I got a few books for Christmas that asked for, and I ended up getting into one of them because I wanted something lighter or at least more get-into-able than what I was currently on (I’ll probably finish that early next year). All the Hidden Paths is a sequel, and in a genre that’s starting to emerge called ‘romantasy’. The backstory is that Velasin and Caethari were put into an arranged political marriage, figured out they actually might like each other, and survived some attempts on their lives in the previous novel. Velasin spent most of the last novel starting to come to terms with suddenly being in a culture where it’s ok for him to be gay in public; this carries over into All the Hidden Paths, as does some of the trauma he went through in that part of the story. One of my least favorite things about A Strange and Stubborn Endurance was how Caethari’s parts were in third person, which gave him considerably less personality than Velasin. That’s still true but it’s balanced now with Caethari now having his own distinctive troubles and trauma (we get to see a good chunk of what happens towards the end of book 1) to work through. Add to both of the personal struggles political danger and drama, and it’s a pretty good story, alongside the relationship work. The relationship parts can be more or less summarized like this:
Vel: Oh no, I cannot love Cae that way he deserves! I’m a terrible husband; but I kind of like him, and what if he hates me?
Markel: Talk to your husband; it’ll be fine.
{Something happens to one of them}
Cae: Oh no, I have unintentionally done something that might have been insensitive! I’m a terrible husband; but I kind of like him, and what if he hates me?
Markel: Talk to your husband; it’ll be fine.
{Something happens to one of them}
{Repeat for about ¾ of the book}
Seriously, the romance parts with Vel and Cae are interesting because they’re both trying to make things work as partners while processing their various personal issues, but still, Vel and Cae would probably not make as far as they do without Markel who is the voice (ironic as he’s mute) of reason the whole time, and a very rarely open statement of the problems that plague 98% of all romance stories.
The politics are also interesting and there’s enough world building that it works; the tension about who might be behind all of the attacks of Cae and Velasin, who might have set up a framing for murder, who is friend or foe in the new court is plenty to keep to keep everything moving along. The occasional appearances of a new narrative perspective doesn’t actually add much except a little bit of dramatic irony from the start, and it also come with the CW at the beginning, which is definitely necessary, but those parts don’t really add much to the plot or world, and the “romance” involved is never addressed beyond someone’s preferred kink, but what about the other party? Obviously he’s into some similar stuff but what he sees in the character he’s engaging with is really unclear (at least in terms of things continuing past the first encounter), rendering the whole thing kind of pointless, btu it’s a minor point for the plot, so I admit, I skipped a few of the later parts, and I don’t think I missed much.
Even if the secondary romance element doesn’t work for me as much, the follow up might actually be a bit stronger than the first on account of the more interesting world and plot, and the actual attempt to work through personal stuff with the main couple. Not exactly the holiday read I’d planned for, but I’m ok with that.