I really enjoyed A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows. A unabashedly queer novel deliciously somehow saturated with both tenderness and sweetness even though there are a lot of rather grim situations (murders/rape/abuse). After finishing I was left with the same kind of feelings I have after Becky Chambers or Katherine Addison novels. Absolutely delightful. ( )

CA: rape, suicidal ideation, animal death (off-page; aftermath on-page); fantasy violence

This fantasy romance took me a bit to settle into. The pace is leisurely, and while there is a lot of plot going on, the focus is often on the interior lives of the two main characters. None of this is a criticism, in fact I think these things elevated the novel. And once I did settle in, I was delighted to be in its company for over five hundred pages. The plot involves an arranged marriage between two noblemen from different territories and the resulting and ongoing court intrigue and politics (plus muuuurder). The world Meadows has built is an affirmational wonder, with one of the territories operating under strict gender roles, heteronormativity, and tight expectations around sex, and the other operating as an entirely queernorm society. With one member of our couple coming from each society, there is a delightful amount of story-appropriate consideration of how two such societies operate, and that was a joy. I loved watching the two characters fall for each other (slowly--it's my favorite kind of slow burn, the sort where the falling and realizing is slow but the characters are rarely apart), and the book as a whole has the kind of tenderness about it that never fails to delight me and which I am always seeking more of in my fiction. Recommended, especially if you wish the current romantasy trend in publishing skewed queerer and/or contained more care and craft at the sentence-level. ( )

The world building in this fantasy novel is extensive - rarely to I encounter a fantasy world so detailed. I enjoyed Velasin and Caethari as a couple (they're perfect for each other!) and I spent much of the book wishing they could both simply just get to know each other; instead, there's a need to investigate why someone keeps trying to kill Velasin. As the violence escalates and becomes more and more entangled with Velasin's past, the consequences impact not just Velasin and Caethari, but also the diplomacy between their two countries. Overall, a fascinating read from an author I hope to read again. ( )

Loved it. Two charming and lovable characters, good world building, and murders and intrigue. ( )

I find it hard to believe in a country that's *such* a safehaven for gay people, right next to a country that's *so* bigoted against them, and yet neither country has much of *any* idea about the other's mores in this respect. But wish fulfilment is a valid literary device, and this provides that in a lovely cozy yet twisty political/family murder mystery format. Note that on-page sexual violence kicks off the plot and much of the hurt/comfort; that aside, a very enjoyable read. ( )