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A review by bookstarbri
All The Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
Let's all say thank you to Foz Meadows for writing this book! Give them their flowers!
In preparation for reading this, I reread A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. I'd forgotten just how much I love the world that Meadows has created. Returning to Tithena and being with Vel, Cae, and Markel again was such a wonderful experience. Everything I loved in the first book was even better in this stunning sequel. Meadows' writing in this one is as lovely as the first book. And, again, the flow between POV switches still feels very seamless to me. I know to others, the third person to first person will be jarring, but I think it's just a fun part of this series that I actually really appreciate. I also think it's a testament to Meadows' confidence as a writer to write this story in this way. It's beautiful.
The plot of this one is just as interesting as the first. In fact, I think I liked the storyline of this one even more. The mystery aspect is really heightened in this. There were many plot twists and moments that I truly didn't see coming. And even when I thought I knew who was involved, I was still wrong. I was SO invested in the story and the characters. We get a lot of new characters in this and I really liked the additions. The world was expanded so much. It was also nice to get exposed to new parts of this world and see new places. That's kinda the beauty of this series. It's so clear that Meadows put so much thought into this world. Velasin is as wonderful in this book as the first. All of his chapters made me feel like I was truly in this story with him, viscerally in his mind. Caethari is also lovely as usual. This book not only expands more on their relationship, but also the two of them as individuals. They've both gone through so much trauma, so this book is still very much about healing through that. While these two STRUGGLE with communicating, I loved getting to see the relationship develop more. And, of course, I can't leave out Markel who feels even more present in this story, for which I was grateful (especially because he's the voice of reason for Vel and Cat when they're both being, well, themselves).
I also have to commend Meadows for one of the most prominent themes in this book: what happens after coming out. We always get these coming out stories, but not really so much about the struggles that come after that and how to navigate the world as an openly queer person. For some, there aren't many changes, but for many, it can be quite jarring and that's certainly a major challenge for Vel. As always, Meadows handled this heavy theme with deep care.
I don't know how many books this series is supposed to be, but I could read several more and hope for at least another two. Thank you SO much to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC of this amazing story. I can't wait to read future books in this wonderful series!
In preparation for reading this, I reread A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. I'd forgotten just how much I love the world that Meadows has created. Returning to Tithena and being with Vel, Cae, and Markel again was such a wonderful experience. Everything I loved in the first book was even better in this stunning sequel. Meadows' writing in this one is as lovely as the first book. And, again, the flow between POV switches still feels very seamless to me. I know to others, the third person to first person will be jarring, but I think it's just a fun part of this series that I actually really appreciate. I also think it's a testament to Meadows' confidence as a writer to write this story in this way. It's beautiful.
The plot of this one is just as interesting as the first. In fact, I think I liked the storyline of this one even more. The mystery aspect is really heightened in this. There were many plot twists and moments that I truly didn't see coming. And even when I thought I knew who was involved, I was still wrong. I was SO invested in the story and the characters. We get a lot of new characters in this and I really liked the additions. The world was expanded so much. It was also nice to get exposed to new parts of this world and see new places. That's kinda the beauty of this series. It's so clear that Meadows put so much thought into this world. Velasin is as wonderful in this book as the first. All of his chapters made me feel like I was truly in this story with him, viscerally in his mind. Caethari is also lovely as usual. This book not only expands more on their relationship, but also the two of them as individuals. They've both gone through so much trauma, so this book is still very much about healing through that. While these two STRUGGLE with communicating, I loved getting to see the relationship develop more. And, of course, I can't leave out Markel who feels even more present in this story, for which I was grateful (especially because he's the voice of reason for Vel and Cat when they're both being, well, themselves).
I also have to commend Meadows for one of the most prominent themes in this book: what happens after coming out. We always get these coming out stories, but not really so much about the struggles that come after that and how to navigate the world as an openly queer person. For some, there aren't many changes, but for many, it can be quite jarring and that's certainly a major challenge for Vel. As always, Meadows handled this heavy theme with deep care.
I don't know how many books this series is supposed to be, but I could read several more and hope for at least another two. Thank you SO much to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC of this amazing story. I can't wait to read future books in this wonderful series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury