Un corazón obstinado

The Tithenai Chronicles #1

by Foz Meadows

UN FANTASY QUEER CON UN GRAN ENTRAMADO POLÍTICO, QUE TE SUMERGE EN UNA ADICTIVA HISTORIA SOBRE LA LEALTAD, LA FAMILIA, EL AMOR Y EL PODER. VELASIN VIN AARO nunca había planeado casarse, mucho menos con una muchacha de la vecina región de Tithena. Cuando una desagradable confrontación revela su preferencia por los hombres, Vel teme haber arruinado la unión diplomática antes de que pudiera empezar. Pero mientras su familia está dispuesta a repudiarlo, le enviade Tithenai tiene una solución  que Vel se case con el hermano de su antigua pretendiente. CAETHARI AEDURIA siempre había sabido que acabaría en un matrimonio concertado, pero su repentino compromiso con un hombre de Ralia, donde tales relaciones están prohibidas, lo sorprende enormemente. Cuando una facción desconocida está dispuesta a matar para acabar con su nueva alianza, Vel y Cae no tienen más remedio que confiar el uno en el otro. La supervivencia es una cosa, pero, como ambos descubrirán, el amor es algo muy diferente. «Un auténtico placer leerlo. Desde la historia de amor, hasta la lenta curación del personaje principal, pasando por el intrincado misterio de la trama, Meadows ha construido un mundo en el que perderse. Es un libro para saborearlo». -EVERINA MAXWELL, autora de Winter's Orbit

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Fiction, Adult, M M Romance

620 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2022

About the author

Foz Meadows is a queer SFF author living in California.

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Take care of yourself, I know you’re out of practice, but please try.”

Wow, what a book. What. A. Book. I’m honestly a little in awe. Written with a simple yet powerful prose and set in a diverse fantasy world; this book tells a story two people who find home and safety in each other. I could tell that a lot of care and respect went into crafting not only this fantasy setting, but also in taking the time to make the romance between Velasin and Caethari progress naturally, which I thought was especially necessary in this book given certain plot points that transpire. Vague, I know. This also had everything I love in a fantasy; mystery, political intrigue, and a sweet and tender love story. But most importantly, all of these aspects blend together naturally without issue! Hurray for no jarring tonal shifts! Velasin and Caethari were both fantastic characters in their own right, but they became so much better when they were together on the page. Also, I liked how Caethari had to have things explained to him in excruciating detail, because sometimes I needed things explained in excruciating detail. Anyway, wonderful character writing, wonderful story writing, wonderful... writing writing!

I've been on a roll with all these fantasy books I’ve been reading lately! Though, this one was less “dragons-and-wizards fantasy” and more on the realistic side of things. It’s funny, the “low-fantasy-fantasy” genre has been around for a long time now, but I remember it getting super popular with a certain show that bragged about how it was “fantasy for people who don’t like fantasy.” Definitely in the top ten sentences that make me roll my eyes. Anyway, what I’m getting at is that I became pretty jaded with the whole genre because it always just seemed like a cheap excuse to force endless trauma on its characters (specifically queer characters) without any catharsis. I mean, what is it trying to say? Bad things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people? Awfulness all around? And while this book portrays some terrible things that I found hard to read through, this was ultimately a heartwarming story. You can really do anything in fantasy, so I was immensely relieved when I saw that this was a book that focused on healing from trauma instead. I’m so, so happy this book exists!

[eleanor · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC given to me by the publisher!

DNF at 50% — I wanted to enjoy this book, especially once I saw the amazing summary and tag. I was hooked on the idea, because it really is such a wonderful concept. But the book itself simply didn't deliver for me.

The book started off with promise: the worldbuilding was incredibly interesting, and I found myself intrigued in the court politics of Ralia and how society functioned in this fictional world. Meadows did a great job of hooking the reader in with the foundations of the story, and after the first two chapters, I felt sure that I was going to get sucked in. However, that was not the case for a few reasons:

1) The r*pe scene in the first few chapters. This caught me so off guard that I had to put the book down and walk away for a bit. I had come into this book knowing that those warnings were there, so obviously the author is not necessarily at fault. That being said, the scene was so early on and so graphic—especially after the somewhat fluffy first few chapters that focused solely on introducing the reader to the world and a select few characters—that it threw me off kilter right off the bat. I appreciate the author's decision and care in writing the aftermath, and how it affects Vel's mindset and how he thinks through the rest of the book. However, it set such an odd, disjointed tone for the story that I couldn't get back in the mindset after the scene, making the rest of my reading experience difficult. Once again, the author handled everything after the scene with care, but it just wasn't a good fit for me narratively and coupled with the fact that there was other plot I was supposed to focus on I couldn't find any rhythm while reading.

2) The pacing. After reading That Scene, I was definitely slightly turned off and struggled to get sucked into the story. But that wasn't the only reason why. The pacing in this book was just Off, and I'm unsure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that it's written in a very traditional, period fantasy tone of voice, and that isn't for me. But I've read plenty of other stories with similar vibes and I've never had a problem with that. I don't think this book paces itself well. It hits the right beats, yes, but in between I found it difficult to get invested in the plot, especially when there would be several pages of exposition and worldbuilding that, simply put, I didn't want to read. The only plot taking place was the murder mystery, and combined with Vel's journey towards recovery and the love story, I felt like the story couldn't decide how to tell itself, so at times, it would delve deep into how the world worked, even when I would rather be reading about the murder mystery/court politics instead because they were just that much more interesting.

3) Similarly to what I said before, this book needs to decide what kind of story it wants to tell. Yes, a book can have many different aspects of the plot within a greater story and still tell it brilliantly. I've seen it happen many times over. But this book isn't that. On one hand, there was this incredibly dark story of r*pe and its effects on the victim — especially if the perpetrator was someone they had been in a relationship with. I felt that this was treated with care, but then on the other hand, we had a court conspiracy/politics-focused story of a string of murders that moved entirely too slow to the point that I forgot the characters were even thinking about it because it wouldn't be acknowledged for multiple chapters. Then, even further, there was a romcom-like love story between Vel and Cae unfolding, even with all of this in the background. The tonal differences between all of these things were just so weird and unconnected that I felt like there were completely different characters in every new chapter. Vel would have this incredibly dark chapter chock full of thoughts about what he'd endured and s*icide, and then the next chapter act like nothing had happened and be giggling with Cae. It was like two different stories. And I acknowledge that being around Cae might have made those feelings go away temporarily — he had said something similar at one point — but as a reader, it felt off to me and I couldn't enjoy the book because of it.

Maybe I'll pick this back up when it comes out in stores and try again. But until then, I don't think I'm going to attempt to read this a second time.

[Ali L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A political marriage of convenience is derailed because it’s discovered the groom is gay so the marriage arrangers are like “no prob just marry your betrothed’s brother instead”? Say less. I love this solution-oriented thinking.
Things I enjoyed in this book:
- World building that is complex but not so complex that I want to throw the book out the window
- Markel
- Cae, who is this emoji: 🥺
- Inclusivity of all sorts
- Vel, who is this emoji: 😬
- Idiots to lovers
- Markel
- The foresty fresh scent of pining 🌲
- A magical system that I didn’t hate
- High stakes! (This means there are deaths!)
- Markel
I didn’t mind that it was 500 pages because it was 500 pages of two dumb dumbs making cow eyes at each other and trying to solve crime. Who can be mad at that?

[tatterpunk · Rating 2 out of 5]

TWO STARS: Goddammit, I was excited for this one.

