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A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

59 reviews

thebookbin's review

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adventurous challenging emotional 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

5.0

TW: this review and the book it's about will contain discussion of sexual assault.

It took me 6 days to get past the first chapter. Before you even begin the book, the author lets you know what's coming in an author's note which I appreciate with my whole heart. Although you have a warning, the book does open with a sexual assault scene which was so hard to get through. But like the note mentions, the story is about healing and self worth and so I pushed through at my own pace.

The world Meadows builds is one that is fantastical and so rich. Velasin is a young gay noble from a homophonic nation. He ends up betrothed to a gay prince from a very enlightened nation with all sorts of queers. Their love is slow and sweet. Caethari first helps Velasin regain a sense of self worth and their love blooms from there.

What stands out to me is how Meadows treats their non-male characters. It’s my biggest gripe with mlm content, but Meadows enchanted me the whole way through. First off was Merkel, Velasin’s mute valet. His disability is not there for Diversity™ but it’s a huge plot point. Vel and Merkel speak in sign and they use it in multiple scenarios to their advantage. Also their friendship is beautiful. Even though Merkel is a man he is not a love interest (tragically heterosexual) but the deep development of non-romantic relationships was so good.

Then of course there’s the nonbinaries (thei/thir pronouns--I LOVE) there’s a bunch of doctors and Caethari’s own grandkuin is also trans. (Also!!! What a great word “grandkuin”) Caethari’s sisters play a prominent role in the story, and two of Caethari’s closest friends are women, one his commanding officer. SO MANY WOMEN. And they're different and varied and have important roles.

There’s also a Murder mystery, magic, and a 3/5🌶️ rating. Like it’s not crazy but there is definitely some descriptive papapa.

Anyways, I just love that I’m alive right now in a world that has queer stories that get to be told and get to be published and I get to read them. I have already decided to pledge my sword to Foz Meadows. They have quickly become an Automatic Buy author for me.

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jessiereads98's review

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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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baby_dino's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Go read this book. Please. The way it handles sensitive and potentially triggering topics is phenomenal, the slow-burn, queer, friends-to-lovers romance is fantastically done, and the way the main character heals from their sexual trauma is… wow. It’s incredibly powerful. Also, because of this book, my best friend has now found the pronouns that fit thim best. All aboard the train to Qi-Katai!

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abarnakwn_ourcolourfulpages's review against another edition

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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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jkneebone's review

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed reading this! If you enjoy slow burn romance and court/political intrigue, definitely give this a try.

The main thrust of the plot is an arranged marriage between two noblemen, Vel and Cae. Vel travels to Tithena to marry Cae, but his arrival sets off a series of attacks against himself and Cae’s family. Vel and Cae must learn to trust each other and work together to try and find out who is behind the attacks, while also working through their personal demons.

Although I had some minor plot and pacing quibbles while reading, on the whole I really liked this novel. Foz Meadows managed to keep me not just interested, but “thinking about getting home to read more while at work” interested for over 500 pages, which is no mean feat. I found both Vel and Cae to be compelling characters, and I really liked the world building of Tithena. The writing was beautiful, and I enjoyed taking my time to savor it. Overall I thought the attack plot line was handled well - even if there were some things I suspected, I was still surprised by how everything turned out. I’m a sucker for a court drama and this delivered in spades.

One word of warning - do be aware of the content warnings. There is some heavy stuff in this book, and it’s quite front-loaded. Even having read the CWs I was a bit taken aback at how quickly and intensely some things happened. Nothing is gratuitous, but there are dark moments an violence throughout the book that readers should be prepared for.

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eenicem's review

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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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hamohero's review against another edition

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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

, 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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zikin's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I did not know the plot or summary going into my read but I absolutely adored this book! This story is romantic, suspenseful, heartbreaking, and inspiring. I loved the two main characters, Velasin and Caethari. Both characters had distinct voices and reading from each of their perspectives was a joy. The side characters were well fleshed out and added yet another layer of loveliness to the story. The romance in this is slow-burn and endearing. The pace, to me, was just right and I enjoyed how the mystery element unfolded. There are some scenes that are unpleasant, so please read the content warnings. However, I highly recommend this book. I cannot wait until the sequel comes out and I can spend time with these lovely (albeit fictional) people once again!

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kstrammel'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? 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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lh_reads's review

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adventurous 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

5.0

This book is why I love queer high fantasy so much. Watching Caethari and Velasin relationship develop warmed my heart. Also I came for the queer high fantasy but stayed for the political intrigue and mystery. I also loved how Velasin Truman’s was written and how he reacted and grew. As someone also having a similar experience it really hit home but I loved it all and all

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