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The Saint of Steel #1
Paladin's Grace
Stephen's god died on the longest day of the year...
Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind...
From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.
Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind...
From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.
416 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2020
About the author
T. Kingfisher
49 books15.3k followersT. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon. In another life, she writes children's books and weird comics, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.
This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups.
When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.
This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups.
When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,517 reviews
September 24, 2020
If you're weary of fantasy starring super-hot, super-special eighteen-year-olds with improbably smooth banter skills, allow me to recommend these two awkward, well-meaning, damaged middle-aged people who are trying to patch together adequate lives and don't deserve to be caught up in political intrigues and supernatural serial killings that have nothing to do with them.
Sequel with more gnoles, please.
Sequel with more gnoles, please.
Read
December 4, 2023Reread in prep for book 4 which is coming ANY MINUTE and will feature the delightful Marguerite, who has a great supporting role in this.
A delightful fluffy romance with a high severed head count. A paladin whose god died meets a perfumer who's escaped an abusive marriage and the romance develops over a pile of dead assassins, political intrigue, spies, religious fanatics, and decapitation. On brand T Kingfisher. I read it in a delightful evening sitting and enjoyed every moment. Linked to Swordheart but it's not necessary to have read that, you just should because it's also wonderful.
A delightful fluffy romance with a high severed head count. A paladin whose god died meets a perfumer who's escaped an abusive marriage and the romance develops over a pile of dead assassins, political intrigue, spies, religious fanatics, and decapitation. On brand T Kingfisher. I read it in a delightful evening sitting and enjoyed every moment. Linked to Swordheart but it's not necessary to have read that, you just should because it's also wonderful.
January 6, 2023
Also the two sequels, Paladin's Strength and Paladin's Hope, which are a braided trilogy of the structure familiar to Romance readers, where each of some association of persons -- siblings, workmates, team members, whatever -- gets their One True Love, not smoothly, but the setting or plot is drawn out to further volumes with another supporting character from the first round getting their romance. I much prefer this style to dragging out the first romance absurdly far with endless interruptions or, worse, take-backs.
I'd started Paladin's Grace quite a while ago, but hung up on the horror elements. But I ended up reading the Kindle sample of the third on some random browse, and was quite taken with one of the main characters, the lich-doctor (coroner, and what a great fantasy job title for it) Piper. In order to get properly to him, I circled back to the beginning. I did not get hung up the second attempt (though all three volumes have some quite grisly bits), breezed through the second book which turned out to have my second-favorite character, a most unusual nun, and quite enjoyed the third which had all the developments for my character-of-interest I could have desired.
If you liked the author's Swordheart, one of my faves, well, here's a triple dip of more like it. Middle-aged protagonists, authorial humor, and all.
All set in the world of The Clocktaur War duology, also recommended.
Ta, L.
I'd started Paladin's Grace quite a while ago, but hung up on the horror elements. But I ended up reading the Kindle sample of the third on some random browse, and was quite taken with one of the main characters, the lich-doctor (coroner, and what a great fantasy job title for it) Piper. In order to get properly to him, I circled back to the beginning. I did not get hung up the second attempt (though all three volumes have some quite grisly bits), breezed through the second book which turned out to have my second-favorite character, a most unusual nun, and quite enjoyed the third which had all the developments for my character-of-interest I could have desired.
If you liked the author's Swordheart, one of my faves, well, here's a triple dip of more like it. Middle-aged protagonists, authorial humor, and all.
All set in the world of The Clocktaur War duology, also recommended.
Ta, L.
June 8, 2024
Someone remind me to come back for a review this week
April 15, 2021
Buddy read with my lovely MacHalo’s 💕
Omg!! Severed heads!! Don’t step on the severed heads!! Ok, I’m done.
I love Kingfisher’s books. This one didn’t let me down. I’m always on the edge thinking I won’t like a particular book. But I was engaged with the hilarity and the unique storyline. I mean
Either way, I enjoyed it!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Omg!! Severed heads!! Don’t step on the severed heads!! Ok, I’m done.
I love Kingfisher’s books. This one didn’t let me down. I’m always on the edge thinking I won’t like a particular book. But I was engaged with the hilarity and the unique storyline. I mean
Either way, I enjoyed it!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
September 15, 2020
DNF @ 32%
Honestly I'm just fed up with constantly reading about how much Stephen wants to have a peak at Grace's chest.
This book is a blend of fantasy and romance. It's set in a world where each god has dedicated servants and Stephen is a paladin who belongs to a god that dies. Long story short many of the paladins go bezerk and kill innocent people, many more kill themselves, and just six are left including Stephen, so they have a bit of a reputation. Grace is a perfume maker in the city and gets rescued by Stephen from some followers of the Hanged Mother who are rather nasty folk. What ensues is a will they won't they where they both feel literally the same way about each other and constantly think about how much they want to see each other without their clothes on but they're both completely convinced that the other person isn't at all interested. It gets really frustrating to read.
