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A review by deedireads
The Faithless by C.L. Clark
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