Cherae Clark's The Unbroken shines in its worldbuilding, but felt a little flat to me in the other, more traditional aspects of military/epic fantasy - I never got caught up in the growth and actions of the protagonist or their squad/teammates, and the action scenes didn't pull me in. It was well written, just wasn't my cup of tea.

C.L. Clark's "The Unbroken" is a blend of historical and military fantasy within an epic fantasy. Colonization is presented as it was practiced; militarization is demonstrated as the buffer between peace and rebellion; and, the forbidden knowledge surrounding magic ties all of the parts together. Touraine and the rest of the Sands “belong” neither to Balladaire nor to Qazâl; Princess Luca represents the Balladairan Empire who has colonized Qazâl by force; the Qazâli—particularly, the rebels—fight to regain their freedom; and, the Balladairan colonists “work with” the empire as they struggle to maintain the lives they’ve made for themselves away from their “native” country.

"The Unbroken" is an epic fantasy novel containing elements from the subgenres of historical and military fantasy into a balanced story which levels conflict amongst the characters and the setting. This underrated debut novel by C.L. Clark was my #1 Favorite Speculative Fiction Book of 2021. If there is a book from 2021 you should read immediately, then I’m suggesting you start with this one.

I used this review copy to inform my interview of C.L. Clark on the Fantasy Inn podcast: https://thefantasyinn.com/2021/03/16/e76-cl-clark-interview/

I was so disappointed by this one and I’m really sad about it!
The premise of this sounds like something I would love and it started of so well but unfortunately it went way downhill.
I’ll start with the positive and that I did like the writing style and it was very accessible.
Also I loved the setting and would have enjoyed it a lot more if we were able to explore more of the world instead of being stuck in the same city for the whole book.
One of the major negatives for me was the characters!
The characterisation in this was just completely lacking. Every character was all over the place with their morals. I didn’t really connect with any character because I feel like they had no concrete purpose and were constantly changing their motives. The romance was not good for me at all and entirely unbelievable. I found it very difficult to care about what happened to any of them.
However this does have lots of representation for race and sexuality which I really appreciated. I love a world where someone’s sexuality is not questioned and is treated as it should be which is normal!
I can see promise and I will try more from this author but I won’t be continuing this series.

A dark medium paced story that has a hard time separating itself from other "underdog starts a rebellion" stories. While I love the diversity of the characters, unfortunately it was one of the few strong points of this story. The plot left me confused a several times. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it.

i regret to say that i truly did not enjoy this intro to the magic of the lost series
I think this novels themes regarding imperialism and colonization are incredibly well done. However, on the whole I found the characters to be utterly lacking, lacking in personality, lacking in intelligence just generally lacking. They were not compelling in any way to me and their narration annoyed me to no end. Additionally the relationships lacked depth, Touraine and Luca have this attraction for one another and supposedly I'm supposed to buy the fact that they would make all of these insane and rash decisions based on that attraction, there was just nothing there that made me feel like these two felt anything more than surface level attraction so for their relationship to be such a major driving force in the narrative, it was very unconvincing. The pacing was also pretty terrible, the narrative was full of bursts of action and intrigue only to grind completely to a halt and then start back up again. Just generally it was a pretty unenjoyable reading experience. I totally see where the author is going thematically but this is just not the author for me.

I liked this book, I didn’t love it though. I found the first 40% a little slow. Both main characters did some really irritating things. I thought the build up was better than the actual ending. There were side characters that were mentioned frequently and I would have liked to know more about them. I do like the realistic ness of the ending. I like how getting what you want is not always a present with a big bow on it. I do look forward to reading the next book and seeing where the characters and plot go.

I had some trouble with this book, and almost didn't finish it but picked it back up after I started hearing others praise it. While I can say it wasn't really my thing I am glad that I finished it.
The world is presented well, being shown naturally without too much exposition.
I will pick up the sequel for sure.