At the point I'm giving up at, the book is around a 50/50 split between progressing the plot and 'progression' of the romance side of things. As I've explained the romance stuff is not enjoyable to read, but the plot is also pretty weak. I certainly don't care enough about the plot to push through the parts where Grace wonders about how Stephen's scarred hands will feel running across her body.
Honestly I'm just fed up with constantly reading about how much Stephen wants to have a peak at Grace's chest.
This book is a blend of fantasy and romance. It's set in a world where each god has dedicated servants and Stephen is a paladin who belongs to a god that dies. Long story short many of the paladins go bezerk and kill innocent people, many more kill themselves, and just six are left including Stephen, so they have a bit of a reputation. Grace is a perfume maker in the city and gets rescued by Stephen from some followers of the Hanged Mother who are rather nasty folk. What ensues is a will they won't they where they both feel literally the same way about each other and constantly think about how much they want to see each other without their clothes on but they're both completely convinced that the other person isn't at all interested. It gets really frustrating to read.
At the point I'm giving up at, the book is around a 50/50 split between progressing the plot and 'progression' of the romance side of things. As I've explained the romance stuff is not enjoyable to read, but the plot is also pretty weak. I certainly don't care enough about the plot to push through the parts where Grace wonders about how Stephen's scarred hands will feel running across her body.
September 28, 2020
I think I came across this book while browsing Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, but I don’t remember for sure. Regardless, I decided to pick it up because the story of a paladin whose god has died intrigued me. I’m a sucker for stories about crises of faith, and I was in the mood for a fun adventure with a little angst thrown in. While the premise was very much my jam, the prose style ultimately prevented me from connecting with this book. In my opinion, it felt like the book was aimed at readers with arrested emotional development: everything felt sanitized for a younger audience (as in, there was a lot of awkward, quirky humor while nothing felt particularly threatening) yet there were also graphic sexual scenes, reminding me of a lot of New Adult stereotypes. It prevented the story from delving deep into things like what a crisis of faith might look like and how someone might navigate it, and undercut the thrill of the political intrigue. As a result, I personally couldn’t give this book a higher rating.
Writing: Kingfisher’s prose is fairly simple - simple sentences, simple images, etc. It’s pretty easy to get through, and readers can skim, if that’s what they’re into. It’s also full of “quirky humor” so that the mood is fairly light throughout. While sometimes the humor would get a chuckle from me, most of the time, it completely destroyed the mood. The best way I can think to describe it is that it resembles a lot of stereotypes I associate with New Adult fantasy books: the book feels like it’s written for younger readers, but the sexual humor/graphic sex scenes prove otherwise. Characters will make childish jokes, despite most of them being in their 30s (for example, “I wonder if you can stab someone with an ice sculpture”), or stumble over their words in what seems like an attempt to make them seem awkward (”I... um...” or “I... er... what?”). Things like “Gnnnrggzzz” and “Ohmyfuckingshitfuckshitgaaaaaaah” are written out, further making me feel like I was reading something meant to make younger readers smile. Characters rarely act their age and situations were rarely treated with the level of seriousness one would expect in reality. I personally wasn’t a fan; it made the book (and characters) feel somewhat juvenile. To be clear, I’m not against a little humor - I think humor could have been used effectively in this book, perhaps to show how Grace is a bright spot in Stephen’s otherwise gloomy life. I’m also not against light, “fluffy” romances, but I do think there’s a difference between fluff and a lack of emotional maturity.
Kingfisher also had a tendency to repeat certain things, which became irritating. Every other page, it seemed like Grace said something about how Stephen smelled like gingerbread, and it got old really fast. I also noticed that constructions like “He’s a paladin, so he...” and the like were used frequently, which did less to show me what Stephen was like and more to tell me what stereotypes are associated with paladins.
Plot: This book mainly follows Stephen and Grace as they become entangled in two main problems: 1. there is a serial killer on the loose, and his modus operandi is leaving behind severed heads, sans bodies; 2. there is a mysterious assassination plot aimed at the Crown Prince of a neighboring kingdom. To be honest, I found the serial killer plot underwhelming. It only seemed to be present to give Stephen an excuse to escort Grace places, and even when we found out who the killer was, I didn’t feel the rush of excitement or a sense of closure. I think perhaps this was because the serial killer plot wasn’t one that readers could try to piece together with the characters - at most, there was a single clue, and then it was solved (but readers can’t even predict the twist, so I didn’t feel any sense of suspense).
As for the assassination plot, I also found it underwhelming. Although it builds better than the serial killer plot, characters started acting in nonsensical - and even idiodic - ways once Grace was personally caught up the drama. I got the sense that characters were acting out of emotion and not reason, which is ok sometimes, but not ALL THE TIME. In general, I didn’t find that this assassination plot was clever, and there wasn’t much that differentiated it from other political intrigues that I’ve read in some YA fantasy.
