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peskilanim's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Child death, and Racism
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
Book two of the Magic of the Lost series, I enjoyed this thoroughly, though probably not as much as the first. I loved the swap to a newer setting and newer characters, ESPECIALLY Sabine. She was an absolute delight to read. I'm always a sucker for more of the sapphic pining, and amazing character development, especially for Luca. I'm entranced and I am excited for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
cameronreads's review against another edition
4.0
I’m really liking this series so far. I understand why some people may not like it; I feel like people might find this book in particular quite boring, as it’s mostly political, but I really enjoyed it. I really love exploring these complex characters and the moral questions that come into play, especially when it comes to a retribution arc. I think the relationship between our two main characters is so intriguing, and I love how slow it burns. I like the discussions it brings up about colonialism and racism, and I think the representation in all areas, especially the Black, sapphic and disability rep, is great. I would have liked it if Pruett and Fili’s points of view were developed a bit more, as I often forget they existed and was surprised when they came up again, and therefore wasn’t very invested in them as characters or their little sections of plot. This did feel a little like a filler book, with a degree of second book syndrome, but I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the final instalment I’m the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcohol, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, Colonisation, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and War
risaleel's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Murder, War, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Torture, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
theirgracegrace's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This second instalment of the Magic of the Lost has magic, romance, and intrigue galore. Luca is desperately trying to get one step ahead of her xenophobic uncle Nicolas, who threatens to dismantle all of her work with the Qazāli and take the throne from her. Touraine is now an ambassador to the Balladairan court and has to once again navigate a world where the colour of her skin makes her a target. And Pruett desperately tries to form solidarity between her ragtag soldiers and somehow overcome the Balladairan forces in Masridān across the river from Qazāl. An incredibly powerful and heart-wrenching sequel that deals with themes like colonization and identity with flair. Beyond excited for the third instalment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Vomit, Addiction, and Excrement
Minor: Ableism and Cultural appropriation
cardanrry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Racism, Gun violence, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Sexual content, Slavery, Xenophobia, Child abuse, and Murder
Moderate: War and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Blood and Death of parent
george_tte's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
It was a great follow-up to the first book, and I can't wait to see what the author will do for the third!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent
alexalily's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Child death, War, Cannibalism, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Confinement, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Racism, Torture, Grief, Animal death, Slavery, and Cursing
deedireads's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Faithless, sequel to The Unbroken, is a pretty good book two. I found the pacing a little uneven, but the ending was great and I’m looking forward to book three.
For you if: You read and liked The Unbroken (lesbians + magic + dismantling colonialism).
FULL REVIEW:
Thank you, Orbit, for the review copy of The Faithless! This is the second book of C.L. Clark’s Magic of the Lost trilogy, the first of which (The Unbroken) I enjoyed a lot. I liked this one a lot, too.
To recap without spoilers, the Magic of the Lost trilogy is about two countries, Qazāl (colony) and Balladaire (colonizer), which are inspired by a historical Morocco and France. Tourraine begins The Unbroken as a Qazāl conscript in the Balladairan army. Luca is the princess of Balladaire, waiting until she’s old enough to be crowned while her uncle rules as regent. Also, the Qazāli have a magic rooted in their faith, while Balladaire has outlawed all religion (and magic). The Unbroken takes place in Qazāl and focuses on the Qazālis’ rebellion, and The Faithless picks up a few months later and mostly takes place in Balladaire. (Also yes, these books are very sapphic.)
My main criticism — although it’s not a loud one — is that I found the pacing uneven. All the action happens in the second half, especially the last 20% or so. (That’s pretty common for a second book; the author has resolved the first big plot arc and turns their attention to deeper character development.) But while I was impatient for more action, I can also say that I was never bored. I loved getting to know our main characters better and some characters (Sabine! Pruett!) for the first time.
