The Unbroken Review

Hi friends! Today I’m finally posting my The Unbroken Review. I’ve been putting this one off for a while due to more pressing posts, but I’m happy to be finally sharing it. Let’s dive in!

Read my One Last Stop Review here!

Title: The Unbroken

Author: C.L. Clark

Rating: 4 Stars

CAWPILE: 7.5/10

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQ

Content Warnings: Violence, mentions of rape, colonization, child abuse.

Format: eARC

Publisher: Orbit

Date Published: March 23rd 2021

Goodreads Description: Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet’s edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren’t for sale.

I received a review copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

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The Unbroken Review

Characters – 7/10

Touraine really spoke to me like no character has before. I absolutely understood every single one of her choices (even the dumb ones). I know a bit about how it feels to be caught in the middle of two opposing worlds. Her desire to protect her found family is what drives her decisions and I can respect that. I’ve seen some people say Touraine is a bit naive, but if anyone is naive it should be Luca.

I liked Luca enough, but she really annoyed me at times. She makes some really dumb decisions for someone who’s supposed to be a “smart” scholar. I also would have liked to spend more time with the Sands. Touraine’s relationship with them is a key driving force, but I feel like we see very little of them.

Atmosphere – 7/10

I absolutely loved the world. It was so lush and well built. There were some confusing geographical elements here and there, but overall the world was really fleshed out.

Writing – 8/10

The writing was excellent. At some point, I couldn’t stop reading. The story was easy to get in to and I often felt like I was in the world with the characters. Clark did an amazing job.

Plot – 7/10

The plot was a little slow at times. However, that’s understandable since the first book in a fantasy series needs to spend some time setting up the world. I think the plot could have used some finer details, sometimes I felt like I was missing something. There were some confusing time jumps, but that might be because of the formatting of the eARC.

The Unbroken Review

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Intrigue – 9/10

This book made me think, a LOT. It tackles the issues of colonization and how younger people are often caught in between. Ultimately Touraine makes her choice and takes a stand. We see the effects of colonization in full force and that really makes this book stand out. It punches you in the gut and it’s amazing.

One slight snag for me was the romance. It didn’t hold my interest and it was very subtle. Other elements of the book are definitely stronger and the romance could have probably been left out.

Logic – 7/10

The magic system was a bit vague. We’re explained some rules, but I would have liked to get more into it. Hopefully, the next book delves deeper into the magical lore.

Enjoyment – 8/10

Overall this was an amazing book and I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait for the second one.

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