Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

62 reviews

el393way's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

Huge commendations to the author on their ability to world build. The magic system in this book was enticing and the overall setup of ruling parties, court politics, and power shifts was well executed. The writing of that side is excellent.

The author also manages to write an extremely diverse cast. Diverse across so many levels. Both good diverse for representation and bad diverse in terms of realistic antagonists. There are a lot of well-done female characters which is not as common to see in fantasy.

The writing of the two main characters is where the convincing nature of the writing fell apart for me. Luca is really not likable and grows almost not at all. I can’t tell if we’re supposed to like her or not. It felt like we were supposed to because of how much of her perspective we got and she wasn’t made into an outright villain. However, she’s just very blah as a semi-main character.

Touraine was also a bit blah for me but much more convincing and appealing than Luca. It felt like she was more along for the ride in a lot of scenes rather than every in control. That would be fine here and there but it makes it harder to root for or be invested in a MC like that. 

Their romance also felt very strange. We as readers are told they are starting to care for each other and their pairing follows routine. But we’re told these things. Nothing about their interactions, other than MAYBE one conversation where they open up a bit, comes across as love interests. I definitely don’t need spark and fire in every romance but if you aren’t going to have that, the emotional connection needs to be there. If there’s neither lust nor love, then their relationship should read as platonic but it doesn’t do that either. These people are making big decisions in response to how they’re impacted by one another but I don’t get the feeling they care much at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and War

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

caidyn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional 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

4.0

A lovely queer fantasy book that looks at colonialism and colonization. Touraine was a great character and I also really enjoyed Luca. Can't wait for the next book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Racism, Blood, and Colonisation

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

btrz7's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Child abuse, Death, Violence, War, Ableism, Blood, Xenophobia, Genocide, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

sarakas's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

Touraine and Luca are compelling and deeply flawed main characters whose individual desires are antithetical to the feelings they are developing for one another. What happens when you’re on opposing sides of a conflict but you still want to save the other person? Lots of mess. Highly recommended for some good gay angst.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Rape

vivavia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Blood, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Bullying, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Slavery

professor_jango's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, War, Racism, Xenophobia, Classism, and Blood

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

kaschaller's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Ableism, Vomit, and Chronic illness

Minor: Sexual harassment, Rape, and Sexual violence

kyladenae94's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.5

the beginning felt a bit…scrambled, but i’m glad i trusted the tikky-tokkers & stuck it out. i hope the threads set up in this book—

the “reveal” of what happened with cheminade feels a bit stilted to me, and we still don’t know how touraine got knocked out & also What About Cheminade’s Husband, he seemed nice

—will be tied up in a future book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Torture, Gun violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual assault, War, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

hellsbellsbeepbeep's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

I wanted to love this book for many reasons and in some ways I do. I really love the queerness not being central to the plot

although I’m disappointed with the relationship between Luca and Touraine, all the other queer love was heartwarming

and I loved the diverse characters of the rebels. It took a quarter of the book for me to get into it and it still lost me at times throughout. A few pages of prologue could’ve emitted a lot of what felt like what took so much time to explain things in between what was happening that it took away from it. It also took  quite some time to get to the magic aspect which was a bit of let down, but when the plot did reach more magic use - it was very intriguing. 

The book is very a heartbreaking journey and the main character is still someone you can love despite all her choices that cause chaos.  I felt moved to finish out of my curiosity for Touraine’s fate and in hopes to find out wether or not the rebels won. I was also just waiting for some justice after all that xenophobic mistreatment to the Qazals or anyone not Balladrain. 

With all that said I did enjoy the book, just not as much I hoped I would. With this book I kept getting distracted because it felt too busy at times and didn’t feel gripped by the plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, War, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Gore, and Torture

saenz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

5.0

A book about finally finding your own way after a life of submittion, and boy oh boy it is the farthest thing from easy. Loved the world and struggling and then succeeding to love the characters. Painful and lonley to read, but a wonderful book, definitely worth it in the end

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Slavery, Murder, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Trafficking

Minor: Rape and Child abuse