces, which is intended as a compliment to Clark’s writing, I haven’t disliked two fictional characters this much since maybe Joffrey in GOT…
“Beau-Sangs smile widened. “I also see you’ve taken my advice. They’re a fine investment, aren’t they?” He nodded behind her. This time, Luca allowed herself to look. Those think dark brows. The cold glare into the middle distance. That square, clenched jaw.
“That’s one of Cantic’s, is that right? The Lieutenant.” As if Touraine were a prize hound she’d purchased to race against his Richard.”
I need to say quickly as well how I really loved the prevalence of religion in the story as well, the idea of strength of faith or belief literally manifesting physical objects or magic has been explored a few times and I always love when it does. The complexities of magic in the story becoming more and more vivid as the book goes on, and really making you understand the need for the Balladairans need to pacify the Quaz-li people for more than just control, they are trying to eliminate the power of these peoples. I can’t wait to see how this continues to unfold in further books.
I loved the ending that we were given, and I will continue to make this point but I’m a big lover of wrapping up a story instead of a massive painful cliff-hanger, so a big thank you to Clark for that. But even without some massive book one cliff-hanger Clark left The Unbroken in a spot where this story can go so many ways and I can’t really guess anything, but I swear to god they better go visit that big library or I’m going to be angry. I’m so excited for the prospect of what can happen next in The Magic of the Lost #2.
An excellent book by and excellent writer.

I feel like the fact that the author calls the book "Touraine's Arms" should honestly be enough reason for everyone to at least give this a shot, but I'll try to put my thoughts into words just in case you need something more.

(But like, look at the cover and then seriously tell me that's not enough)

The Unbroken is an African-inspired fantasy dealing with colonialism, occupation, and what it means to belong to a country. The way these themes are explored is fantastic, especially because we get to see it from 2 POVs: Touraine, who is originally from Qaza-l but was taken by Balladaire to be trained as a Balladairan soldier, enslaved to the crown, and Luca, the Balladairan princess, who is trying to prove that she is now fit to rule instead of her uncle by quashing the rebellion that has risen in Qaza-l.

Touraine is part of a special group of soldiers, often called the Sands as a way to indicate how far beneath actual Balladairan citizens they are. The book doesn't go into explicit detail about how these children were trained, but we do learn about two methods, both of which involve violent discipline. There are multiple mentions of severe punishments placed on all of the Sands when one of them crosses a line, and it's therefore no surprise that Touraine's loyalty is entirely with her soldiers. After all, they are the ones who always have her back, and vice versa. But Touraine is optimistic--she believes that if she does as she's told and listens to her superiors, she may prove that the Sands are more than slave soldiers. She looks up to General Cantic despite her methods in training them and dreams of being more like her. It's very reminiscent of Stockholm syndrome, but that's also what makes Touraine such a fascinating character to follow. Unlike some of her fellow Sands, she feels no connection to Qaza-l, not even when she finds out that she still has family there. She thinks of Balladaire as home even though they consider her a slave. But it's where she grew up, and she has fond memories of it where she doesn't remember Qaza-l at all. Her loyalty remains with her oppressors and she tries to convince the rest of the Sands to follow her example.

Through Luca we get to see the other side, the one that finds Qaza-l and its reliance on religion and magic as uncivilized because it is different from them. This, again, is something that rings very true. Luca tries to treat Qaza-l with respect, but even she is motivated by what she thinks she can personally gain from them, rather than what is just. The Qaza-li are a means to an end (learning magic), and while she is happy to give them more rights and what she calls "justice", it rings false when she is the occupying party and has no business being there in the first place.

Their backgrounds go a long way towards explaining why Touraine and Luca act the way they do, but I did think they both made some very questionable (actually, pretty dumb) decisions that I couldn't entirely convince myself were because of the backstories. For a clever politician, Luca made some damn strange moves that smack of immaturity, and Touraine's misplaced trust in certain people felt like it kept going even after her interactions with the Qaza-li rebels were starting to change her perceptions of Balladaire and her own role in the conflict. In some instances I felt as if they made these decisions just so certain beats could be hit in the story, and not necessarily because they were logical for the characters.

That said though, the story was definitely gripping. I also really loved the world and the blend of religion and magic. Not much of it gets explained in this book, but I have a feeling it will be more prominent in the second one.

There is a romantic element as well, but it's not the focus and I wasn't really rooting for the characters to get together. I think this largely has to do with the power dynamics, but I can see myself warming up to the idea of Touraine and Luca as a couple in future books.

This is really hard to rate, looking at the description I thought I was going to love it unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

What I liked:

The rep - we have a black lesbian main character, a bi physically disabled main character, black and LGBTQ+ side characters. There was also a mostly female cast as well which is refreshing in a (adult?) political/military focused fantasy novel.

I found the inner struggle Touraine had between the loyalty she had to the culture she grew up in and thought she belonged and the one she was taken from compelling. How she slowly realised where and with who she belonged is shown throughout and I found it was very well done. The effect of colonisation is a big focus of the story. I found it interesting that the civilisation narrative is told with the "civilised" colonising culture as being non religious while the "uncivilised" culture is religious. Normally it's the religious culture using that religion as a reason/excuse for their colonisation.

The author wasn't afraid to show the cost to people's lives and the harsh realities of colonisation and rebellion. I'm very interested to see the fall out in the next book and how the characters will handle it.

What happened to Rogan, I cheered.


What I didn't like:


I found the main romance undeveloped, in the beginning I had hopes but then their interactions just seemed to lack the passion and deeper connection that I was hoping for. I was more invested in the romance between two of the side characters and we spent less time with them. The sheer power imbalance between them also soured it for me.

The plot was very slow for first 50% or so of the book, it starts moving quicker after that but unfortunately I failed to connect with the characters so I found it hard to get truly invested. There are politics but I found they were not quite as intricate as I'd hoped for and the was more physical fights than figurative backstabbing which was disappointing to me. I found it frustrating that Luca wasn't able to politically maneuver better, she just seemed to make one mistake after the other.

The magic was pretty vague, I didn't understand it much at all and it wasn't that focused on considering it was the main thing that Luca was looking for when trying to negotiate with the rebel group.

Overall while I found this a bit disappointing but I can also see why a lot of people have really enjoyed it. I will probably give the next book a go though since I'm interested to see what happens next.

I am disappointed because I was so excited for this book but when actually reading it, it just,,, wasn't what I wanted. The relation between Touraine and Luca, while really slow, always made me feel a little uneasy with this unbalance of power. I also didn't connect to any of these characters which is quite sad. Some of them changed allegiances just like that and I didn't understand their motivations, there wasn't any logic in some of this. The world building is interesting, though, even if the magic system was not greatly explained. This will probably come into book 2 but for now it is just a vague idea.
Basically this was about: colonialism, making terrible decisions, rebels and fighting, complex mother-daughter relationship, politics, and also Touraine's very strong arms.

This arc was provided by Orbit, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

TW: depictions of colonial violence, gore, past attempted rape, threats of rape, threats of torture, and racism

The Unbroken is a North-African inspired military fantasy novel that follows Touraine, who was snatched from the streets of her home at a young age and taken away to become a soldier for the Balladaire Empire, responsible for her abduction.

As rebellion brews in Qazāli, one of the empire's colonies and Touraine's home country, her brigade among others are sent to Qazāl to quell it. And they are accompanying Balladaire's heir, Luca whose only goal is to end the rebellion and prove to her uncle that she deserves to rule the empire.

We see Touraine's struggles to keep her soldiers safe and get them the same benefits as other brigades, as well as struggles to fit into a group that completely despises her, with the racism towards them. Her brigade is called the Sands, as they were born from the colonized countries and taken from them. And the Sands are always the sacrificed ones in the army.

We also see Luca's struggles with being a leader and proving her worth. She wants to improve Qazāl's conditions through the theories she has been studying, thinking it's the answer to appease the rebellion.

It's a complex narrative in terms of storytelling, character development, and political intrigue. I was always at the edge of my seat as the story progressed and things kept happening. There is so much depth to Touraine's conflicting feelings between her soldiers and her country, as well as Luca.

I can see The Unbroken become a must-read and I highly urge you to read it. Clark's writing is masterful and I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel (and any other works).

This is an epic military fantasy that explores colonialism in a impactful way. It is covered in every story arc of the book. While based in a fantasy world with its own magics and histories, it is clear that it is based around the French Empire within Africa. Taurine our forcibly conscripted soldier must overthrow the imperial thinking that was imposed on her as a child and readdress who how she identifies herself, the people she was forced to leave behind and those that she served with, changing her own actions, thoughts and feelings. The lost magic system addresses the cultural suppression and destabilisation imposed by colonization, the various magics being tied to the religious and cultural practices oppressed by the empire. Are just two of multiple examples of how this book explore these themes.

This book is jam packed with strong, beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, with disability rep, chronic pain rep, gay, bi, pan and non-binary rep. The characters are flawed and some are unlikeable and they are allowed to be. They are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, make mistakes and pay for them, be unashamedly human. This is mostly down to the writing, particularly the dialogue. The conversations feel natural. There is no instant love or hate, every relationship we encounter has layers and emotions attached to it. There is hurt and pain, suffering and anger but also love, compassion and understanding woven into every plotline and subplot that just makes this complex and beautiful.

The pace is slower that most, even within the action scenes, but for me it was far from boring. It allowed the reader to see the political machinations, watch the moves across the board, it had great build up into when things went right or went horribly wrong. For me it pulled you into the characters and there thoughts and feelings more. I found I had great empathy for both the main characters are they wrestled with the world around them, there own decisions, addressing their own faults and learning from what they experienced. It is an extremely character driven story.