This book doesn't know what it wants to be. Or, to better phrase it: it wants to be two things, each on the opposite end of a spectrum.

On the one hand it wants to be: a swoony, dishy, self-indulgent romance-with-a-captial-R, the kind of fantasy romance that used to reign supreme in fantasy with Mercedes Lackey, Anne Bishop, Sharon Shinn or Jennifer Roberson -- a much-missed subgenre that I personally believe had been sublimated into YA and fanfiction, so I applaud Meadows bringing it back to adult audiences. We're talking the kind of story thick with tropes (Arranged Marriage, Iron Woobie, himbo princes, Bad People Getting Their Just Desserts, etc) and feelings, with as much opportunity as possible for the characters we like to show off how smart or educated or atheltic or sexy or kind-hearted they are at any given turn.

On the other hand it wants to be: a cerebral deconstruction of worn-out fantasy tropes, building cultures of gender and sexual equality, how disability functions within pre-Industrial Revolution-style fantasy worlds, the politics of birth and lineage outside of the patriarchal system, and a close examination of cultural frictions within a marriage that is both personal and political.

But that's not an issue! you might cry. T'punk, I love both of those things!

Yeah, so do I. Which is why it's sublimely frustrating to see neither of them done well.

I'm not saying it's not possible to write a great romantic fantasy with strong political elements, or a great political fantasy with a strong romance. But I do think you have to pick one, and let it set the tone. Because you have to either prioritize the swoony romance and the deep personal introspection of the relationship between a recent rape victim who has spent his life in a punishingly patriarchal culture and the man who just wants to cuddle and validate him, or you have to focus on developing the politics and dangers of the world they are now trying to navigate together. This novel tries to split the difference, and the result is a jarring back-and-forth between the two very different approaches to fantasy, both underwritten. The characters aren't developed enough to go from suicidal and estranged to happily married within the timeline of a few days. The politics are all delivered in infodump monologues by characters whose sole purpose is the delivery of that information. Terms and ranks and names are thrown at us, willy-nilly, without organic integration or development... and the next scene is about Vel or Cae oggling each others' gorgeousness, or comforting each other with added ~sexual ~tension.

Actually, I'm lying -- I'm sure a good author might be able to equally integrate the two kinds of fantasy. But I'm just going to say it: Meadows is not that author. They don't seem to have any real grasp on creating conflict (real conflict, not "oh no, someone might want to kill Vel? maybe?") to create narrative drama or explore interpersonal relationships. They don't seem to know how to pace a book, either, since we take over 500 pages to cover a matter of days, and yet it feels like so little happens this could have easily been a novella. The characters are broad stereotypes, and despite the novel's good intentions in sprinkling in trans and nonbinary characters, somehow we end up with the vast majority of important characters being men (mainly cis men) and the villain being... not that.

Also, let's talk about Vel as a rape victim:

I don't fucking buy it.

I know "they don't act like I think a rape victim should act" is one of the shittiest things imaginable to say, so I'm trying to avoid that by adding more nuance. I don't think Vel acts like a rape victim raised to his culture would. There's an emphasis on how the lack of penetration doesn't make it any less of a rape, agreed, totally. But why would Vel be so confident in that, when he's from a culture so dismissive of queer relationships and sex? Anecdotally, those are not the best at incorportating acts other than penetrative with "real sex," and even less likely to equate any sex act that results on orgasm (as Vel had) with abuse. Why -- how -- is Vel so enlightened, enough so to be depressed and full of noble, suicidal suffering?

(The ugliest answer is: because Meadows is more attracted to that character archetype, and so skips over the logic. It's the same reason Vel knows magic when magic is called for, has a heart of gold in an otherwise ableist world, etc and so forth.)

He also talks about himself in the aftermath as if he were a woman. I mean that literally -- constantly comparing himself to "wives," how wives are "supposed" to be in their marriages, what's expected of them sexually, etc. Cae even has to say at one point "you're not a wife," but why is Cae the one to point that out when VEL is the one raised in a culture where his cisgendered status would never, ever be encouraged to sympathize with the fate of women?

It feels... really weird, to me, to see the solution of the book presented as "well, you're not a woman, Vel, so the expectations would be different anyway." We're not going to do any dismantling of internalized preconceptions beyond that? There's a one-paragraph sop to the idea that Vel had unacknowledged privilege as a cisgender man, even a gay one, and it's only something he's coming to grips with with his recent "married off" fate. It kind of reads like something a sensitivity reader made Meadows stick in there last-minute, because again, it doesn't make SENSE? Vel still isn't a woman! Or treated like one! And if sons are married for political purposes in his patriarchal culture, why would this marriage suddenly make him feel like a woman, or feel like his behavior was being compared to what's expected of women? Because he's married to a dude? Even though he's gay, that made him feel completely emasculated? (And of course feeling "like a woman" is a torment, and an issue to be solved by his loving husband?)

What I'm saying is: it feels like, for all its neo-pronouns and trans characters, this book leaves A LOT left unpacked in terms of internalized misogyny and homophobia for the sake of the HEA. And that's too bad, because one of the great things about the fantasy romances of the '90s and is that for all their indulgence, they did do some digging into gender politics and their overall effect. Meadows does not, and the lack speaks volumes.

Yeah, that was severely underwhelming. Bad enough as a debut, but it's shocking to think this is the author's fifth novel. I didn't even touch on the more labored and ridiculous examples of prose (like the sky being "skittish with stars" -- WHAT?). I understand why it was published, because there is an audience starving for more and new queer fantasy. But I think that audience deserves better than this.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely go into a book thinking I’ll dislike it. Every year without fail, Tor’s upcoming releases hype leave me incredibly hyped and I’m rarely disappointed with the outcomes. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is one of those rare occasions of disappointment. The first 88% of this book was, if boring, lacking any outright faults. I would have walked away giving it two stars and hoping other readers found the story more compelling. And then the last twist occurs and I all but threw my Kindle across the room in sheer anger. Because I can’t fully express my thoughts without delving into the last 12%, this review will contain spoilers for the full story. Spoilers will be marked and hidden, to the best of my ability.

On paper, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance appeals quite strongly to me. Velasin vin Aaro, forced into a political marriage by his father, eventually ends up marrying his intended-bride’s brother instead of the bride herself. After Velasin moves to this new country Tithena, to a culture he has little familiarity with, he finds himself entrenched in court politics as the people around him mysteriously start dying. I profess to be more a ‘Fantasy w/Romance bits’ fan than a ‘Romance w/Fantasy bits’ fan and in theory, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance should have delivered exactly that! There’s such much setup for rich court drama, so many moving parts and possible motives for why some mysterious faction would so badly want Velasin, citizen of a country with historically poor ties to Tithena, they’re willing to carry out attacks in the name of his own husband to do so!

Tragically, the book doesn’t go into any of this. With each subsequent attack, Velasin and his husband Caethari, make a half-assed attempt at investigation, asking about two people if they saw anything before throwing their hands up and going, welp, guess we can’t figure anything out. Why Caetheri, son of the…leader? mayor? of this city (holding?) they live in and a well-respected soldier in his own right can’t appoint someone to investigate this issue (or at least do so in private if they don’t want to alarm the people) I never understood. Even the political intrigue, the many players and their possible motives, felt very lacking. For a 150k+ WC book, I felt like I learned very little about Tithena and its culture or politics. (more on this later)

In private, Velasin and Cae are dealing with the ramifications of ‘oh shit you mean your dad forced you to marry and you didn’t consent to this at all?’ that marks the start of their marriage. Overall, I did like their relationship together. Velasin, having survived a very graphic on-screen rape scene at the beginning of the book, has had his confidence and self-worth utterly shattered and Cae quietly and respectfully navigates supporting Velasin through these traumatic experiences. And the two have some extremely badass moments together that I happily cheered for. However, while Velasin has a personality established prior to the start of this book as a skilled navigator of court politics and master of secrets, Cae’s background pretty much starts and ends at ‘fought a bear once’. For a book that spent so long on the interpersonal moments, I still don’t feel like I learned anything about Cae as a person.

