The Unbroken is a political fantasy novel that rewards a patient reader, taking place in a fully realized world and featuring complex character motivations when it comes to both its primary and secondary cast of characters. The first half of the book was a bit too slow for my tastes, largely focusing on diplomacy and the political machinations involved in putting down a growing rebellion in a colonized land, but it has the advantage of building a solid foundation for the explosive drama that comes in the back half of the novel.

As main characters, both Luca and Touraine really shine as passionate, flawed individuals. Their shifting loyalties to the colony as well as to each other is really what lies at the heart of the book. Clark does a great job weaving a subtle narrative about power and agency through this slowest of slowburns, and I'm interested in seeing how their relationship progresses in the sequel, since this appears to be book one of a planned series. I also liked how thoughtfully Luca's disability was handled in the book; it was refreshing to see a character believably handling chronic pain and still being in a position of power.

Overall, this novel seems perfect for fans who like rich worldbuilding, politics, and great sapphic representation. An impressive debut!

The Unbroken is an intense, slow burn military fantasy in a North African inspired setting that has so, so very much to say! We follow Touraine, a soldier who was stolen as a child from the Empire’s desert colony, Qazāl. As she grew up, Touraine was trained into undying loyalty for an Empire that would use her as fodder. When her regenment is sent back to the desert colony as part of a mission to secure Qazāl, Touraine begins to realize she might not be as severed from her past as she once thought.

Her regenment bears the strain of being entirely made up of soldiers who were children stolen from Qazāl. As soldiers, they feel both ostracized from their Empire for being different and resented by the people of their homeland for their imposed complacency. As such, this book deals with intense internalized racism and the struggle against colonial powers. I think Clark explores these themes very well, but I am a white reviewer, so please don’t take just my word for it. Look into BIPOC reviews as well, because I feel like they will be the best at describing exactly how hard these themes hit.

What I can say as a Queer reviewer though, is that this book is oh so wonderfully, casually Queer. We have relationships between the soldiers, relationships between royals and their bodyguards, and even relationships between rebels, not to mention the main slow burn romance between Touraine and Princess Luca.

Princess Luca journeys to the colonies as a test to prove to her Uncle, the King Regent, that she can rule. Naturally, Luca is very aware that this is a trick to get her away from the Capital and a set up for her to fail so that her Uncle can remain in power. Not only is she a woman, but a childhood accident left her with a permanent disability and chronic pain. Despite the risks, Luca tackles her new position seriously, and begins her political maneuvers to try and please both the colonists and the Qazāli people, so that she may secure the colony as a foothold for the Empire. Of course, anyone who knows anything about colonization knows there is absolutely no way to please both sides, but in her naivety Luca tries, and to her credit, she does learn that truth eventually.

The relationship between Tourraine and Luca is a VERY slow burn (and, keep in mind, this is only book one of a series). But we get the pining, the long stares, the aching distance between Luca and Touraine, especially when Touraine is taken into the Princess’s personal guard. So if you like your romance with many complex feelings and a dash of courtly love, this may be the romance for you. Either way, I definitely want to see more of Touraine and Luca after reading this first book.

Overally, I think The Unbroken is a fantastic beginning to what is lining up to be an epic series! The writing is beautiful, tense, and gripping, even with the slower pace required to build up a world of this magnitude and effect. I cannot wait to see what Clark writes next!

**Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC**

Here's the thing, I think I'm going to be in quite the minority rating it so low.

The story was well written and compelling-- for some people. Unfortunately, when I pick up a fantasy, I prefer there to be a lot more magic and fantastical things happening, and because I also never found a point where I connected with any of the characters, I found it hard to care about what was happening to them past the 50% point. I found the plot to be dragging, and lingering on things that I personally didn't care about, and struggled to push myself to finish this because of that.

HOWEVER, like I said, I think if you like military strategy based books, with little to no magic in them, I think this book could be great for you!
I'm just disappointed to say it didn't work for me.

Thank you to Orbit, and Netgalley for gifting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found SUPER AMAZING AND AWESOME, I still liked it. THANK YOU NETGALLEY!!!!!

So this was great and I am already looking forward to rereading it. I'm highly anticipating the sequel, of course.

