Thank you to NetGalley and to Stark Raving Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The premise hooked me and the beginning of this story just deepened the hook in me! I was absolutely blown away knowing that this is somehow a debut novel - how!? I was entirely immersed and captivated by this book and eagerly finished it in a single sitting; I knew that this was a book I would not be able to put down and oh, I was right.

The betrayal wasn't anything new - "oh everyone decides what is best for Zara, without ever asking her what she wants". But; Zara really came into her own in this one and she was such an incredible badass - she truly fought through all of the lies, and the betrayal itself. Trent was the only character I don't like - he just seems off? I haven't decided if he's good or not, and can hardly wait to see how all of that plays out in book 2., even more so after the incredible (and heartbreaking!?!? I AM NOT OK!) Vex however stole my heart! Vex and Zara together was just plain fun, and that dynamic makes far more sense than her being with Trent!

The world building is phenomenal; it's well fleshed out and I loved the stark contrast between the Unity and the Wasteland - it was easy to pick up (not always the case in dystopian novels!), and really easy to picture and feel like you are truly immersed in the world.

I will not leave a review . Since the I DNF the book !
It just wants for me .
I tried multiple time to go and read it , but I didn’t like it.

An action-packed dystopian novel set in a world divided - Unity, those who value conformity in return for protection from the rugged wasteland outside their enclosed cities, and the Splinters, the people on the outside - adapted to survive the harsh toxic environments and free from control.
Our FMC Zara Thorne is a Sentinel, an elite solider tasked with protecting Unity from the ever-growing threat of the Splinters. But when she begins showing signs of the very modifications she is trained to fight, she realises not everything is as it seems. With her partner Trent, she flees into the wastelands to figure out exactly who she is and who she is becoming.

The sci-fi plot of this novel was what originally drew me in - a rich world with in-depth lore and a setting that felt authentic. It really took me back to when I first read books such as Divergent and the Hunger Games, but with a more adult tone.

While I really enjoyed this book, a couple of things fell flat for me. Some of the dialogue and situations felt very repetitive - there can only be so many interrupted moments between characters before it begins to feel stunted. The romantic subplot of the story - a love triangle with Zara, Trent and Vex, felt as though pushed to the side at times to cope with the immense action in the plot, and I hope there is some form of resolution in book 2. With the huge cliffhanger at the end of the book, it certainly makes me wonder who Zara will end up with in the end. I will definitely be reading book 2 to see how the story progresses!

Totally not my usual genre – I rarely reach for sci-fi – but every now and then a blurb grabs me, and Broken Sentinel absolutely did. Set in a future ravaged by climate collapse, it pits two opposing societies against one another: Unity, which isolates and controls through tech-heavy protocols, and the Splinters, equally tech-savvy but with a more organic, freeform approach. It’s a grim but scarily plausible world, and I was hooked by the action – this book does not let up. Every few pages we’re into a new operation, chase or revelation, and the pace keeps things compulsively readable.

Zara, our elite Sentinel heroine, starts to develop the very modifications she was trained to destroy, forcing her to flee with Trent, her rule-following partner (and long-time crush). Their dynamic is well-drawn – professional respect, buried desire, and all that protocol keeping them from acting on anything for years. But it’s Vex, the rogue Splinter, who truly steals the show – wild, unpredictable, and emotionally expressive in a way that throws both Zara and Trent off-kilter. It’s not quite a love triangle (yet?), but it’s simmering deliciously under the surface.

That said, the middle third dragged a little, with mission after mission starting to blur together. I also found the clipped, mission-focused speech style – while great for tension – quite alienating during emotional scenes, especially with so little variance between characters’ voices. Still, the ending delivers a huge twist that completely throws the cat amongst the pigeons and left me totally unsure who to trust… and absolutely desperate for book two.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stark Raving Press for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this book, as the premise sounded really interesting. Whilst I liked the general plot and the characters, the writing felt a little disjointed at times, so I found myself skimming a little. Overall 3/5 stars.

Broken sentinel follows Zara Thorne as her world is turned upside down when she starts to display the type of adaptations she has been hunting during her career as a Sentinel. The dystopian setting and various types of adaptations humans have developed and engineered were intriguing and nuanced. However, I hard a hard time following the different ways adaptations could manifest and the concept of forced vs chosen modifications, and this makes up the premise of the entire conflict. I also found the tactical language a bit tedious by the end of the book, when every conflict Zara encounters (and there are many) is described in the same, distanced, unemotional language.

In terms of romance, the love triangle has potential, but I experienced some whiplash with Zara’s feelings towards Trent. I won’t give too much away, but she oscillates between extremes and I felt like there wasn’t enough detail to justify her swings in emotions, which made it harder for me to stay engaged and invested in their relationship.

Thank you so much to Stark Raving Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Overall, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the world-building and pacing.

If you enjoy the following, you'll enjoy this book:
-Dystopian Sci-Fi Romance
-Slow Burn
-Tension

It took me a few chapters to get interested in the book. As slow the beginning few chapters were the rest seemed to be a at a good pace. There were a lot of capture, rescue, capture, rescue sequences and plot twists like a scify movie, but still interesting concept and imaginative.
As I pictured the changes in the abilities of the lead character it was getting more exciting.

Sci fi isn’t my usual pick but I really enjoyed this! I’m definitely enjoying the recent surge in dystopian fiction. Zara is so strong, I really enjoyed her character arc and I was really rooting for her! The cliffhanger had me gasping - I neeeed book 2!

DNF 40%
I really like the beginning of this book, the plot was interesting and well-written. However i slowly just started to lose interest as the book went on. It got to a point where not much was really going on in my opinion, and the book just dragged, as if only for the purpose of lengthening the novel.
The way the FMC slowly began to find out more about herself and her identity was really admirable and sympathetic, however i think there were times where she really dragged some points out.
Overall, this book was really just not for me, though it could definitely be a great read for someone else who likes dystopian books.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately it just wasn’t for me

I'm glad this book seems to have found its audience, based on the raving reviews, because..... I must have read a different book if this was supposed to be such an "unputdownable" "6-star read."

Poor writing absolutely killed this story, unfortunately. This is one of those that is very obvious it is a debut--and also very obvious that some substantial editing was needed to make it readable. As it was, the number of times I rolled my eyes or had to take a deep breath to force myself to continue reading past the consistently poor writing.... I lost track somewhere in chapter 5 of how many times I wanted to give up on this book.

The exact same conversations, dialogue, and narration--yes, the EXACT same. The amount of times a character was told something and then a few pages later reacted as if it were brand new information. The truly impressive number of times that we were told something was standard/protocol/professional/(un)authorized; that Zara and Trent were unmatched partners; and that she is super into him but can't let herself.... Like, all these things happen almost every page in the first several chapters, which is all I could stomach reading before I had to DNF. Jesus Christ, WE GET IT!!!!

Also, the fact that Zara is supposed to be 24 and Trent is 30 is just.... Yikes. Because of the juvenile writing style, this entire book reads like they're teenagers who are also robots--there is ZERO depth, not much complexity, and very little emotional resonance. I would really encourage the author to study the craft of writing and the basics of character development before publishing the sequel.


***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Broken Sentinel is a dystopian romance, set in a world where the population is split between two groups of people: those who believe modifications are essential to human survival and those who believe modifications to be contaminations. The first half of this book was unputdownable. The world, watching Zara try to figure out what was going on with her, and then also the romance between she and Trent - I was hooked. But the second half felt very repetitive, like one long tactical mission on repeat. Someone they care about/need is taken into enemy territory so time for a rescue mission. But like on repeat 3 different times. I found myself skimming and some of the explanations about the modifications had my eyes glazing over. The ending made for a great cliffhanger! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Pre thoughts
- Dystopian romance

overall
- Very fast paced and addictive read
- Zara is a very fierce FMC
- The tension between zara and trent is immaculate. Their romance is quite high stakes and full of emotion
- This novel builds with a very clear story line and is easy to follow.
- Great emotional development of both the FMC and the MMC.

Stars 4
spice 2

Tropes
- Slow burn
- Sci-fri romance
- betrayal
- complex relationships
- conflict
- cliffhanger

Thank you Net galley and allica le Flur for the opportunity to review this eARC. all thoughts and opinions are my own xx

DNF
(Possible soft DNF)

I was really excited to read this book because it seemed to offer everything I hoped for that a certain recent dystopian novel (you know the one) failed to deliver. However, despite the other book's questionable writing and its mystery behind “who dunnit?”, it managed to keep me more engaged than this one did.

The main issue for me is the constant repetition throughout the story. For instance, we encounter a scene with dialogue, setting, and situation. Then, a few pages later, we find a different scene featuring either a different or similar scenario with the exact same dialogue. It feels like the author wrote the first scene, decided she didn’t like it, created a second scene that was slightly different but retained the same dialogue, and forgot to edit out the first scene altogether.

I really tried to overlook this, but it happened multiple times.

Another common occurrence in stories is when a character's ability to help someone is introduced, and then a few pages later, another character remarks, “Oh, now you're an expert?” to him. Yeah, babe, we already know he claimed to be one and proved it just a few pages ago.

Or when one character hears some interesting information, and later in another scene, it seems as if that same information is brand new to them.

