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A review by entazis
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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
This was just fantastic and fun even though it also hurts in a lot of places.
It's really all about colonialism, power and what it means to be a good leader. It's about loyalty and trust. But mostly it's about the lost children, stolen children, who are coming back home as a tool of oppressors.
Relationships are messy. My favorite one in this book isn't a romantic one, but a familial. The complicated relationship between daughter and mother who are unable to understand each other, who have a lot of hurt between them thanks to the colonial forces that separated them. There was one particular scene nearing the end when I almost cried, when we see the depths of pain, love and lost time.
The characters are just interesting and complex and it feels that there's no good decisions no matter the intentions. I will say that Luca irritated me a lot. But the way the author explores what it means to be a queen was really a great one, regardless of my personal frustrations. But because she irritated me I couldn't really buy into the romance between her and Touraine or at least I'm not rooting for them even though they're obviously endgame.
Worldbuilding is also rich, full of small and big details, full of history, different cultures and nations.
All in all I really enjoyed this book a lot and I'm excited for more.
It's really all about colonialism, power and what it means to be a good leader. It's about loyalty and trust. But mostly it's about the lost children, stolen children, who are coming back home as a tool of oppressors.
Relationships are messy. My favorite one in this book isn't a romantic one, but a familial. The complicated relationship between daughter and mother who are unable to understand each other, who have a lot of hurt between them thanks to the colonial forces that separated them. There was one particular scene nearing the end when I almost cried, when we see the depths of pain, love and lost time.
The characters are just interesting and complex and it feels that there's no good decisions no matter the intentions. I will say that Luca irritated me a lot. But the way the author explores what it means to be a queen was really a great one, regardless of my personal frustrations. But because she irritated me I couldn't really buy into the romance between her and Touraine or at least I'm not rooting for them even though they're obviously endgame.
Worldbuilding is also rich, full of small and big details, full of history, different cultures and nations.
All in all I really enjoyed this book a lot and I'm excited for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault