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A review by beetitnerds
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Overall: I don't regret reading this book and I'll probably recommend it to people who are comfortable with the content warning topics. I wish the execution was better on an otherwise fun sorta-court romance/drama plot
However: The pacing made it difficult to enjoy either the romance or the mystery. All the characters are enjoyable, so I was happy to read them making friends and falling in love. But the 'falling in love' itself felt forced. Not that chemistry wasn't there, but that the bulk of the romance came from the fact the leads are in a queer romance, and therefore must be in love by the end of the book. It would have been nice to see their romance pushed off until the sequels. The mystery wasn't a real mystery as much as a series of things that happened over the course of a week that are solved when the main characters eventually- literally- accidentally stumble into the villain doing a full monologue. The reader doesn't have a chance to try and solve the mystery themself because we don't know anything about the world until specific details are told to us the moment they become relevant. The villain wasn't exactly a surprise, because it follows pretty standard story conventions, but the reveal wasn't satisfying enough to make the lead-up enjoyable. The villain essentially stares at the camera and explains every plot detail, with the heros occasionally popping in to remind us they're in the room. Even though I really liked each character, there's no actual character development for anyone. Everyone ends exactly where they started, with the exception of one of the main characters, who technically learns to be more open with his affections, but who also doesn't really have a problem with public affection except in occasional offhand remarks about how it would be scandalous in his home-country. I don't want to read about a main character who's homophobic or ableist or classist or sexist or any other version of bigot. But since we're told about how terrible his home-country is, and how every other person from that country is some degree of bigot almost without exception, AND the main character frequently apologizes on behalf of the culture he was raised in, it makes it really weird that he doesn't actually NEED to do any growing. Even the times he does 'mess up', which I'd argue are usually situations in which he thinks he's messed up because of miscommunication and really hasn't, he immediately realizes his mistakes, often as he's making them, and immediately apologizes and corrects himself. This is a book where all the characters assume he's a bigot and a third of his interactions are him explaining about how He's Actually An Ally.
All that being said: The action scenes were fun. I wish the action wasn't left to the last handful of pages, because it was thrilling. All of the characters, even the villains, were very fun to read, and likable. I really liked the focus on friendships, especially pre-existing friendships, ESPECIALLY subverting the Hot Jealous Ex trope. The casual inclusion and diversity of marginalized identities in the book was refreshing. No one felt like a stereotype or a token character. The dialogue always felt authentic, and character choices and motivations always felt realistic and understandable. The magic system and different cultures around it was also fun, though woefully underutilized. The mixed use of first and third person was fun and helped differentiate between the POV characters. The writing, itself, was beautiful. The plot twist at the VERY end-That the villain's plan was totally unnecessary and her plan was always going to cause her own downfall - was fun! I think it's because it was set up earlier in the story in a way none of the mystery parts were.
However: The pacing made it difficult to enjoy either the romance or the mystery. All the characters are enjoyable, so I was happy to read them making friends and falling in love. But the 'falling in love' itself felt forced. Not that chemistry wasn't there, but that the bulk of the romance came from the fact the leads are in a queer romance, and therefore must be in love by the end of the book. It would have been nice to see their romance pushed off until the sequels. The mystery wasn't a real mystery as much as a series of things that happened over the course of a week that are solved when the main characters eventually- literally- accidentally stumble into the villain doing a full monologue. The reader doesn't have a chance to try and solve the mystery themself because we don't know anything about the world until specific details are told to us the moment they become relevant. The villain wasn't exactly a surprise, because it follows pretty standard story conventions, but the reveal wasn't satisfying enough to make the lead-up enjoyable. The villain essentially stares at the camera and explains every plot detail, with the heros occasionally popping in to remind us they're in the room. Even though I really liked each character, there's no actual character development for anyone. Everyone ends exactly where they started, with the exception of one of the main characters, who technically learns to be more open with his affections, but who also doesn't really have a problem with public affection except in occasional offhand remarks about how it would be scandalous in his home-country. I don't want to read about a main character who's homophobic or ableist or classist or sexist or any other version of bigot. But since we're told about how terrible his home-country is, and how every other person from that country is some degree of bigot almost without exception, AND the main character frequently apologizes on behalf of the culture he was raised in, it makes it really weird that he doesn't actually NEED to do any growing. Even the times he does 'mess up', which I'd argue are usually situations in which he thinks he's messed up because of miscommunication and really hasn't, he immediately realizes his mistakes, often as he's making them, and immediately apologizes and corrects himself. This is a book where all the characters assume he's a bigot and a third of his interactions are him explaining about how He's Actually An Ally.
All that being said: The action scenes were fun. I wish the action wasn't left to the last handful of pages, because it was thrilling. All of the characters, even the villains, were very fun to read, and likable. I really liked the focus on friendships, especially pre-existing friendships, ESPECIALLY subverting the Hot Jealous Ex trope. The casual inclusion and diversity of marginalized identities in the book was refreshing. No one felt like a stereotype or a token character. The dialogue always felt authentic, and character choices and motivations always felt realistic and understandable. The magic system and different cultures around it was also fun, though woefully underutilized. The mixed use of first and third person was fun and helped differentiate between the POV characters. The writing, itself, was beautiful. The plot twist at the VERY end-
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Murder, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Transphobia
The book provides a clear content warning for most of its violence, and the sensitive topics are written thoughtfully, but they are nonetheless present and sometimes written in graphic detail.