bookish_selkie's review
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
notesfromthebookdrop's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
This is the second installment in the Tithenai Chronicles (not sure if there will be more but I would be very happy if there were), which follows Velasin and Caethari after the events of the first book, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance as they face the reality of being married and political figures in a world that doesn't seem to want them to succeed.
There is a lot of love about these books, though they will not appeal to everyone. Some of the sexual content will put people off, though I think it does a good job of exploring different kinds of sexual relationships within the context of politics, power, and love. I loved watching the relationship between Cae and Vel continue to develop and honestly appreciated that it wasn't an easy road for them - given what they went through in the first book, it wouldn't have been fair to them or the readers to make everything all shiny and pretty and perfect. As always, the secondary characters are wonderful - though it is sometimes hard to keep track of who is who with the names and titles - and the mystery/thriller aspect kept me guessing. The exploration of trauma and its aftermath is done well, and the political intrigue and its consequences feel entirely plausible for the world Meadows has created. I would love to keep reading about Vel and Cae as they navigate their marriage and its political consequences.
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read All the Hidden Paths early in exchange for a review.
There is a lot of love about these books, though they will not appeal to everyone. Some of the sexual content will put people off, though I think it does a good job of exploring different kinds of sexual relationships within the context of politics, power, and love. I loved watching the relationship between Cae and Vel continue to develop and honestly appreciated that it wasn't an easy road for them - given what they went through in the first book, it wouldn't have been fair to them or the readers to make everything all shiny and pretty and perfect. As always, the secondary characters are wonderful - though it is sometimes hard to keep track of who is who with the names and titles - and the mystery/thriller aspect kept me guessing. The exploration of trauma and its aftermath is done well, and the political intrigue and its consequences feel entirely plausible for the world Meadows has created. I would love to keep reading about Vel and Cae as they navigate their marriage and its political consequences.
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read All the Hidden Paths early in exchange for a review.
elliott_roi's review against another edition
5.0
Spectacular! Amazing! Aaahhhh!!!
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is one of my favourite books so I will admit that I was worried about if the sequel could live up to the original. I shouldn't have worried because All the Hidden Paths was just as gripping and full of intrigue and swoony romance.
I love stories about already established couples so I loved every minute of Cae and Vel trying to navigate their relationship. No matter what they were going through, they still cared so much for each other and their chemistry was off the charts. 🔥
The mystery in this story was even more intense than the first book, imo. I especially loved the addition of Asrien's POV and how it started off the story with a bang. I expected to hate him, but he was honestly such a sympathetic character the more I learned about him and I loved him by the end.
There were a lot of great new characters introduced in this sequel. I especially loved Qarran and Qiqa. And I love politics in a fantasy/sci-fi, and I thought they were so well done in this book by being complex but not overly confusing or muddling the plot.
But perhaps most of all, I appreciated the themes and messages of this story: grief, healing, friendship, consent, and finding yourself and your home. These ideas were so beautifully woven into the story and I loved the author's message in the acknowledgements about how this is a story about what happens after you come out.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Tor for providing an eARC of this title. All thoughts on the book are my own.
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is one of my favourite books so I will admit that I was worried about if the sequel could live up to the original. I shouldn't have worried because All the Hidden Paths was just as gripping and full of intrigue and swoony romance.
I love stories about already established couples so I loved every minute of Cae and Vel trying to navigate their relationship. No matter what they were going through, they still cared so much for each other and their chemistry was off the charts. 🔥
The mystery in this story was even more intense than the first book, imo. I especially loved the addition of Asrien's POV and how it started off the story with a bang. I expected to hate him, but he was honestly such a sympathetic character the more I learned about him and I loved him by the end.
There were a lot of great new characters introduced in this sequel. I especially loved Qarran and Qiqa. And I love politics in a fantasy/sci-fi, and I thought they were so well done in this book by being complex but not overly confusing or muddling the plot.
But perhaps most of all, I appreciated the themes and messages of this story: grief, healing, friendship, consent, and finding yourself and your home. These ideas were so beautifully woven into the story and I loved the author's message in the acknowledgements about how this is a story about what happens after you come out.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Tor for providing an eARC of this title. All thoughts on the book are my own.
lindseylarkreads's review
4.0
"All the Hidden Paths" is a wonderful continuation of the beautiful story Fox Meadows started in "A Strange and Stubborn Endurance." "All the Hidden Paths," is an endearing tale that combines adventure, breathtaking world building and character development, and political intrigue. Cae and Vel continue their path to healing together from the trauma they both experienced in the first book, and work together to learn how to be husbands when there are so many forces working to tear them apart. I could not put this book down and was totally engrossed in Cae and Vel's story. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to start it all over again.
Thank you to Tor Books for the advanced copy!
Thank you to Tor Books for the advanced copy!
levesc17's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
This sequel hits the same notes as the first in the series— mystery, court intrigue, and political scheming. If you haven’t read A STRANGE AND STUBBORN ENDURANCE, read that one first!