My only gripe is the romance, while it is angst filled and plays out beautifully on the page it is a problematic relationship to say the least and that is not addressed sufficiently. It is between a coloniser and their subjugate. There is a complete imbalance of power and even when written beautifully it is still disappointing that that imbalance is not addressed. there are healthy and loving relationships within the side characters stories but no mirror is held up to the main relationship.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I think it is really deserving of praise. The worldbuilding is fantastic, the characters nuanced and an impactful plot filled with twisting and turning political machinations.

Thank you to Nazia, Orbit Books, for providing me an ARC to review this book. All opinions are just that, my opinion.

This review contains minor spoilers so you read at your own risk.

This is a gut-wrenching debut full of stories long forgotten. That have been buried under the sands. You will witness stories of betrayal, characters being forced to do actions they don’t like, characters that have a strong sense of loyalty to their families. That dear reader, is what this story tells you. A wonderful yet tragic tale at the same time. It is a story that exposes the brutality of colonialism and oppression bringing the harsh reality of life under colonial rule in over five hundred pages is not only just a glimpse, just a viewpoint. No. It is an achievement. I am so impressed with the way this novel has been written. It takes a lot of time, though, and process to not only understand what was the motives behind colonialism but to also illustrate this with magic, gods and so many cultural influences from the Berbers to the Algerians, to Arabian style tribes and I could hint a detection of Ancient Egyptian influences. This is a novel in 2021 that has to be read. I am telling you, the amount of betrayal and trickery one has to go through to read this novel, to witness the characters Touraine and Luca embark on a journey of self-discovery, hurt, and pain to finally realize that all of this conflict, is in the end for nothing.

I studied French Colonial History and I especially studied Algeria during that time. So from one student of this subject to another, I applaud you, C.L Clark. You’ve done your work. You’ve done your research. You’ve shown the rich culture that North Africa has had on the European World which has been often ignored. Carthage had a massive influence when it ruled Spain and North Africa until it came to war with the Roman Republic. Then came the Numidians who had helped the Romans against Hannibal, only to find that their payment for their loyalty was their destruction. Then came the Roman rule of North Africa for centuries until the break up of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires and the arrival of Islam into North Africa, which then included the Maghreb and which the Ottoman Admiral, Piri Res would establish his mark over there, and then, of course, the Barbary Pirates, the Ottoman Empire’s influence. This amount of history in itself is to draw attention to the fact that I could draw many comparisons too. But North Africa is a perfect setting for fantasy and I am so glad C.L Clark chose French North Africa as a subject on to base her fantasy. (Plus she’s studied the subject so kudos. Well done). French Colonial Rule is a conundrum in and by itself in many aspects. On the one hand, they did for some time agreed to listen to their colonial subjects, but then took those concerns away, and established the main axis of power within the French settlers that were outnumbered by their Algerian/Vietnamese native populations. The Balladarians are pretty much like that, in many senses. They take all the best positions, shops, merchants you name it. The Qazali don’t get much for it in return. It’s a pretty raw deal if you ask me.

Do you want to see how this all works? Let me summarise it in a way that will keep track of the world events to not spoil the whole story. Touraine was a child that lived in the Shalan Empire. The Balladarian Empire comes in and conquers it. Now Touraine arrives back into her native lands, as a part of a regiment called the Sands. The Sands, however, are just cannon fodder. They’re just there to be sent into battle with no consideration. They are educated in the Balladarian way yes, they may talk and speak like Balladarians, but they are not true Balladarians. The Balladarians don’t see them that way. Especially General Cantic. And boy, is she the most difficult character in this book. A woman that is suited for power, I don’t think she even needed to be in this land. She needed to be back in Balladaria securing power for herself. That is what I felt. She is supremely one of the most brilliant grey characters you will come across in this book. Difficult to deal with. But then again, she’s leading one of the most dizzying experiences. She has to deal with riots, rebellions, and deal with the usurpation of power. But she’s exactly the type of general that if I were an Emperor, I would not want her to be my enemy. She is, of course, having tendencies of disloyalty. And too much loyalty can be bad sometimes now, can’t it?

The Balladarians, considering themselves so civilized and think that their architecture is so superior compared to the ‘mud-brick’ architecture that the people of Qazali prefer, that they export marble architecture into the lands of the Qazali. I wonder then, how popular it is. It won’t be. Revolts are brewing in the Shalan Empire’s former colonies. The Balladarians, being as arrogant as ever, refuse to see that their brutal rule is causing the Qazali to form rebellions, striking at their resources, using animals, they are wanting the Balladarians out. Now that’s not a secret in and by itself, the blurb itself tells you that. The Balladarians are in my opinion, the barrier to progress. They are in effect, just like the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. How? Well when Ptolemy and the Greeks settled in Alexandria and established their new Kingdom, they saw Ancient Egyptians as inferior. They had segregated streets from the Ancient Egyptians, and the Ancient Egyptians lamented, calling upon the fact that they had four thousand years of history. Yet that was all being ignored. I have no doubt the Qazali are feeling the same. And they may call friends from certain places….(One which you’ll be able to figure out!)

