cameronreads's review against another edition
4.0
I’m really liking this series so far. I understand why some people may not like it; I feel like people might find this book in particular quite boring, as it’s mostly political, but I really enjoyed it. I really love exploring these complex characters and the moral questions that come into play, especially when it comes to a retribution arc. I think the relationship between our two main characters is so intriguing, and I love how slow it burns. I like the discussions it brings up about colonialism and racism, and I think the representation in all areas, especially the Black, sapphic and disability rep, is great. I would have liked it if Pruett and Fili’s points of view were developed a bit more, as I often forget they existed and was surprised when they came up again, and therefore wasn’t very invested in them as characters or their little sections of plot. This did feel a little like a filler book, with a degree of second book syndrome, but I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the final instalment I’m the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcohol, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, Colonisation, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and War
theirgracegrace's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This second instalment of the Magic of the Lost has magic, romance, and intrigue galore. Luca is desperately trying to get one step ahead of her xenophobic uncle Nicolas, who threatens to dismantle all of her work with the Qazāli and take the throne from her. Touraine is now an ambassador to the Balladairan court and has to once again navigate a world where the colour of her skin makes her a target. And Pruett desperately tries to form solidarity between her ragtag soldiers and somehow overcome the Balladairan forces in Masridān across the river from Qazāl. An incredibly powerful and heart-wrenching sequel that deals with themes like colonization and identity with flair. Beyond excited for the third instalment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Vomit, Addiction, and Excrement
Minor: Ableism and Cultural appropriation
annamariemreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"Maybe this was not the kind of thing that moved the borders between hearts and changed the shape of empires. Maybe this was only a gasp of a moment, something they wouldn't even be able to recollect in twenty years, not even to remember fondly, not even to regret. In a week, in a month, it could flare and disintegrate into ash, burning them both up along with everything they cared about. Maybe it was nothing at all."
The Faithless by C.L. Clark is the stunning second installment of the Magic of the Lost trilogy. Once again, the reader is faced with the uncomfortable topic of colonialism and what it looks like to stare the oppressor straight in the face and say: FUCK. YOU. The second book in any series or trilogy can either make or break a story. Well. Let me make one thing clear: The Faithless makes this story come even more alive, 10 billion times over. When I tell you I was not bored ONCE during this book, I mean it.
What I loved:
- The Faithless is equal parts a character driven narrative as well as a plot driven narrative.
- The pacing of this book is TOP TIER. I found myself saying "One more chapter... nope, wait, one more chapter after this..." oops it's 1am and now I have to work in 6 hours. Like!!! I honestly cannot tell you the last time I stayed up this late to read a book.
- Touraine's journey to finding herself. Her wants, her needs, her desires. What SHE wants. Not what Luca wants from her, not what Jaghotai wants her to accomplish, not what Pruett wants from her, not what Qazal expects of her. Touraine finally gets to put herself first and DAMN was that incredible to read about.
- Luca's character development is Chef's FREAKIN kiss. Our princess is ready to RISK IT ALL for our girl Touraine and tbh, I'm here for it. Not only is Luca coming to terms with what kind of queen she aspires to be, but she is also coming to realize that not everything has to be done the way her ancestors would have wanted her to do it. Luca will ascend the throne and rule Balladaire the way she wants and the way Touraine wants her to. And, similar to Touraine, Luca is deciding things for herself. What kind of person SHE wants to be, who SHE wants to be for Touraine, for Balladaire, for Sabine, for Gil. Someone Tiro can learn from and aspire to be. Not who her parents expected her to become and certainly not someone who Nicolas expects to start thinking for herself. Luca takes Touraine's opinion of her very seriously. The growth is outstanding.
- Gil is a wonderful character. I love his relationship with Luca and how he's practically her father. I am so happy we get more queer representation with him.
- Sabine is such a great character, sometimes infuriating, but a wonderful addition to the story. Her flirtatious nature is excellent. Can C.L. Clark please
Spoiler
give us our threesome between Luca, Sabine, and Touraine in the next book? PRETTY PLEASE?
What I didn't love/why I didn't give it a 5 star rating:
- Pruett's storyline is a tad boring in the sense that I’m not fully invested in her character the way that I am with Luca, Touraine, Sabine, etc. Her POV is clunky and takes you out of the story in a way that doesn't flow well with the book as a cohesive.