Touraine is a soldier, returning to the land she was stolen from as a child. Luca is an unproven princess, sent to a deal with rebels that are ready to overthrow the empire that has long ruled them. If Luca is successful in quelling the uprising, will she be able to take the throne back from her scheming uncle? Will Touraine find her biological family and will it be at the cost of her found family? The Unbroken follows both Luca and Touraine when they are forced to collaborate. As a web of familial ties and convoluted loyalties pull taunt, Touraine must decide who and what she will fight for.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark is a gritty and action-packed adventure. Clark has serious writing talent and slowly builds tension and conflicting motivations for all the characters. The writing style is detailed and descriptive; you’ll feel like you’re standing next to Touraine in the sweltering heat of the desert. The world-building is incredibly good and Clark creates a fully-developed world. Initially, I found myself struggling to understand all the intricacies and history of the world, but once that clicked I was swept up in a thrilling and heartbreaking story.

With excellent foreshadowing and complex sapphic romance, at a certain point it becomes very difficult to put this book down! I absolutely loved the LGBTQ rep and queernorm world-building. Clark effortlessly handles topics of racism and colonialism, weaving them into a vibrant fantasy world. It’s clear that C.L. Clark will be an author to watch and I can’t wait for book two to see what happens next! I would highly recommend you pick up a copy! The Unbroken releases on March 23, 2021. Thank you so much to C.L. Clark, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc.

The Unbroken had a slow but intriguing enough start to keep me hooked through the beginning. There was already conflict and drama rather than a big buildup, which I really enjoyed. It’s still slow like I said, but very interesting. It’s only until half way through you really get hooked in the story.

We follow the perspective of two characters. One: Touraine, a soldier returning to her homeland. And Luca, a princess trying to take her throne.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this book. It was a North African inspired fantasy which I really liked and was done perfectly. The descriptions were also so well done and detailed, especially describing the Grand Temple.

C.L. Clark's "The Unbroken" is an LGBTQ-friendly fantasy, which explores the concepts of colonialism and racism. The world as described is a fantasy version of the French empire conquering and colonizing North Africa, and subjugating its people (derogatorily referred to as "Sands"), including forcefully drafting their children into its army.

The story is told from the point of view of two very different characters - a conscript soldier (and a "Sand") named Tourraine, and the heir apparent to the throne, Luca. In its core, the plot revolves around issues of loyalty. As a "Sand," Tourraine is brought back to her birthplace (from where she was stolen as a child to be trained to become a soldier for the Empire's ranks) and finds herself helping the Empress-to-be put down a rebellious colony - made up of her own people. Her loyalties are further tested as she becomes more closely involved with Luca due to convoluted accusations thrown at her.

I had a tough time getting into this story. Things take too long to hit their stride and the proper action to take off, for one. The more frustrating aspect was the main character, herself, who quickly turns out to be a poster child for the literal meaning of "unreliable" protagonist. For a trained soldier, she is ruled by her emotions to such a degree, that a reader gets a whiplash from her frequent changes in course (read: wishy-washy loyalty).

In short - a very good effort from the author, but not without its flaws in storytelling. Hopefully, it improves in the next installment.

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

I am relatively certain The Unbroken was tailor-made for me, having everything I like in fantasy and leaving out everything I don’t like. I was immediately roped in by the story and writing and invested in the main characters within just the first tenth of the novel and couldn't put it down thereafter. I found it to be so well-written, even down to the inventive cursing. It’s rare to read something where it feels like not a sentence is wasted.

It's a tightly woven tale told at a galloping pace with so many themes dashed in, you could be forgiven for overlooking a handful. That is not to say that this book is messy or doesn’t know what it wants to be- far from it. This is a flintlock fantasy with mysterious magic, likable characters, and tension/drama galore. Identity takes front and center in this story, both main characters walking a tightrope between classes and cultures, making devastating choices in an attempt to do what they think is right.

I could write more, but really I don’t have the words to express how much I loved this book. It is right up there with The Fifth Season and Django Wexler’s The Shadow Campaigns series; it is definitely one of the best fantasy novels I have read. I loved it so much that after finishing it, I actually went to Amazon to buy copies for some of my friends [unfortunately have to wait until the release date to gift it on Kindle!]. I cannot wait for the next book in the series and I am excited to see what else comes from C. L. Clark in the future.

Unbroken has calm but intriguing start with conflict and drama but after the initial drama is resolved the story slows down into a lengthy period that can be summarized as Touraine and Luca talking to different people or each other. Just before the halfway point in the book the action starts and the earlier laid plans begins to take place. This is where the book speeds up and really becomes engaging. I think that the later half of the book is absolutely worth continuing through the slow first half my concern is the first half was so dry that the I can see a number of readers giving up before the story really gets going.

This novel, graphically demonstrating the ills of imperialism, made me dream of the Amritsar Massacre and the Sepoy Rebellion (which is the name given back when I first learned of it) when I was in the midst of it, not sure which way the story was going. However, there are little frills of French, so I probably should have been thinking the Battle of Algiers. C.L. Clark’s book is that vivid, thrusting you into the point of view of what it would be like to feel trapped between a world that had trained you and an unremembered land that gave you birth.

Touraine has long been caught between her ambition to make something of herself in the Baladaire empire for which she has fought in many wars and her desire to protect her fellow Sands, other conscripts from her homeland. That tension is pulled to its utmost when her unit is deployed to the land of their birth, Qazal. No one wants her—not the country she’s bled for or the country she was pulled from with no say in the matter. Sometimes you just want to shake her to see things as they are, but you can’t help feeling for her predicament.

Luca, princess and arguably rightful ruler of the empire, has been sent to deal with local disturbances. I had less sympathy for her and her inability, at times, to empathize with the colony she’d come to. Having a disabled protagonist who was quite functional despite the condition that made walking or dancing difficult was a plus, but her self-centeredness was a bit off-putting. She can dress it up as beneficial to all her subjects, but those claims felt hollow.

It’s an absorbing story, full of devious actors. There’s a lot of emotion packed into this, and the otherness that Touraine always feels is convincing and heart-rending. The book is paced fairly steadily, and the outlook is grim most of the time.

As well as the unusual storyline, The Unbroken features a cast that’s overwhelmingly female. They all have their own quirks and personalities, and almost all of them are strong (and fragile) in unique ways. Lesbian relationships are taken as a matter of course, a pleasant feature in an alternate reality.

Another interesting feature is that Balladaire has eliminated religion, if not by law, by a pervasive social view that it is “uncivilized.” The imperial view is in opposition to the religious nature of most of the subject countries, although the religions portrayed remind me more of the contractual types of religion (do this for me and I’ll do that for you) rather than any mystical-type connection.

It takes a while for any fantasy aspect (other than an imagined reality) to appear, and it may be too limited for some fantasy junkies. But I found it a compelling, if at times disturbing, read.

(Post will go live 2/24/2021

Rating: 9.0/10

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost #1) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

The Unbroken is a utterly remarkable fantasy debut. A heart-rending, unflinching tale of love, loyalty, and making the right choices despite the repercussions. Clark had me completely engrossed in her prose, her world, and her characters from beginning to end. I loved this sky-falling book.

You know I am a cover snob, and I am always down a Tommy Arnold original. They are just captivating to look at and clearly belong on permanent display on a bookshelf. This one is no different. Just look at how gorgeous it is :’).

As for what is inside, it is always up in the air, especially with debuts. Knowing just how many Orbit debuts I have read and thoroughly enjoyed, I really wasn’t too worried and figured I would at least enjoy the ride.

I didn’t expect to just tear through it.

Whether I was supposed to or not, I had female Torgo Nudho (Grey Worm in A Song of Ice and Fire) in vibes with the main character, Touraine. I think that, along with Arnold’s rendering, helped me to quickly ally myself with her and understand her motivations. While some of the decisions she makes throughout the story can be head scratchers, it is easy to see exactly where her true loyalties lie. True, love makes things complicated, but nine times out of ten, family always comes first.

I feel like Luca’s character was a bit outshined, though she still played a very significant role considering her chapters were nearly half the book. Her love for Touraine feels natural, and the tensions that arise between the two as the book progresses feels exactly as you would expect.

