I loved everything about this.
Cl Clark’s writing is fantastic and the way she spins characters give me the utmost joy.
Honestly cannot wait for book 3.

Thanks to the publisher for granting access.

I absolutely love this series. I would never have considered myself one for military fantasy, but these books have my heart. I love the morally grey characterisation, the interesting world-building, and just how gay the whole thing is! Cannot wait for book 3 to see what Touraine gets up to.

En su momento hubo mucho ruido alrededor de la publicación de The Unbroken de C.L. Clark y aunque a mí no me llegó a convencer del todo, sí que decidí darle una oportunidad a la continuación, The Faithless. El refranero español que tiene sabiduría para todas las ocasiones, dice que segundas partes nunca fueron buenas y esta vez acierta de pleno.


The Faithless cambia radicalmente de escenario, ya que las dos protagonistas de la saga viajan a Balladaire para reclamar el trono de Luca. Solo hay algunos pequeños impedimentos, como el ansia de poder del tío de Luca, a la sazón regente del imperio y los tremendos juegos de poder de una corte que Luca puede comprender, pero que a Touraine le viene grande como un zapato de Wembanyama me vendría a mí. Su papel como embajadora de Qazal, buscando cimentar la libertad de la excolonia, es una fuente constante de problemas, bien sea por su desconocimiento del entorno cortesano o por su fuerte carácter. El caso es que el conflicto está servido.

Lo que salva el libro es la presencia de Sabine, la amiga de Luca que se mueve como pez en el agua en el océano político que es Balladaire y que además adereza cada intervención con un comentario salaz. Pero es demasiado poco para equilibrar una trama que se pierde entre complots e intrigas, pero a la que le falta acción y fantasía. A Luca le faltan redaños para enfrentarse directamente a su tío, cosa que a él le sobra para ir reduciendo el exiguo círculo de aliados con los que cuenta la aspirante al trono.

La magia brilla por su ausencia, algo que también va un poco en detrimento del interés de la novela. Se supone que todos los actores implicados ansían utilizarla, pero no aparece por ninguna parte, por lo que no se entiende muy bien qué interés podrían tener en controlar un recurso que parece el Guadiana.

Es posible que haya lectores a los que les parezca creíble la relación entre Luca y Touraine, pero a mí me parece forzada, impostada y la verdad, un poquito cargante. Que esta química no haya funcionado también es una pesada carga que el libro no es capaz de sobrellevar.

Mucho tendrá que cambiar la cosa para que lea la tercera entrega de la serie.

I enjoyed this entry to the series even more than book one. I simply love court intrigue and this book provided a lot of it. I have to admit that some conflicts felt as though they were resolved too easily, with too little being lost in comparison to book one, which I feel had higher stakes and thus more tension.

The romance was my favorite part of the book. I loved the inclusion of tension between our protagonist and Sabine. This book was incredibly queer and hot. Sabine is now my favorite character in the whole series. She is so absolutely delightful, it is rare that women get to embody this kind of archetype. I am excited to see how this series concludes.

So book one had me hook line and sinker. The fears I had of second book issues disappeared the moment I started reading. This book is just as good as the first one! The character development is one of the best with a natural flow. Honestly one of the best books I have read this year

4.5 Stars - Fantastic second part in the trilogy!

Having been a fan of C. L. Clark's The Unbroken I was beyond pleased to receive an e-ARC of the next installment in the Magic of the Lost Trilogy, The Faithless.

The plot picks up not very long after the revolution in Qazal, where Touraine and her fellow revolutionists are trying to keep the country running after suffering severe losses and with an infrastructure in tatters and enemies looming at the borders. Not to mention having a former colonizer who would be rather happy to welcome Qazal right back into the fold.

Touraine travels to the Balladairan Court in hopes of helping Qazal's position and negotiations for independence where she of course meets Luca again, who is struggling to keep up her claim to the throne against her uncle.

From there, plenty of court intrigue, subversiveness and a renewed romance will keep you turning the pages and wow, what a ride it is!

This time around the romance between Luca and Touraine worked significantly better for me and in general, the characterizations and interpersonal relationships were just so well fleshed out that it was a joy to read.
Everybody, down to the side characters feel real and complex and I could understand their motivations, even when they were the "villains". Oh, and I need to mention that Pru was a total hoot! She did not get much time on the page, but I loved every second of it and I think in the last part of the trilogy we are going to see quite a bit more of her.

Of course we have again the sharp and poignant observations on colonization and what it does to the colonized - the way this impacts everything that Touraine has become is written SO well!
I do have to say that in general, the writing was really, really good! It was so smooth, to the point, smart and effortlessly funny. Really, the pages kept turning themselves and I had a hard time putting this one down.

I cannot wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy and can recommend this to virtually anyone who likes their fantasy with a more diverse perspective and a dash of queer romance.

I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!

C.L. Clark is very quickly becoming my favourite author, an auto-buy for sure. Exactly what I wanted from the follow-up to The Unbroken.