Characters: Stephen, our hero, is paladin who previously served a warrior god, the Saint of Steel. At the beginning of the book, Stephen’s god dies (we don’t know how), and three years later, he is still struggling to find his purpose. At first, I thought I would like Stephen. He seemed like a gentleman, and he had some non-stereotypical hobbies, like knitting. I also liked that much of his personal turmoil involved some anxiety over how people would perceive him and his Order. The fear that he would succumb to a berserker rage, in particular, was an interesting bit of lore, and I thought this berserker rage could have been used to prompt further exploration of things like violence and hypermasculinity. However, as the book continued, Stephen became more and more bland. For the first half or two-thirds of the book, he resembles a 14 year old’s idea of a safe love interest in that he was perfectly chivalrous and without serious flaws. As time went on and he became more infatuated with Grace, he started getting somewhat possessive. Any man who so much as looked at grace would be subject to murderous fantasies, and while this was probably meant to show that Stephen was jealous and therefore devoted to Grace, I found it ridiculous and childish.
Grace, our heroine, is also rather bland. She’s a perfumer, which itself could have been fun, but her personality is mainly defined by her awkwardness. She also resembles a lot of YA/New Adult heroines in that she insists that she’s not attractive and that no man could be interested in her, despite at least two male characters flirting with her. It was frustrating being in her head, at times, because she would constantly say things like “normal people don’t do this,” making her seem even more awkward and “not like other people.” Her insistence on her mousiness and rather bland characterization made me wonder why anyone was in love with her at all. She moreover didn’t seem to be at qualified to handle the serial killer or assassination mysteries - in fact, I don’t think she ever uses her unique skillset (identifying scents) to help solve either mystery at all.
Marguerite, Grace’s best friend, is a bit more interesting in that she’s a spy with mysterious motivations. Marguerite is better equipped to deal with the assassination plot, as she has various contacts that feed her information and let her into places people wouldn’t normally be able to access. I liked that Marguerite was a good friend to Grace, but she, too, was a bit emotionally stunted.
Other supporting characters were interesting on paper, but because of the writing style, didn’t seem to be as compelling as they could have been. I liked Zale, the nonbinary( or agender?) lawyer-priest who seemed committed to their calling to defend the helpless in court. Stephen’s fellow paladins also seemed like a supportive group of friends, and the Bishop of the White Rat was an admirable woman of force and personality. I would have liked to see more of them.
Worldbuilding: This book doesn’t have a lot of heavy worldbuilding, and it honestly didn’t need it. I appreciated the fact that I wasn’t overwhelmed with lore or facts about the kingdom - Kingfisher mostly stuck to what details were important to the plot, and for that, I was grateful.
Romance: Stephen and Grace’s romance was a little lackluster for my tastes. The main barrier to them being together stemmed from Stephen thinking he was too broken and that he might accidentally hurt her by going into a berserker rage (which... how does that still happen if his god is dead?), and Grace thinking that she is so bad at being a lover that it turns men off. Honestly, I don’t find the “I’m so broken and dangerous” angle to be very compelling. I prefer there to be other barriers to characters being together than just emotions - barriers that force some kind of character development and plot progression. In this case, Stephen and Grace don’t seem to grow much. They just get over their reservations, in part because they thought they were going to die at one point.
There were also minor scenes that made me uncomfortable. I love romance stories and don’t mind sex scenes (when they’re warranted, not when they’re gratuitous), but I hate scenes where one person has to avoid detection (by some king of city guard or something), so the other person covers them with their body and they pretend to be a person and prostitute (or something), miming sex to make it seem like they saw nothing. I just find it awkward, not funny or the basis for mutual attraction. The fact that Stephen and Grace meet this way made it all the more awkward for me to read. I guess that was the point, since Grace is a little awkward herself, but I still hate these types of scenes.
I also personally dislike when male characters are described as noticing or thinking about a female character’s bosom. Like, I get it - straight men like breasts. But I don’t want the basis of a relationship to be physical attraction. Do something else. Though I didn’t get the impression that Stephen was a creep, I didn’t like how often the author would mention that Stephen noticed Grace’s body. Grace’s breasts were mentioned a number of times, and it made me uncomfortable every time.
Overall, I felt let down by this book. While I was drawn in by the premise of a crisis of faith and a thrilling web of lies and secrecy, I was met with a formulaic romance that relied on awkwardness to make emotionally arrested characters seem relatable.