Bear in mind, this is a slow-paced military fantasy novel. Once it gets going, its pace is well structured. However, there were some scenes that I felt could have been cut out as it was dragging the story arc sometimes a little too off-tangent. Some scenes could have been shortened when it came to some military battles and more emphasis should have been on twists in my opinion. There are many elements of the novel where you’ll have this fantastic battle scene, or finding out what’s behind XYZ, but then it’ll have other scenes that sometimes could have been used in other areas. Mostly the pacing is fine, but I felt some scenes could have been shortened a bit. There’s a lot of mythology regarding the Qazali and their neighbours. But I felt all of that amazing mythology that is reiterated during this novel could easily be a standalone novel. Easily. There’s so much tantalizing mythology that I would read a standalone novel. That’s where this minor criticism is coming from.

Rogan reminds me of the brutal officers that were sent to the colonies. I remember reading a part in a historical academic book that discussed French colonial rule in Algeria. At one point the story goes that the French had to deal with rebellions. One particular rebellious group ran into the mountains. The Captain ordered the troops to burn the rebels, all of them including families inside a cave. That is how history is sometimes. The Ancient Romans for that matter would have been destroying rebels in North Africa plenty of times, including the Numidians. But I do not see why Rogan would not do the same to the Qazali rebels. He is a dangerous man. Rogan however, needed more emphasis. I wonder what role he will play coming in the sequel.

Touraine is eager to show her loyalty to the Balladarian Empire. That much is evident and is the core focus of Luca’s and Touraine’s chemistry together. However, I compare Touraine’s plight to the other soldiers of the Sands regiment. They are like the Senegalese troops of WWII that were conscripted by France to fight in WWII. They fought with distinction and were in the thick of the fighting during the Battle of France against Germany. However, after the war, they were promised full citizenship and equal rights. Something which took a long time for the French Government to even acknowledge. The concept of citizenship will come up somewhere in this novel. You’ll soon see why. Luca is also acquiring her form of power, her motive to prove that she is worthy to inherit the throne of Balladaria. But of course, gaining power in an empire where a den of snakes infests the political landscape is like a lizard trying to escape that den of snakes before it gets swallowed. Luca is that lizard. She will have to comprehend with more than just people, she’ll have to comprehend with forces beyond her imagination that will test the romantic chemistry of Luca and Touraine’s relationship.

Touraine is eager to show her loyalty to the Balladarian Empire. That much is evident and is the core focus of Luca’s and Touraine’s chemistry together. However, I compare Touraine’s plight to the other soldiers of the Sands regiment. They are like the Senegalese troops of WWII that were conscripted by France to fight in WWII. They fought with distinction and were in the thick of the fighting during the Battle of France against Germany. However, after the war, they were promised full citizenship and equal rights. Something which took a long time for the French Government to even acknowledge. The concept of citizenship will come up somewhere in this novel. You’ll soon see why. Luca is also acquiring her form of power, her motive to prove that she is worthy to inherit the throne of Balladaria. But of course, gaining power in an empire where a den of snakes infests the political landscape is like a lizard trying to escape that den of snakes before it gets swallowed. Luca is that lizard. She will have to comprehend with more than just people, she’ll have to comprehend with forces beyond her imagination that will test the romantic chemistry of Luca and Touraine’s relationship.

Touraine and Luca’s chemistry are a slow burn but probably for deliberate reasons – to introduce the world that is there. The politics and situation that the story puts on both characters make the romance more realistic, but at the same time, it does show signs of some under-development that could have been improved in pacing areas for that time. But the politics of power proves a mighty strain on both of them, on the personality of their character, and it eventually stems down to this: Touraine and Luca are good people. They want to do good. But the way Colonialism works doesn’t allow good people into its system. Because colonialism was built on the exploitation of other people, and then when good people do come, the system chews it up. Does this refer to all elements of colonialism to be equally worse than the other? Not exactly. Some parts of colonialism did benefit the local natives that betrayed themselves to the foreign powers. Some parts of colonialism had people benefiting from advanced technology. Remember I’m putting a very vague bracket here. I have an Indian background, so of course, I could go and talk about the impact of British rule in India. But that’s not the point. The point is that this novel is showing what colonialism forces people to become: something entirely else.

We could refer to the Ancient World for that matter. What about Parthian Princes that were sent by the Parthian Kings as a sort of exchange to Rome. They were Roman educated and had been brought up in Roman Culture. Then I ask you this. Did they not feel conflicted when it came to proving their loyalty to Rome or Parthia? Did they not go through the same questions that Touraine is forced to go through? This has been happening all the time throughout human history. During the Sengoku Jidai, which was Japan’s massive and brutal civil war in which medieval warlords known as Daimyos would exchange their sons as hostages to each other’s clan. Same thing. Or let’s look at Bernadotte. Marshal Bernadotte is a famous figure in French history. He was the man that Napoleon valued as a General, but often was insubordinate and refused to follow orders.