Spoilers begin here (highlight to read text)


So now let’s talk about the ‘twist’. Aka, why then hell am I almost finished with the book and we seem no closer to uncovering, frankly, literally any detail about this mystery. Why, dear reader, that’s because it seems Meadows had no intent of actually writing actual court intrigue or a mystery to begin with. At 88% in, Velasin and Cae entire a guy’s house for some unrelated reason. As they enter the house, they hear two people yelling from upstairs, (paraphrased) “well omg if you just killed him properly, , we wouldn’t be in this situation!” Said two people walk down the stairs, (two people that had never been suspected in this mystery). Turns out the one who shouted was the sister Vel was supposed to marry! Who promptly a) monologues every detail of her plan and what happened throughout the course of the book and b) has a fucking QA session afterwards.

Because why write actual political intrigue when you could have your characters fuck around for 90% of the book and have them miraculously stumble upon the fucking conspirators arguing and have them confess on the spot. Vel has an entire character arc of building back his self-confidence, so what better way to do that than have him cleverly navigate through a court he has no experience with, in an unfamiliar culture? Instead, let’s have him do literally none of that and just deus ex machina our way to an ending. I won’t talk about the confrontation with the rest of the family other than to reassure you that it was an eye-rolling soap opera. It really felt like Meadows’ editor went ‘uh, you need a plot to go with the romance’ and Meadows quickly wrote an extra 10k of hamfisted garbage.



Overall. I rate this book a 1/5. The first 88% was bland and something I hoped other readers would connect with more than I did. The last 12% was an affront to storytelling itself.

____

A 2* book for being generally boring but not actually bad for 88%, then a 1* book for the ending. Felt like the author forgot there was also a murder mystery plot that had to be wrapped up and chose to do it in the stupidest way possible.

[Danny_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st Read: January 2023

All the stars to this brilliant masterpiece!!!

I was so excited when I heard the concept of this book, but it absolutely exceeded my expectations! The characters were all so well rounded, the world-building was phenomenal, and I could not put it down.

That being said, this is a very heavy book that deals with a lot of triggering content. Major TW's for sexual assault, suicidal ideation, and the death of an animal.

Above all else, I would say this book focused on healing, self-acceptance, and overcoming internalized prejudices. I adored all of the characters (specifically Vel, Cae, and Markel), and LOVED all the different types of representation. Another one of my favorite elements in this was the honest communication between Vel and Cae - NO MISCOMMUNICATION HERE!

This book honestly read like really good fanfiction - which is not a diss by any stretch.. I love a good fanfic!!

Overall, this book was stunningly diverse, with complex political machinations and a wonderful found family.


2nd Read: November 2023:

When I decided to reread this book in anticipation of the release of All the Hidden Paths, I was so scared that it wouldn't hold up to my memory of it. I'm delighted to announce that that was not the case - this was just as great as the first time I read it!

I don't know what it is about this book that makes me so emotional but I cried multiple times reading this. I absolutely adore Vel and Cae's relationship, and Markel is such a sweetheart.

I cannot wait to get to the sequel - I just need more of Vel, Cae and Markel in my life!

[Sana]

'A m/m epic fantasy romance about a closeted young nobleman preparing for a political arranged marriage to a foreign princess — but when his sexuality is revealed, he’s offered marriage to her brother the prince instead'

THAT'S THE STUFF

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could slap me with the physical copy of this book and i would smile because i love it that much. Legit, this is one of the only two fantasy books I’ve given 5 stars this year.

A beautifully written political fantasy with an emotional slowburn romance.

I cried 3 times in the first 100 pages. It isn’t all emotional, but Velasin’s trauma is heart-wrenching and i really appreciated how Foz Meadows handled it in a delicate yet raw way. It meant a lot to me. (TWs below)

This story is full of court drama, political intrigue, and assassination plots, but not once did I feel overwhelmed by all the world-building. Foz truly has a gift! All the characters were incredibly fleshed out and I felt like I knew them as friends. (Markle was probably one of my fave characters!)

Did I wish the final villain reveal had a little more pizzazz? Sure, I had hoped it would be a little more shocking. BUT for me, this story is primarily about Velasin healing from his trauma and letting himself fall in love with Cae more than anything else and that is why I am keeping it a 5-star.

(I have seen some people say that they felt the story was dragging on...but trauma is not something that a person can easily overcome, it is not something they will forget in a few days.)

*Rep: Many of our characters are queer.
Markle, who is Velasin’s butler-bestie is mute and uses sign language to communicate.
The kem use “thir” pronouns (nonbinary rep)
There is bodymagic that allows a person to change gender (trans rep)

*HUGE TW for on page rape, suicidal ideation, attempted self harm, PTSD/trauma, homophobia, animal death (horse)

*not an extensive list

[Samantha (ladybug.books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book and my only regret about getting an advanced e-copy of it was that I could not tab some of the moments in this book.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is a story about healing. But before the story of healing begins there are events that come with heavy content warnings. Kudos to the author for putting them at the beginning of the book. CW for: on page SA, suicidal ideation, self-harm, brief animal cruelty. It is my opinion that these topics were handled well but as I plan on raving about this book it is my responsibility to make people aware of the content matter.

I would recommend this book to fans of Winters Orbit as both stories are at their core stories of healing, learning to love yourself again, and learning to find love in others. The relationship takes center stage in this book with a plethora of heartwarming and heart-wrenching scenes between the two main characters. Cae and Vel's relationship was amazing and I loved every second of watching it develop. The story alternates between Cae and Vel's perspective which is my favorite way to experience a romance.

There were so many incredible subplots to this book as well. The most prominent is the mystery. Though I found it fairly predictable and a bit rushed at the end it created the perfect environment for those tense, protective moments that I am a sucker for. I really appreciated the story of friendship between Velasin and Markel. Finally, this book is a story of family conflict and neglect and the consequences that go unseen.

The fantasy world-building is light and easy to understand with a very simple magic system. I appreciated that the story of healing was left to stand on its own without unnecessary "fantasy stuff" to make it more complicated.

My one tiny critique is that the ending was quite rushed. There is a long fleshed-out beginning with lots of important details. And then the final reveal and conflict seemed unrealistically quick in comparison.

When I realized I was on the last chapter I was sad because I didn't want to leave Velasin and Cae. With content warnings in mind, I would definitely recommend this book and now I am off to preorder it so I can have this gorgeous cover on my shelf.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: rape; homophobia; death of animals

This achillean political romantic fantasy worked really well for me on audiobook. It’s mostly about the romance and the emotional healing of the two characters. Although it’s a duology, I don’t plan to continue as the way this wraps up is satisfying enough for me.

[Anna Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, that was a DELIGHT.
A world that felt fully realised, with societies, magic, classes and genders - and all the prejudices and peccadilloes that go along with them - and a mystery around which all the characters moved and interacted.
A very human story, and an unabashed love story, it nonetheless deals with issues around power, parental neglect - or at least ignorance, cruelty and ambition in a way that never feels forced or supplemental to the main characters as they navigate arranged marriage and a traumatic past.
Best, it reads like the very best sort of fanfic, as if the author found these characters and fell in love with them and had to write their own story starring them because they just couldn't stop thinking about them. For those in doubt, this is Very High Praise.
Add this one to your radars - it's due out in 2022, I believe.

