The Faithless

Magic of the Lost, Book 2

By: C. L. Clark

Narrated by: Rasha Zamamiri

The rebels have won, and the empire is withdrawing from Qazal. But undoing the tangled web that binds the two nations will not be easy, and Touraine and Luca will face their greatest challenge yet.

Luca needs to oust her uncle from the Balladairan throne once and for all and take her rightful place as Queen. But he won't let go of power so easily. When he calls for a 'Trial of Competence' and Luca's allies start disappearing from her side, she will need to find a way to prove her might. And she knows someone who can help. . .

Touraine has found a home in the newly free country of Qazal. But she soon realizes that leading a country and leading a revolution are two very different tasks. And, even more importantly, if Luca's uncle doesn't ratify the treaty, the Qazali could end up right back where they started.

Together, the two women will have to overcome their enemies, their history, and their heartbreak in order to find a way to secure Luca's power and Touraine's freedom.

PRAISE FOR THIS TRILOGY:

'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©2023 C. L. Clark (P)2023 Hachette Audio UK

Good Romance, Poor French Accent

I'm still not totally in love with the plot, but I'm enjoying it because of the queerness and the novelty of themes of colonialism. The writing has some powerful moments and characterizations, but on reflection, I feel it sometimes lacks follow-up interactions.
The performance though ... I regret saying this, but it feels that in the pursuit of maintaining the accents and cadence, all the conversations lack the correct emotions behind them. The mains are both stoic, so I enjoyed my peaceful reading more than this exaggerated narration.