Writing: Kingfisher’s prose is fairly simple - simple sentences, simple images, etc. It’s pretty easy to get through, and readers can skim, if that’s what they’re into. It’s also full of “quirky humor” so that the mood is fairly light throughout. While sometimes the humor would get a chuckle from me, most of the time, it completely destroyed the mood. The best way I can think to describe it is that it resembles a lot of stereotypes I associate with New Adult fantasy books: the book feels like it’s written for younger readers, but the sexual humor/graphic sex scenes prove otherwise. Characters will make childish jokes, despite most of them being in their 30s (for example, “I wonder if you can stab someone with an ice sculpture”), or stumble over their words in what seems like an attempt to make them seem awkward (”I... um...” or “I... er... what?”). Things like “Gnnnrggzzz” and “Ohmyfuckingshitfuckshitgaaaaaaah” are written out, further making me feel like I was reading something meant to make younger readers smile. Characters rarely act their age and situations were rarely treated with the level of seriousness one would expect in reality. I personally wasn’t a fan; it made the book (and characters) feel somewhat juvenile. To be clear, I’m not against a little humor - I think humor could have been used effectively in this book, perhaps to show how Grace is a bright spot in Stephen’s otherwise gloomy life. I’m also not against light, “fluffy” romances, but I do think there’s a difference between fluff and a lack of emotional maturity.
Kingfisher also had a tendency to repeat certain things, which became irritating. Every other page, it seemed like Grace said something about how Stephen smelled like gingerbread, and it got old really fast. I also noticed that constructions like “He’s a paladin, so he...” and the like were used frequently, which did less to show me what Stephen was like and more to tell me what stereotypes are associated with paladins.
Plot: This book mainly follows Stephen and Grace as they become entangled in two main problems: 1. there is a serial killer on the loose, and his modus operandi is leaving behind severed heads, sans bodies; 2. there is a mysterious assassination plot aimed at the Crown Prince of a neighboring kingdom. To be honest, I found the serial killer plot underwhelming. It only seemed to be present to give Stephen an excuse to escort Grace places, and even when we found out who the killer was, I didn’t feel the rush of excitement or a sense of closure. I think perhaps this was because the serial killer plot wasn’t one that readers could try to piece together with the characters - at most, there was a single clue, and then it was solved (but readers can’t even predict the twist, so I didn’t feel any sense of suspense).
As for the assassination plot, I also found it underwhelming. Although it builds better than the serial killer plot, characters started acting in nonsensical - and even idiodic - ways once Grace was personally caught up the drama. I got the sense that characters were acting out of emotion and not reason, which is ok sometimes, but not ALL THE TIME. In general, I didn’t find that this assassination plot was clever, and there wasn’t much that differentiated it from other political intrigues that I’ve read in some YA fantasy.
Characters: Stephen, our hero, is paladin who previously served a warrior god, the Saint of Steel. At the beginning of the book, Stephen’s god dies (we don’t know how), and three years later, he is still struggling to find his purpose. At first, I thought I would like Stephen. He seemed like a gentleman, and he had some non-stereotypical hobbies, like knitting. I also liked that much of his personal turmoil involved some anxiety over how people would perceive him and his Order. The fear that he would succumb to a berserker rage, in particular, was an interesting bit of lore, and I thought this berserker rage could have been used to prompt further exploration of things like violence and hypermasculinity. However, as the book continued, Stephen became more and more bland. For the first half or two-thirds of the book, he resembles a 14 year old’s idea of a safe love interest in that he was perfectly chivalrous and without serious flaws. As time went on and he became more infatuated with Grace, he started getting somewhat possessive. Any man who so much as looked at grace would be subject to murderous fantasies, and while this was probably meant to show that Stephen was jealous and therefore devoted to Grace, I found it ridiculous and childish.
Grace, our heroine, is also rather bland. She’s a perfumer, which itself could have been fun, but her personality is mainly defined by her awkwardness. She also resembles a lot of YA/New Adult heroines in that she insists that she’s not attractive and that no man could be interested in her, despite at least two male characters flirting with her. It was frustrating being in her head, at times, because she would constantly say things like “normal people don’t do this,” making her seem even more awkward and “not like other people.” Her insistence on her mousiness and rather bland characterization made me wonder why anyone was in love with her at all. She moreover didn’t seem to be at qualified to handle the serial killer or assassination mysteries - in fact, I don’t think she ever uses her unique skillset (identifying scents) to help solve either mystery at all.
Marguerite, Grace’s best friend, is a bit more interesting in that she’s a spy with mysterious motivations. Marguerite is better equipped to deal with the assassination plot, as she has various contacts that feed her information and let her into places people wouldn’t normally be able to access. I liked that Marguerite was a good friend to Grace, but she, too, was a bit emotionally stunted.
Other supporting characters were interesting on paper, but because of the writing style, didn’t seem to be as compelling as they could have been. I liked Zale, the nonbinary( or agender?) lawyer-priest who seemed committed to their calling to defend the helpless in court. Stephen’s fellow paladins also seemed like a supportive group of friends, and the Bishop of the White Rat was an admirable woman of force and personality. I would have liked to see more of them.
Worldbuilding: This book doesn’t have a lot of heavy worldbuilding, and it honestly didn’t need it. I appreciated the fact that I wasn’t overwhelmed with lore or facts about the kingdom - Kingfisher mostly stuck to what details were important to the plot, and for that, I was grateful.
