The Unbroken

EVERY EMPIRE DEMANDS REVOLUTION. 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. In a political fantasy unlike any other, debut author C. L. Clark spins an epic tale of rebellion, espionage, and military might on the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire. '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' Booklist 'High adventure on a human scale - don't miss it' Alix E. Harrow 'This strong debut is filled with exciting action and worldbulding, intriguing characters . . . and an explosion of feelings. Readers will be clamoring for more of Touraine and Luca before they finish' Library Journal: Starred Review 'The Unbroken is something special. I'm going to need book two asap' David Dalglish 'A compelling and persuasive reimagining of both heroism and heroics' Evan Winter 'A perfect military fantasy: brutal, complex, human and impossible to put down' Tasha Suri 'This book feels like one of those deep conversations you have with someone you respect at 3am on a Saturday night. It's wonderful, you know you're going to miss it before it's even over and you'll think about it for a long time to come' FIYAH Literary Magazine 'C. L. Clark's epic fantasy debut reveals all the ugly, painful, deeply personal complexities of revolution against empire. I'm in awe!' Shelley Parker-Chan 'A bold and exciting work that helps steer the evolution of the genre into the next decade' Marshall Ryan Maresca 'Get ready to fall in love with Touraine and Luca in one of the best fantasy debuts I have ever read!' Matt Wallace 'THE UNBROKEN is a utterly remarkable fantasy debut. A heart-rending, unflinching tale of love, loyalty, and making the right choices despite the repercussions. Clark had me completely engrossed in her prose, her world, and her characters from beginning to end' FanFiAddict 'A riveting epic fantasy about a city on the knife's edge of rebellion' K. A. Doore

Cherae has been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she's not writing or working, she's learning languages or reading about war and post-colonial history. Her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, FIYAH, PodCastle and Uncanny. The Unbroken is her debut novel. You can follow her on Twitter @c_l_clark.