Upon his arrival in Tithenia, Val is stunned by many things: The delicious food, the unfamiliar religious practices, and the kingdom’s much more relaxed attitudes toward sexual and gender identity. Exiled from the only home he’s ever known and reeling from the trauma inflicted on him by his ex, Vel agrees to the switch and heads across the mountain to marry a man he’s never met, simply hoping that things will somehow be better than the smoking crate of his life he’s living behind.
Until a Tithenian envoy reveals that their kingdom has no such laws or taboos restricting same-sex relationships and that Vel’s intended bride has an equally eligible brother. But when the sudden return of an abusive ex-boyfriend reveals the truth about Vel’s preferences for men, his father disowns him, leaving the young man with what appears to be no future. The book follows the story of Ralian aristocrat Velasain vin Aaro, who has been promised to wed a princess from the neighboring country of Tithenia, as part of a diplomatic effort to improve relations between their two kingdoms, who have long been historical rivals. Yes, this is the sort of book that may take you the first 50 pages or so to settle into-Meadows drops readers directly into the story’s action and trusts that they’ll be able to both keep up and figure out the rules of the world they find themselves in-but once our two leads meet, the emotionally gripping bond between them will keep you turning pages as fast as possible. The book’s worldbuilding is rich and enticing, its supporting characters detailed and memorable, and the politically motivated intrigue at its center compelling.
The best of the lot, however, are usually those that mix various genres and elements in a way that feels fresh and new or gives readers something they haven’t seen before.Īnd Foz Meadows’ new novel A Strange and Stubborn Endurance does exactly that, simultaneously offering readers a lush, fully realized fantasy adventure, a delicate exploration of healing and trauma, and an incredibly satisfying, sexy slow-burn romance. From continent-spanning epics and fairytale reimaginings to seemingly futuristic dystopias and worlds built on complex systems of magic, these are stories that run the gamut from thrillers to romance and everything in between. Truly, we are living in a golden age of queer fantasy.
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