Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

33 reviews

pitsikakku's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexual content, Homophobia, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Transphobia

Minor: Infidelity

jessiereads98's review

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

This book has potential it just doesn’t live up to. I really enjoyed the romance between the two main characters as well as the characters themselves. Velasin’s journey of acceptance and healing is also well handled and realistic. However, I went into this book expecting politics to play a much bigger role than they did. This book is more of a mystery than a political fantasy. I was disappointed that magic didn’t play a bigger role throughout the book as well. There were also times where the prose and dialogue felt clunky, awkward, and out of place. The occasional lecture-like dialogue from Velasin just seemed out of place with the style of the rest of the dialogue and came across as the author spoon feeding us her point. I found myself getting bored in parts and think this could’ve been shorter. There was a lot of mentions of the moons and religion which didn’t really go anywhere, along with mentions of Velasin’s siblings which served little to no point. I wish we had heard more about Riya and Laecia or other present side characters which would’ve been more relevant to the story. I personally also found the ending disappointing. Unsure if I will pick up the sequel to continue with the characters and romance and see if the promise of politics develops more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Rape, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

abarnakwn_ourcolourfulpages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Blood, Confinement, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Deportation, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Misogyny

angelbabe_cj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Suicide attempt, Blood, Xenophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Ableism, Alcohol, Classism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

eenicem's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Vomit, Transphobia, and Ableism

synodicsky's review

adventurous emotional funny 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

5.0

An utterly enjoyably read!! I love when the two leads are both characters I can’t help to love but I want to. I tend to favor one POV or the other in multiple POV books. But I couldn’t tell you which one I preferred more!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Violence, Death, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Ableism

hamohero's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

Hhhhhhhh

A romance with a lovely blend of action, fantasy, and political intrigue/conspiracy. 

The pining and angst in this story is unreal. I personally don't really care about spicy scenes so I felt like I was third wheeling. (Doesn't help the fact that I also listened to this as an audiobook). BUT STILL FUN! I love me some tenderness. Shout out to relationships where partners are also good pals and communicate!!!

I absolutely adore velasin. He's the kinda character that is basically (and I'm sorry for invoking this meme) seems like a cinnamon roll but can kill you. The world has absolutely battered him but he's still so full of love. (Crying in da club). But he really shines when he pulls that unassuming persona but is actually hardcore scheming. 
Caethari on the other hand is the "looks like they can kill but is actually a cinnamon roll". Such a loving husband, honest, and trusting his husband even when his husband bout to do some questionable things. WhEn HE MAKES AN EFFORT TO ACTUALLY LEARN THINGS ABOUT HIS HUSBAND. (The bar is on the floor). 

The worldbuilding is so rich and fascinating without it being dense and confusing. I genuinely enjoyed all the side characters too. They all felt like fully developed human beings even if we didn't get to see them that much. 

And finally, I want to point out that there is a graphic SA scene right towards the beginning of the book as well as a few suicide attempts/suicidal ideations in the first quarter of the book. We do get to see the character experience healing as we continue on with the story but still, I would avoid this book if reading about it would be harmful to your mental health.

SA scene - in   chapter

2

, starts with the phrase

—and there’s nothing you can say to undo any of it. 

  and you should be safe when it says

“Well!” said a dry, unfamiliar voice. “That’s certainly unexpected.” 

. 

Suicide -  chapter

3  and 9/10

starts with

[Markel was all I had in the world, but if I could no longer afford to keep him, he didn’t deserve to be yoked to me through a loyalty I’d so manifestly failed to deserve.] and safe [Markel clicked his fingers again, just once. I looked up from my scrubbing.]. for chapter 9/10 starts [At that, Cae came bolt awake. Standing silently, he crept to the door and eased it worriedly open.] and safe at [Velasin stared at him, breathing hard] </spoilers>. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Sexual assault, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, Outing, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism and Animal death

20sidedbi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.75

Lovely, imaginative book about QPOC fantasy romance with great mutism and sign language representation, but BE SURE TO CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS. The subjects are handled well, but they are handled explicitly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Stalking, Outing, Sexual assault, Rape, and Self harm

Moderate: Classism, Violence, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Blood, Torture, Sexism, Animal death, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Infidelity

There is ultimately healing in this story, but the author doesn't flinch away from full descriptions of all the traumatic events.

kstrammel's review

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? Yes

4.5

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is a fantastic romance novel amidst a backdrop of fantasy and mystery genre features. Meadows does a lovely job of painting the scenery, describing and characterizing the cast, and portraying trauma, grief, and healing in a way that feels vindicating and real, at least to me (a survivor, myself). The book is filled to the brim with political intrigue, queer and  diverse representation, fleshed out world-building, and some of the sweetest  usage of romance tropes that I could honestly ask for in a queer romance novel. Also, QUALITY HORSE USE AND KNOWLEDGE which is very important to me as a product of the horse-girl-to-queer-enby pipeline. I adore Velasin and Caetheri, and am so excited to pick up the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Vomit, Animal death, Outing, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexism, Ableism, and Toxic relationship

tak_everlasting's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Animal death

Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, Outing, and Vomit

Minor: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Trafficking