Our beloved couple returns and the author’s acknowledgments at the end made this even more beautiful, I can’t wait to reread with the note in mind. I’m hoping that there will be a third book! The world is so rich, and we so rarely get LGBTQ+ romantasy. I read an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this for fans of Shannon Chakraborty especially.
Our beloved couple returns and the author’s acknowledgments at the end made this even more beautiful, I can’t wait to reread with the note in mind. I’m hoping that there will be a third book! The world is so rich, and we so rarely get LGBTQ+ romantasy. I read an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this for fans of Shannon Chakraborty especially.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, and Homophobia
Minor: Ableism
Everything is handled delicately by the author, but I add the content warnings so there’s no surprises.bookstarbri's review
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: Blood, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Vomit
Spoiler
There is a character who is drugged via an alcoholic drink at some point in this book.cronads's review
4.0
I recommend book one to friends by emphasizing that,"It's all about HEALING!" If book one was all about healing, book two here is all about learning how to grow once you've reached your first peak of recovery.
The story builds and builds--stacking politics, desperation, and antics up to the last 90% of the book (very on par to the previous novel's pace). It was lovely to return to this universe and familiar cast. I appreciated the addition of Asrien: his sour attitude was extremely refreshing, particularly after the gloom-and-doom of Cae and Vel's POVs. Yes, in case you were curious--this book is not all happily-every-after (of which I appreciated).
My harshest critique would be the absence of magic or magic-welding commentary. This is a minor bite, and seemingly not the focus of this novel, but all the same I felt a decent disconnect from the main events of the first novel to this second one (and magic was the loudest missing piece between the two).
We're still in domestic-fantasy-romance realm in All the Hidden Paths, and if that's what brought you into the series, you'll find yourself on an enjoyable, portentous roller-coaster climb through to the last pages.
The story builds and builds--stacking politics, desperation, and antics up to the last 90% of the book (very on par to the previous novel's pace). It was lovely to return to this universe and familiar cast. I appreciated the addition of Asrien: his sour attitude was extremely refreshing, particularly after the gloom-and-doom of Cae and Vel's POVs. Yes, in case you were curious--this book is not all happily-every-after (of which I appreciated).
My harshest critique would be the absence of magic or magic-welding commentary. This is a minor bite, and seemingly not the focus of this novel, but all the same I felt a decent disconnect from the main events of the first novel to this second one (and magic was the loudest missing piece between the two).
We're still in domestic-fantasy-romance realm in All the Hidden Paths, and if that's what brought you into the series, you'll find yourself on an enjoyable, portentous roller-coaster climb through to the last pages.
eenicem's review
adventurous
challenging
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
A great follow-up to A Strange and Stubborn Endurance! The political intrigue continued in twisty and complex ways that definitely keep you engaged. I adored seeing Vel and Cae’s relationship blossom here and watching them navigate even more conflicts together.
Meadows’ plot is top notch and kept me guessing as the story unfolded. The worldbuilding is fabulous just as in the first book. The love story shines through it all. Just a really great series.
Spoiler
New character Asrien took a while to grow on me, but he eventually won me over.Meadows’ plot is top notch and kept me guessing as the story unfolded. The worldbuilding is fabulous just as in the first book. The love story shines through it all. Just a really great series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Medical content, Sexual content, and Gore
Moderate: Classism, Death, Suicide, Cursing, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Confinement, and Torture
booksandbreadcrumbs's review
5.0
I was a little worried about this book just because it is a sequel and Velasin and Caethari are already together; I did not need to be. This was fantastic and I really loved so many of the new characters we were introduced to.
tr4278's review against another edition
This author continues to provide really strong world building and unique characters. I enjoyed seeing more of Vel and Cae, and the growth of their relationship felt real. On page one, the author introduces a potential disruption to their relationship, and I actually really liked the non-traditional way this ended up playing out (avoiding saying more bc spoilers). There were some emotional plot threads that were dropped (like Cae’s grief) but overall the relationship part of the story has a lot of depth.
However. (Adding tags even though these are very vague spoilers, since the book is not out yet.)
I enjoyed this book overall but would love to see this author really master the mystery plot. Still, Meadows is still head and shoulders above similar writers of queer fantasy and I will check out anything they (unsure of pronouns) write next.
However. (Adding tags even though these are very vague spoilers, since the book is not out yet.)
Spoiler
As in the first book, the mystery plot here is a little bit…fractured. The political setup make it somewhat challenging to follow in he first place (there are like 10 different “chairs” who are maybe like cabinet members and all have different agendas). There are also multiple, disparate mysteries. So if you’re someone who likes to put clues together you will either be thrilled to have so much complexity or frustrated by the impossibility of figuring anything out. And then, like the previous book, it is all wrapped up by happenstance (and not one of the main characters) in the last 20%.I enjoyed this book overall but would love to see this author really master the mystery plot. Still, Meadows is still head and shoulders above similar writers of queer fantasy and I will check out anything they (unsure of pronouns) write next.
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