[Kogiopsis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I had enjoyed this book. I really wanted to love it - 'queer arranged-marriage-to-love by Foz Meadows' is a pitch that I was all in for - but ultimately, I simply couldn't connect to the characters, and with their romance as the core of the plot, that was a dealbreaker.

Velasin and Caethari are perfectly pleasant people, and they have a pleasant and respectful romance, but by the end of the book I would be hard-pressed to tell you what either of them want outside of each other. Who were they before this arranged marriage? What are their passions, their interests, their likes and dislikes? Hell, after 500+ pages, I'm not sure if either of them even have a favorite color, let alone what it might be. That lack of character depth in turn made their romance feel flat and lifeless.

There is an overall lack of tension in this book, both in the romantic plot and in the political/murder mystery plot, which is... startlingly unthreatening, in no small part thanks to the fact that the protagonists keep just wandering around the city unguarded and unconcerned throughout. I also found the way this plotline was resolved to be unsatisfying, as the antagonist very quickly deteriorated and what was a decently complex scheme gave way to a lot of senseless violence which felt deeply out of place with the rest of the book.

I did enjoy many of the secondary characters, especially Markel and Yasa Kithadi, and the worldbuilding of Tithenai culture in particular was interestingly detailed. (Ralia was kind of a homophobic blank slate by contrast.) I also think that, while it is jarring to have a rape scene within the first 20 pages, the overall recovery and healing arc which followed was one of the strongest parts of the book; in fact, I think that Velasin's recovery and adjustment to a new culture could have carried the entire novel, without the murder/political violence angle needed at all. (Politics, yes, but nobody needed to die especially if it never actually changed the protagonists' actions other than being a puzzle to solve.)

Weirdly enough, I actually think that if this book ever had a sequel, I'd be more interested in the story going forward than I was in this one. As far as I know this is intended as a stand-alone, but there's potential there, and I think that these characters would click better for me in an established romance.

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Review:
*I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*

This was a pretty long book, and I enjoyed every minute of it! In fact, I would’ve happily kept listening if there were more.

The romance was one of the main focuses of the book, and it was so lovely. Slow burn in the sense that it was pretty far into the book before anything happened, but in plot-time it was only maybe a week. So I’m not sure if I consider that a true slow burn or not, but regardless, I enjoyed it! These two spent a lot of time together and bonded so much that it felt believable. Their romance was also just so sweet and healthy and nice. They were cute together.

The other main focus was the politics and courtly intrigue. I am often easily confused by complex politicking in books, especially when you throw high fantasy worlds into the mix, but this, though complex in how thought-out it was, was explained so clearly that I was always able to keep up. So I enjoyed this element too.

Both Velasin and Caethari were such good, kind characters, while also feeling unique from each other. Velasin was friendly and good with people, always treating the servants with extra kindness, making everyone like him just by being himself. Caethari had more difficulty with people but was still a good person, and especially understanding and supportive of Velasin. Both were just the right amount of protective of each other. They deserved each other, in the best way possible.

There were other interesting characters as well, everyone felt unique. Also a sweet, close friendship between Velasin and Markle. Some disability rep too, since Markle was mute and used sign language. And a lot of characters seemed to be POC, based on descriptions.

There are trigger/content warnings at the beginning of the book, but I want to mention here too that the book essentially starts off with Velasin being sexually assaulted / raped, then accidentally outed, then exiled by his father for being gay, and he considers suicide multiple times. But these aren’t plot points only used for convenience, nor do they make the book depressing. Throughout the rest of the book, Velasin deals with that trauma and ultimately starts healing from it, with the help of people who care about him. And the place he moves to is much more accepting of different sexualities and genders, so part of that healing is getting to openly be himself. But there were some heavier, more emotional moments in relation to all this, and other difficulties the characters faced. I really felt for the characters, especially Velasin.

The audiobook, narrated by Vikas Adam and James Fouhey, was wonderful! I love both of them as narrators, and their voices were well-suited to the characters, so this was sort of a dream duo for me. They both did a great job of sounding natural and bringing the personality and emotion for the characters and the scenes. Vikas Adam had some especially emotional moments to narrate, and he nailed them. They also voiced characters similarly to sort of match each others’ voices, Velasin’s voice being higher-pitched and Caethari’s being deeper. I definitely recommend the audio.

Overall, this was a great book that wove themes of trauma and healing with intriguing politics and a lovely, understanding romance, all set in a vibrant fantasy world, and I really enjoyed it!

*Rating: 4.5 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Audiobook*

Recommended For:
Anyone who likes m/m fantasy romance, courtly intrigue, kind characters, healthy and understanding relationships, and emotional healing.

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

It pains me to rate this three stars.

And yet.

I did like the politics and the queer focused world, but holy hell did this book draaaaag on. Complete with a plot twist I saw coming from the moment Markel took the knife blow meant for Velasin and a villain monologue that lasted a literal lifetime and then was halfway rehashed not two chapters later.

I feel like it would have been suited if there had been a solid 100 pages or so chopped to keep the pace moving, because at one point it just felt like revolved from one crisis to another, and for all of these seemingly brilliant people, no one ever thought to put a guard or overwatch on anyone as they were sauntering through the castle and city streets and the grounds...where it was proven time and time again that the killer was literally inside the house.

Anywho, less Byzantine politics than inelegant squabble, when it was all boiled down.

The world-building was solid in places (again, LOVED the inherent queerness) and lackluster in others (particularly in descriptions of POC).

Full RTC, maybe.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a nice fantasy romance (mm) here, with two convoluted different plots on top, drowning the sweetness of the main characters' interaction.

Somewhat of a generic romance, political marriage blossoming into love, a bit Sharon Shinn-esque. There are trigger warnings right at the start contains on-page depictions of rape, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. Also though not mentioned there, animal abuse/death but get all the trigger warnings and while the trigger warnings are true, it is not a particularly grim book. Arguably the trigger warnings might work more as a plot lever than the focus of the book, but that might be me being a cynic.

As a romance, I liked it a lot, two nice people who communicate and where the attraction, trust is established convincingly. But there was one plot (or two maybe... I tend to be perfectly happy with almos plot-less romances but I might be an outlier there) too many there, even if the author does try to bring them together, but it is too much and too contrived.

As a fantasy, ah, it does not quite go anywhere interesting, except as a setting for the romance. One of the societies is a gender role repressive medievalesque society (generic), the other is a totally diverse progressist (by all modern standards) queernormative society which I guess is also a generic though recent thing. This society is so very perfect even if it is still very feudal just the same (otherwise how could our main characters still be aristocrats) and with somewhat scary (just to me?) processes where the ruling family can do extra judicial secret judgements, totally fair and lawful here and it does not cause tremendous abuses elsewhere. (I did mind that part of the plot tremendously). I think authors got the right to write about places they want to live in and make them as cozy, comfortable, safe as possible but readers can also find it either unlikely or uncomfortable in details. And this society, Tithenai was both: a bit overoptimistic and the extrajudicial "trials" and feudalistic mindset somewhat repulsive to me in ways I am sure the author did not intend and did not explore. Though the contrast between two neighbouring, very different societies did make for some lovely pieces of insight, where our gay main character coming from the repressive society has to come to terms with things he is now free to express, to feel... That was moving and interesting as was them building a relationship (I just think it could have been done, and maybe even better, with two more realistic, complex societies...)

