Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by

27 reviews

morebedsidebooks's review against another edition

emotional mysterious slow-paced

5.0

A strange and stubborn endurance. The words might have been a prophecy, for they never quite ceased to be relevant: not in my childhood, and certainly not to my adult self. 

 

Boasting a gorgeous autumn leaf themed cover, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows is a hefty first installment in the fantasy series the The Tithenai Chronicles. An unprecedented surprise diplomatic marriage between nobles Velasin vin Aro (gay) and Caethari Xai Aeduria, (bi/pan) sparks more than attraction. Violence, murder, and a hefty dose of intrigue swirl. This is a slow longer book, told in alternating perspectives, and I was utterly lost in it in a good way. Though, I did take a few much-needed breaks as it’s not just a heavy book physically but also emotionally delving into trauma. In depth settings and characters coalesce with a burning plot. While the climax might be predictable the journey is what matters most. I also can’t recommend this series enough and look forward to the sequel on its way in 2023. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Vomit, Blood, Homophobia, Murder, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Minor: Ableism, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Misogyny

From the author: A Strange and Stubborn Endurance contains on-page depictions of rape, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. While the narrative arc is one of healing, readers should nonetheless be aware of this content in order to engage with it on their own terms.

whiteraven191's review against another edition

My copy from the library started falling apart.  I was loving the book and wouldn't have stopped reading it, otherwise.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Minor: Ableism

sophiesmallhands's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Violence, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Self harm, Animal death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Ableism

Minor: Vomit and Blood

ohelloandi's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I generally dislike first-person narratives. It is especially distracting to me switching between character A in first person to character B in the third person. The narrative would have been better off in the third person throughout. POV aside, there were some interesting fantasy elements: actually compelling political intrigue, queer-inclusive fantasy, and the PTSD/trauma was handled respectfully. I also feel that the story could have been tightened up and told in less than 528 pages. Overall, this was an engaging read with interesting worldbuilding and likable characters, but it's unlikely that I will read the sequel

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Rape

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Homophobia

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, and Toxic relationship

pitsikakku's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexual content, Homophobia, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Transphobia

Minor: Infidelity

jessiereads98's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

2.75

This book has potential it just doesn’t live up to. I really enjoyed the romance between the two main characters as well as the characters themselves. Velasin’s journey of acceptance and healing is also well handled and realistic. However, I went into this book expecting politics to play a much bigger role than they did. This book is more of a mystery than a political fantasy. I was disappointed that magic didn’t play a bigger role throughout the book as well. There were also times where the prose and dialogue felt clunky, awkward, and out of place. The occasional lecture-like dialogue from Velasin just seemed out of place with the style of the rest of the dialogue and came across as the author spoon feeding us her point. I found myself getting bored in parts and think this could’ve been shorter. There was a lot of mentions of the moons and religion which didn’t really go anywhere, along with mentions of Velasin’s siblings which served little to no point. I wish we had heard more about Riya and Laecia or other present side characters which would’ve been more relevant to the story. I personally also found the ending disappointing. Unsure if I will pick up the sequel to continue with the characters and romance and see if the promise of politics develops more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Rape, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

abarnakwn_ourcolourfulpages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Blood, Confinement, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Deportation, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Misogyny

angelbabe_cj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Suicide attempt, Blood, Xenophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Ableism, Alcohol, Classism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

eenicem's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Vomit, Transphobia, and Ableism

synodicsky's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

An utterly enjoyably read!! I love when the two leads are both characters I can’t help to love but I want to. I tend to favor one POV or the other in multiple POV books. But I couldn’t tell you which one I preferred more!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Violence, Death, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Ableism