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rosieryel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
a really successful second-in-a-trilogy book! the shift in location helped expand on things from the first one and introduced new elements. i like that the romance was both an excruciating slowburn (but one that made sense rather than being frustrating) and also happened in this book so they’ll be navigating it in the third. i actually thought this was a duology so i kept thinking it didn’t go far enough with the fingers plotline or the masridan plotline but those are now great hooks for the thud book. i do wish gil got more of an arc before his death bc i found his character potentially rly interesting again one of my fave depictions of imperialism/colonialism in a fantasy series it’s really well thought through and much more radical than a lot of series - excited to see how that intersects with the anti-royalist movement in the next book especially since the protagonist(s, sort of) are the royals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Torture
fjalar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
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: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Vomit, and Cannibalism
misoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THE EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS BOOK WERE HIGH AND, HOLY SHIT, DID THEY DELIVER!
The chokehold this series has had on me ever since reading the first book istg. There's drama in every corner and the political intrigue is sooooo nerve-wracking in this one as the stakes for everyone involved are higher and literally every character seems to be plotting and scheming a plan of their own!! 😤 I swear I was left scarred from the last book because I didn't dare to hope for a hopeful arc for any of these characters but still C.L. Clark didn't let me down. We get so much development from Touraine and Luca's situationship and I'm literally squealing from excitement and cuteness overload 😭 Special mention to Sabine, I can't believe she was just introduced in this book and yet I'd die for her already. I can't wait for the third book and I know for sure I'll be reading it while biting my nails. This sequel has been such a nice treat, I've been spoiled and well fed. Favorite installment from the trilogy so far 😌✨
The chokehold this series has had on me ever since reading the first book istg. There's drama in every corner and the political intrigue is sooooo nerve-wracking in this one as the stakes for everyone involved are higher and literally every character seems to be plotting and scheming a plan of their own!! 😤 I swear I was left scarred from the last book because I didn't dare to hope for a hopeful arc for any of these characters but still C.L. Clark didn't let me down. We get so much development from Touraine and Luca's situationship and I'm literally squealing from excitement and cuteness overload 😭 Special mention to Sabine, I can't believe she was just introduced in this book and yet I'd die for her already. I can't wait for the third book and I know for sure I'll be reading it while biting my nails. This sequel has been such a nice treat, I've been spoiled and well fed. Favorite installment from the trilogy so far 😌✨
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Forced institutionalization
eegekay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use and Cannibalism
alexalily's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol
kefeshe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
I'm so glad I reread the first book before beginning this one! Bt that's not to say that this suffered from "second book in a trilogy syndrome" The Unbroken was my favourite book of last year, and I most than happily dived back into the story before beginning The Faithless. I was initially quite disappointed to read they were returning to Balladaire, but was enchanted by the beautiful scenery and hauty new characters. Touraine and Lucas' relationship blossoms and builds heat (Sabine really leans on that door frame for all of us 🙏🏾) I felt every single emotion so deeply and could hardly sleep thinking about these complex characters and what trials they would have to experience next. I am so beyond excited for the next book in the series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
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: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
purrson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
I received this as an giveaway (ebook) ARC, and took my time with it. I enjoyed this installment in the Magic of the Lost series better than the first, but that’s not a dismissal of how good the first book is. They both are incredibly difficult to put down, and deliciously queer.
