Reviews with content warning for Death - A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

The world building and depth of the characters was amazing! Reading this was like watching a well directed movie: all the pieces were there and when they get slotted into place it simply feels right, not cliche or too simple.

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nevher's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book… is if not my favorite-then one of my favorite books of all time. And in terms of lgbt romance, fantasy.. it IS my favorite. The world building is definitely there, diverse characters, interesting plot. I was actually surprised by the big reveal. The romance was perfect. I never loved slow burn until now and it was sooo so so worth the investment.. which didn’t even feel like an investment. I was hooked the entire time. I want this- leather bound- on my shelf neoow.

Spoilers!!

On a serious note (**trigger warning be advised**)
I really appreciate how the author depicted SA and the broad spectrum that exists in such violence. The dissociation, the trauma, the victim blaming all felt real and I’m so happy it wasn’t glazed over like it is in some books.

The interrogation with his abuser was therapeutic in a way. Not everyone gets to confront their abuser and even less often are they made to face consequences.

I love his support system. How people instantly believed him and knew what happened to him was wrong. I found Vel relatable even though he was frustrating at times. I also love how, during his journey to healing he unravels plots, makes friends and grows closer to his husband. There is visible growth in him as a character.

On a spicy note- The tension was *smacks lips delectable. Yesss I am what you could call a smut enthusiast, a connoisseur if you will. Fox Meadows you were cooking with this one.

A talented rider indeed.

If you want explicit sex look no further.

Overall I can’t even ask for anything other than MORE. I’m looking forward to the next book! Like please let this be like a 10 book series lol I can’t get enough of these characters

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ehmannky's review

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emotional 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

3.0

I think overall this book was fine, but would be better served if people knew going in it was less romantasy (the romance is very much a B-plot in this when I felt it should have been the A-plot) and more political/court intrigue and recovery from trauma. There's also not that much magic in it either.

I liked the characters and their relationship, and I liked getting to explore a world where queerness is embedded into the society, but the overall mystery and court intrigue did nothing for me. I think many problems could have been solved had the timeline been drawn out and the characters given more time to adjust to things and interactions with more of the palace residents. Like, this is billed as a slowburn, which I suppose it kind of is considering it's over 500 pages, but the story itself takes place over 3 weeks, with the romance taking place over 1 week. Like for the reader this is a slowburn but it's still soooooo fast in-universe. And since it's such a short timeline, I truly did not care even a little bit about the reveal of who was behind the mysteries, because we really had so little interaction with them throughout the story. I cannot believe there was a villain monologue where every step of the plan was spelled out (because again, the book's timeline is so short, and there's not really any space for the characters to actually solve the mystery or learn about this secondary character). I also didn't care for how there's never any down time. Every single chapter ends with some kind of cliffhanger and interruption. Like, it got to the point where Cae and Vel would have a quiet moment and I'd just brace for someone to knock on the door because they never get to have a normal conclusion to a story.

As many reviewers have pointed out, there is an on-the-page rape very quickly and most of the book is Velasin recovering from it. And even though there are trigger warnings, I think it's important to know that this assault and his first suicide attempt take place within the first 50 pages. Like, avoid if that would be triggering.

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readingbee416's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

3.0

This book was a wild ride. I enjoyed it overall and Caethari is a wonderful cinnamon roll character that deserves the whole world (and Markel, too), but MIND THE TRIGGERS. This book has some very dark bits and the author makes some interesting choices.

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kaiserlich's review

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hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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hazelgirl21's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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offthecarousel_'s review

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3.75

I shamelessly love the hell out of this book. Was it perfect?? No. But I could not put it down for a moment until I was done. I'm obsessed with the characters and the way they communicate with each other despite not even knowing each other that well.

I definitely suspended my disbelief hard around the question of "why are these two investigating this when they are clearly the ones in danger here, especially when they literally show others are investigating it officially" but I also love two characters solving a mystery so.... I'll allow it. 😂

Also hell yes for characters speaking multiple languages including sign language, always a plus for me.

I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Content warning for sexual assault, death of an animal friend, and a couple gruesome side character deaths.

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