What starts as a rather fast-paced introduction slows down a bit to engage the reader with the characters and the world, attempting to pull you into the dirt laden streets and beautifully tapestried rooms of the Empire. Thing is, before you know it, the intensity swells into a crescendo, leaving the reader out of breath by the time the epilogue hits. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for books that never let off the accelerator, but the intricacy with which Clark keeps this story going and introduces a little more weight to the pedal as the chapters progress kept me all-in.

This isn’t a story for those looking for massive battles, tons of bloodshed, or dragons swooping in to lay fire to an empire. It is about political machinations, love and loss, rebellion, and finding what is worth saving, with a teensy bit of magic thrown in.

I enjoyed the world-building a lot and I think the setting was one of the most memorable elements of this book. I do wish the magic system would have been explained more. The characters were all very believable to me, but at times I felt disconnected from them and did not understand their motivations.

C. L. Clark's The Unbroken is the first in the new series, Magic of the Lost. In it, we follow the perspectives of two characters - Touraine, a soldier, raised in Belladaire and returning to her homeland with a contingent of soldiers; and Luca, a princess vying for her rightful throne - who make decisions to stop a rebellion and build a nation.

I really liked the author's world-building for this North African-inspired fantasy. I really liked the setting, and the descriptions of the architecture (especially of the Grand Temple) and culture was very well done. The only thing I would have liked more of was the magic system, though I have a feeling this will be described further in future books.

I was also a big fan of the characters, even if they didn't always do what I wanted them to do... There was a great amount of representation, with queer main characters as well as other lesbian, gay, and bi characters; there is also a non binary character and a trans character. The characters themselves were complex and, at times, morally gray with questionable motives; even then, their actions were done for what they considered to be the "right" reasons (it reminded me a little of Rin in R. F. Kuang's The Poppy War trilogy, though Rin was more ruthless). There was a lot of betrayal and calculated moves and plotting, and I was there for it.

I can't wait to read more about these characters (and their political machinations) in the rest of this trilogy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Orbit Books, for providing an eARC prior to publication for an honest review.

The book summary intrigued me and found a spot on my TBR for future releases. This author was new to me, and I went in rather cold only knowing the summary. I enjoyed it. It didn’t turn out to be what I would call my “usual” read, which is probably the only thing preventing 5-stars as this is a very high quality read that I would recommend.

The Sum-up (aka: tl;dr):

If you are looking for a gritty high fantasy in a queer normal world with a lot of political intrigue and strategy, this is your book! The primary focus is on two characters, Touraine and Luca, which brings a multifaceted focus to the complex issue of colonialization. Through their lenses, the story focuses on both the royal/nobility aspects and the soldier/conscript and native aspects. There are also explorations into themes such as power, loyalty, and faith.

A Longer Look:

Plot – I don’t elaborate on plot specifics. That’s what the summary blurb is for. What you will find is a political and military sci-fi/fantasy with slow pacing. I am not usually one for political intrigue, although perhaps it’s because what I seem to find on the shelf deals so much with royalty/nobility. Blah. Honestly, I don’t care about the spoiled and entitled royalty/nobility. The Unbroken handles the intrigue from multiple levels, not just the royalty/nobility. This makes for a much more complex and realistic portrayal, diving into the machinations and the effects on all different fronts. The focus, I would say, is more on the lower levels (the disenfranchised) and thus more raw in execution.

Themes – The bulk of the themes surround the politics, primarily colonialization and the repercussions thereof. There are some religious aspects as well. There are also more “human” themes spread throughout as well, mixed within the politics, but also with the personal character conflicts. These are themes such as power, loyalty, and faith.

Characters – The bulk of the story is through Touraine’s or Luca’s POV, told in the third person. As such, the lens of the story is primarily focused on them as well. However, there are a lot of side characters that you get a very good feel for as well.

Rep – The world is queer normal. <3

I was not the ideal reader for this book. Don't get me wrong--there is a lot to like here. I appreciated the themes of colonialism, racism, and forced acculturation that the author addresses. The setting was richly developed, and the pace moved along quickly. However, I am not a fan of military fiction, and I could not identify with the main character, the soldier Touraine. I just could not understand many of Touraine's motivations, and her actions often baffled me. Without giving anything away, there is a major plot point in the middle of the book caused by a decision by Touraine, and I could not believe she would make this decision. Because of this, the rest of the book unraveled, and the other characters made decisions that were increasingly confusing for me. Other readers likely won't have this problem, and I hope those readers will take more from this read than I could.

