This should be a quick review because I honestly don’t have a whole lot to say about this book.
All The Hidden Paths is the sequel to A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. It is a very direct sequel, taking place shortly after the first book and following the same characters, so these books should be read in order.
I tend to like books that show what happens after the “happily ever after” that concludes most romantic stories. I don’t necessarily mean the sort of cynical book that shows the fairy tale romance falling apart because the couple didn’t actually know each other (but that can be fun), I mean the sort of story that shows the work of building and maintaining your relationship after you make that initial decision to be together or stay together. I find that Mary Robinette Kowal tends to do these things very well, for example. She’s good at showing us established couples ranging from newlyweds to people who have been together for years.
With this book, Meadows has given us a book that not only explores what it might take to make an arranged, hasty political marriage work while also trying to heal your own individual trauma, but also the “what next” inherent in coming out after a lifetime of being closeted.
Over all, I liked the themes this book explored and I think it handled them well, for the most part. My main complaint is that the first third or half of the book, where the characters are on the road to where they’ve been summoned, really drags and feels repetitive. Our two husbands keep making mistakes that hurt the other and then wallowing in self-recrimination and worrying that they’ve ruined the relationship. Once they reach their destination and get embroiled in some plot, the book really settled into its stride.
CWs/TWs: This is a spicy book, which includes some kink (with poorly negotiated boundaries) and some dubious consent, as well as a character still processing their trauma from a previous assault. There’s also some violence, animal death, and homophobia. Probably cursing too. I’m so bad about making note of cursing!
Format and Source: I read this as an ebook, borrowed from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Book Bingo Prompts
Brick & Mortar: Takes Place in Winter. All The Hidden Paths starts in late autumn and carries through into winter. This isn’t a “cozy, snowed in with your lover, drinking mulled wine in front of the fire” sort of winter. It’s a “getting hypothermia from jumping into a river to rescue someone” sort of winter. There’s also a lot of cold rain. So basically a Seattle winter. Very relatable.
Current Bingo Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 1 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 1 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Brick & Mortar: 3 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.