Romance: Stephen and Grace’s romance was a little lackluster for my tastes. The main barrier to them being together stemmed from Stephen thinking he was too broken and that he might accidentally hurt her by going into a berserker rage (which... how does that still happen if his god is dead?), and Grace thinking that she is so bad at being a lover that it turns men off. Honestly, I don’t find the “I’m so broken and dangerous” angle to be very compelling. I prefer there to be other barriers to characters being together than just emotions - barriers that force some kind of character development and plot progression. In this case, Stephen and Grace don’t seem to grow much. They just get over their reservations, in part because they thought they were going to die at one point.
There were also minor scenes that made me uncomfortable. I love romance stories and don’t mind sex scenes (when they’re warranted, not when they’re gratuitous), but I hate scenes where one person has to avoid detection (by some king of city guard or something), so the other person covers them with their body and they pretend to be a person and prostitute (or something), miming sex to make it seem like they saw nothing. I just find it awkward, not funny or the basis for mutual attraction. The fact that Stephen and Grace meet this way made it all the more awkward for me to read. I guess that was the point, since Grace is a little awkward herself, but I still hate these types of scenes.
I also personally dislike when male characters are described as noticing or thinking about a female character’s bosom. Like, I get it - straight men like breasts. But I don’t want the basis of a relationship to be physical attraction. Do something else. Though I didn’t get the impression that Stephen was a creep, I didn’t like how often the author would mention that Stephen noticed Grace’s body. Grace’s breasts were mentioned a number of times, and it made me uncomfortable every time.
Overall, I felt let down by this book. While I was drawn in by the premise of a crisis of faith and a thrilling web of lies and secrecy, I was met with a formulaic romance that relied on awkwardness to make emotionally arrested characters seem relatable.
December 15, 2020
He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread. He smelled like gingerbread.
The above being at least 40% of one character's internal monologue.
So...I loved my first foray into this author's work. And...will read more by her, but this book...was a repetitious, mess of Suffering Mary Sue. The plot, as I understand it, is that Stephen, a Paladin of Steel, went berzerk and killed people because his god mysteriously died. And he has the guiltz.
Grace, is a master perfumer, (but not really a master), who, uh...what does she do? Mostly oggle Stephen, and snarl at him when he rescues her from whatever stupid situation she's stumbled into. While the character types somewhat echo those in Clockwork Boys, it's a weak noise at best.
A serial killer is running about the city lopping off heads and Grace and Stephen get mixed up in the matter. Somehow. I don't know; I don't care.
The narrative plods along, thick with endless internal dialogues where each character second guesses their actions around each other like a couple of whiny adolescents. Stephen needs a hard smack to the head, but Grace is the most irritating. She has the emotional maturity of a twelve-year-old, and yet, her backstory is full of typically adult angst. Broken marriage, career woes, etc. The overarching theme is that she's broken, sooo very broken.
And she's peculiar. Normally, I love peculiar women, being one of the tribe myself. But her oddness is just another layer in a shit sandwich of characterization.
And there's ye olde, "I'm not beautiful, why are all the menz in love with me?" trope.
For anyone hoping for a fantasy romance, but romance with loads of adventure and less "pining" and stupid contrivances to keep the couple apart, this ain't it.
DNF at 68%.
The above being at least 40% of one character's internal monologue.
So...I loved my first foray into this author's work. And...will read more by her, but this book...was a repetitious, mess of Suffering Mary Sue. The plot, as I understand it, is that Stephen, a Paladin of Steel, went berzerk and killed people because his god mysteriously died. And he has the guiltz.
Grace, is a master perfumer, (but not really a master), who, uh...what does she do? Mostly oggle Stephen, and snarl at him when he rescues her from whatever stupid situation she's stumbled into. While the character types somewhat echo those in Clockwork Boys, it's a weak noise at best.
A serial killer is running about the city lopping off heads and Grace and Stephen get mixed up in the matter. Somehow. I don't know; I don't care.
The narrative plods along, thick with endless internal dialogues where each character second guesses their actions around each other like a couple of whiny adolescents. Stephen needs a hard smack to the head, but Grace is the most irritating. She has the emotional maturity of a twelve-year-old, and yet, her backstory is full of typically adult angst. Broken marriage, career woes, etc. The overarching theme is that she's broken, sooo very broken.
And she's peculiar. Normally, I love peculiar women, being one of the tribe myself. But her oddness is just another layer in a shit sandwich of characterization.
And there's ye olde, "I'm not beautiful, why are all the menz in love with me?" trope.
For anyone hoping for a fantasy romance, but romance with loads of adventure and less "pining" and stupid contrivances to keep the couple apart, this ain't it.
DNF at 68%.
August 12, 2020
2020 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo: Title is a Pun
I looooove T. Kingfisher and everyone should try her books. Her backlist is a bit confusing to sort out (fantasy vs romantic fantasy vs fantasy romance vs horror), but PALADIN’S GRACE is fantasy romance.