My thanks to Orbit books, C.L. Clark and Netgalley.
I hated this story. Actually despised it! Yet, I kept thinking that as bleak as it was, maybe somewhere? Well, that somewhere took me to the 55% mark. Up until then? Hints. Maybe, just a few promises of what may come.
I would usually quit a book at 30%. That's my bullshit line.
This story took way too long to come into its own. Still, I realize that it's Fantasy. That's the only genre I'll spend this much time getting to know. Just because it's not just one book, but at least 3. However C.L. Clark and his or her editor's should get a move on. Most people aren't going to stick around this long!
I'll admit that I spent half of this book tense. I mean, really tense! I didn't like it! But, I still had to keep reading.
I was finally happy when things went haywire! It is what I wanted. I do wish that there were a few lighthearted moment's. Humor does tend to loosen up the butt clenching parts. Seriously. Humor should always be a given.
Much as I've moaned, I will say that I eventually loved this book. Touraine and the rebels own me.
3 1/2 stars because of the beginning. 4* because of the end! I wouldn't have said this 24 hours ago, but now? I'm ready to read the next book!

The Unbroken by C.L Clark, A good book with a good premise, I struggled a little to get into it but eventually was able to do so, thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

Well, this was and wasn't what I was expecting. I loved almost everything about this and had trouble putting this down. This pretty much hit all my buttons for a fantasy/scifi read: political machinations, action scenes, well drawn characters, interpersonal drama, great worldbuilding, and good pacing. This has representation galore, with it being inspired by North Africa, and queer normal world. There are also multiple differently abled characters here too. Our leads are a blonde bisexual princess, and lesbian person of color who try to navigate their way through the volatile politics of a colonized planet on the brink of a disaster.

I think what works for me is that the politics of the world are intensely personal for both our leads. Touraine is a conscripted soldier stolen from her home planet and finds herself caught between her desires to move impress her captures to improve her and her unit's station, and the people that she thought gave up on her. Princess Luca is desperately trying to wrestle the throne from her harsher Uncle, and comes to the planet to try to foster peace and find a rare resource that could stop the people in her empire from dying. When the women's paths cross, they don't realize what they start when they work toward a different kind of peace than either the colonialists or rebels think of.

There's a lot of stuff to set up and it is done very well, even though it is a slower pace than what a military fantasy would seem to be. I think it is because, between following Luca and Touraine, we are given enough personal stakes to want to keep seeing what these two are up to. Touraine is an amazing chaotic lead, where I couldn't figure out whether to hug her or smack her. Luca is smart but a little over her head, a little to idealistic, yet seemingly earnest.

I'd say this is a rare start of a series that I know is a slower paced book, but doesn't really feel like it. It draws on fictional inspirations and real world influences. I had a lot of fun watching Luca's and Touraine's relationship evolve over time and how messy they are. The political aspects are frustrating but satisfying, because it is so easy to hope for Luca's vision, even as it seems to slip away at each turn of the page. I can't wait to see what these characters do.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A gritty, fast paced, sapphic North African inspired fantasy, which I think fans of The Poppy War and The Priory of the Orange Tree will really enjoy. Trigger warnings for violence, mentions of sexual assault, colonization, and war. As far as representation, a majority of the characters are black, (the conscripts from Qazāl and other colonies are referred to as "sands"), Luca has experienced attraction to and had relationships with both men and women, is disabled due to a leg injury as a child, and uses a cane. Touraine is most likely a lesbian, and there is another wlw couple, Aranen and Djasha, a past mlm couple, Gil and the dead king, as well as another side character who uses they/them pronouns, and no homophobia or transphobia is present, which is something I prefer in fantasy books. Both of the main characters were fun to read, and I didn't prefer either's POV over the other, which I find is usually the case. It is quite plot heavy and fast paced, with some time skips, which makes the book confusing at times, and I had to reread passages to understand what was going on, and I really prefer character heavy books so I wish more attention was paid to the characters and their development and relationships. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, I had very little trouble getting through it, I will almost certainly be purchasing a copy when it comes out, and I can't wait for the sequel.
Arc provided from Netgalley