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.
Clark’s debut introduces a remarkable LGBTQ+ culture amid a story of colonial conquest, exploitation, prejudice, and brewing revolt in a land with a lost history of mystical powers ... Fans of epic military fantasy will eagerly await more from Clark.
The synopsis of this book was enough for me to claim it as one of my most anticipated releases this year. That, and the gorgeous cover, of course. But clearly, these were not enough to prepare me for the magnificence of this book. The Unbroken is a military fantasy that is tense, brutal, and unabashedly frank about the complexities of love, loyalty, and imperialism/colonisation ... This book dives deep into politics and military tactics, and at first I thought I would have a hard time following it all, but instead, I was enamoured ... The Unbroken also showed the complexities of colonisation so openly in this book which I really appreciated. I think it’s rare that I get to see a fantasy novel like this, where colonisation is such an integral part of the plot and a significant theme in the story ... Overall, The Unbroken was an epic journey from start to finish. It’s brutal, it’s suspenseful, but most of all, it punches you right in the feels.
A queernorm world dealing with racism, magic, and head-versus-heart decisions creates rich settings and characters ... This strong debut is filled with exciting action and worldbulding, intriguing characters dealing with themes of colonization, military conscription and indoctrination, and an explosion of feelings. Readers will be clamoring for more of Touraine and Luca before they finish.
