There are so many great quotes from Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands that it needed a post of it’s own.  Serene-Heart-in the-Chaos-of-Battle has the best quotes. In Other Lands takes many tropes and turns them on their head.  One is gender roles.  In Serene’s Elven culture, women Elves take on more of what we in the human world would consider male roles.  This often brings up hilarious misunderstandings and some hard truths.  Here are just a couple

“Of course it is,” said Serene. “The woman goes through the physically taxing and bloody experience of childbirth. A woman’s experience of blood and pain is, naturally, what makes women-kind particularly suited for the battlefield.  Whereas, men are the softer sex, squeamish about blood in the main.  I know it’s the same for human men, Luke was extremely disinclined to discuss my first experience of a woman’s menses.”

Another gem by Serene.

“Come now. It’s natural for a young pure gentleman to be abashed by such discussions,” said Serene. “Forgive me for being so frank with you and puttin you to the blush, Luke.”

Another good one.  This from Serene’s cousin, Swift-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle to Elliot.

“No doubt you tempted her. Ah, a man’s morals are frail as they are, sweet silly creatures,” Swift said. “I do think it was up to Serene to control herself, though. She must have known I was considering you as a bride.  Your humanity would not have mattered so very much, up in the wild north where I am stationed, but now you have been sullied, of course it is out of the question.”

The hard truth.  Elliot to Swift.

“Um.” said Elliot. “Maybe both our societies are messed up, and they each only think one type of person is really a person. And the type they think is really a person is allowed to show imperfections and age…whereas the type of person they think is an object should show no signs of being a person. We’re socialized to see the imperfections in those objects.”

And there’s plenty more where that came from.  You should read the rest of the book.