S. L. Garner

An ambitious and enjoyable read.

Reviewed: 07-28-22

I read the advanced preview chapters of A Strange and Stubborn Endurance earlier this summer. Normally I’m not one for heavy trauma focused books, so I wasn’t sure I would like it. However, I found the premise and protagonist interesting. I also hoped, since the main trauma happens early, that the rest of the book would focus on recovery and not just be endless trauma porn. On that front, my hopes were well rewarded. Velasin is a compelling and sympathetic lead, and watching him regain his spark was very satisfying.

On the surface Velasin seems like an unlikely victim. He is a noble, good looking, able bodied, wealthy, intelligent and a cis male in a conservative patriarchal society. He is also a gay man. He has been living the life of a trustfunded 3rd son in the capital. Away from the prying eyes of his family, he enjoyed a precarious freedom… think Oscar Wilde and the bohemian culture of victorian era London. It all comes crashing down when he is outed to his family in a particularly brutal and heartbreaking way. He is then basically exiled from his homeland into an arranged political marriage all before the end of chapter 3.

Before even reaching his new home he is embroiled in a cesspool of murder, politics and backstabbing. On the bright side he excels at political intrigue, a skill his new husband lacks. And in his new husband, he discovers a kind and understanding ally.

Caethari wasn’t as well developed. He’s sweet, but a bit slow on the uptake. Which is weird because he’s described early on as a great warrior and leader. I had the villain figured out so quickly I thought it must be a red herring, but nobody else even suspected.

This is an ambitious novel. When writing about such complex issues as homophobia, gender identity, sexism and ableism, it is easy to cross the line from advocating to patronizing and preachy. However they are tied together nicely as part of Valesin’s own journey to overcome societal and internalized homophobia with an emphasis on intimate partner rape, gaslighting, and the associated trauma related guilt and shame made worse by societally enforced toxic masculinity. There are several instances in the book where Valisen has mental breakthroughs and shows growth regarding his own preconceived notions and societal conditioning, such as realizing it’s now acceptable to show affection and hold his husband’s hand in public or recognizing the abilities of female soldiers.

Overall I I really like this book. My only real nitpick is that I sort of wish I had read it instead of listening to it. I bought the audiobook so I could listen to it while working. The narrators were very good. However, this novel introduces many different gender pronouns, titles and similar sounding complex names. Very often people are addressed by title or pronoun as well as name making them sound similar. I found myself multiple times struggling to keep the characters straight in my mind. I don’t think I would’ve had this issue had I read the book instead of listening to it. However other readers may not have the same issue depending on their learning style.

Looking forward to more from the author.

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DNF & Returned

Reviewed: 05-12-22

This really should have included a bully romance disclaimer in the summary. It was the worst kind too. Not a “he was a jerk who called me names sometimes” but a “he was a psycho abuser who regularly hunted someone five years younger, broke his bones and left physical and mental scars that remained into adulthood”. All this he got away with because he was an alpha and his victim was an omega.
So then the alpha comes back a “war hero” but he’s still a rude prick and it’s perfectly acceptable in their society for him to claim his victim as property. Hard pass.

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So glad these are finally coming to audio.

Reviewed: 03-29-21

I’ve ready the MM books in this series a couple of times now, and they are so good. The recording was awesome. Hope the same narrator will do the rest. Would totally buy them.

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Story is pretty good, but narration not so much.

Reviewed: 05-06-19

Kelana is a fun character, and the story is enjoyable if a bit shallow and predictable. I don't understand the need for the thick almost incomprehensible Irish accent though. First of all it doesn't really fit with the story. She is from another dimension, not Ireland. If anything she should have a German or American accent. She has lived in the US almost 70 years. It was jarring, and honestly, I ended up reading the Kindle version instead after awhile.

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Doesn't do the book justice.

Reviewed: 04-07-05

I was a bit disappointed in the audio version of this wonderful book. I will forever worship Tamora Pierce for her writing skills. In fact this book, when it came out, was one of the first fantasy novels that I read as a pre-teen. To this day, as an adult, I still buy every book she publishes, and read them all at least once a year. This audio version, however, fails to do justice to her novel. The narration was extremely stilted and over-enunciated to the point of sounding like a machine. It lacked any sort of inflection, especially when heard up against the exuberance of the character actors. An audio book read by an ensemble cast can be great if done well, but this one had the feel of an acting troupe that hadn?t run their lines enough. The pacing was off, and it lacked cohesion as a whole. The overall effect was very distracting. I?m not disappointed that I bought this audio book because I just love the story that much, but I do hope that the next one is better.

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55 people found this helpful