At one point he was offered the crown of Sweden which has led to the established dynasty of Sweden that is ongoing till today. Moving back to the point, when Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 to punish Russia and achieve a decisive victory (he was taking the biggest gamble that cost him his empire because of his campaign), Bernadotte made Sweden successful, to say the least. He didn’t like Napoleon’s Continental system, and he had good relations with the Russian Tsar Alexander, during the invasion. Long story short: Bernadotte betrayed Napoleon after the 1812 campaign joining in the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon. Bernadotte taught the allies how to defeat Napoleon. This is just an instance of many outcomes of history where betraying the other side changes the entire outcome of events. It is hard, it is personal, and it is not a pleasant experience to go with when betrayal happens. Many of these historical parallels I’ve just made now relate in some form of manner of the events that will happen within this book. Not a direct comparison, but inspired.

So when you read this book, keep these events in mind. There are many good characters: The evil but cunning Beau-Sang who is a horrible man. The bully of a bully, Captain Rogan who I think needed more character development. Touraine’s mother, Jaghotai whom I didn’t like at all and didn’t agree with her reasoning over her daughter. Djasha and Jaghotai’s wife, were really good characters. The bookseller was awesome. This world is alive. I’ll tell you that. You’ll have Qazali people dancing, drummers drumming the drums, music being played, bread and olives being eaten. A clear distinction is shown between the people of the Qazali and the Balladarians and their neighbors. You’ll figure out which is which, what is what, and how and why everything happens.

Just know that I’m on the side of Touraine, and that I felt Luca’s manipulative chances of forming chemistry with Touraine, to use her as a weapon, as a bridge between Balladarian and Qazali leads to some very interesting outcomes. The writing is so well researched that I feel I’m in a different world many times. I feel as if I’m in the lands of Qazali. There are breath-taking descriptions of Grand Temples, of musket warfare. I think I might have missed a cannon here or there. Every Empire demands a revolution yes? Well, this novel calls for an entire evolution of the outdated concepts that the Balladarians carry about the Qazali, and it demands an entire revolution for the Qazali to remove these Balladarians. Then, of course, not one side is evil nor is bad. That’s what the novel will make you think. The narrator is a very clever character by itself. It makes you feel for each character, it convinces you that one side is right. But I said. Hold on. Not everybody is perfect. Human makes mistakes. We all do. Colonialism is a study of the past. Human history is dark.

But sometimes, we can see the bright spots. Sometimes, hope does come. Anyway, all my historical thoughts are just that, an opinion. Nothing more. I don’t claim to be historically accurate in my review. I’m just drawing parallels to certain moments of history that I’ve read and compared this novel to. This is very much like a Desolation of Peace. In very many senses it is. Also, it is a fantastic novel. Amazing and well-researched writing and the world is alive. I already want a Netflix adaptation of this book. You’ve done an amazing job. C.L. Clark. Fantastic work. The fact you’ve managed to get this student of history to draw so many historical parallels are amazing. But the major fact is, you’ve given me a new fantasy world that isn’t medieval Europe and while I do enjoy reading it, this feels like a fresh, new unique world. I can’t wait to read book 2!

It’s a 10/10 from me.

Please NOTE:

I have submitted my Amazon and Waterstones review I am awaiting for their approval.

I really love it when an author turns a genre inside out.

C L Clark's The Unbroken does just that, using military fantasy to critique Empire through an unblinking lens of post-colonialism.

And it's glorious to read.

The book starts as it continues, with action. Touraine, Lieutenant in the Colonial Brigade of Balladaire, is coming home, for the first time in twenty years. But it's not a happy homecoming. Seized as a child when Balladaire invaded and defeated her homeland, she's been raised to serve in their army, albeit in the despised Brigade. The "Sands" get rags for uniforms, old weapons and they aren't even issued firearms until battle looms. Nevertheless, it's given Touraine a home, a family of sorts, and a purpose.

Now the Brigade is coming home, though, she will have to confront where her loyalties really lie - caught between the soi-disant "civilised" Balladarians, who look down on her and her comrades, and the Qazāli locals, who... hate and look down on her and comrades, seeing them as traitors.

The situation in Qazāl is tense, with rebellion brewing, and on the ship together with Touraine and her mates is Luca, heir to the Empire. Luca has come to make a name for herself, so that her uncle will give up the throne on which he's sitting as "Regent". Disabled and scholarly, Luca sees herself as having something to prove: for her, Qazāl is at best an arena, a place to show off what she can achieve.

The lives of the two women are entwined in this bustling, visceral and truly epic fantasy.

