Reviews with content warning for Violence - A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

I'm shocked at how much I like this. I immediately started the second book after ending this one bc I liked it so much. I'm still struggling to keep names, places, and political positions straight since the names are so foreign and I can't see them written. The sensitivity and depth of the exploration of Vel's >!rape and subsequent trauma feel heartfelt and genuine. The author handed it with such care and touched in all the points that society pushes on rape/sexual assault victims. The rape scene is graphic and long and told in full color toward the beginning which really freaked me out and made me consider dnfing but I'm so glad I pushed through it and continued.!<

The romance between Vel and Cae is utterly delightful despite the harsh circumstances. The ending was explosive. At first I was really annoyed that >!the mastermind behind the attacks on Vel was Cae's younger sister Lacia (idk how to spell it) but when it was revealed that the Yassa/their grandmother had favored Lacia for her position and that their father favored her for his position the whole time, I was pleasantly surprised and ok with it.!<

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reellyfish's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.5

I really liked the story and the characters. Absolutely loved Markel. I also enjoyed the dark themes (TW) of rape, SH, and suicidal ideation and the effects of those.

There was a typo saying “What I have I done?” during quite an intense scene that kinda took me out scene but I was still able to understand what was trying to be said.

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pretzel_witch's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.5

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kathyq10's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious slow-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? No

4.0

Overall I enjoyed this read a lot. The relationship between Cae and Vel is so sweet and lovely. The development is well written and a delicious slow burn, so much so that when they first HUG it feels huge and incredibly intimate. In turn their first kiss and first other things are a culmination of all that steamy and emotional buildup, plus healthy communication!! Gasp! The worldbuilding is well done in terms of the creative gender and sexuality norms—super refreshing in fantasy novels that are usually very binary—but I found the magic system a bit boring, underdeveloped, and underutilized. I thought this book was going to be a fantasy, but the magic feels like an afterthought and only really comes up as a plot point (rather conveniently) towards the end. The more fantastical element is really the progressive society, and I would’ve been just as happy without the magic at all.
As for negatives, the pace was slooooow. The bulk of the book takes place over like a week and a LOT happens each day. The characters acknowledge the density of the action, though, which makes it a bit better I guess. I just wanted it to move along at a faster clip. But then the solving of the mystery, reveal of the big baddie, and the consequences to them all happen pretty quickly and didn’t resolve in a satisfying way to me. I don’t think it did justice to the complexities of that character’s motivations. I cared much more about the main romantic relationship, Cae’s and Vel’s relationships with their respective close friends, and character development overall than the plot or the intrigue, so I honestly skipped some of the parts where they were bouncing around the town trying to solve the mystery of it all.
MAJOR CW for sexual violence and attempted suicide right from the very beginning of the book. The author puts this in a CW at the start but I didn’t expect it all to happen quite so fast. As the author says, though, it is a story about healing from the initial trauma.
Finally shoutout to MARKEL, Vel’s bestie and the absolute best supporting character. Markel is an icon and a messy bitch and I hope we get more of him in the sequel. His friendship with Vel was the second best part of the book; I love to see an unselfconscious portrayal of male friendship and intimacy. Plus the integration of the fact that he speaks sign language felt very natural and something I’ve never seen in a fantasy novel like this before.
Thank you Foz!!

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