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All the Hidden Paths

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The follow-up to Foz Meadows's A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, All the Hidden Paths is a sultry political & romantic fantasy exploring gender, sexuality, identity, and self-worth.
With the plot against them foiled and the city of Qi-Katai in safe hands, newlywed and tentative lovers Velasin and Caethari have just begun to test the waters of their relationship. But the wider political ramifications of their marriage are still playing out across two nations, and all too soon, they're summoned north to Tithena's capital city, Qi-Xihan, to present themselves to its monarch.
With Caethari newly invested as his grandmother's heir and Velasin's old ghosts gnawing at his heels, what little peace they've managed to find is swiftly put to the test. Cae's recent losses have left him racked with grief and guilt, while Vel struggles with the disconnect between instincts that have kept him safe in secrecy and what an open life requires of him now. Pursued by unknown assailants and with Qi-Xihan's court factions jockeying for power, Vel and Cae must use all the skills at their disposal to not only survive, but thrive.
Because there's more than one way to end an alliance, and more than one person who wants to see them fail...and they will resort to murder if needed.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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    • Library Journal

      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

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      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.

    • Booklist

      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.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • English

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