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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unlike the title, I feel completely broken. I have not felt this strongly about a book in a long time.
I hated Touraine for the decisions she made, for the opportunities she missed, for the lies she told and the hurt she brought on. But I also empathized with her, having lost her sense of identity and being lied to and manipulated for so long, wanting to belong with people who would never see her as more than a tool. I felt her pain and my heart bled for her, for her friends and family and the impossible choices she made coupled with their consequences.
I hated Touraine for the decisions she made, for the opportunities she missed, for the lies she told and the hurt she brought on. But I also empathized with her, having lost her sense of identity and being lied to and manipulated for so long, wanting to belong with people who would never see her as more than a tool. I felt her pain and my heart bled for her, for her friends and family and the impossible choices she made coupled with their consequences.
The Unbroken was a very uneven book for me, I thought the writing was pleasant, descriptive and maintained a solid pace. It was easy to read. On top of that, the worldbuilding was great and my favourite part of the book. The queer rep, disability rep and centering of women in positions in power fit seamlessly into the world the author created. On the other hand, this definitely felt like a debut in that the characters did not have the emotional impact the author intended, I did not really like either of the main characters and it was quite hard to decipher whether the author intended for you to like them or not.
The book is set in an empire that is ruled by not-France and follows a brigade of colonial soldiers from not-North Africa set in one of these Northern African inspired colonies. It follows the story of Touraine, a Lieutenant from this colonial brigade who is returning to the country of her birth she was taken from for the first time and Luca, the princess-in-waiting to the empire. Touraine goes through a journey of self-discovery in the sense that she goes from wanting to move up through the armies ranks despite the constant and intense racism from every not-French person and distain of her countrymen who felt she abandoned her people to wanting freedom for her people and country. As a whole, I enjoyed this arc it felt real in that Touraine did not just snap out of colonial mindset, it came slowly and she often relapsed in her thought patterns. On the other hand, she is insufferable. As a Lieutenant, one would expect some level-headedness and thoughtfulness, one would be wrong. She is constantly rash, impulsive and seemingly betrays the trust of everyone on both sides. She is meant to do everything for her brigade, the Sands, who she was raised with. But their relationship to Touraine is very tell don't show which makes the moments one is meant to feel Touraine is justified in her actions or we are meant to be shocked about things happening to the Sands fall flat. Since they are her main motivation, it makes many of her actions and feelings hollow since we don't see a lot of their relationship. Luca on the other hand, is meant to be raised from birth to become Queen. But, she is incompetent. Even if her motives are kind-hearted, they fail and she always resorts to brutal oppression to fix it. Now, this would be fine if the author painted her as the villain but she doesn't. I think you're meant to want Luca to succeed and I don't really see why you would want that. And lastly on characters, the bombshell of a relationship between the two is truly something. It feels like pure lust that the author wants you to accept as something more. But it isn't earned, they constantly slight or straight up betray each others trust. Why do they keep gravitating back to each other? They just met, there is no history keeping them linked together. It just felt forced and frustrating.
In terms of the story, I love a good rebellion story. Many characters in the rebellion felt much more realistic and were actually capable of rooting for. Despite the character flows, I feel like the author did a good job depicting the struggles of oppression and understanding that what comes after the shackles being cast off is often as scary as the initial rebellion. This comes from the author doing a great job of fleshing out the Qazal (Touraine's country) culture. The magic in the book is a driving force for Luca throughout the book but even still is largely mysterious and in the background of the book. It is definitely being set up to be more important later in the series and tie into the religious differences between the two cultures. I'm mixed about the magic, as by being secretive I want to know more but it is only brought out in major moments which kind of makes it feel like its coming out of nowhere. The ending of the book is great, the author does a good job of building, building, building tension which just snaps into an explosion of action and violence.
Overall, this was a really mixed one for me. I will give the next book a shot since there were some elements I did enjoy.
The book is set in an empire that is ruled by not-France and follows a brigade of colonial soldiers from not-North Africa set in one of these Northern African inspired colonies. It follows the story of Touraine, a Lieutenant from this colonial brigade who is returning to the country of her birth she was taken from for the first time and Luca, the princess-in-waiting to the empire. Touraine goes through a journey of self-discovery in the sense that she goes from wanting to move up through the armies ranks despite the constant and intense racism from every not-French person and distain of her countrymen who felt she abandoned her people to wanting freedom for her people and country. As a whole, I enjoyed this arc it felt real in that Touraine did not just snap out of colonial mindset, it came slowly and she often relapsed in her thought patterns. On the other hand, she is insufferable. As a Lieutenant, one would expect some level-headedness and thoughtfulness, one would be wrong. She is constantly rash, impulsive and seemingly betrays the trust of everyone on both sides. She is meant to do everything for her brigade, the Sands, who she was raised with. But their relationship to Touraine is very tell don't show which makes the moments one is meant to feel Touraine is justified in her actions or we are meant to be shocked about things happening to the Sands fall flat. Since they are her main motivation, it makes many of her actions and feelings hollow since we don't see a lot of their relationship. Luca on the other hand, is meant to be raised from birth to become Queen. But, she is incompetent. Even if her motives are kind-hearted, they fail and she always resorts to brutal oppression to fix it. Now, this would be fine if the author painted her as the villain but she doesn't. I think you're meant to want Luca to succeed and I don't really see why you would want that. And lastly on characters, the bombshell of a relationship between the two is truly something. It feels like pure lust that the author wants you to accept as something more. But it isn't earned, they constantly slight or straight up betray each others trust. Why do they keep gravitating back to each other? They just met, there is no history keeping them linked together. It just felt forced and frustrating.