The Unbroken has, as I said, a strong start, and there's plenty of action right through. It's a milieu that suits Touraine, less so Luca, but they're not destined to have either a steady or an easy time. There are plots, both from the rebels and among the Balladarian elite; Touraine begins to think she sees echoes of her own past in the faces around her; Luca has designs on ancient magic which she believes will establish her claim to the Empire and always, always there is tension in the air, there is the rotten stink of oppression and appropriation. Ballardaire (its culture is portrayed as vaguely French) is a cruel master to its conquered peoples, and the Qazāli, heirs to a shattered but proud culture, really suffer here.

Yet the book doesn't generally draw bright lines of morality. There are a couple of characters who are painted as out-and-out villains (Touraine's Nemesis, Captain Rogan, for example, or the Comte de Beau-Sang whose favourite recreation is removing fingers from servants he wishes to punish. But they are rather the exception. In contrast, Clark creates, for example, in Luca a splendidly complex personality. Luca is a woman of contradictions. For her Qazāl is a tool, a means to an end, and at times she seems indifferent to what happens to it so long as it serves her purpose. The fact that purpose is more about her own role in the world and less about the idea of "Empire" may seem to distinguish her from Beau-Sang and his ilk with their exploitative enterprises, but does it, really?

Luca seems capable of being moved to compassion and she tries to improve conditions, opening channels to the rebels (it all ends in tears). She might even, she hints, be willing to give up the colony - if she can get her throne. This obsession leads her into ever darker and more baroque schemes, schemes in which Touraine, already confused and rootless, becomes completely enmeshed. And then a personal element arises between the two women - in a culture that is totally comfortable with same-sex and bisexuality - despite the differences in rank (in case it wasn't clear above, Touraine, as a conscript, is something close to a slave).

There are just SO MANY CONTRADICTIONS in this book. Or do I mean COMPLICATIONS? Luca is reticent to take things too far, spotting, correctly, how little say (none) Touraine has in what might happen. It is VERY will-they, won't-they at times - then something will happen that blows everything up, the pieces falling where they will. Touraine, an experienced and capable officer but in many ways vulnerable, is torn in different directions by competing loyalties, by desire, by her family's past. It's the kind of book where you want to whisper, no shout, advice at the characters. Luca is just - well, on one level she thinks a lot of herself, at another she's a little girl missing her parents (they both died in a plague).

Both women make some terrible mistakes, which, in the way of things, others generally suffer for. It's an unforgiving situation, with other figures - the rebels, ramrod straight General Cantic, the colonial gentry, various shady factions of priests and fanatics - watching from the shadows, always ready to pounce.

It is, basically, a glorious, many layered and chewy book where nobody is really right, or not for long, the next death is always close and the stakes get higher and higher. It has one of the most nail-biting climaxes I've seen in any genre for a long time. And, while "Book One" suggests sequels, there is also a rare sense of completion and accomplishment to the end of The Unbroken, rather than an abrupt stop where the story was sliced off for the another book.

This is definitely one not to miss.

(With thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit Books, C.L. Clark and Netgalley for the eARC)

This was a very intense read!

Political/military epic fantasy, North African inspired, sapphic, women-centric - women in this book are leaders, whether it's within the military, the rebellion, or the country.

This was a tense, taught novel with a lot of different threads at play, some deep themes - loyalty and trust vs betrayal, family vs found family, freedom and captivity. One thing I appreciated was that these characters make very real - realistic - choices, in trying to gain freedoms, or control, they often make wrong choices, and betray each other, which makes it a much more interesting read but also keeps you asking 'why?' Why is this character making that choice?

There was also some subtle misdirection throughout which I found clever and kept you on your toes.

I was also relieved that, even though there are further books in the series coming, this book concludes rather satisfyingly in its own right. It would have been very disappointing to read 500+ pages only to have lots of loose threads and cliffhangers, as too often happens in series.

This is not my usual cup of tea, I have to admit, I do find it hard to follow political and military tactics, but this drew me in and kept me interested with great, rounded characters, and despite the novel's length, and the depth it goes into, it never feels like overkill in terms of information overload.

trigger warning
<spoiler> mention of sexual assault, kidnapping, being drugged, racism, torture, ableism, trauma, grief </spoiler>

A group of soldiers who had been kidnapped as children are now back in their home country. Most of them remember nothing, and are torn between wanting to know more and loyalty to their masters who educated, fed and clothed them.
They accompany the princess, who is here to break down a rebellion.

I was promised magic, lesbians and people who struggle with racism and trauma.
I got all of these.

You don't know where the plot will carry you, because this is the weird mix of characterdriven while inside a clear cut plot: They're fighting rebels, and the princess wants to prove herself so she'll be - finally - crowned queen and can dump her ursurping uncle.
Touraine, our protagonist, wants to prove she's loyal, and she has feelings for the princess.
But the whole city is a bomb with a fuse nobody knows the length of.

