Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

11 reviews

angiepoggi's review

adventurous dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 I didn't hate or love this book. I liked the world building being an analogy to France colonizing North Africa. Thus, it touches on themes such as racism, xenophobia and religious prejudice, but in a fantasy world with magic and many queers.

However, I didn't like the pace. It was slow (which I don't have a problem with) but boring. It took a long time for things to happen and there's a lot of time spent just talking, for example, until halfway through the book, about 245 pages, we were still building the narrative. Not to mention that, when some type of action could've happen, being running around or the characters discovering a secret on their own, a character immediately tells them everything and resolves the possible conflict quickly.  Also, after halfway through the book, the pacing becomes very inconsistent, with the ending, the very end, very rushed, but that part didn't bother me as much.

Now, I didn't like one of the main characters, Touraine.  She makes some decisions that made me so ANGRY AAA and they didn't make any sense, I mean, in theory they could've made for her, but the author didn't build much of a foundation for it.  For example, in relation to the development of this character, I know the points the author wanted to reach in Touraine's journey, but there were none to few scenes to justify the key changes in her head.

Even with all these reservations, I'm still curious to read the second one.  I heard that it's a different vibe and that the pacing is better balanced.

Anyway, I recommend this book if you want to read a fantasy that talks about colonialism with a lot of queers. There are a lot of people who love it, including a friend who wanted me to read it, so I think it's worth giving it a chance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Physical abuse, Violence, War, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Hate crime, Colonisation, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Kidnapping, Gore, Emotional abuse, Genocide, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Mental illness, Torture, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Grief

Minor: Animal death and Pregnancy

heather667's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Chronic illness, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Torture, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Excrement

Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Rape

lanid's review

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, War, Racism, Police brutality, and Violence

Minor: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual harassment, Ableism, and Body horror

sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I went into this booking thinking it was going to be more fantasy and less political drama and I was wrong. I liked the tension between the two main characters, Luca and Touraine, and I think the duel points of views worked well for the book. 

I loved the world building, I could clearly see the coutry of Balladaire in my mind's eye. This is definitely a fantasy because

there's magic in the world

but I think the book was too heavy on politics for me have to rated it four stars or higher.

I read this for my book club,  The Supernova Book club

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Racism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“The Unbroken’ by C.L. Clark is a tense fantasy steeped in the political machinations of the heir to the throne and a soldier questioning her loyalty. 
Touraine is a soldier sent to quell a rebellion in the homeland that she was stolen from. After arriving, she realizes that there is more going on in the country than she suspected and that there are still some personal connections that exist for her. She also meets Luca, the princess who is secretly trying to steal the throne from her uncle. As the two women connect, they begin to learn more about how they can create peace in this country but it may require them to come close to committing treason. 
Clark creates a fascinating story rooted in complex characters that it is easy to care for. This world is filled with political intrigue and a cast of fascinating and sometimes despicable characters. Touraine and Luca are both easy to care for and easy to curse at in the same breath. They feel like living people with all of their flaws painfully obvious. The story took a number of twists and turns and Clark keeps the reader guessing about what will happen next. I'm fascinated to see where the story goes in the second installment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Violence, War, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Gore, Racism, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

Minor: Sexual content

supercat_earl's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Body horror

ryankaybee's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Colonisation, Gore, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Gun violence, Death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War

nerdy_reader_9571's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book is very slow with both its plot and character development, but it’s worth reading through to its conclusion. I really liked the world building in this book and its exploration of empire and of the complicated relationships that people can have to an empire based on their upbringing and station within the imperial hierarchy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, War, Torture, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Gun violence, Confinement, and Colonisation

Moderate: Body horror, Alcohol, and Death

inting3270's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

Minor: Kidnapping

madamepincers's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Incredible world building and magic system and I can't wait to read more. Only drawback for me was characters who consistently make Very Bad Choices and change their minds/seem to adhere to different moral codes at different times, but given the context, I think their confusion and issues with determining their own priorities was believable. But it happens to be a major pet peeve of mine so 👀

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Trafficking, and Grief

Minor: Alcohol, Torture, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Death of parent