All the Hidden Paths

September 1, 2023

Velasin and Caethari have gotten past the plot determined to break them apart, but now they actually have more time to get to know each other better. At least they did, until the Tithena's monarch requested their presence in the capital city of Qi-Xihan. Saddled with gear, guilt, and their own inner turmoils, Vel and Cae find that their thin foundation is crumbling again, and assailants pursue their group to Qi-Xihan, where the local court factions all look for their piece of power. Cae and Vel must use all of their own skills, along with their growing feelings, to stay strong in the face of both the known and the unknown adversaries attempting to break alliances across the kingdoms. Political and personal machinations deepen the action, and Vel's friend and valet Markel continues to be the insightful bridge between the two men. VERDICT The follow-up to A Strange and Stubborn Endurance continues to grow the richly immersive landscape of these fantasy lands, and the character growth matches the pace.--Kristi Chadwick

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October 9, 2023
Meadows’s masterful follow-up to A Strange and Stubborn Endurance skillfully combines elements of fantasy, romance, and political thriller in a complex queernorm world. Aristocrats Caethari “Cae” Aeduria and Velasin “Vel” Vin Aaro, having foiled the plot against them, settle into their fledgling marriage, with both men still carrying trauma and grief from their recent pasts. As the pair learn to communicate with each other and Vel discovers the freedom and fear of being open about his sexuality, a series of suspicious accidents and attacks—culminating in an assassination attempt in the heart of Tithena’s capital—puts the strength of their new bond to the test. In Meadows’s own words, “this is a book about what happens after you come out,” and the author does an impressive job of demonstrating that the path to happiness and self-acceptance does not end there. The result is just as pacy and self-assured as the series opener while also embracing the opportunity for a deeper exploration of the sexual politics in this fantasy world. Speaking thoughtfully to real-life questions of identity, and the vulnerability that goes along with visibility, this fantasy adventure wows.

December 1, 2023
For some couples, sexual intrigue and political machinations would sound the death knell for their bond, but for the openly queer protagonists of Meadows' latest, they stoke the fire of true love. Married unexpectedly after familial strife leads to murder (in A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, 2022), Caethari and Velasin travel to the seat of Cae's home court after his grandmother has named him her heir. The journey is long and arduous, full of unrelenting assassination attempts and populated with secondary characters of dubious intention, who, luckily for readers, occasionally are allowed to shine on the page. As they fend off unknown danger, the men have very limited opportunities to solidify their union, but a failed seduction and a slanderous accusation force them to work in tandem to unravel, finally, the mystery of who, or what, is out to destroy them. Meadows' writing is confident and sexy (even scorching), leaving readers satisfied with the wrap-up of several key relationships and tying a very neat bow on any lingering doubts between the two main characters.

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