In terms of the story, I love a good rebellion story. Many characters in the rebellion felt much more realistic and were actually capable of rooting for. Despite the character flows, I feel like the author did a good job depicting the struggles of oppression and understanding that what comes after the shackles being cast off is often as scary as the initial rebellion. This comes from the author doing a great job of fleshing out the Qazal (Touraine's country) culture. The magic in the book is a driving force for Luca throughout the book but even still is largely mysterious and in the background of the book. It is definitely being set up to be more important later in the series and tie into the religious differences between the two cultures. I'm mixed about the magic, as by being secretive I want to know more but it is only brought out in major moments which kind of makes it feel like its coming out of nowhere. The ending of the book is great, the author does a good job of building, building, building tension which just snaps into an explosion of action and violence.
Overall, this was a really mixed one for me. I will give the next book a shot since there were some elements I did enjoy.
Read my full review here! ✨
I feel like this book was one of the most anticipated of the year for so many people. Rightfully so. The topics are incredible. The complex look into colonialism and how that affects literally everyone involved was unmatched. The way that lost children look for a place of belonging, and not finding it anywhere. The way that it is written for us to really understand just how complex that relationship is was amazing. I found myself questioning with Touraine at every turn, and sympathizing with the confusing identity and loyalty. Absolutely fantastic.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t grip me in the way I was hoping. The worst part is that I couldn’t even tell you exactly why. I thought the relationship that Touraine had with Luca vs Cantic vs the Sands was absolutely wonderful. I thought the topics were so important and I was very interested in learning about them and hearing them be explored. But I just kept spacing out. I only have good things to say about this book, but I was still not drawn in as much as I could have been. I wouldn’t let that count you out at all, though! It is probably just me. Read more...
*I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily*
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr
I feel like this book was one of the most anticipated of the year for so many people. Rightfully so. The topics are incredible. The complex look into colonialism and how that affects literally everyone involved was unmatched. The way that lost children look for a place of belonging, and not finding it anywhere. The way that it is written for us to really understand just how complex that relationship is was amazing. I found myself questioning with Touraine at every turn, and sympathizing with the confusing identity and loyalty. Absolutely fantastic.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t grip me in the way I was hoping. The worst part is that I couldn’t even tell you exactly why. I thought the relationship that Touraine had with Luca vs Cantic vs the Sands was absolutely wonderful. I thought the topics were so important and I was very interested in learning about them and hearing them be explored. But I just kept spacing out. I only have good things to say about this book, but I was still not drawn in as much as I could have been. I wouldn’t let that count you out at all, though! It is probably just me. Read more...
*I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily*
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr
I felt like I was reading fanfiction but not the good kind
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I apologize for my grammar!
This book was really difficult to read. First, the character choices made no sense to me (this is a reoccurring statement). Touraine made a lot of bad decisions which I didn’t understand. A character doesn’t have to make choices that I like as long as a I understand how and why they did it.Touraine betrays Luca and the rebellion by telling Cantic their deal. I have no clue why Touraine would do this. Cantic’s nickname is the, blood general, she is also one of the most revered generals in the Balldairian army. So, I don’t know why Touraine expected Cantic to intercept the guns knowing her reputation. It was obvious that Cantic would ambush the meeting. Eventually, Touraine joins the rebellion. When she does and they are kind of warming up to her, she goes behind their backs to broker a deal with Luca. She literally tells Luca about the magic which Luca has been desperately searching for. This leads Aranen to get kidnapped. Again, Touraine betrayed Luca. I don’t know what Touraine expected to happen. She literally just got the rebels to accept her.
Another issue I had with this book is how easily Touraine joined the rebellion. She spent most of the booking hating the rebellion, pledging her loyalty to Balladaire, hoping her people would give in, and calling them uncivilized. It felt abrupt that she joined the rebellion especially because it was after she sold them out to Cantic.
Going back to Luca, her and Touraine’s relationship felt forced. The amount of times they betrayed or hurt each other then fell back in love made no sense. I was immediately suspicious of their relationship when Luca said “She’s attractive, for a Qazali.” (130). This line gave me the ick for lack of better words. It’s a kin to saying “she’s pretty for a black girl.” I’m not sure why this line was included when the author is establishing Luca as Touraine’s love interest. Pruett was another one of Touraine’s love interests, and I hate how Pruett was treated.The fact that Touraine didn’t even try to suppress her feeling for Luca is maddening. Even if there are passages that stated Touraine didn’t want to fall for Luca, their feelings for each other developed so fast and suddenly that it cancels out those passages.