A masterpiece! The Faithless is just as gripping as the first book in the series, The Unbroken, continuing with the rich world building, complex characters, and heeps of political strategising, The race relations, religious and political machinations are intriguing as this book deep dives into colonialism in action. I'm glad we saw more of the anti-monarchist movement from the Balladairians.

Luca and Touraine's relationship is so captivating, complex and tense. One of the best representations of Sapphic love.

The Faithless is gripping from beginning to end. I cannot wait for the next installment! I cannot recommend this enough!

C. L. Clark does it again!

This book is truly amazing. The worldbuilding, the focus on politics, the expansion of magic, the characters. Touraine is such an incredible protagonist, and Luca... oh I don't like royals but Luca....

A strong sequel. Will definitely be tuning in for the last one.

I think that the Unbroken was a brilliant and gripping story that mixed military fantasy with romance making it work.
It was fast paced and well plotted with an intriguing cast of characters and world building.
This is a good novel, the plot flows and there's twists and turns but I found it a bit slow at times and the relationship between the MCs seemed to be more relevant than other part of the plot.
I enjoyed it but I think it was the weakest part.
That said the author is talented and an excellent storyteller.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

While I admit that I didn't love The Unbroken, I was intrigued by the plot as I do love a rebellion plot-line and a military fantasy, and so I decided to continue and give the Faithless a try. Sadly, I felt much the same way as I did with Book 1.

While I do really like the plot of this series, I feel like the driving force between all of the main character's decisions' is their relationships with other characters - which is fine, but I don't think C.L. Clark's writing lends itself well to building an emotional connection between the reader and the story - meaning I was rolling my eyes every time a character made a reckless decision instead of feeling the same torment they were in the moment. This is especially relevant to Touraine and Luca's relationship for me, I truly just don't believe it and I don't think they have any chemistry at all.

I currently don't have intention to finish this series, but I would be very interested in seeing how the relationships play out at the end.

The Faithless by C. L. Clark

The sequel to The Unbroken.

For some reason it took me a while to get through this book. While I found it as interesting as the first and just as good, the politics didn’t quite catch my attention the way I wanted it to. I was wanting to see Luca and Touraine struggle with their previous decisions/betrayals and while it did show them suffering with what they did I was left unsatisfied.

I was rooting for the anti monarchists! I loved getting a few chapters from Fili’s perspective but I wanted more. The few chapters we got from her POV were so interesting and I wanted to see more of the discussions from those wanting to live without a monarchy.

This book did not fall prey to the second book curse. Can’t wait for the next one to see what happens next!

Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK, Orbit and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Faithless is CL Clark's followup to The Unbroken, returning to the colonial setting of the Balladairean Empire and its recently self-liberated colony Qazāl. In this one, the focus is much more on Balladaire itself. Touraine, our massively moody and knife-y heroine, ex soldier in the colonial battalions of Balladaire, lately a revolutionary and member of the ruling council of Qazāl, travels to Balladaire to pursue independence negotiations with Crown Princess Luca. The problem is that Luca's being denied the throne by her uncle Nicolas whose attitude to the former colony is distinctly unenlightened - he sees it as a land of savages who should be grateful for the "benefits" the Empire brought them. Luca herself is under suspicion because of her dalliance with Touraine - a dalliance which didn't prevent her seeing the rebel leader condemned to death. (It's complicated). While there is a subplot taking place back home in Qazāl, it gets little space in the book and the divisions between the various figures on the Council - including Touraine's mother - left smouldering. Rather, The Faithless focuses on Luca and Touraine.

In discussing this book, it is worth starting with the title, I think. Often the title of a book and its content have a straightforward connection. In other cases the relationship between the two is hard to work out. Either way, the title adds little insight to the book. But then, as with The Faithless, there are books where the title really illuminates the story. Here, it is meaningful on so many levels. First, Balladaire is a polity that has outlawed religion. Like a post 1789 French Republic dialled up to 11, religion is seen as a barbaric institution - we learn a little here about why - and one of the chief policies of the Empire is to destroy it in every colony that it takes. We saw the effects of this on Qazāl in The Unbroken. In The Faithless the impact on Balladaire is explored - including the idea that having cut itself off from its own magical roots the Empire is now greedy for those of its conquests, a sort of orientalism made more keen by the presence of actual supernatural abilities such as healing, crop protection or the ability to communicate with animals. The faithless, then are those who lack an essential grounding, who have traded away their true nature.

Of course another meaning of "faithless" is a relationship between friends, lovers, or would-be lovers where trust is lacking. The complicated relationship between Luca and Touraine (and, boy, does it get complicated) is an excellent example, the evolution of their love, or lust, or whatever it is, stepping out a dance at times delicate and nuanced, at times loud and menacing. It's interwoven with the relationship between their nations, a relationship that's very unequal and which has a violent history and a gloomy future. It's impossible to separate the desires and fantasies of the two women from the politics here, leading to violent swings in their perception of one another as duty, intention and desire continually trip each other up and these two mercurial, gifted individuals lose themselves in attempts to resolve their multiple dilemmas. The resulting narrative, driven both by passion and by politics, is deeply thrilling even as one feels their frustration.