But there are two plots ongoing and they are both messy and overdramatic and this book is unnecessarily long (over 160 kwords, 540 pages). My rating for this book lowered and lowered as I was reading and the ending made me want to throw the book at the wall.

One note - Velasin our main character is supposedly smart at politics and reading interactions. That is seen, works, in a lot of scenes, and that is a good idea, try to show us that and thinking and politicking in action, but on other scenes it just does not work, and it is not understandable how people react. Like for example, the scene on chapter 3, where Velasin apologizes ( after being found to be raped! and the foreign envoy seems impressed for some reason even if they say apology is unnecessary. I reread it, and a few other scenes a few times, because I did not understand it all. Velasin political smarts and sharp dialogue, sometimes there, sometimes not.

Another note - the prose starts out very stuffy, formal, 19th century in style "I’d never expected more than my third son’s modest sinecure, and though I was hardly indifferent to the prospect of greater wealth, I deemed myself allergic to the increased responsibilities it so frequently engendered" but that was a bit of a false alarm (thankfully for me), it soon settles down to a more neutral, modern style.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first finished this in July and gave it five stars, I predicted that most people wouldn't love it as much as I did, and I was right. It also unfortunately came out at the same time as Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron, which is pretty similar in story and theme (I haven't read it yet, though I do have it out from the library), and most people have preferred it to A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. I think this is sad because this book is good and deserves to stand on its own.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is a political fantasy mystery romance trauma recovery found family book. You could probably just stop reading this review now if you want no spoilers. (Content warning for sexual assault both in this review and the book.)

Our main characters are: Velasin, a noble from the country of Ralia, a place that is backward and hateful regarding social expectations, gender roles, sexuality, you name it; and Caethari, the son of a tieren (a ruling noble) from Tithenai, whose family are looking to ally with a Ralian family by marriage in order to shore up ties of trade and diplomacy between the two countries. When an envoy from Tithenai approaches Velasin's father and offers marriage to Velasin (a third son), his father accepts, only he's supposed to marry one of the tieren's daughters. But when the envoy witnesses a sexual assault on Velasin by his ex-lover (the book blurb is coy about this, which is annoying), and mistakes it for a tryst, they offer for Velasin to marry the tieren's son instead. Tithenai's culture is very different from Ralia's. Velasin's father agrees, because now that his sexual preferences are known he's disgraced in Ralia and can't stay.

So we follow Velasin (who feels like the more significant character, just because we are with him from the beginning, and because his emotional arc is the backbone of the book, but we do get alternating POVs from him and Caethari) as he journeys to his new country to meet his future husband, all while being heartbroken and traumatized, and newly disowned from his family.

As mentioned previously and is indicated by my five-star rating, everything about this worked for me. I loved seeing the clash of the two cultures, the hurt-comfort relationship dynamic between Vel and Cae, the overall arc of Vel coming out of his shell and healing from his traumas (not just the sexual assault, he's got issues from growing up where and how he did). I loved the slow burn of the relationship between the two men. I loved the friendship between Vel and his servant/best friend, Markel, who is mute and speaks sign language with Vel. I loved the intrigue and the mystery plot. The way the book ended I thought was impactful, and the person behind it all, while not surprising, did have an ending that I both didn't expect, and that was also strangely emotionally impactful. 

Anyway, I hope some of you read this and like it as much as I did.

[vaishnavi ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

TW: on-page SA, suicidal ideation and attempt, PTSD, homophobia, animal death, branding of a human.

this book is such an interesting mix of strengths and frustrations, and i understand why it's so beloved by many readers, but for me, it didn't fully stick the landing 😭 i mean whyyyy did you have to make the sister the villain??

the novel is the kind of love story you'd read fics for, written with all the tropes that'd satisfy you for the evening (see: arranged marriage, character X deserves a hug, hurt/comfort, slow burn, etc.) but at the same time, it also reaches for something much bigger: a thoughtful reimagining of classic fantasy conventions, with new cultural structures around gender, sexuality, and kinship; explorations of disability and trauma.

the problem is that juggling all of this makes the tone feel scattered. it tries to do so much, maybe even too much at times and as a result, the emotional flow is uneven. One chapter reads like a slow-burn romance; the next is dense political talk; the next has a mystery plotline; and then we're back to intimate vulnerability. none of these pieces is bad individually, but they didn't blend as well as expected to me.

and that brings me to why i couldn't rate this book higher: Velasin's pov is difficult to sit with at times. not because of his trauma (which I thought was handled with seriousness) but because of how his inner thoughts are presented. the text is extremely verbose, often telling rather than showing. and the way he repeatedly compares and thinks of himself as a woman/ bride after his rape felt very icky to me. i understand the thematic intent, but the execution felt off to me.

that said, the prose is genuinely beautiful and there are many things i adored. Vel and Cae are absolute disasters in love. i didn’t mind the 500+ page length because watching them solve crimes while being idiots about their feelings was incredibly charming 😙

[ivanareadsalot · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I love the most about this book is that it has a home in the hearts of all those who adore it. bless.🙏🏽




As it stands, I am decidedly not the intended readership for this book's narrative tone, these characters, this "drama" or this level of "political machination". also bless.✌🏽






***as a side note, this gif review was hella fun to do up and i enjoyed it immensely😄

[X]

Hmm… sometimes SFF worlds are written in a way that realistically incorporates social issues (homophobia, racism, misogyny, sexual violence, etc.) and the way they impact their characters. And sometimes SFF worlds are written to make the author’s preferred plotline work while wringing out every possible drop of suffering from their characters along the way.

I wouldn’t say I’m far enough into this book to say for sure which category it falls into… but I really really suspect it’s #2. 😬😬😬

Maybe it’s the way that narrative makes it very clear immediately that being gay is socially very bad and shameful… but no worries, it’s totally not illegal. (Convenient!) The way this is the vibe in the protagonist’s home country, so he can be maximally harmed by the homophobia… but meanwhile there’s a magical neighboring country where it’s all cool, there’s even a third gender and everything, and it’s a powerful country so when the non-binary character shows up even the protagonist’s homophobic father has to be polite. (Convenient!)

I mean, I guess what I’m saying is this is kind of a worldbuilding issue? Because I understand that for your main character to suffer homophobia, rape and self-hatred that leads to self-harm AND for your fun arranged marriage gay romance plot to work simultaneously, you need to have both a horrifically homophobic home country AND a conveniently nearby queer-friendly country where gay marriage is cool.

But geography doesn’t usually work like that?

Idk, maybe this all is totally explained later in the book in a way that works it out perfectly. But it just feels a little… off. Some authors can take you to those dark places and you will go because you can tell from the writing that they’ve 100% got you. Yeah, I don’t really have that confidence based on what I’ve read so far.

The more I think about this, the more iffy I am. You know what, why did there need to be homophobia? Just to compound the protagonist’s suffering re. being raped? Because presumably that’s why he doesn’t tell anyone it was rape? Because he’s afraid that if he does his rapist ex will tell everyone about their past relationship and the social shame of that would be to much to bear? Because if so, I guess that would be *something* - but the book doesn’t seem to care about that at all because it doesn’t even address it. All it cares about depicting is the protagonist passively suffering and being victimized as much as possible. This is a fictional world created by the author. It could be *any* way. Why is it this way?

And again, this set-up could work in the hands of an author who knew what they were doing. I don’t know that this author does, and since I’m unsure I have no desire to keep reading just in case when the material is this bleak.

But I guess if anyone else has any insight one way or the other I would love to know?

DNF @ the end of Ch. 3.

