The Unbroken
Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.
Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet's edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.
Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren't for sale.
Title: The Unbroken
Series: Magic of The Lost
Author: C.L. Clark
Genre: Military Fantasy
Paperback: 464 pages
Publication Date: 03/23/2021
Publisher: Orbit
Language: English
ISBN: 031654275X
ISBN-13: 9780316542753
My Review
This novel shouldn’t have been so surprising to me, as I’ve heard only the best of things and read a lot of raving reviews about it. The cover alone is simply stunning and creating a lot of buzz among book lovers. Praised as military fantasy, I had semi-reservations about picking this up, since I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of how “military” this read would be.
As a fan of stories with less agreeable and rather more gritty characters that take long-shot risks and develop to come into their own, this was spot on perfect to my taste. Within a few pages, I was taken with Touraine, one of the main characters in this story. Combined with the harsh and sprawling east orient setting for this north African-inspired fantasy, C.L.Clark found the right measure to bring every detail to life and capture a thought-provoking take on forced colonization, its harrowing dread, and the effects of it emotionally as well as economically.
Touraine is a soldier for the Balladairan Empire. On a mission, she returns to her place of birth, the city of Quazal where her mother gave her up when she was incredibly young. Raised to be a soldier in her Sands family, she has become hardened and moved her way up in the military ranks almost unheard of. Just like any other mission, she will execute this one as sharp and precise as all of them, till someone recognizes her at a public hanging and shouts her name before the noose snuffs out the life of the accusing voice.
Luca, another main character, is the rightful heir of the Balladairan Empire but is held back and tested by her family. A fateful accident has left her paralyzed which supports the idea that she cannot become a queen. Spending much of her time reading to gain insight on leadership, she is on the threshold to grasp what she desires, that is if she can assert herself from those holding her back.
When the Touraine and Luca meet, it is under unexpected circumstances - one that leaves Luca to lead and Touraine to follow. Their dynamic is fueled with tension as both have to step out of their comfort zone and learn to work together. But nothing is ever free! As Luca wants to use Touraine to negotiate the place of power in the colony, Touraine is balancing a tight rope to appease all sides and not without guarding her own interests.
What ensues is a delicate play of power that goes around and changes everything backhandedly. An emotional roller coaster and quest for loyalty that will leave innocent civilians to die under the circumstances.
This is the time where both women have to step up and become who they were meant to be!
EVERY EMPIRE DEMANDS REVOLUTION
***
This novel was so much more than I expected. After I started reading it, I watched an interview with C.L. Clark on Dave’s FanFiAddict’s channel and it gave me a greater understanding of the author’s background and writing style, which I absolutely loved. By the time I reached the novel midway, I was really elated over her voice and prose, not to mention the compelling complexity of the plot.
The story itself felt like a tight-knit maze to meander through and discover. With every new turn, another cog clicked into action that changed the plot while the characters moved either closer or further apart. Very well done was the intricate play of Touraine’s and Luca’s relationship that tethered in moments of breathless sizzle and screamed in search of truth and identity in others.
Something I didn’t mention yet is the power of healing through Shalan magic, which is tied to a belief system that is explored in this story. It becomes an important part of the development and turns of the characters tugged into the plot. There were certain characters that possessed such magic abilities and that became dear to me as a reader and posed as great guidance to the main characters.
As a sucker for settings that hug a story perfectly, I loved this stark and dreadful environment that gave a real sense for the hardship of the poor, the socio-economic stands, and effects of the occupation vs the plush, overabundance of the rich. There is so much grit in this novel that I wanted to shake out the pages from the sand of this stark place and environment.
The Unbroken is the first book in the MAGIC OF THE LOST series and it commenced in a way that a second novel can move forward perfectly. I suspect it will be very different, given the turn of events in this book, but that may not mean we won’t find some familiar characters in the sequel. I’m definitely looking forward to finding out where this goes.
Do I think you should pick this up? YESS, definitely.
If you do, happy reading and enjoy!
Scarlett
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own.
Thank you!