This was a really solid political fantasy debut! The Unbroken weaves together real North African history and intriguing fantasy elements to create the rich world of Qazāl. The themes of colonialism, privilege, and identity were executed flawlessly. The book focuses a lot more on the political aspects than the magical ones but I found that I really enjoyed that - the few fight scenes were really good though! It may be slow moving but that works to the book's advantage as it builds all of this tension.
My feelings regarding the relationships in the book are a bit more complex. First of all, I love when fantasy worlds seamlessly integrate same sex couples and non-binary characters as if homophobia is a never before heard concept in this place. The Unbroken features a colonizer/colonized romance which made me apprehensive going in. While it was written well and the tension was there, I'm still not fully onboard with their relationship and I still wish that there had been more discussions regarding the big power imbalance between the two. That being said, I loved Touraine's relationships with her mother, the rebels, the sands and her old general as she discovered her place in this new environment. My one complaint is that our favorite Lieutenant was way too much of a hot mess to have risen through the Balladarian ranks when her friends were older and more levelheaded. While Touraine could be frustrating at times, it was so gratifying to watch her grow and learn more about the world she left behind at such a young age. I can't wait to see how she continues to grow in the sequel. As for Luca, I found her to be a very complex character and her internal conflict gave me so much to dissect and analyze. With the way the book left off, I am definitely intrigued to see what she will get up to in the next one.

For anyone who enjoys fantasy books that are heavy on the politics and discussions of colonialism and have a sprinkle of magic thrown in, I would definitely recommend that you check this out.

This was a gripping and exciting fantasy debut novel. While the politics and background is very complex, it is also incredibly rich and makes the reader think about ethics beyond just the scope of the novel. I definitely look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

DNF @ 26%

I had a really hard time connecting to the characters and wasn't engaged in the story/plot at all. Instead of forcing myself through the rest of this and probably giving it a low rating, I just figured I'd quit while I was ahead

An absolute masterpiece and one of the best books to come out in 2021! This was a page-turner from the very start. The relationship between the two main character blossomed beautifully, and I am definitely a sucker for a slowburn romance. The setting was immersive as well with unforgettable locations and plot that thickens and continues to wrap you up within the pages. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a sapphic read with a whole lot of political themes mixed into it.

I was excited to read this novel. As a fantasy lover I was ready for another own voices fantasy with a fantastic cast of black characters. I wanted to love everything about this, but I could only give this a four star rating. I think for the first in a series () this is a solid start. I went into it thinking it was going to be filled with romance especially from how the synopsis says: "Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation." But there was hardly any romance, just inklings. This was a military fantasy that felt more coming-of-age to me than anything else. The writing was great, the cast of characters well rounded and the action was there.

Touraine is a solider who was taken from her home at a very young age so she has no remembrance of her culture, people or her family. She was taken and raised by the people of Balladaire, they treat her like a chained dog. It's not until she returns to her land that life begins to change for the better.

I think Touraine aka Tour was an interesting character. She was raised by the enemy of her people and has no ties until she steps foot on her land. I enjoyed seeing her struggle between who she really is and who she tried to be.

She frustrated me at times as she began to make impulsive and stupid decisions too often, but being stuck between two worlds can mess up a person thought processing and idea of good and evil. I think she was well written.

I enjoyed Princess Luca. A 28 year old crippled princess seeking to get what's rightfully hers -- the crown. I think Luca was just as impulsive as Tour. She frustrated me with how naïve she acted. I loved her ideals of peace, but they were just that. I enjoyed seeing her learn how her people truly treated the Sands and the Qazali people.

Beau-Sang was absolutely annoying to me. He was a low-down dog. Rogan as well was a disgusting man. Cantic just seemed to be a lost soul to me. I adored the Jackal and finding out who she was. Jaghotai was a straight savage! I think both Djasha and Aranen made my heart swoon. Tibeau and Pru seemed like great people as well for Tour.

The cast of characters was amazing honestly. I cried for many and wanted to slap a few of them.

The magic of the world is somewhat lost and we get to see a bit of it towards the end. I am looking forward to really seeing it in action in the coming novels. As well as more of the world.

