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

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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purplepenning's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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sissizc's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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? Yes

2.0

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egcdf's review

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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hades_hotline's review against another edition

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4.25

the best part of this book was definitely the characters and their dynamics. i loved the relationship dynamic, the love was so gentle and so beautiful. plot was there but mainly as a vehicle for character development, tho i did appreciate the little plot twist and fast paced (and tense) ending. kept me on my toes and engaged in the story beyond the relationship.

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bookswithhojo's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

This was easily a 5/5 star read for me.

There are many things I enjoyed about this book. For starters, it had me working overtime the whole book thinking about who was behind everything. The politics were more than intriguing, with just enough twists and clues to keep me invested without being predictable. While I had my suspicions, it wasn’t overtly obvious how it would end/who would end up being revealed. Some of this may be down to the fact that there are small instances throughout where unrelated issues arise, such as guards’ negligence, in which both the main characters and the reader can’t be sure whether an incident is part of the grander scheme or whether it can be chalked up as a separate issue. Add in the fact that one of our two POV characters is from an entirely different place, it’s clear that he is learning about how the politics of this society works just as the reader is.

Speaking of, I was incredibly impressed with how flawlessly Velasin’s previous beliefs and lived experiences influenced how he approached everything throughout the book. Coming from Ralia, he has grown up in a place that has not looked kindly on people they don’t understand. It’s clear when he arrives in Tithena that he has a lot to unlearn, as he is now in a place where many of the unspoken rules in Ralian society no longer apply. Conversations and inner thoughts regarding this take place in several instances of the book, where he directly addresses how the change in his mind will not happen overnight. After all, though nobody blinks an eye seeing two men or two women together in Tithena, the same is very untrue in Ralia. The fact that Tithena even has a word to say a husband’s husband (Litai) is new to Velasin.

The same goes for the existence of transgender people. This is evident early on when Velasin meets Keletha, who is one of Tithena’s third-gender souls, called kemi. That’s not to say that the existence of such people in Ralia is impossible, just that it is more hidden and scandalous to Ralian courts. While Velasin has met transgender Ralians before, there doesn’t even seem to be a word for them other than slurs, while the Tithenai term is metem.

There are further instances where we get to see Velasin begin to unpack how differently things work in Ralia and Tithena. It’s incredibly interesting how these differences both become hindrances in some ways and advantages in others, as it allows Velasin to analyze the politics around them in ways that Caethari would and can not.

Outside of the cultural changes Velasin adjusts to, the book also delicately addresses the exploration of his identity and his healing from trauma. This is something that I thought was done incredibly well. There is no erasure of his trauma, but conversations and inner healing throughout the book showing how his trauma is influencing how he both thinks and acts around Caethari and others.

As for the relationship between Velasin and Caethari, it was wonderful to see the respect and tenderness they each gave to each other as their friendship developed. There was quite a lot of character development throughout, extending to all the characters and not just the main two.

Each and every character is thoughtfully fleshed out, with observations made by Velasin and Caethari allowing the reader to get to know the characters, their wants, and their backstories. I especially loved Markel and seeing his deep friendship with Velasin. It’s clear the mutual love and respect they have for each other. The same can be said for many of the other interpersonal relationships between different characters.

The only grievance I have is that the timeline felt off for me. I know that the reason is because so much happened each day but it was jarring every time they brought up that’s its only been a few days. Though, I will say that the characters also state that it feels like it’s been longer than a few days, so it is likely on purpose. I honestly just didn’t bother thinking too much about the timeline and just let myself read it as though weeks or months were passing. Overall, remembering the timeline wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things for me.

In closing, it’s clear how much thought and care went into this book. Every bit of the political intrigue, emotional and heartfelt romance, and intricate world-building created the perfect blend for this book.

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