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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.
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.anxiousnachos's review
emotional
5.0
LOOOOOOOOOOOVE. Heart broken and then full at the same time. Full review to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Rape
Moderate: Infidelity
jmross10's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is told in both first (Vel) and second (Cae) person, swapping between the perspectives of the two man characters - Velasin and Caethari. Both of them are highborn men in a pseudo-medieval setting who are fairly educated, which is reflected in the writing style. This is especially apparent in Velasin's sections. The sentence structure and wording takes time to adjust too and may not work for some readers. It's important to note though, this a clear and deliberate choice by the author, not just bad writing. The style makes sense for the character even if it's a bit disorienting.
The novel as a whole takes place over a relatively short period of time and a lot happens within its pages. While I wish there were points where things slowed down and there was time to digest, I didn't think it was too over the top, and the progression of events made sense. I appreciated that the main characters were given a chance to somewhat (again, very short timeframe) organically find their way to each other instead of instalove. We get to enjoy those almost moments instead of diving in head first.
I thought motive behind the unravelling events was very interesting and I liked the way it played out. I also appreciated that there were real consequences for character's actions, which we don't always see.
I know that one major deterrent for some readers will be the r*pe scene early on. Reviews I've seen call it "extremely graphic" and make it seem very excessive, but I disagree with that.It does play out on the page, but the emphasis is more specifically on the coercion of the main character and their feeling of helplessness at the hands of somebody they trusted. It talks about the conflicting signals between their body and their mind, as well as the humiliation of their body's reaction in the moment. This is not something that happens just for a throwaway plot point to add drama. There is a genuine motivating factor and the character effected spends the rest of the book dealing with the trauma from it.
I would never advocate for someone to read something that makes them triggered or uncomfortable but I think it's important to shed light on the author's representation of the act, instead of immediately assuming the worst because of what it is.
The novel as a whole takes place over a relatively short period of time and a lot happens within its pages. While I wish there were points where things slowed down and there was time to digest, I didn't think it was too over the top, and the progression of events made sense. I appreciated that the main characters were given a chance to somewhat (again, very short timeframe) organically find their way to each other instead of instalove. We get to enjoy those almost moments instead of diving in head first.
I thought motive behind the unravelling events was very interesting and I liked the way it played out. I also appreciated that there were real consequences for character's actions, which we don't always see.
I know that one major deterrent for some readers will be the r*pe scene early on. Reviews I've seen call it "extremely graphic" and make it seem very excessive, but I disagree with that.
I would never advocate for someone to read something that makes them triggered or uncomfortable but I think it's important to shed light on the author's representation of the act, instead of immediately assuming the worst because of what it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Homophobia, Classism, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Self harm, Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, and Rape
Minor: Infidelity
shutupaboutbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
“But in the pale dawn light, with grief behind and grief ahead, I found I relished the danger”. I loved this book so much. The plot twist shocked me. I loved the feeling as being just as lost as the characters on their journey to solve the mystery!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, Rape, Self harm, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Death
Minor: Sexual content and Sexism
beforeviolets'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you endlessly to TOR for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Screaming. Crying. Throwing a tantrum. This was absolutely delicious. If this book was a meal my plate would be licked clean right now.
This emotional, healing-centered romance was essentially Winter's Orbit-but-make-it-fantasy. And moons, was I here for it. It's chalk-full of political intrigue, mystery, an arranged marriage, slow burn romance, SO MUCH hurt/comfort, and romantic lines that were SO UNNECESSARILY BEAUTIFUL AND WANTED TO MAKE ME RIP OFF MY FACE IN PASSION.
Also like Winter's Orbit, this book centers healing from trauma as not only a primary theme, but as a force that drives character development. Though where WO leans on miscommunication (in a good way! truly! I love idiots that are struggling to communicate themselves), A Strange and Stubborn Endurance leans on open communication. The honesty and mutual respect between the main characters IS the foundation of the story. (I just love them so fucking much!!!!) As a heads up: the narrative starts out INCREDIBLY dark (check CW/TWs), but the healing that comes from the MC's connection and from the systemic and personal support systems that emerge is beyond heartwarming. I'm in general a huge fan of books navigating the way trauma and mental health can impact relationships - romantic or otherwise - and deeply appreciated the way it was applied here. It was not treated as an obstacle or a problem, but just as a present factor of perspective and experience, which I thought was incredibly realistic and honorable.
I'm just obsessed and wish I could more eloquently express my unhinged emotional investment in this book. And again, can NOT stress enough that if you liked Winter's Orbit, you’ll go feral for this one.
CW/TWs: rape (onscreen p. 19-23, discussed further throughout the book), suicidal ideation (graphic), self-harm, trauma, violence, medical content, blood, death, death of character, animal death, abusive parent (emotional, physical [mention]), homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, emesis, alcohol consumption, loss of sibling, parental death, infidelity (past)
Screaming. Crying. Throwing a tantrum. This was absolutely delicious. If this book was a meal my plate would be licked clean right now.
This emotional, healing-centered romance was essentially Winter's Orbit-but-make-it-fantasy. And moons, was I here for it. It's chalk-full of political intrigue, mystery, an arranged marriage, slow burn romance, SO MUCH hurt/comfort, and romantic lines that were SO UNNECESSARILY BEAUTIFUL AND WANTED TO MAKE ME RIP OFF MY FACE IN PASSION.
Also like Winter's Orbit, this book centers healing from trauma as not only a primary theme, but as a force that drives character development. Though where WO leans on miscommunication (in a good way! truly! I love idiots that are struggling to communicate themselves), A Strange and Stubborn Endurance leans on open communication. The honesty and mutual respect between the main characters IS the foundation of the story. (I just love them so fucking much!!!!) As a heads up: the narrative starts out INCREDIBLY dark (check CW/TWs), but the healing that comes from the MC's connection and from the systemic and personal support systems that emerge is beyond heartwarming. I'm in general a huge fan of books navigating the way trauma and mental health can impact relationships - romantic or otherwise - and deeply appreciated the way it was applied here. It was not treated as an obstacle or a problem, but just as a present factor of perspective and experience, which I thought was incredibly realistic and honorable.
I'm just obsessed and wish I could more eloquently express my unhinged emotional investment in this book. And again, can NOT stress enough that if you liked Winter's Orbit, you’ll go feral for this one.
CW/TWs: rape (onscreen p. 19-23, discussed further throughout the book), suicidal ideation (graphic), self-harm, trauma, violence, medical content, blood, death, death of character, animal death, abusive parent (emotional, physical [mention]), homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, emesis, alcohol consumption, loss of sibling, parental death, infidelity (past)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Medical content, Homophobia, Blood, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Transphobia
Minor: Suicide attempt, Vomit, Alcohol, Physical abuse, and Infidelity
chessakat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.5
I really, really enjoyed this! I thought I was getting into a kind of fantasy Red, White and Royal Blue, but a Strange and Stubborn Endurance is quite a bit harsher, so be forewarned (the author does list several content warnings at the beginning, so please heed them; they are no joke). Despite the sharper edges, this book was a very enjoyable ride, with an interesting setting, truly excellent friendships (Vel + Markel 4EVA), a twisty mystery, and eventually an ooey-gooey slow burn romance that is very satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Homophobia
Minor: Infidelity and Injury/Injury detail
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