[bri]

Thank you endlessly to TOR for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Screaming. Crying. Throwing a tantrum. This was absolutely delicious. If this book was a meal my plate would be licked clean right now.

This emotional, healing-centered romance was essentially Winter's Orbit-but-make-it-fantasy. And moons, was I here for it. It's chalk-full of political intrigue, mystery, an arranged marriage, slow burn romance, SO MUCH hurt/comfort, and romantic lines that were SO UNNECESSARILY BEAUTIFUL AND WANTED TO MAKE ME RIP OFF MY FACE IN PASSION.

Also like Winter's Orbit, this book centers healing from trauma as not only a primary theme, but as a force that drives character development. Though where WO leans on miscommunication (in a good way! truly! I love idiots that are struggling to communicate themselves), A Strange and Stubborn Endurance leans on open communication. The honesty and mutual respect between the main characters IS the foundation of the story. (I just love them so fucking much!!!!) As a heads up: the narrative starts out INCREDIBLY dark (check CW/TWs), but the healing that comes from the MC's connection and from the systemic and personal support systems that emerge is beyond heartwarming. I'm in general a huge fan of books navigating the way trauma and mental health can impact relationships - romantic or otherwise - and deeply appreciated the way it was applied here. It was not treated as an obstacle or a problem, but just as a present factor of perspective and experience, which I thought was incredibly realistic and honorable.

I'm just obsessed and wish I could more eloquently express my unhinged emotional investment in this book. And again, can NOT stress enough that if you liked Winter's Orbit, you’ll go feral for this one.

CW/TWs: rape (onscreen p. 19-23, discussed further throughout the book), suicidal ideation (graphic), self-harm, trauma, violence, medical content, blood, death, death of character, animal death, abusive parent (emotional, physical [mention]), homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, emesis, alcohol consumption, loss of sibling, parental death, infidelity (past)

[fatma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is part mystery and part romance--thing is, it didn't quite work for me on either front.

To me, the biggest issue with this book is by far the lack of cohesion when it comes to the plot and the characters. I am first and foremost a character reader, so I'm willing to forgive a book a number of plot issues if the character work is well done. With A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, though, it wasn't so much that the plot or the characters were bad, per se, but rather that they were constantly in tension with each other so that they both suffered in the end. Like I said, this book is part mystery and part romance, but it always felt like the former was interrupting the latter. We'd get these nice character moments that seemed like they were heading somewhere interesting, and then what do you know, some random character barges into the scene to talk about some plot thing that I literally couldn't care less about. And this happens so often, too; the plot feels like it's constantly intruding on these characters, and it becomes quite irritating the more it happens throughout the novel. More than just interrupting the character moments, this also makes the book feel really disjointed. Like, rather than have a narrative where the characters and the plot seamlessly blend together so that the one contributes to the other, we get a story where plot and character always feel very starkly delineated: here are the Character Development Scenes, and here are the Plot Development Scenes. All of this is to say, the plot and the character moments felt to me like they were always out of sync with each other.

Maybe this wouldn't have been that big of an issue if the plot had been interesting, except that, like I said, I found it to be quite irritating. The plot of A Strange and Stubborn Endurance doesn't progress so much as it just...happens; like the plot points don't escalate or build up so much as they just continue to occur one after the other until the end, where we get a whole bunch of answers revealed to us all in one go. And yeah, maybe that's the nature of mysteries, but I didn't feel like this one was particularly well executed. It was just like, mysterious event A happens, mysterious event B happens, mysterious event C happens, mysterious event D happens, etc, etc, etc. And all the while the more interesting character building moments are being set aside or interrupted so that the characters can, over and over and over again, speculate on the nature of these mysterious events. I didn't care about it at all, and then the reveal at the end made me care for it even less. It felt very far-fetched and slightly ridiculous and even then we didn't get enough time for the characters (or the reader) to really process all that had just happened.

All of this isn't to say that this book is a complete write-off. I didn't hate it, but I also wanted to enjoy it so much more. I love reading romance, especially in fantasy, and so I was pretty much ready to love this--but I just didn't. The romance was okay to begin with--and I did like how the author explored healing in the aftermath of sexual trauma--but everything around that romance ended up making it feel less and less enjoyable as the book went on.

Thank you to Tor for providing me with an e-ARC of this via NetGalley!

[Anna Makowska · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, TOR smelled the money from m/m slashfic fangirls and audience of boys' love genre and served us a Winter's Orbit rip off.

Similarities include:
+ two male royals in an arranged marriage
+ backstory of sexual assault on one of the pairing
+ a queer-utopia society where gay, trans, nonbinary people are free as a main setting (here we have a homophobic country too but mc is swiftly exiled from it)
+ a diversity checklist of side characters
+ a plot involving murder mystery / court intrigue / politics
+ pure cinnamon roll protagonists who wouldn't create any relationship drama if the author didn't fabricate one (but why it has to be always a trauma?)
+ HFA cuz it's romance
+ villain monologue at the crucial moment to wrap up the plot
+ black - and - white morality: villains are reprehensible and borderline sociopathic, while everyone else is "stock good people" very shocked when the viper is uncovered

I'm sick of authors who are definitely-not-gay-male benefiting from gay trauma (hello "A Little Life"). If you write outside of your race, you'll be dragged. You write a trans story without being trans, you'll be judged. But you can freely appropriate gay male experience and that's completely fine, because there's money to be made. TOR smelled that money after picking Winter's Orbit from AO3 and also serving us this year A Taste of Gold and Iron (again from an AO3 author). These books are nothing more than glorified fanfics with serial numbers filed off / placed in original worlds, but revolve around stuffing fanfic romance tropes into them and putting little care towards worldbuilding. Like creating black and white countries where one is evil and homophobic while the other is complete freedom. No nuance.

Another thing I hate is that trad pub is failing me in giving me cinnamon roll male love interests in straight fantasy romance and I have to read poorly edited self-pubs for that, but if it's m/m then it's all sugar and honey. Why only gay men can be depicted as kind, supportive, emotional and soft? Why are gay men always depicted like that while romance with a straight couple will have some thirsty tough alpha guy instead? And why not have any of those tough alpha guys in m/m? It's just reinforcing that if a man is in touch with his "feminine side" he's gay, and if he's gay, he's kinder and softer than if he was straight.

Finally, I find starting the book with a r*pe very tasteless. There have been years of saying don't use rape as a character development device for female characters in fantasy (rape made her tough / a man-hater / seek vengeance / touch averse / unable to love / depressed / feeling defiled / all of the above). But apparently that means it's fine if the victim is male? It is A CHOICE to include those subjects. Wasn't it enough to kickstart the plot without the r*pe just make the mc be revealed as gay in the homophobic society he lives and kicked out for that? You could have written an impactful story about facing internalized homophobia and shame stemming from it without coloring it up with r*pe. You could still have the character depressed and suicidal if you wanted to write about mental health issues, which many queers face nowadays by being raised and living in a homophobic society, r*pe not required.

And the question remains, why it always has to be suffering and mental health issues? Comparing to A Taste of Gold and Iron where again, there's mental health struggle because mc has anxiety? At least there isn't r*pe there or sexual abuse, from what I know (I hope).

Anyway, I bet tik tok girls will drool over it and 5-star it all over the place with eloquent reviews like "I must have this in my life!" and "make it gay!" (or just a collage of GIF emojis and memes) and TOR will make bucketloads of money and that's all which matters in the modern society.