- I missed Jaghotai in this book a lot. I hope we see more of her in the next book.
Here are some quotes that made me stare into the void and dissociate:
"I think it might be her, Aranen. I may be the world's biggest idiot, but I think I want her. And for the first time, it won't hurt anybody else."
"We are who we are. We want what we want."
"My girl, you haven't been just a soldier in a very long time."
"We're all just pretending. Keeping shields up and hiding as best as we can, from friends and enemies alike. They were all so unbearably lonely under the masks."
I truly cannot wait for the third and final installment to arrive. It's going to be everything and more, I just know it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, War, Blood, Kidnapping, Child death, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Medical content, Mental illness, Violence, and Vomit
anxiousnachos's review
adventurous
dark
5.0
I bow down to C.L Clark for breaking my reading slump and causing me to read 350 pages in one day.
This had all of the in-depth political machinations, interrogation of colonisation and brilliant character relationships that made me adore the first book in this series. Dark, brutal, angry - this book is one of rage against the colonial powers who will do everything to keep control. It is about discovering that freedom doesn’t mean a lack of duty.
Content warnings: graphic depictions of colonisation, imperialism, racism, graphic depictions of injuries, torture, blood, sexual content, gun violence, violence, kidnapping, panic attacks/ptsd, child death, vomit, cannibalism, war
This had all of the in-depth political machinations, interrogation of colonisation and brilliant character relationships that made me adore the first book in this series. Dark, brutal, angry - this book is one of rage against the colonial powers who will do everything to keep control. It is about discovering that freedom doesn’t mean a lack of duty.
Content warnings: graphic depictions of colonisation, imperialism, racism, graphic depictions of injuries, torture, blood, sexual content, gun violence, violence, kidnapping, panic attacks/ptsd, child death, vomit, cannibalism, war
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Torture, Violence, War, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cannibalism, Child death, Vomit, and Sexual content
lbelow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Colonisation, Blood, Sexual content, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, Gore, and Death
Minor: Vomit and Torture
rjtheodore's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, Vomit, Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Sexual content, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
loreofthebooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thanks to Hachette for sending me copies of these books! #gifted
The Faithless was an excellent sequel overall to The Unbroken. We start to get to see a shift in what happens when colonizers leave the colonies alone. We also get to see Tour in a different light here, being back on her "home turf" but with a different point of view.
That was the other thing Clark added to this installment. There were more points of views that culminated together in the end with a big reveal. Much like the last book, this includes lots of death and violence. However, less rebellion and more political intrigue. This one is more about court and ruling politics in both lands, and how each people are dealing with it.
I thought the relationship with Tour and Luca in this one was better developed than in the previous one, which was one of my complaints about the previous book. I felt this elaborated more on what was between them. Their own character arcs were also excellent in this book, as they both grow and change.
While we have lost some characters from the previous book, we also have new ones in this book. As before, even the secondary characters are strong enough to stand on their own. In some ways, this book had more twists and turns than the previous did, and you weren't sure where it was going to go.
I don't want to spoil too much about this book, but if you liked the first one, you definitely need to pick this one up ASAP! I need to know what happens to Tour and Luca next!
The Faithless was an excellent sequel overall to The Unbroken. We start to get to see a shift in what happens when colonizers leave the colonies alone. We also get to see Tour in a different light here, being back on her "home turf" but with a different point of view.
That was the other thing Clark added to this installment. There were more points of views that culminated together in the end with a big reveal. Much like the last book, this includes lots of death and violence. However, less rebellion and more political intrigue. This one is more about court and ruling politics in both lands, and how each people are dealing with it.
I thought the relationship with Tour and Luca in this one was better developed than in the previous one, which was one of my complaints about the previous book. I felt this elaborated more on what was between them. Their own character arcs were also excellent in this book, as they both grow and change.
While we have lost some characters from the previous book, we also have new ones in this book. As before, even the secondary characters are strong enough to stand on their own. In some ways, this book had more twists and turns than the previous did, and you weren't sure where it was going to go.
I don't want to spoil too much about this book, but if you liked the first one, you definitely need to pick this one up ASAP! I need to know what happens to Tour and Luca next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Child death
Minor: Gore and Vomit
shelbyslifer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Violence, War, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Vomit, Religious bigotry, Medical content, and Gore
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