Another relationship I hated was Touraine and Jaghotai’s.Jaghotai hates Touraine for many things but mainly for killing her uncle, Jaghotai’s brother. Again, it makes no sense. If I remember correctly, Touraine didn’t know that was her uncle until after the execution because well she was kidnapped as a child. This leads me to my main issue with their relationship. Yes, Touraine is a solider for Balladaire and committed atrocities against her people, but she was kidnapped and brainwashed by colonizers. So, I don’t understand why Jaghotai didn’t give Touraine more grace once she joined the rebellion especially because Jaghotai said there was nothing she could do to stop Balladaire from taking Touraine.
Now, I want to circle back to Luca. She did not act like a 28 year old woman. I wasn’t as frustrated with her like I was with Touraine.It was odd how easily Luca turned on the Qazali just because Touraine betrayed her. Luca also gives a speech before Touraine’s friends (the people she care about the most) get killed. And, Luca somehow makes it seem like she had now choice, and Touraine never gets super angry at her. Touraine still loves Luca despite that. Again, it makes no sense. Touraine’s main motivation is to protect the sands because they are her family. I don’t understand why she wouldn’t be angrier at Luca. Sure, Luca couldn’t stop Cantic or Beau-Sang, but she had a choice to boycott the hanging. Luca made a choice not only to go but also to give a speech. I like enemies to lovers, but I think part of enemies to lovers is toeing the line of pushing each other’s button so far but not so far that it can put the romance in jeopardy. As I stated before, Touraine cares about the sands first and foremost so killing them seems like an unforgivable act that would’ve shattered her feelings for Luca. It was constantly hinted that Luca was sexually attracted to Touraine, but Luca’s romantic feelings for Touraine felt very sudden. I was frustrated that Luca cared more about getting the crown more than giving the Qazali their land back especially when she constantly talked about peace with the rebels. Even when she came to the realization Balladaire should leave, it wasn’t because she genuinely grew as a character and believes colonization is wrong. It was mainly because she didn’t want Touraine to die. This brings me to my next point.
The ending was anticlimactic and unearned.It is laughable how all it took was for Touraine to be on the edge of death, so Luca could say “fine Balladaire will leave.” It’s like if two countries were at war for 10 years, and the colonizers are like fine we surrender you win. WTF was the point of everything. Sure, Qazali is free, but the build up was not satisfying. My last tidbits: the actions scene started fast and abruptly. I had to reread to fully grasp what happened.
Lastly, I don’t think the romance is enemies to lovers. They aren’t really enemies until the like the last 25 precent of the book even then they are constantly and abruptly falling back in love and missing each other. It’s almost like they were never really enemies. I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my cup of tea.
This book was really difficult to read. First, the character choices made no sense to me (this is a reoccurring statement). Touraine made a lot of bad decisions which I didn’t understand. A character doesn’t have to make choices that I like as long as a I understand how and why they did it.
Another issue I had with this book is how easily Touraine joined the rebellion. She spent most of the booking hating the rebellion, pledging her loyalty to Balladaire, hoping her people would give in, and calling them uncivilized. It felt abrupt that she joined the rebellion especially because it was after she sold them out to Cantic.
Going back to Luca, her and Touraine’s relationship felt forced. The amount of times they betrayed or hurt each other then fell back in love made no sense. I was immediately suspicious of their relationship when Luca said “She’s attractive, for a Qazali.” (130). This line gave me the ick for lack of better words. It’s a kin to saying “she’s pretty for a black girl.” I’m not sure why this line was included when the author is establishing Luca as Touraine’s love interest. Pruett was another one of Touraine’s love interests, and I hate how Pruett was treated.
Another relationship I hated was Touraine and Jaghotai’s.
Now, I want to circle back to Luca. She did not act like a 28 year old woman. I wasn’t as frustrated with her like I was with Touraine.
The ending was anticlimactic and unearned.
Lastly, I don’t think the romance is enemies to lovers. They aren’t really enemies until the like the last 25 precent of the book even then they are constantly and abruptly falling back in love and missing each other. It’s almost like they were never really enemies. I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my cup of tea.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First half of the book was exciting and interesting. World building and character building kept me fascinated. Second half of the book, however, felt rushed and mismatched. The climax of the ending lacked substance, and I did not feel that the characters had really developed in any way aside from being vehicles.
I struggled throughout the book with some of the descriptions. The author would go in detail for an entire paragraph or two, but skirted around the subject. I would read the paragraph again and again, but I still did not understand what actually happened or what the purpose was.
I struggled throughout the book with some of the descriptions. The author would go in detail for an entire paragraph or two, but skirted around the subject. I would read the paragraph again and again, but I still did not understand what actually happened or what the purpose was.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes