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The Unbroken

C. L. Clark
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The Unbroken

C. L. Clark
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544 PAGESENGLISH
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"C L Clark's epic fantasy debut reveals all the ugly, painful, deeply personal complexities of revolution against empire, captured in shimmering pointillist detail. I’m in awe!"—Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

Overall rating: 4.1666665 / 5 from 6 reviews.

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Summary topics

Review topics: [fantasy, choice, book, good, world, read].

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Reviews

Excited to read

"Book came in good condition, i heard it's similar for fans of the locked tomb"

— Cris (5/5)

Well told story!

"Well written fantasy novel with themes of colonization and what it means to break that cycle"

— S H. (5/5)

Awesome

"If you’re looking for a new Fantasy novel, this is a fantastic option. Military/Historical Fantasy is in an incredible era right now, and this North African-inspired debut is no different. While there is certainly action in this novel, it’s strength lies in the characters and Clark’s look into the devastating impacts of colonialism. Touraine is the kind of character you’ll both be infuriated by, and root for. Taken from her home as a child, she struggles with feelings of not belonging. This feeling propels much of the novel as she discovers where she came from, while also feeling alienated and rejected by her oppressors and her “home”. The world building was gradual and didn’t have info dumps which I appreciated. The politics, magic, military- all of it developed really well. I look forward to seeing where the sequel takes readers."

— Christine (4/5)

The Unbroken

"I liked this book, I didn’t love it though. It was missing something for me. 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."

— Caroline (4/5)

Sapphic goodness

"Thank you so much to @orbitbooks_us & @hachetteus for the gifted copy ! We follow Tourraine, who is a conscript snatched from her native land and fully raised up to defend the empire that has conquered her home. This is her first time back since she was stolen as a child and is caught in the midst of a brewing rebellion. What I loved : the world building is amazing. The north African inspired setting was so beautifully done and was really a character in and of itself that kept you so anxious, wondering around which corner the rebels were hiding. I thought the way CL clark explore colonization and all the souls caught in between was really well done. We know an unjust system continues to be perpetuated when you get the opressed peoples to buy into and defend their own oppression. That was explored so beautifully in this book. I also loved the rebels and their magic and the commentary on faith, religion and indigenous practices being lost. Cl clark had me at the healing magic tbh. What I didnt love : I wish we spent more time with the rebels. The first half of the book is a bit slower as Tourraine is recruited by a struggling queen regent Luca who needs someone to infiltrate the rebels. In true colonizer fashion we see her view Tourraine as a tool that can get her what she wants and ""peace"" in the conquered city. That involved a lot of time with her and I wish that much time was spent with the rebels You will love this if you love : sapphic goodness. Lesbian characters on the page not in the periphery. If you love military fantasy and a character driven story. Follow Ash&herbooks on insta for more reviews :)"

— AshaniMonty (3/5)

Excellent anti-colonial military fantasy

"The Unbroken by C. L. Clark is, as you may have heard, a powerful anti-colonial military fantasy that is sapphic to boot. Though its length is about par for books in its genre (i. e. , long), I read this in just over 24 hours. The stakes are high. The characters are round, personable, interesting, and fiercely lovable. The romance greatly disappointed me, but that was my only complaint. The string of events that sets off the plot hooked me; with each new development, the barb sunk in deeper. I needed to know what would happen to these people, to this nation, to the two women at the centre of the storm. I've heard this described as slow, but for me, just as Touraine herself walked a knife's edge, so did The Unbroken (and the book pulls it off rather better than the character—sorry, Touraine): it had the depth of a slow, character-driven book while maintaining the intensity of a plot-driven fantasy page-turner. I'm surprised at how invested Clark had me in every strategic decision. There weren't many of them, but each hit the sweet spot of surprising but inevitable. I understood the motivations of every group, including the walls they felt backed into and the desperate decisions they made to try to escape those tight corners. Impressively, Clark gave us both a bird's eye and on-the-ground view of the conflict. And, most importantly, The Unbroken reveals a powerful point under all of the blood and rubble: not every hard choice is the right choice. More often than not, the wrong choices are more difficult emotionally but easier logistically; the right choice is more work, but you will recognize the feeling it gives you: it is liberating. Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC!"

— Nara (4/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: Mar 23, 2021
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 544
  • Publisher: Orbit
  • ISBN: 9780316542753
  • Dimensions: 5.45" W x 1.75" L x 8.2" H
C. L. Clark graduated from Indiana University's creative writing MFA. She's been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she's not writing or working, she's learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and [post-]colonial history. Her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, FIYAH, PodCastle and Uncanny. You can follow her on Twitter @c_l_clark.

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