Highly recommended. Go read this! It’s dark but also hopeful and funny. Not entirely sure what hopedark is, but I think this qualifies.
I looooove T. Kingfisher and everyone should try her books. Her backlist is a bit confusing to sort out (fantasy vs romantic fantasy vs fantasy romance vs horror), but PALADIN’S GRACE is fantasy romance.
Highly recommended. Go read this! It’s dark but also hopeful and funny. Not entirely sure what hopedark is, but I think this qualifies.
August 16, 2024
3.5 ☆
”Oh gods, if any of you are listening, please grant that we don’t make things worse.”
the romance in this was soooo cute but i wish there was more time spent fleshing out the fantasy elements and world building. Stephen and Grace are both awkward and unsure of the other persons feelings, but there’s plenty of moments where their connection shines. i liked how even with Stephen being a soldier of sorts, he’s also so gentle and considerate. i did find that this book was a bit too reminiscent of Swordheart and the couple from that book though. but as always, i love the way T.Kingfisher writes her characters and this was no different, i just don’t feel very strongly about what occurred in this one so i am happy that the books in the series are interconnected standalones.
”Oh gods, if any of you are listening, please grant that we don’t make things worse.”
the romance in this was soooo cute but i wish there was more time spent fleshing out the fantasy elements and world building. Stephen and Grace are both awkward and unsure of the other persons feelings, but there’s plenty of moments where their connection shines. i liked how even with Stephen being a soldier of sorts, he’s also so gentle and considerate. i did find that this book was a bit too reminiscent of Swordheart and the couple from that book though. but as always, i love the way T.Kingfisher writes her characters and this was no different, i just don’t feel very strongly about what occurred in this one so i am happy that the books in the series are interconnected standalones.
July 18, 2023
That shit was FUNNY. I could talk about the conclusion being rushed, or the lack of world building, or how the romance was a bit insta lovey but honestly? I don’t really care to. I was highly entertained and that’s enough for me. T. Kingfisher’s characters and worlds are also a refreshing deviation from all of the fantasy books that seem to just be following a formula these days.
This is only my second book by this author but I think she’s got a bit of a thing for ‘gentle giant’ types of heroes and quirky awkward heroines. I’m not mad at it at all 👌🏼
Also, this was delightfully dirty🌶️Not what I was expecting after reading Nettle and Bone which was pretty PG
This is only my second book by this author but I think she’s got a bit of a thing for ‘gentle giant’ types of heroes and quirky awkward heroines. I’m not mad at it at all 👌🏼
Also, this was delightfully dirty🌶️Not what I was expecting after reading Nettle and Bone which was pretty PG
January 5, 2023
дуже давно не було книжки, щоб я була прям exited, нарешті! планую прочитати абсолютно все, написане авторкою, а потім передзамовляти нові книжки решту життя
фентезійно-детективна історія про дуже надійного паладіна, в якого буквально вмер бог, і тепер він функціонує в режимі "а раптом я зараз стану берсерком і всіх навколо вб'ю", та парфумерку-втікачку, яку злий релігійний орден хоче присудити до спалення
також у меню відрізані голови, орден Білого Пацюка з неймовірною очільницею, гончарня для големів, аб'юзивний шлюб, парфуми, братерство-сестринство паладінів, кіт-вівера, tension між героями та смішні жарти, над якими я насправді хіхікала
фентезійно-детективна історія про дуже надійного паладіна, в якого буквально вмер бог, і тепер він функціонує в режимі "а раптом я зараз стану берсерком і всіх навколо вб'ю", та парфумерку-втікачку, яку злий релігійний орден хоче присудити до спалення
також у меню відрізані голови, орден Білого Пацюка з неймовірною очільницею, гончарня для големів, аб'юзивний шлюб, парфуми, братерство-сестринство паладінів, кіт-вівера, tension між героями та смішні жарти, над якими я насправді хіхікала
January 10, 2024
Absolutely loved this! I am a fan of T. Kingfisher, but I've only read her horror works. When I saw this audio available at my local library, I downloaded it. I am so happy I did!
This might be called a Romantasy and hey now, I don't even like romance, but I loved this.
It was sweet and funny. There were a few compelling mysteries to solve and some beheadings, which my horror-loving self enjoyed.
*Thanks to my local library for the free download. Libraries RULE!*
This might be called a Romantasy and hey now, I don't even like romance, but I loved this.
It was sweet and funny. There were a few compelling mysteries to solve and some beheadings, which my horror-loving self enjoyed.
*Thanks to my local library for the free download. Libraries RULE!*
February 18, 2020
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Warm, imaginative, deeply, profoundly hilarious romance involving poisoners, severed heads, spy intrigues, perfume and civets. Features the return of the Temple of the White Rat, the holy order of sardonic lawyer-priests who may be one of my favourite creations in all of fiction, and in particular Zale and Bishop Beartongue, who are absolute perfection here.