But overall, I remain deeply impressed by Clark’s nuanced depiction of colonialism and how hard it is to disentangle it — to overthrow from a rebellion’s perspective, to dismantle from the inside, and to undo its effects on how people see themselves and each other. I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the trilogy’s final book.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Faithless, sequel to The Unbroken, is a pretty good book two. I found the pacing a little uneven, but the ending was great and I’m looking forward to book three.
For you if: You read and liked The Unbroken (lesbians + magic + dismantling colonialism).
FULL REVIEW:
Thank you, Orbit, for the review copy of The Faithless! This is the second book of C.L. Clark’s Magic of the Lost trilogy, the first of which (The Unbroken) I enjoyed a lot. I liked this one a lot, too.
To recap without spoilers, the Magic of the Lost trilogy is about two countries, Qazāl (colony) and Balladaire (colonizer), which are inspired by a historical Morocco and France. Tourraine begins The Unbroken as a Qazāl conscript in the Balladairan army. Luca is the princess of Balladaire, waiting until she’s old enough to be crowned while her uncle rules as regent. Also, the Qazāli have a magic rooted in their faith, while Balladaire has outlawed all religion (and magic). The Unbroken takes place in Qazāl and focuses on the Qazālis’ rebellion, and The Faithless picks up a few months later and mostly takes place in Balladaire. (Also yes, these books are very sapphic.)
My main criticism — although it’s not a loud one — is that I found the pacing uneven. All the action happens in the second half, especially the last 20% or so. (That’s pretty common for a second book; the author has resolved the first big plot arc and turns their attention to deeper character development.) But while I was impatient for more action, I can also say that I was never bored. I loved getting to know our main characters better and some characters (Sabine! Pruett!) for the first time.
But overall, I remain deeply impressed by Clark’s nuanced depiction of colonialism and how hard it is to disentangle it — to overthrow from a rebellion’s perspective, to dismantle from the inside, and to undo its effects on how people see themselves and each other. I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the trilogy’s final book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
purrson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
I received this as an giveaway (ebook) ARC, and took my time with it. I enjoyed this installment in the Magic of the Lost series better than the first, but that’s not a dismissal of how good the first book is. They both are incredibly difficult to put down, and deliciously queer.
While The Unbroken (which is told through either Luca or Touraine’s eyes) is heavy with the work of laying down foundations and building rich, complex characters trying to survive constant complex trauma—and adds beautiful world-building, magic, and cultures that feel familiar but are different enough to be fantastical—it never flinches from the depth and breadth of colonialism and all the harm it brings. The Faithless builds well on that base, so when our main characters are far from home we still feel the pressures of those strong personalities and the vibrant homeland counting on their success. That’s helped along by shifting the perspective throughout the book more frequently than The Unbroken; while we’re still mainly given the story through Luca or Touraine’s perspectives, at times The Faithless gives Aranen, Pruett, or even Fili the lead, and we’re privy to their thoughts and feelings. Those shifts help The Faithless’ plot feel as if it moves faster, as it introduces more moving parts without sacrificing any depth or detail. The machinations our protagonists work to uncover and survive are constantly spinning, even on the last page, which just builds my excitement for Book 3. The villains are both straightforwardly evil but are also unreliable narrators throughout; they present different faces to different characters, but there’s also a sense that things are going on behind their closed doors even we have yet to see. Some things they’ve hidden are revealed by the end, but some threads aren’t connected, some mysteries left unsolved for now.Fili’s experiences with the Fingers, for example, provoke questions of their backing—who’s giving them orders? How do they know where to attack Luca’s carriage on its return from Champs d’Or? Why is Luca’s abdication not enough for them, that they must assassinate her too? Between her quest for the lost religion and the stability she brings to Qazāl’s independence—not colonization, motives abound. When Fili’s master brings them hot chocolate after our MCs only experience it with Ghislaine Bel-Jadot—which she says Evrard De Travers gave it to her—it’s a clue one of them is involved. Which of them are the key to the Fingers, and are they working on orders from the Duke? I felt sorry for Fili, who’s drenched in naïveté and such an easy mark given her mother’s former career. As eager as she is to prove herself, she’s clearly taken advantage of, and has no idea the Princess she hates would protect her gift with their god, or that she is key to protecting the Qazāl. Just as her master’s assurances of allying with Qazāli ‘later’ ring false to the reader, we don’t know how assuaged she is by them. She brings another point: the religion. While Bel-Jadot’s explanations make sense, the murder of children seems at great odds with Fili’s experiences and even Touraine’s use of blood in healing Luca. Jadot’s claims seem more in line with the darker use of magic, using death to get your aims met, instead of just blood. There must be enough blood involved with using scythes in the harvest (just as Pruett is nipped by the vulture), that such measures aren’t truly necessary—we never catch wind of the Many Legged regularly feeding children to their animals, for instance. And for as much as the Duke has ensured the Balladaire god won’t be fed, the connection of the grain and the Withering says otherwise.
