A review by azrah786
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

3.5

 [This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was gifted a copy by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**

CW: depictions of colonial violence, gore, past attempted rape, threats of rape, threats of torture, blood, death

The Unbroken is a North African inspired political and military fantasy following a conscripted soldier of a colonist empire returning to her homeland in order to aid in quelling a rebellion, and an imperial princess determined to establish peace in said region in order to reclaim her throne. It's a story about power and about freedom that unapologetically addresses the brutal effects of war and colonialism to people, place and culture.

“It’s in our nature to doubt. The key to faith is standing by someone anyway.”


Some of the initial concepts of the story gave me vibes of The Ember Quartet which had me invested immediately, though it is a unique story from the get go.

The story unfolds with the Balladairan Colonial Brigade arriving on the docks of the capital of Qazal and we instantly get a sense for the animosity and prejudices between the communities present; the conflicting feelings and loyalties of the ‘Sands’ – those soldiers who were stolen as children and indoctrinated to support the empire– and the discrimination these soldiers face from all sides.

“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 always stand on shaky, hole-ridden ground, half of your identity dug out of you and tossed away.”


The world-building and setting take parallels from real world history but have an added whisper of magic, and the immersive storytelling allows us to discover this elaborate fantasy world hand in hand with the characters.

Pacing-wise, this book was definitely slower than I initially expected – more politically focused than action heavy. Though Clark’s writing has a beautiful and at times poetic quality to it without being overly flowery, which I really loved. There were so many spectacular quotes in this book!

The primary characters themselves are wonderfully complex and nuanced. I particularly loved following Touraine's story arc and her coming to terms with her identity and where her loyalties lie - with those in the only life she has known or with those from the home she has forgotten. You know the character is well written when your heart hurts for them and gets frustrated by them and their actions in equal measures.

“The thought still made her shudder with – what? Revulsion wasn’t right, and neither was fear. It was the sense that she had been walking a broad path along a cliff only to find it was a bayonet’s edge. She was just waiting to be pushed.”


What I was left uncertain about though was the relationship between the two protagonists. There was definitely an interesting connection between them but I wasn’t convinced it worked well enough to be a romantic one.

For starters there was an unbalance of power between the two of them that didn’t sit well with me and then there were also a few time skips in the narrative when their relationship was developing which made it seem as though the hints of a romance ensuing were coming about too fast. Also I feel like the more familial relationships in the book were a lot stronger and more fleshed out particularly Touraine’s relationship with the other ‘Sands’ and Luca’s with Gillet. I feel like even the relationship between Touraine and The Jackal had more going for it!

The key fantasy elements are also not explored as much in this first book as I had hoped, particularly since a scene towards the beginning had me super eager to know more about the magic. This wasn’t really a major flaw since the political intrigue throughout was compelling in itself, but definitely something I am highly anticipating to discover more about it in the sequel.
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings