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A review by lady_wallflower_reads
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This book was a wild ride. Before getting too deep into things - overall I liked it. I thought the political maneuvering and mystery of it all was well done and moved the plot forward quickly. I will definitely go on to read the second book in the series to see how the MCs relationship grows and what challenges they face next.
The good:
I really enjoyed the world building. The book focuses on two countries, Ralia and Tithena. Ralia is very conservative and Tithena is a country where people of all genders and sexual preferences are celebrated. I loved seeing how inclusive the world was and the way the author built the culture was really captivating.
The main relationship was also really well done! Vel and Cae were both individually wonderful and I loved seeing their relationship grow. The entire book takes up only a few weeks of time so there will be a lot more to investigate when it comes to their relationship development. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 to see how things progress!
The questionable:
Velasin, one of our main characters, is raped in chapter 2. A lot of this book is also about his response to that and how he works to move forward. It's graphic, on page, and it was a bit shocking to happen so early into the book. The author did provide content warnings at the beginning of the book and I would highly take those into consideration before anyone were to read this book.
It took me some time to get used to the writing. For the first 60% or so of the book I found myself having to go back and reread paragraphs because I felt like I missed something. Either I got used to the writing style in the later half or the author found a better groove. Likewise, some explanations came across as a bit heavy handed concerning the investigation into the murders and other happenings. I would have been interested in more 'show' than 'tell' because it felt like a bit of a lecture at times.
The good:
I really enjoyed the world building. The book focuses on two countries, Ralia and Tithena. Ralia is very conservative and Tithena is a country where people of all genders and sexual preferences are celebrated. I loved seeing how inclusive the world was and the way the author built the culture was really captivating.
The main relationship was also really well done! Vel and Cae were both individually wonderful and I loved seeing their relationship grow. The entire book takes up only a few weeks of time so there will be a lot more to investigate when it comes to their relationship development. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 to see how things progress!
The questionable:
Velasin, one of our main characters, is raped in chapter 2. A lot of this book is also about his response to that and how he works to move forward. It's graphic, on page, and it was a bit shocking to happen so early into the book. The author did provide content warnings at the beginning of the book and I would highly take those into consideration before anyone were to read this book.
It took me some time to get used to the writing. For the first 60% or so of the book I found myself having to go back and reread paragraphs because I felt like I missed something. Either I got used to the writing style in the later half or the author found a better groove. Likewise, some explanations came across as a bit heavy handed concerning the investigation into the murders and other happenings. I would have been interested in more 'show' than 'tell' because it felt like a bit of a lecture at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Homophobia