Scan barcode
A review by incipientdreamer
The Faithless by C.L. Clark
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 stars
Everyone knows how hard second books in trilogies can be. To impress, to live up to the original, and especially to top the original. The Faithless is one of those second books that I actually liked more than the first. The pacing isn't much faster than in The Unbroken, it seems like this is simply the style Clark prefers in her books. This is fine, as what made this book better was that Touraine wasn't as much of a naive dumbass as she was in book 1, and Luca was so much more likeable. I couldn't stand Luca in the first book. I felt like throwing something every time her chapters came around, but Clark's characters definitely grew from the first book and that is always nice to see. I absolutely despise static characters, even more so when it comes to series. Another thing I liked was that all three of the leading characters have a very distinct voice for a book with multiple POVs in 3rd person. Oftentimes, my complaint with multi-POV books is that the character voices blend together, that isn't the case in The Faithless and is another reason why it is a strong contender after The Unbroken.
Plot-wise, there is a lot happening, but at the same time, nothing happens. This was definitely more of a character-based book, and for once I didn't mind it because I found the characters so lacking in book 1, and it was good to actually understand them, and sympathise with them somewhat. The romance was also a lot better, and it just goes to show that slow-burn romances are the way to go. I might not have shipped Luca and Touraine in book 1 (mainly because of my distaste for Luca), but I admit to getting butterflies during the more intimate scenes here.
Similar to my complaint with the deus ex machina ending for The Unbroken, I am not a fan of how there is always so much conflict going on, but ends up being solved abruptly and so easily once the 80% mark comes around. It doesn't feel as satisfying and makes the aforementioned high stakes seem not so high because we know they will be somehow solved by the end of the book. Clark does not shy away from killing off her characters though, which was demonstrated in how she killed off 3-4 major supporting characters in one chapter.
I will read the finale of the trilogy because I am pretty invested in this series by now. I hope it's better in terms of plot progression, conflict resolution and pacing as compared to the first two books. Clark's improvement in writing is pretty noticeable in The Faithless, so I trust we are in good hands for the ending. So far the sapphic trifecta has not disappointed me, and I am excited for the resolution for all three of the book later this year or hopefully next year.
Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group UK, and Orbit UK for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Faithless comes out on March 7th 2023.
Everyone knows how hard second books in trilogies can be. To impress, to live up to the original, and especially to top the original. The Faithless is one of those second books that I actually liked more than the first. The pacing isn't much faster than in The Unbroken, it seems like this is simply the style Clark prefers in her books. This is fine, as what made this book better was that Touraine wasn't as much of a naive dumbass as she was in book 1, and Luca was so much more likeable. I couldn't stand Luca in the first book. I felt like throwing something every time her chapters came around, but Clark's characters definitely grew from the first book and that is always nice to see. I absolutely despise static characters, even more so when it comes to series. Another thing I liked was that all three of the leading characters have a very distinct voice for a book with multiple POVs in 3rd person. Oftentimes, my complaint with multi-POV books is that the character voices blend together, that isn't the case in The Faithless and is another reason why it is a strong contender after The Unbroken.
Plot-wise, there is a lot happening, but at the same time, nothing happens. This was definitely more of a character-based book, and for once I didn't mind it because I found the characters so lacking in book 1, and it was good to actually understand them, and sympathise with them somewhat. The romance was also a lot better, and it just goes to show that slow-burn romances are the way to go. I might not have shipped Luca and Touraine in book 1 (mainly because of my distaste for Luca), but I admit to getting butterflies during the more intimate scenes here.
Similar to my complaint with the deus ex machina ending for The Unbroken, I am not a fan of how there is always so much conflict going on, but ends up being solved abruptly and so easily once the 80% mark comes around. It doesn't feel as satisfying and makes the aforementioned high stakes seem not so high because we know they will be somehow solved by the end of the book. Clark does not shy away from killing off her characters though, which was demonstrated in how she killed off 3-4 major supporting characters in one chapter.
I will read the finale of the trilogy because I am pretty invested in this series by now. I hope it's better in terms of plot progression, conflict resolution and pacing as compared to the first two books. Clark's improvement in writing is pretty noticeable in The Faithless, so I trust we are in good hands for the ending. So far the sapphic trifecta has not disappointed me, and I am excited for the resolution for all three of the book later this year or hopefully next year.
Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group UK, and Orbit UK for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Faithless comes out on March 7th 2023.