I look forward to the sequel and all it will bring.

this was a wonderfully done book, it had what I was looking for in this type of book, once I started I really couldn't put it down. The characters were great and the story was so compelling.

3.5**

This book is a great first start into a series, so rich with magic and culture that it hooks you in. The queer characters and rep were awesome, I just love a gay book way more than a straight one lol!

However, there was something about this that just didn't work with ME. It was hard to get into at first with NO reason why, once I was into it though it was easy. Unfortunately it is hard for me to be in ove with a book that doesn't grip me from the jump. It was like I was disconnected even though I didn't know them yet. I was afraid I was going to DNF and go into a slump. BUT it turned around!

I really think TONS of people will love this and continue on with the series. It is unique, queer (yes, I'll mention it again), had action, magic, etc. I loved the interaction with the princess in general, the royalty.
What am I saying is, still pick this up and give it a try.

I read a little bit of this and ended up buying a print copy because I was so excited and wanted to own it. I've recommended it to multiple friends (including an other librarian) since.

When the author related this book to Baru, they really hit the nail on the head. This is an epic political fantasy in some ways, a painful queer tragedy in others, and yet somehow it’s still full of hope and light! The discussions about identity were so beautiful, and I loved watching Touraine understand who her family was and how expansive that word can be, particularly when in conversation with her homeland. The magic system was so exciting (though I could have done with even more descriptions of it) and I loved reading about the nuanced cultures that Clark created. So, so beautiful!

Unfortunatley, I did not click much with this novel, and it took me very long to get through (after nearly DNFing at 30%). There is some wonderfully complex worldbuilding here, and I enjoyed the unique setting and the slow build of the world that I really enjoyed exploring with all its complexities. Unfortunatley, this was offset by characters who I really did not enjoy following. Both Luca and Touraine were meant to be strong female characters, were simultaneously flat and frustrating (ie. Luca's inability to understand politics) and Touraine, who's choices were questionable to say the least. I also did not buy their romance much at all, in fact it barely felt like one. Since I'm a character reader, this really affected my enjoyement of the story and is the main reason I struggled to get through it. This, and the slow first half of the book.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book, which probably isn't the best way to start a review. So I'll started by saying I'm giving it a solid 4 stars. Everything here has such nuance, from the world, to the themes. It's important for books like this, about colonialism, to exist. The world was rich and the destruction of the Qazali by the Balladarians was hard to read, but that was the point. However, I felt Touraine and Luca's relationship fell flat for me. I felt they had a lack of chemistry and development and their first kiss came out of no where. The characters were almost there for me and while Touraine carried the book, I would have liked a little bit more from the cast as a whole. Especially some of the side characters. But, overall, I think this is a beautiful read and one with powerful intent behind it. I'm looking forward to the next books in the series.

I got an ARC of this book.

I have been trying to read this book off and on since March. I have tried it on my kindle, on my phone, and even as an audiobook (which was a thick French accent adventure that was unexpected). The thing is, I never got into the book. I ended up giving up at 65%.

This is not my normal genre, but iam was excited and I try everything queer that I can get my hands on. So I gave it a shot. It still is not my genre. I don’t care about political intrigue fantasy. I am often bored or just lost. There are always too many characters and too many twists and turns that I just don’t care about. This had less characters, but it still relied on royalty and noble drama which is incredibly boring to me. When the focus was on Touraine being a soldier and about the first 30% of the book I was getting invested, but the more Luca appeared the less I cared. When Touraine finds out who her mother is was the last time I was interested in the book.

There were deaths and murders. There was backstabbing. There was a lot that was happening, I just did not care. I don’t understand the appeal of this sort of book. The incredibly pretty writing, the queer characters, and some of the other details that were bringing me along could not outweigh my general dislike of this genre. It got pretty close. I gave up when I realized that I didn’t care that one of the MCs was dead or at least presumed dead.

If you like fantasy then you really should give this a shot. If you like the who will be queen sort of plots, then this will probably be fun for you. I just couldn’t get into it.