I liked the diversity of characters, both of racial background and their chosen paths.
The invading force feels a lot like France, their names sound French, they are European-pale (yes, I know not all French people are pale like me, I hope you get what I mean) while the occupied region looks a lot like Egypt. Arabian People, dark skinned people, there's this huge desert that has been untouched because the occupiers assume there is nothing. There is a mysterious religion that possibly involves magic.
Oh, and the people I assume are French did away with religion. Hello French revolution, where did you come from in this weird manner?

While Touraine and her sands are soldiers, the princess, the other main character, is not. She's a diplomat, which means she meets all the different people: Corrupt gouvernment officials, scholars, merchants, so the military theme doesn't get oppressive.
Then there are the rebels, but I don't really want to talk about them since a huge portion of this book if about finding out who they are, and why they are doing this.

We have character developement, so even if Touraine sometimes infuriates the reader, it's okay because she learns from her mistakes and tries different things instead of approaching every situation the same way and wondering why she continues to fail.

I liked this all a lot and if you're into fantasy but sick of the pseudo-European middle age vibes, go here. And I hope that more and more people will be able to find themselves, their people and their culture represented in fantasy books, because I <i>love</i> fantasy and want every reader to experience the feelings I sometimes get, of arriving home via book.

I don't know where the next book in the series will go, but I am excited to find out!

The arc was provided by the publisher.

So, this is in no way an easy book. It took me ages to read, and I kept forgetting that it was still unfinished. But ultimately, once I finally finished it, there was no other rating than the full 5 ✶. It is brilliant, it is tough, and it confronts us with a part of Europe’s imperial past that we often like to gloss over. The Unbroken is set in a fantasy world, but with strong parallels to the real world history of France and the colonialisation of Africa. It packages these tensions in a personal story of love, betrayal and politics. While I am not the right person to go into this in depth, it certainly made me think.

The story is led by two main characters, Luca and Touraine. Luca is a princess, symbolising the colonial force, while Touraine is a soldier, taken from her family and culture as a child. They are fantastic characters to build a story around. Luca is a polarising figure, at least in my community – many people hate her due to what she symbolises, while I think she is trying to make the best out of a terrible situation, and actively working towards change, which makes me like her. But then, there are no good people in this story. Both Luca and Touraine have vested interests in the political game, and do whatever it takes to get there. And that is exactly what makes me like them so much, and what got me invested.

And, have I mentioned that the book is sapphic? It’s not a romance or a love story in any way, but there are queer elements and many shippable couples. I really appreciated the mostly queernorm world. The one gripe I had with the book – and this might entirely be down to me missing things because I read in chunks – is that there is magic, but I didn’t get much of a sense of how it worked or what it can do. But that’s a tiny point of criticism, and might well have been fixed in the finished copies even.

All in all, I highly recommend The Unbroken.

Había mucha expectación con la publicación de esta novela, con una portada de rompe y rasga, que trata temas como el colonialismo y el abuso de poder. He de decir que el mensaje que la novela pretende hacer llegar está ahí, pero que pierde un poco la fuerza que sería necesaria para dejar marca debido a la forma en que está escrita.


La protagonista de la novela es Touraine, una militar que fue secuestrada en su infancia de una de las colonias del imperio de cuyo ejército forma parte. En un ejemplo clarísimo de intento de asimilación, el imperio ha creado unos destacamentos formados exclusivamente por extranjeros criados desde la más tierna infancia en la cultura imperante. Sin embargo, no se los considera ciudadanos y sufren ese sentimiento de no pertenecer realmente a ningún lugar. Esto está muy bien representado en la novela y creo que es uno de sus puntos fuertes, el tremendo choque cultural provocado por el regreso al lugar de nacimiento pero como fuerza invasora y «apaciguadora». Es bastante clara también la inspiración francesa en la creación del mundo, pero no me atrevería a asemejar estos regimientos con la Legión Extranjera, ya que tengo entendido que después de unos años de servicio se consigue la nacionalidad francesa y esto es algo que aquí ni se plantea.

Sin embargo, el desarrollo de los acontecimientos es bastante fortuito y demasiado basado en la casualidad. Justo cuando llegan al puerto Touraine salva la vida de la princesa heredera del trono destinada a calmar la rebelión sea por los medios que sea. Y uno de los atacantes la reconoce por su increíble parecido con su madre, miembro de la resistencia.

A partir de aquí comienzan una serie de peripecias y traiciones, de vaivenes de la narración que no le hacen ningún favor al mensaje que se pretende transmitir. La existencia de una magia curativa cuya consecución es uno de los objetivos principales de la expedición y que era un secreto bien guardado, queda expuesto de la manera más tonta. Y sinceramente la relación de atracción entre Luca y Touraine me parece poco sana, basada en principio en el agradecimiento pero también en la propia subyugación.