August 21, 2024
I really loved the romance, the characters, and the banter. But the actual plot I was not convinced by. Especially toward the end where it just got frustrating and overly dramatic. Also could’ve been shorter.
So it’s a bit of a mixed experience but I’m definitely going to continue the series.
So it’s a bit of a mixed experience but I’m definitely going to continue the series.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645808644i/7494844._UX200_CR0,6,200,200_.jpg)
August 24, 2023
Now this is romantasy.
Fun and fragile characters who remain strong in their brokenness. Middle aged folks just doing their best and getting by, and realizing that it's okay to fall in love again.
A fantasy world that is fully realized and lived in, with a plot that the characters stumbled into and out of.
Hilarious side characters, particularly in Beartongue and Istvhan. Mopey, guilt-ridden, godless paladins ready to sacrifice themselves at a moment's notice, and the long-suffering priests struggling to keep them alive and fed and gainfully employed. City employees who just want to do their jobs already.
And perfume! And random headless bodies! And spies! And cat-weasel anal glands!
Fun and fragile characters who remain strong in their brokenness. Middle aged folks just doing their best and getting by, and realizing that it's okay to fall in love again.
A fantasy world that is fully realized and lived in, with a plot that the characters stumbled into and out of.
Hilarious side characters, particularly in Beartongue and Istvhan. Mopey, guilt-ridden, godless paladins ready to sacrifice themselves at a moment's notice, and the long-suffering priests struggling to keep them alive and fed and gainfully employed. City employees who just want to do their jobs already.
And perfume! And random headless bodies! And spies! And cat-weasel anal glands!
January 26, 2023
Wow what a surprise! I expected another fantasy read, hoping for something above average. This smashed all my expectations. A great world build with some really cool characters. but the best part is I laughed my way through the book with some really unexpected humor. Highly recommended
May 8, 2020
Stephen had been called to service as a paladin, a holy berserker in the service of the Saint of Steel, one of the many gods in the world of the Temple of the White Rat. Only three years ago the god died and shattered his followers. A scant seven of the broken paladins remain and they work in service to the Temple of the White Rat in Archenhold. While patrolling the city in search of a particularly gruesome murdered Stephen rescues a young woman who is being hounded by followers of the Hanged Mother. They immediately hit it off while not actually knowing each other's names.
But Stephen soon meets Grace again, only for them both to get involved in intrigue with an inept assassin and a foreign royal visitor. With a supernatural serial killer, international politics and jockeying for power within Archenhold between the various temples, there's a lot for a broken paladin and a broken perfumer to deal with while they try and work out what's between them.
This world is a masterful creation, from lawyer priests to helpful badger people, it's both a wonderful place to live and a terrifying one where magic is often sinister and horrifying (very much so in this case). We're several books into the world now, although this one is not directly connected to any of the others (one character from Swordheart has a minor role).
The central plot for this one is the romance between Steven and Grace, but the fantasy courtroom drama/international intrigue/serial killer thing means that the romance never dominates. Both Steven and Grace start the story as very broken people and seeing how they strengthen each other and make space for growth is very much the core of the novel.
There's also lots of great elements that are quite logical, but play against type. For instance, Steven is a keen knitter ... which makes a lot of sense for a profession that involves lots of standing around and waiting as well as for people who would know the worth of a good pair of socks. This concept of a paladin is also an interesting one, as holy berserkers that relied on their god to stop them from harming innocents.
And there's a handful of scenes that just raise the hair on my arms even while I'm grinning like a fool. There's one scene in particular with all of the paladins in one place where they do something simple that did this for me.
As with all of Ursula Vernon's books, I highly recommend it.
But Stephen soon meets Grace again, only for them both to get involved in intrigue with an inept assassin and a foreign royal visitor. With a supernatural serial killer, international politics and jockeying for power within Archenhold between the various temples, there's a lot for a broken paladin and a broken perfumer to deal with while they try and work out what's between them.
This world is a masterful creation, from lawyer priests to helpful badger people, it's both a wonderful place to live and a terrifying one where magic is often sinister and horrifying (very much so in this case). We're several books into the world now, although this one is not directly connected to any of the others (one character from Swordheart has a minor role).
The central plot for this one is the romance between Steven and Grace, but the fantasy courtroom drama/international intrigue/serial killer thing means that the romance never dominates. Both Steven and Grace start the story as very broken people and seeing how they strengthen each other and make space for growth is very much the core of the novel.
There's also lots of great elements that are quite logical, but play against type. For instance, Steven is a keen knitter ... which makes a lot of sense for a profession that involves lots of standing around and waiting as well as for people who would know the worth of a good pair of socks. This concept of a paladin is also an interesting one, as holy berserkers that relied on their god to stop them from harming innocents.