This series is truly shines at representing the constant onslaught of colonialism and violent white supremacy and the bottomless hunger and violence of its adherents. We see how this structure harms everyone, even the colonizers themselves aren’t without their losses, and their working class in Balladaire is struggling and ripe for rebellion or political exploitation, or both. But the plot doesn’t lose itself in pity for the those at the top or even the middle of the heap, and focus is kept on the Qazāli; we’re led to understand a bit more of Touraine’s broken & bruised soul and her trauma, and what’s at stake for their future. All of the characters are complex—even the villains, with all the cruelty and dehumanization they show certain characters, have some depths beyond their evil.
Abuse—emotional, psychological, physical; systemic and familial—its all handled well in this series too. As Luca & Touraine come closer to unpacking their childhood experiences and finding themselves in their present, their growth makes me more excited about Book 3. The slow burn romance worked well too I was relieved we finally got some spicy scenes 🔥
Absolutely recommend ⭐️
While The Unbroken (which is told through either Luca or Touraine’s eyes) is heavy with the work of laying down foundations and building rich, complex characters trying to survive constant complex trauma—and adds beautiful world-building, magic, and cultures that feel familiar but are different enough to be fantastical—it never flinches from the depth and breadth of colonialism and all the harm it brings. The Faithless builds well on that base, so when our main characters are far from home we still feel the pressures of those strong personalities and the vibrant homeland counting on their success. That’s helped along by shifting the perspective throughout the book more frequently than The Unbroken; while we’re still mainly given the story through Luca or Touraine’s perspectives, at times The Faithless gives Aranen, Pruett, or even Fili the lead, and we’re privy to their thoughts and feelings. Those shifts help The Faithless’ plot feel as if it moves faster, as it introduces more moving parts without sacrificing any depth or detail. The machinations our protagonists work to uncover and survive are constantly spinning, even on the last page, which just builds my excitement for Book 3. The villains are both straightforwardly evil but are also unreliable narrators throughout; they present different faces to different characters, but there’s also a sense that things are going on behind their closed doors even we have yet to see. Some things they’ve hidden are revealed by the end, but some threads aren’t connected, some mysteries left unsolved for now.
This series is truly shines at representing the constant onslaught of colonialism and violent white supremacy and the bottomless hunger and violence of its adherents. We see how this structure harms everyone, even the colonizers themselves aren’t without their losses, and their working class in Balladaire is struggling and ripe for rebellion or political exploitation, or both. But the plot doesn’t lose itself in pity for the those at the top or even the middle of the heap, and focus is kept on the Qazāli; we’re led to understand a bit more of Touraine’s broken & bruised soul and her trauma, and what’s at stake for their future. All of the characters are complex—even the villains, with all the cruelty and dehumanization they show certain characters, have some depths beyond their evil.
Abuse—emotional, psychological, physical; systemic and familial—its all handled well in this series too. As Luca & Touraine come closer to unpacking their childhood experiences and finding themselves in their present, their growth makes me more excited about Book 3. The slow burn romance worked well too
Absolutely recommend ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Death, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Child death
Queernormative worldbuilding, Queer romance, references to Polyamory, WLW romance