While The Unbroken (which is told through either Luca or Touraine’s eyes) is heavy with the work of laying down foundations and building rich, complex characters trying to survive constant complex trauma—and adds beautiful world-building, magic, and cultures that feel familiar but are different enough to be fantastical—it never flinches from the depth and breadth of colonialism and all the harm it brings. The Faithless builds well on that base, so when our main characters are far from home we still feel the pressures of those strong personalities and the vibrant homeland counting on their success. That’s helped along by shifting the perspective throughout the book more frequently than The Unbroken; while we’re still mainly given the story through Luca or Touraine’s perspectives, at times The Faithless gives Aranen, Pruett, or even Fili the lead, and we’re privy to their thoughts and feelings. Those shifts help The Faithless’ plot feel as if it moves faster, as it introduces more moving parts without sacrificing any depth or detail. The machinations our protagonists work to uncover and survive are constantly spinning, even on the last page, which just builds my excitement for Book 3. The villains are both straightforwardly evil but are also unreliable narrators throughout; they present different faces to different characters, but there’s also a sense that things are going on behind their closed doors even we have yet to see. Some things they’ve hidden are revealed by the end, but some threads aren’t connected, some mysteries left unsolved for now.Fili’s experiences with the Fingers, for example, provoke questions of their backing—who’s giving them orders? How do they know where to attack Luca’s carriage on its return from Champs d’Or? Why is Luca’s abdication not enough for them, that they must assassinate her too? Between her quest for the lost religion and the stability she brings to Qazāl’s independence—not colonization, motives abound. When Fili’s master brings them hot chocolate after our MCs only experience it with Ghislaine Bel-Jadot—which she says Evrard De Travers gave it to her—it’s a clue one of them is involved. Which of them are the key to the Fingers, and are they working on orders from the Duke? I felt sorry for Fili, who’s drenched in naïveté and such an easy mark given her mother’s former career. As eager as she is to prove herself, she’s clearly taken advantage of, and has no idea the Princess she hates would protect her gift with their god, or that she is key to protecting the Qazāl. Just as her master’s assurances of allying with Qazāli ‘later’ ring false to the reader, we don’t know how assuaged she is by them. She brings another point: the religion. While Bel-Jadot’s explanations make sense, the murder of children seems at great odds with Fili’s experiences and even Touraine’s use of blood in healing Luca. Jadot’s claims seem more in line with the darker use of magic, using death to get your aims met, instead of just blood. There must be enough blood involved with using scythes in the harvest (just as Pruett is nipped by the vulture), that such measures aren’t truly necessary—we never catch wind of the Many Legged regularly feeding children to their animals, for instance. And for as much as the Duke has ensured the Balladaire god won’t be fed, the connection of the grain and the Withering says otherwise.
This series is truly shines at representing the constant onslaught of colonialism and violent white supremacy and the bottomless hunger and violence of its adherents. We see how this structure harms everyone, even the colonizers themselves aren’t without their losses, and their working class in Balladaire is struggling and ripe for rebellion or political exploitation, or both. But the plot doesn’t lose itself in pity for the those at the top or even the middle of the heap, and focus is kept on the Qazāli; we’re led to understand a bit more of Touraine’s broken & bruised soul and her trauma, and what’s at stake for their future. All of the characters are complex—even the villains, with all the cruelty and dehumanization they show certain characters, have some depths beyond their evil.
Abuse—emotional, psychological, physical; systemic and familial—its all handled well in this series too. As Luca & Touraine come closer to unpacking their childhood experiences and finding themselves in their present, their growth makes me more excited about Book 3. The slow burn romance worked well too I was relieved we finally got some spicy scenes 🔥
Absolutely recommend ⭐️
While The Unbroken (which is told through either Luca or Touraine’s eyes) is heavy with the work of laying down foundations and building rich, complex characters trying to survive constant complex trauma—and adds beautiful world-building, magic, and cultures that feel familiar but are different enough to be fantastical—it never flinches from the depth and breadth of colonialism and all the harm it brings. The Faithless builds well on that base, so when our main characters are far from home we still feel the pressures of those strong personalities and the vibrant homeland counting on their success. That’s helped along by shifting the perspective throughout the book more frequently than The Unbroken; while we’re still mainly given the story through Luca or Touraine’s perspectives, at times The Faithless gives Aranen, Pruett, or even Fili the lead, and we’re privy to their thoughts and feelings. Those shifts help The Faithless’ plot feel as if it moves faster, as it introduces more moving parts without sacrificing any depth or detail. The machinations our protagonists work to uncover and survive are constantly spinning, even on the last page, which just builds my excitement for Book 3. The villains are both straightforwardly evil but are also unreliable narrators throughout; they present different faces to different characters, but there’s also a sense that things are going on behind their closed doors even we have yet to see. Some things they’ve hidden are revealed by the end, but some threads aren’t connected, some mysteries left unsolved for now.
This series is truly shines at representing the constant onslaught of colonialism and violent white supremacy and the bottomless hunger and violence of its adherents. We see how this structure harms everyone, even the colonizers themselves aren’t without their losses, and their working class in Balladaire is struggling and ripe for rebellion or political exploitation, or both. But the plot doesn’t lose itself in pity for the those at the top or even the middle of the heap, and focus is kept on the Qazāli; we’re led to understand a bit more of Touraine’s broken & bruised soul and her trauma, and what’s at stake for their future. All of the characters are complex—even the villains, with all the cruelty and dehumanization they show certain characters, have some depths beyond their evil.
Abuse—emotional, psychological, physical; systemic and familial—its all handled well in this series too. As Luca & Touraine come closer to unpacking their childhood experiences and finding themselves in their present, their growth makes me more excited about Book 3. The slow burn romance worked well too
Absolutely recommend ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Queernormative worldbuilding, Queer romance, references to Polyamory, WLW romanceloreofthebooks'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: Death, Racism, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual content
Minor: Gore and Vomit