But we still haven't exhausted the meanings of "faithless" that are relevant here. There's also faith in oneself to be considered, something that both Luca and Touraine have cause to doubt given their histories. There's faith in institutions - nations, rulers and religion (or lack of it) as constituent parts of a society, distinct from an aspect of belief. All of these have their place in The Faithless, drenched as it is in the cruelties and contradictions of a post-colonial (well, partly post-colonial) situation.

I feel I am at risk of treating this book as primarily a philosophical object. Really, nothing could be further from the truth. This is a book of passion and action, one with a rattling good plot which takes forward the desperate situation that held at the end of The Unbroken, blending politics, magic and warfare to produce something utterly compelling.

Simply phenomenal. A brilliant, biting, and fierce portrayal of some of the best political and military fantasy I have ever read. This series continues to keep me on my toes and, while I never know what to expect next, I can’t wait to see what happens in Book 3.

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It’s good to be back after the amazing Unbroken. Really strong follow up with great pace and plot. I don’t much care for the Luca romance but as for the rest it just keeps building, fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for this honest review.

C.L. Clark has done it again. If anything, this book is stronger than the first, which is always a wonderful thing when you can say that about the middle book in a series. Packed with intrigue, mysteries, tension and court politics that’ll have you on the edge of your seat, The Faithless is not a book to be missed.

The court was fickle, it’s politics rapidly changing their schemes and sometimes too fast for the main characters to keep up with— so fast, even, that their own attempts at playing the game becomes a double edge blade and hurts themselves in turn.

Like in the first book, the themes of colonialism are as strong as in the first book and just as skillfully woven into narrative, characters and the lush, vivid world it all unfolds in.

In fact the only complaint I have for this book is that I need to wait for the next book.

C. L. Clark’s The Unbroken was one of my favourite reads of 2022 so I was dying to get my hands on a copy of The Faithless. Picking up after the events of book one, we follow Touraine as she travels to Balladaire as an Ambassador for Qazal. Touraine knows this will be no easy task and the future of Qazal rests upon her. Meanwhile Luca has returned home to take her rightful place as Queen, however, her Uncle is not willing to let the crown go. Luca must go through a Trial of Competence to prove she is ready for the throne, but with so few allies will she be able to rally the nobles to her cause and stop her Uncle stealing the throne?

I was so curious to see whether I would love The Faithless as much as I loved The Unbroken. I was so surprised to discover I loved this book even more than book one. As soon as the book arrived I couldn’t help picking it up (partly because of that stunning cover) and I was completely glued to the pages. The story is complex, well executed and utterly compelling. I enjoyed seeing more of the world in this installment and seeing all the sights and sounds of Balladaire come to life. The world building is excellent, with the reader getting the opportunity to learn more about the magic both in Qazal and in Balladaire.

Much like book one, The Faithless is full of action packed scenes. Clark has a way of writing really dynamic fighting scenes that really have the reader on the edge of their seat. There is also lots of political intrigue in the story and it was fascinating seeing Luca attempt to bring allies to her cause. The romance in the story is impeccable and I so enjoyed seeing how the dynamics between Luca and Touraine have changed over the course of the two books. The story is not only told from Touraine and Luca’s point of view, but we also get to see the story from Pruett’s perspective – something I hadn’t been expecting but really liked. Touraine and Luca are such fascinating characters – Luca is clever, doing everything she can to fight for her throne and do the right thing for her people. Touraine is struggling to find her place in the world and help Qazal survive after being liberated.

The Faithless is a brilliant, unputdownable read with complex compelling characters (I loved Ghadin too!) and an intriguing, well paced plot. If you’ve read The Unbroken you will not be disappointed in this sequel and I cannot wait to see where Clark takes things in book three.

I really enjoyed coking back to this world. It feels likes the author is mastering her own writing more, the balance plot/world building was good, really enjoyed the political intrigue which felt more like court intrigue than in the first volume.
I'm still struggling believing in Tourraine/Luca romance, but it's not the center of the story so that's fine.

Overall, it's a solid sequel with interesting developments.

I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to the fantasy and mythology genre, but, I am widening my perspectives and so far loving it. The author has done this brilliantly. The story is beautifully written, the characters come alive on the page, the settings pop and all characters have believable voices.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Orbit for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: death, violence, injury

I adored "The Unbroken" when I read it for the first time last year so I was delighted to be approved for the sequel, "The Faithless". This is a brilliant sequel, with all the energy and detail that I so loved in the first book, but set in a new environment- the court of Balladaire, where Luca fights to be Queen in her own right against her uncle, Nicholas. Luca is a brilliant character, her journey throughout this book was powerful and heartbreaking as she realised that to win didn't mean to reign. Likewise Touraine, who found both freedom and magic from Balladaire in book 1, is pulled back into everything when it becomes clear that her country Qazal will starve without support from their new allies. Touraine and Luca's relationship was one of the highlights of the first book and here it soared, alternating between heartache and loyalty, betrayal and adoration. The development of the two characters, and the people around them, felt so genuine and real despite this being a world of magic. "The Unbroken" was an exploration of colonialism and empire, and "The Faithless" carries this on to new levels. I raced through this book, and I found myself unable to put it down until I finished!