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A review by astrozombies
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.25
overall i supremely enjoyed this book for so many reasons. it brought me a lot of joy as a bi + nonbinary person. i think there’s a lot of merit in the author’s portrayal of certain themes (such as trauma, growth, and self-love) as well as her specific writing talents which i felt lied strongly in worldbuilding and depictions of platonic + romantic relationships. my main issues with the book come from the ending, and the feeling that there was a lot more potential to make more interesting decisions plot-wise, at the risk of turning this book into another tome of high fantasy. that said, i REALLY found myself enjoying the surprises that we got, and i was overjoyed for my expectations of this new release to be fulfilled. though this book is presumably a standalone, i think i’d like to see more from this universe, if not featuring the same cast.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Alcohol
note my addition of the xenophobia warning: all of it is toward fake countries, built as part of the fantasy world.
also concerning the sexual assault and outing related tags: the rape (and subsequent outing) of the main character is the inciting incident of this book. there is a warning at the beginning of the book but keep in mind it happens EARLY, and the effects of it continue to affect the mc and plot through the whole book.