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A review by gigi_jodie
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
F meeee. This was so intense. I felt for Touraine throughout this book. She made so so many mistakes because of the internal battles of where her loyalties lay. Poor poor Touraine to figure out your idol had been your captor all this time.
"Each path seemed like a different kind of powerlessness, but Touraine didn't know where else she could turn."
I honestly can't explain how well Clark wrote about colonialism and displacement, identity and politics in a divided land.
"Touraine was starting to think it was impossible to come from one land and learn to live in another and feel whole. That you would aways stand on shaky, hole-ridden ground, half of your identity dug out of you and tossed away."
It was so important to have both Touraine's and Luca's perspectives. Because as much as Luca is a power hungry monarch, she does genuinely care deep down, even though her actions might not always reflect that.
"'You will never have nothing. Not like we have nothing. Not like
the Sands have nothing. not like the Qazali have nothing- Not like a
carpenter's daughter in Nowhere, Balladaire, has nothing.' You will
never have to sell yourself to live."
"The sharp edge of Luca's voice rested against Touraine's throat. "I'm
letting you walk out of here on one condition. Get the rebels in line,
I don't want any more bloodshed than you do. The sooner they stop
fighting, the sooner I call of my hounds."
"You deserve this fight."
"The civilians, too? The children?"
"You teach the children to spit on us! Crawl out of your books, and
open your fucking eyes, Luca. This is real. We are real."
Sidenote, it was pretty damn cool to have a disabled princess, showing her reality and struggles without making it a weakness.
And that's all not even to mention all the other INCREDIBLE characters. The way they were discribed, the way they talked and moved I imagined them a certain way for it to only be later that their actual physical attributes were talked about and they were exactly as I imagined.
TIBEAU has my heart, he deserved so much better.
Often stories spare not much room outside of the main characters, but even with only 2 POV's the other characters were so outspoken and alive on the pages.
Anyhow. Read it.
"Each path seemed like a different kind of powerlessness, but Touraine didn't know where else she could turn."
I honestly can't explain how well Clark wrote about colonialism and displacement, identity and politics in a divided land.
"Touraine was starting to think it was impossible to come from one land and learn to live in another and feel whole. That you would aways stand on shaky, hole-ridden ground, half of your identity dug out of you and tossed away."
It was so important to have both Touraine's and Luca's perspectives. Because as much as Luca is a power hungry monarch, she does genuinely care deep down, even though her actions might not always reflect that.
"'You will never have nothing. Not like we have nothing. Not like
the Sands have nothing. not like the Qazali have nothing- Not like a
carpenter's daughter in Nowhere, Balladaire, has nothing.' You will
never have to sell yourself to live."
"The sharp edge of Luca's voice rested against Touraine's throat. "I'm
letting you walk out of here on one condition. Get the rebels in line,
I don't want any more bloodshed than you do. The sooner they stop
fighting, the sooner I call of my hounds."
"You deserve this fight."
"The civilians, too? The children?"
"You teach the children to spit on us! Crawl out of your books, and
open your fucking eyes, Luca. This is real. We are real."
Sidenote, it was pretty damn cool to have a disabled princess, showing her reality and struggles without making it a weakness.
And that's all not even to mention all the other INCREDIBLE characters. The way they were discribed, the way they talked and moved I imagined them a certain way for it to only be later that their actual physical attributes were talked about and they were exactly as I imagined.
TIBEAU has my heart, he deserved so much better.
Often stories spare not much room outside of the main characters, but even with only 2 POV's the other characters were so outspoken and alive on the pages.
Anyhow. Read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Grief, and War