It's a fantastic cover, and even before I metaphorically open the book and talk about the contents of The Unbroken, it demands to be admired.īut I'm not really here to get thirsty about cover art, so let's move on. It makes such strong promises: the promise that this is far from another Eurocentric fantasy, the promise of a powerful central character who goes through trials but retains her dignity, and the promise that said character is going to do some cool and possibly sexy things with her excellent biceps. But it's also because the cover of The Unbroken, with its battered yet defiant Black woman hero staring down at the reader, is one of the most compelling packages I've ever seen for a fantasy novel. Sure, that's partly because there is a loud and wonderful corner of Twitter full of often thirsty sapphic SFF fans who were ready to talk about this novel regardless, and that's something that should be celebrated. This cover art, with the bare, well-defined arms of its protagonist stretched between the pillars of an ornate doorway, was powerful enough to get its own Twitter hashtag and photo campaign on launch.

Specifically, let us consider the arms of main character Touraine, as depicted in all their stunning glory by artist Tommy Arnold on the front cover of this novel.

Before we get down to the business of reviewing what is, by all accounts, a worthy and thought-provoking novel, let us first take a moment to consider some arms.

The unbroken cl clark