Las intrigas políticas son bastante de manual, aunque he de reconocer que en el terreno militar, las escaramuzas que dirimirán el resultado del conflicto se basan más en la inteligencia que la fuerza bruta.

Me gustaría también destacar la representación de personajes variados en el espectro LGBTIQ+. Esto es algo totalmente normalizado en la sociedad, tanto en la cultura imperante como en la subyugada. Indudablemente hay otros problemas, pero este tema en particular está completamente superado.

The Unbroken es un libro del que esperaba más, quizá cegada por la campaña de marketing a su alrededor. No digo que no merezca la pena leerlo y quizá le de una oportunidad a la siguiente parte, pero tampoco puedo recomendarlo fervorosamente.

DRC provided by Orbit via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: Black lesbian protagonist, disabled bisexual protagonist, queer secondary and tertiary characters, amputee secondary character, secondary and tertiary characters of colour, non-binary tertiary character.

Content Warning: violence, death, mention of attempted rape, torture, misogyny, religious persecution, sadism, war.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark is the first instalment in the “Magic of the Lost” series. A compelling fantasy with a captivating faith- and balance-based magic system and an even more interesting cast of characters.

One of hundreds of kidnapped Shālan children, Touraine was brought up as a loyal soldier to the Balladairan Empire and its will; and taught to forget her past completely. Those teachings are heavily tested once Touraine and her Sands, a company of soldiers formed by the kidnapped Shālan children, reach Qazāl, her lost homeland. A series of events brings her to make a choice after the other in order to save and protect the ones she loves, even if some of those decisions may hurt someone else she cares for.

It is easy to state I absolutely enjoyed reading The Unbroken and I will be looking forward to its sequel.

I loved Touraine and the way she developed her own sense of self and reconnected with her past, although I am not fond of her choice of partners, and I mean one in particular, one who likes to wear her hair in a tight bun and whose point of view I would rather not read anymore, but alas that is a hopeless desire.

Apart from the intolerable princess and one rapist captain, whose end I extremely enjoyed, I quite liked the other characters, even though some of them, which I would have loved to discover more about, perish relatively fast (C.L. Clark is coming for you George R.R. Martin). One character I hope to get to know better is Nawai, the spokesperson for a tribe of the Many-Legged, inhabitants of the lands outside Qazāl.

As I said above the one part of the story I deeply disliked is the relationship between Touraine and the princess, which is ironic since it is really what I was hyped most about, but reading Luca’s chapters and paragraphs only managed to make me hate her.

Nonetheless, my love for The Unbroken is indisputable.

How can I describe this book without sounding like a raving fanatic? I am unsure. But here we go.

The Unbroken by C. L. Clark is a military fantasy set at the height of a almost failed revolution. In comes a once-child soldier who remembers little of their country of origin, and a princess with something to prove.
Mash it all together and you get an intricate masterpiece that I have been unable to get out of my head.

The relationship between Touraine and Luca is one of constant pining, and warring loyalty. I was constantly at the edge of my seat as I devoured this book as I simply had to know what came next.

As it is a book about an Empire, and those who are conquered by it, it is a book of little softness - what of it we can find it is hidden in secret corners and fought for furiously.
And yet I believe it is a book of great gentleness. (If that is even a word) It is a book of questions and what it can mean to belong.

I loved so many piece of this book - the magic, the pacing, the gritty humor and the action.
I wish there was slightly more delving into the relationships between Touraine and the rest of the Sands, but as this is also a ruthless revolutionary book I am sure as I read it again I will find more details in the margins.

I was also blown away by the intricate world building and African inspirations - and another definite plus is the casual queer coding of the world, where at no point the characters are questioned by their romantic feelings for either sexes... though they are judged by having feels for the enemy.

To me this is an all but flawless debut and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

The Unbroken is an absolute masterpiece on every level. Anger honed to a precise, unflinching point. The devastation of love. The tangled horror and complexity of colonialism, empire, revolution and identity. Absolutely stunning.

This was very enjoyable. I enjoyed the story, the characters, the tension and the build-up. I loved the magic and the realness of the people in here.

The story itself is partly plot-driven and partly character-driven. Or that's how it felt. A certain thing only happened because of the characters while other elements felt like it was more to do with the plot. But I could be wrong.

A little bit heavy in the beginning, it took some time to settle from the building to the story but at the same time, it was useful to know before the story took off.

Touraine - I loved Touraine. She was a great main character whith several issues, struggles and wants. Her desissions and actions were maybe not all the best ones but I understand why and I found her resoning to be worthy.

Luca - the queen regent and someone who wants to be worthy but also struggles to find her own way of ruling. She felt several times as. child and immature but in other stages she felt very mature and aged even. It gave her complexity that I liked.

Well written and well thought through. I had zero issues with the writing in general and nothing felt off. It's a well-done book overall.

Great story, great characters and great writing. I will definitely pick up book 2 in the series when it comes out :)