Owl Abridged
Book Review,  Fantasy,  Romance

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

“Stolen me? As soon to say a caged bird can be stolen by the sky.”

Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead.

Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock.

With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love—as both will learn—is quite another.

Byzantine politics, lush sexual energy, and a queer love story that is by turns sweet and sultry. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is an exploration of gender, identity, and self-worth. It is a book that will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.

– Slow burn political fantasy romance
– Political sabotage/murder whodunit
– Lots of LGBTQ rep
Content warning: rape, suicidal ideation, PTSD

This is a super slow burn political fantasy romance. I should warn you, the book starts very early on with a graphic rape scene, and the social, emotional, and political impact of this event shapes the rest of the book. I think the resulting trauma and recovery was handled very well, so if you can make it past that initial scene then it’s worth the read.

Velasin and Caethari are the sweetest couple. The rape scene leads to heavy PTSD and as a result, the relationship develops very slowly and carefully through the course of the book. There is a great cast of supporting characters with lots of positive LGBTQ representation and I just loved the strong friendships and romance. The political mystery dragged on longer than I would have liked, but overall I really enjoyed the story and recommend giving it a shot.