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devonelise17 's review for:
The Unbroken
by C.L. Clark
I am primarily a fantasy reader. It’s my favorite genre. So many of the stories deal with issues of injustice and revenge and oppression but so often these stories don’t actually engage with the very real violence that very real empires are enacting right now in our very real world. Many of them make characters out of queens who make “hard choices” that are part of the ruler’s character arc. As cool as badass women as royals with magic racing through their veins can be, often this feels hollow.
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The Unbroken is another fantasy book about empire, yes, but this one is different. It is a book that forces you to actually face the fact that empires, and monarchy and militaries and colonial rule, are inherently violent systems that cannot be compromised with. That rebellions against colonial rule are not examples of violence on “both sides” but are rather the only reasonable reaction to oppression. The plot felt messy at times and I found myself frustrated with the character’s decisions or inactions or second-guessing, but all of this felt like a deeply human reality of the utter shit of colonial encounter and violence. Of course it’s messy. Of course there are no good choices.
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I may write more later because there is so much to say. But I'm tired and sad and this book left me exhausted. I also recommend it very highly.
.
The Unbroken is another fantasy book about empire, yes, but this one is different. It is a book that forces you to actually face the fact that empires, and monarchy and militaries and colonial rule, are inherently violent systems that cannot be compromised with. That rebellions against colonial rule are not examples of violence on “both sides” but are rather the only reasonable reaction to oppression. The plot felt messy at times and I found myself frustrated with the character’s decisions or inactions or second-guessing, but all of this felt like a deeply human reality of the utter shit of colonial encounter and violence. Of course it’s messy. Of course there are no good choices.
.
I may write more later because there is so much to say. But I'm tired and sad and this book left me exhausted. I also recommend it very highly.