P.S. I hate how Vel refers to himself as "bride" or "wife", including things like being surprised at his husband not minding him not being a virgin after already he met said husband's ex lover so he knows pre-marital sex isn't frowned upon there. Or asking whether he should "play coy" in bed because it's... expected of women in his country.

It feels as if the story was written as a straight romance and then Vel was genderswapped to a guy because queer content is so progressive nowadays... Should I also mention that of course Vel is smaller than Cae, less athletic, more brains than brawn, diplomatic, and generally following the stereotype the female usually fulfills in f/m romances? While Cae fills the typical stoic warrior "protector" role. Should I mention their "marriage gifts" include necklace and dangling earrings for Vel, but a throwing knife for Cae?

Finally, the timeline is... very off. From what I noticed, Vel spends 2 weeks traveling and then around a week between the arrival and the official wedding ceremony, putting the timeline of the whole book at around 3 weeks or so. And he goes from wanting to off himself to having joyful sex 3 times per night.

The "I think I want it already but since I said we should be friends I will restrain myself" part again smelled awfully of Winter's Orbit's miscommunication plot where we have scenes of both guys wanting it but both inventing reasons to not ask. I'm not saying about pressuring, I'm saying about not asking / discussing it at all just to prolong the pining phase for romantic drama.

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I liked how this book dealt with trauma and consent, and how inclusive Tithenai's culture was, I can't ignore how utterly flimsy the political intrigue was : as in, there was none. Instead we got pages and pages of characters asking questions without ever getting closer to the truth, and then the answer was literally given to them in the most convenient way possible. Like. Seriously? As I said, I still liked Velaris and Cae's relationship, even though given the slow-burn, I can't help but think that I should have felt more urgency—that however, I could forgive. The utter nonsense that was the mystery and the missed opportunity of what could have been such an interesting exploration of a very inclusive culture? I have a hard time to. So let's go with 4 stars for the romance and world, a generous 2 stars for the mystery and an overall 3 star rating. I'll still check out Foz Meadows' books in the future, because A Strange and Stubborn Endurance had potential. I'm just sad it failed to deliver.

CW for rape (on page), suicidal ideation, self-harm (on page), violence, blood, death, transphobia, homophobia

[Sahitya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely more of a 4.5, so I’m rounding up.

CW: rape, suicidal ideation, self harm, animal murder

I’ve been eager to get to this book since the first time I got to know about it because I was sure it’ll be special. I’m also very thankful to the author for offering me an arc before I managed to snag an audio review copy too and I had such a good time alternating between the two formats. So I guess you can see which direction this review is gonna go.

Just before this book, I had started reading another arc but it wasn’t able to keep my attention. So I put it down and picked this one up hoping that this would be more interesting, and I was instantly hooked. It does start off with a difficult scene but I have to commend the author for handling the aftermath with a lot of empathy. And also for providing the content warnings, because if I encounter a suicide/self harm scene without knowing, it’s an instant DNF from me and my mood will be totally down for days to come later. But I knew it was coming and that made it easier to get through, and I just felt so so sympathetic towards the character. The writing is just very engaging right from the get go and the pacing pretty fast that I didn’t wanna put it down once I began. If it wasn’t for my dear friend Shazzie asking me to slow down coz I had promised to do a buddy read (which wasn’t entirely successful because of my over enthusiasm), I would have probably finished this in a day. I thought the endearing writing was equally complemented by a very well narrated audiobook, with both James Fouhey and Vikas Adam bringing the characters and their emotions to life with their spectacular voice acting.

Velasin or Vel is a gay man from a kingdom which is both homophobic and transphobic, and finds himself both in an arranged diplomatic marriage and a scandalous situation back to back. And then follows his journey, both physical and within himself, to find the place and person where he can belong and finally be himself, not having to hide his true self. While his anxiety, constant spiraling, and self deprecation felt very relatable, it was the other side of his personality that impressed me. He is inquisitive, a keen observer, a born charmer and diplomat who is quite capable of figuring out malicious intentions and motives and investigate political conflicts. But he is also lost when he realizes that he doesn’t have to hide his self anymore, can be open in his affections, and needs time to unlearn all the prejudices among which he grew up.

Caethari or Cae on the other hand is a lord’s son and soldier, who is shocked at his sudden arrange marriage instead of his sister’s but is also curious to meet his prospective husband. He is a much more straightforward person who doesn’t fancy himself capable of handling any political intrigue, and also can get shy around the person whom he finds attractive. But overall he is just a very nice and thoughtful guy.

And the way their budding relationship is written despite it beginning with a marriage, is hands down the best part of this book. Right from Cae trying to help Vel through his trauma and offering his friendship, to Vel taking it upon himself to investigate all the assassination attempts and trusting Cae implicitly, their bond starts with friendship and builds into something more, full of trust and affection. They are just so endearingly written that I found myself helpless but to fall in love with both of them, and root for them every step of the way.

Vel’s friend and valet Markel is also a significant presence in the book and I adored their bond. They have a history and the trust between them is inviolable, and I felt they got to express their feelings towards each other even more now that they are allowed to. And it was amazing how Cae made an effort to learn sign language so that he could get to know his husband’s best friend better. Liran is Car’s ex and current friend who I thought was a delight even though he was only present for a couple of scenes. I just had this feeling that he and Vel would get along very well and tease Cae incessantly. There were also many of Cae’s family members and other people in his household who were all quite interesting and accepted Velasin pretty quickly which made me like them all.

To conclude, I’m absolutely in love with this book. It may have some difficult themes but they are handled sensitively, and along with them we have very easy to love characters, writing that’s engaging since page one, a very charming love story, maybe a bit predictable but still enjoyable mystery and political intrigue, and just overall a very lovely reading experience. I’ll especially recommend this to fans of Winter’s Orbit because it has very similar vibes, albeit in a fantasy setting. Also do give the audiobook a try because it’s excellent. I can’t believe this is the first book of Foz I’m reading despite following them for a long while, and can only hope I’ll get to read more of their works.

[Sherwood Smith]

I finished this book a while back, then set it aside to reread as I wasn't sure how to evaluate it: I read about 60-70 percent of it in one go, then found myself poking at it over a number of days.

On the second read I realized what was going on, at least with my perception. I don't know what gender Foz Meadows is, nor does it matter, but the book has all the tropes and language of an m/m novel written for a female audience, mixed with a fantasy mystery.

The worldbuilding, for the most part, was pretty convincing, though I really wanted to love it because of the diversity he finds in Tithenia, when he comes to complete an arranged marriage with another guy. The contrast with his homophobic home country injected the story with extra feels, when Velasin, one of our heroes (trigger warning: rape) comes emotionally as well as physically damaged to Tithenia. I also liked his husband Caethari, and though all the signs are there of what is going to happen, so there were few surprises, I enjoyed the progression to their happy ending.

But then the book wasn't done, though emotionally it felt complete. There was the murder mystery that had to be solved, when the culprit was obvious pretty much from the gitgo. Suspense can be tough to handle (when the audience knows and the characters don't) but here it dragged, especially as so much of the court intrigue felt tacked on after the fact, much of it off-stage.

That said, overall it was an engaging read, and I'll certainly be on the lookout for more by this author.

[Brenda Waworga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warning ⛔️: Rape, PTSD, Suicide Attemps, Animal death

I have mixed feelings for this book, it was one of my highly antipicated release… some parts totally live up my expectation, some just not, 3 STAR seem like a pretty fair rating from me

Velasin Vin Aaro need to bethroted into a diplomatic union with Caethari from the neigbour country Tithena, the first plan was married the sister but an ugly confrontation happened and both parts agreed Velasin to married the brother instead. Unfortunately a lot of things happened during the process including some assassinations and murder. Live far away from home in a completely different custom and new place and new culture Velasin need to trust his new husband and both need to survive and solve the political intrigue and mystery and heal with traumatic experience surround this new alliance.

I love the healing journey in this story, it was slow but also felt believeable. The romance is probably the best thing in this book… I love both main characters, they are loveable and adorable and I ship them so much, the side characters are not so much tho… I basically do not care to any of them (except Markel). NOT A FAN of the writing style, it felt old fashioned though it maybe suitable with court medieval setting, I struggled to truly enjoy the whole story. I expected for a story with a lot of magic and it didn’t happen here and the political intrigue bored me to death I just want to skim read them.

[Cozy Reading Times · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*
This was lovely. It felt like Winter's Orbit and the Nightrunner series had a child - felling both like the modern queer sff of recent years and classic queer mystery-adventure fantasy from the 90s☺️💖.

It was comforting and imaginative, filled w8th love and acceptance. Though be aware that this book also features sexual abuse and the trauma that comes from it. Most of this book is about healing, but if S.A. is a trigger for you, be careful when reading it.

What is probably my favourite fact about this book is the fact, that the sequel which comes out this December will still follow our main characters from book one (so often, romance series switch protagonists every book and I often find myself longing for more from each couple). This is a wonderful book but even better as a first book in a series. Because I have to admit that the only thing I didn't love was how fast Cae's attraction to Vel developed towards love (almost you could call it instant love), and I am glad that Vel is given more time to return the sentiment and for both of them to develop a true relationship.

[fatherofdragons113 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. It seemed to drag in the middle, but the cast of characters and the romance are amazing and I'm so excited for the next book.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance follows Velasin, who after an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, fears he has ruined a diplomatic union with a neighbouring country Tithena as he is engaged to female noble there. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Velasin to marry his former intended’s brother instead. Meanwhile back in Tithena, Caethari has always known he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock. When Velasin arrives in Tithena and an unknown faction reveals itself to be willing to kill to end the new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other and maybe even find themselves and each other in the process.

I really adored the relationship in this book, which I would say is the primary focus and the emphasis on healing, support and comfort was a pleasure to read. I am always an absolute sucker for the arranged marriage trope and it was executed so well here. Both Velasin and Cae are really loveable characters to follow and seeing them grow closer and their banter was super enjoyable to read. Velasin has a lot of trauma and emotions to work through whilst also being thrown into a completely different culture but is incredibly resilient if a little stubborn. Cae is the perfect calming and steadfast counterpoint (and is also a total cinnamon roll and I love him) and their dynamic just works so well together.

I wanted to mention there is a fairly graphic sexual assualt scene quite early on in the book as well as multiple incidences of suicidal ideation. I thought the author did a good job of handling these topics with care and I liked how the primary focus of the book was on healing while not shying away from the darker, uglier aspects of dealing with the trauma from SA. I also really liked how the author had a trigger warning section at the beginning of the book.

Another thing I really loved about this was the relationship between Velasin and his valet/best friend Markel. I think strong friendships are so important and I love them especially in books with a focus on romance. Seeing the characters discuss their romantic escapades and worries with friends is exactly what you would do in real life and I really liked all Markel's teasing and knowing looks at Velasin and Cae's growing relationship. I also appreciated the representation of Markel being mute and him and Velasin communicating with sign language.

The plot is really strong as well, it definetly takes a backseat to the romance but there are some excellent cut throat politics and shocking twists and turns. I liked seeing Vel and Cae investigate what is happening and having to work together and grow ever closer. One thing I really love is complex family politics and this book definetly delivers on that. I did predict who the main "villain" was quite early on but this didn't ruin the book for me at all and to be honest I was so invested in the character relationships and dynamics Idon't think I would have cared if the plot had been non-existent lol.

At first at I was a bit unsure about the prose, but after the first chapter or so I really got into it and it actually reminded me a lot of robin hobb. There is a lot of focus on self reflection and inner emotional turmoil but these are things I really like in books, when books take their time and let characters and their feelings drive the story.

The magic system is a bit vague but there is just a hint of the fantastical, if there are more books in the series I would love to explore this more!! I think the focus is a lot more on the politics and world-building though. Foz Meadows has created such interesting fantasy cultures and you just want to get to know everything about the traditions, food and lifestyle in Tithena.

Ultimately this is a book of finding yourself, healing, learning to trust others to support you, complex family dynamics and accepting that you deserve love. It deals with some heavy topics but in a gentle and caring way and you will come away from the book with a sense of hope and it will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. Too much and not enough world building at the same time. So much info dumping about minutia that didn’t really matter (endless descriptions of clothes!), but then never really getting a feel for the place. Lack of verisimilitude could also be down to the fact the two countries are basically “the good one” and “the bad one”. Nothing about Ralia is good, not even the food. Everything about Tithenia is good, even in some ways the villain, who apparently was doing it for the good of the nation/kingdom/whatever.

Characters felt similar, no real flaws. Everyone knows just what to say at all times.

The timeline made no sense to me, and contributed to poor character motivations and growth. How could Velasin go from suicidal to fine in less than a week, while continuing to experience repeated traumas (after the rape that started the story) in the form of 1) Killic reappearing 2) multiple violent acts related to the main “mystery” including his horse being murdered 3) involved with killing three people in the space of one week including his former lover/rapist. Like…the one thing I’d heard consistently is how well mental illness and trauma is handled in this book and I disagree. Maybe if this had happened over a longer timeline, but it felt rushed and no one acted like an actual human.

Also, this feels weird to bring up, but they basically “humanely” torture Killic via branding him. I say “humanely” because they went in depth on how they put him to sleep for it and healed him after. But this whole experience remains unexamined, and it seems like we’re supposed to see this as a fitting punishment. Which, ok, it’s not a “modern” setting and is maybe middle-age-esque, but compared with the other “progressive” politics around gender and sexuality, it threw me for a loop that corporal punishment with no trial was basically condoned. And it’s only condoned because we know Killic is “bad” (since we experienced the rape via Velasin). But how would we feel if we hadn’t? I’m not saying by any means we can’t believe victims if there’s not "enough evidence", but to the point of branding someone, in secret, with no trial? It just all felt so unexamined, and tonally off from the romance.

Back to world building. Magic was initially so inconsequential I was originally of the opinion it just shouldn’t have been a part of the world at all; just have a secondary world political/romantic fantasy. But then it turned out magic was important to the denouement, and again, just felt incredibly inconsistent and poorly thought through. I had so many other problems in this book that really are down to poor, nonsensical world building and storytelling that I want to get into but won't. (Still confused over why they couldn't enlist any guards to help at the end when they were captured then escaped and took what's his face prisoner. You're some of the most important people in this city, supposedly ARE PART OF THE GUARD, and can't get a guard to help you with your prisoner?)

Finally, while this clearly isn’t medieval Europe (although it seemed like Ralia might have been leaning more that way?), the writing took me out of the story on multiple occasions. I’m not saying that we need to stick to Middle English and can’t use modern terms, but I draw the line at the below slang/non sensical phrases:

Invite — please use invitation. It’s the actual noun and while invite is slipping into noun form from a verb, it jolted me every time I read it

Shocky — this isn’t even a real word and it came up twice within like 20 pages

Wonky — Why is this word in your historical-ish fantasy

She dimpled — No idea what this was supposed to mean

Padded — Always know a fanfic writer/reader if they use this instead of walked. I realize this is personal, but it is a huge pet peeve and I’d be thrilled to never read it again in my life.