Additionally, something as minor as one of the MMCs hearing that the FMC plans to train—not only does he hear this, but he even argues with her about it. Then, just a short time later, in a different scene, he sees her and says, “So, I hear you’re going to train.” Yeah, no duh, my guy. You already knew about that two scenes ago!

This kind of thing occurs consistently throughout the book.

I usually don't let writing style affect my reading experience, but I just couldn't ignore this. I found myself wanting to pull my hair out every time these problems arose. I can tolerate it happening up to five times at most before my eye begins to twitch. I even tried to overlook it when it happened a tenth time, despite my teeth beginning to grind. But beyond that— and it did happen more than that— I honestly lost count (and my sanity) and had to put the book down. This makes me sad because I’ve seen fantastic reviews about it, and it genuinely had the potential to be such an interesting read. Unfortunately, those repetitive issues overshadowed the enjoyment I could have had.

I’m hoping to only soft DNF it for now and maybe pick it up again tomorrow after a long-needed break. However, if this repetition continues, I think it will end up being a solid DNF.

If anyone who has read this book can convince me to keep going, I’d appreciate it. But they have to be some really good reasons!

Thank you, Netgalley, Stark Raving Press, and Alicia LeFleur for gifting me this eARC for my honest review.

**Please know that I truly believe this book has potential, and I hope I can push through my initial hesitations and continue reading to discover what happens to our FMC and her story (I have a feeling it might end on a juicy cliffhanger). If I do manage to continue, I will return to provide my honest review.

The perfect dystopian that the world has been waiting for! I know readers will eat this one up! For fans of divergent, shatter me or even the maze runner, this book will definitely win a lot of hearts. I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up!

Broken Sentinel packs a punch with its fiery romance, fractured hero, and bleakly believable world. It stumbles occasionally on pacing and trope familiarity, but its emotional core and sizzling tension make it a compelling entry in the genre. Fans of dystopian sci-fi with a spicy edge won’t want to miss it—especially if you're ready to root for a soldier discovering she may be more than what she was built for.

On my kindle I possibly found a little mistake: LOC 2099 36%. '' They're not territorial,'' I tell her- I believe it's I tell HIM..
I was instantly hooked by the premise and the beginning of the story. But the betrayal reaction from ZARA felt a bit typical Then came the second half. It was all a big long mission. filled with tactical dialogue like “Check the perimeters,” “They have aerial support,” and “I’ve established this and that.” And to be fair, it was well done, but That is where I lost interest. the end is interesting for sure.

In Broken Sentinel, Alicia LeFleur throws you into a high-stakes dystopian world where adaptation is survival, loyalty is a gamble, and nothing is what it seems. From genetically engineered soldiers to adaptations made for survival, this story blends everything I love about Divergent and Shatter Me, but with a fresh, powerful twist all its own.
What made this book stand out for me was that it didn’t go the usual dystopian romance route. I genuinely didn’t know who Zara was going to end up with and I was so relieved it didn’t become a messy love triangle. The tension was just right without taking over the actual story. And I loved that nothing felt predictable.

The worldbuilding is rich and layered. You’ve got the hyper-controlled sterility of Unity, and then the unfiltered chaos of the wasteland. The contrast between the two made every scene feel vivid and immersive. I honestly felt like I was walking beside Zara the whole time, watching her break free and piece herself back together again.

Alicia LeFleur created something really special with this debut. If you’re craving a dystopian that actually brings something new to the table, this is it (trust me!!). Incredible characters, an awesome genetic adaptation system, high-stakes tension, and a cliff hanger that makes you crave the next book . I’ll be rereading while I wait (VERY impatiently) for book two.

FULL review on goodreads

I'd give this 3 and a half stars! This was so different from anything I've ever ready before and I enjoyed it. It took me a while to get into the dystopian world but I liked all the main characters, at times it felt like I was watching an action movie whilst reading this. There was a sprinkle of romance however definitely not romance heavy, the plot twist at the end definitely shocked me.

4✨ thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!!
I really really enjoyed this book I love sci-fi romance.

It was very much shatter me and watch me series which I love. Our Fmc Elite Sentinel Zara Thorne has dedicated her life to protecting Unity from Splinter contamination. when her body begins developing impossible abilities, she discovers the terrifying truth: she carries the very modifications she was trained to eliminate.
Her partner Trent Vanguard (not a big fan of his) has been keeping a secret from her to do with the changes in her body!! Then we meet Vex (I love him) a fiercely modified Splinter who embodies everything Unity taught her to despise.
The plot at the end wasn’t really surprising for me but I knew something was going to happen 🙈

Overall I highly recommend this book!! 🥰