And there's a handful of scenes that just raise the hair on my arms even while I'm grinning like a fool. There's one scene in particular with all of the paladins in one place where they do something simple that did this for me.
As with all of Ursula Vernon's books, I highly recommend it.
December 30, 2023
I didn't know I could giggle from some awkward adults falling in love. This book did very much better than a romance book could do for me tbh.
The Saint of Steel Series are set in the same world, following three former berserker paladins of the above-named Saint himself (actually a god, don't worry about it). They're set in a medieval fantasy esque world - think Renaissance fair vibes- with plenty of other gods, saints, and their associated religious orders. Prior to the events of the series, the god Saint of Steel dies. His followers lose their minds and go berserk, burning themselves alive and killing everyone and each other in a mad rampage. Our surviving Paladins are left broken, lost men. Eventually, they end up in the service of The Temple of the Rat, trying to figure out who they are and what to do next. Now, on to each of the individual books:
Our first paladin is Stephen, who really embodies the best of them - he's a good person, committed to doing the right thing, and also an awkward doofus. And: he knits.🙂 He's trying to be useful to the temple of the rat (a killing machine now working for lawyers and helping old ladies cross the street) when he unexpectedly saves a lovely woman from harm. The two of them get involved in a conspiracy of poisoning, while at the same time trying to figure out who is lurking through the streets murdering people...
IMO, PG is the best of the three. Stephen feels like a distinct character, as does Grace, the female lead, who's a total weirdo apothecary. 😆 There's lots of other fun side characters: the other Paladins, the uptight Rats (and their takes-no-shit leader), as well as Grace's delightfully hilarious BFF Marguerite.
I found the mystery compelling and fun - definitely a page turner trying to figure out who is the poisoner, who's murdering all of those people and chopping their heads off and implanting clay heads into the bodies to make monsters, and why Stephen sucks so bad at intrigue/spying (shocker, Paladins are too honest).
The world building is enjoyable and builds on common tropes while still being interesting. All in all I found this one charming and delightful.
The Saint of Steel Series are set in the same world, following three former berserker paladins of the above-named Saint himself (actually a god, don't worry about it). They're set in a medieval fantasy esque world - think Renaissance fair vibes- with plenty of other gods, saints, and their associated religious orders. Prior to the events of the series, the god Saint of Steel dies. His followers lose their minds and go berserk, burning themselves alive and killing everyone and each other in a mad rampage. Our surviving Paladins are left broken, lost men. Eventually, they end up in the service of The Temple of the Rat, trying to figure out who they are and what to do next. Now, on to each of the individual books:
Our first paladin is Stephen, who really embodies the best of them - he's a good person, committed to doing the right thing, and also an awkward doofus. And: he knits.🙂 He's trying to be useful to the temple of the rat (a killing machine now working for lawyers and helping old ladies cross the street) when he unexpectedly saves a lovely woman from harm. The two of them get involved in a conspiracy of poisoning, while at the same time trying to figure out who is lurking through the streets murdering people...
IMO, PG is the best of the three. Stephen feels like a distinct character, as does Grace, the female lead, who's a total weirdo apothecary. 😆 There's lots of other fun side characters: the other Paladins, the uptight Rats (and their takes-no-shit leader), as well as Grace's delightfully hilarious BFF Marguerite.
I found the mystery compelling and fun - definitely a page turner trying to figure out who is the poisoner, who's murdering all of those people and chopping their heads off and implanting clay heads into the bodies to make monsters, and why Stephen sucks so bad at intrigue/spying (shocker, Paladins are too honest).
The world building is enjoyable and builds on common tropes while still being interesting. All in all I found this one charming and delightful.
June 11, 2021
At first I wasn't really sure I'd like this book or even finish it.
This is the first book I ever read by Ms. Kingfisher (a pen name). Getting into it my first impression was it was going to primarily be a romance. I'm not a fan of romance fiction. I can handle a romance as part of a story but I don't care for it as a main stay.
However the novel got more balanced (in my opinion of course) in telling the story of the paladins of a deity who has apparently died. These paladins had as a "gift" that they went into a red haze of battle (in other words they are berserkers). Their deity would "at the appropriate time" pull them out of this "red haze". Now if they went into it, well there was no one to pull them out.
Not good.
Anyway, try it I think you'll enjoy it...other than the fact that it ends and has a sequel coming. Anyway, recommended.
This is the first book I ever read by Ms. Kingfisher (a pen name). Getting into it my first impression was it was going to primarily be a romance. I'm not a fan of romance fiction. I can handle a romance as part of a story but I don't care for it as a main stay.
However the novel got more balanced (in my opinion of course) in telling the story of the paladins of a deity who has apparently died. These paladins had as a "gift" that they went into a red haze of battle (in other words they are berserkers). Their deity would "at the appropriate time" pull them out of this "red haze". Now if they went into it, well there was no one to pull them out.
Not good.
Anyway, try it I think you'll enjoy it...other than the fact that it ends and has a sequel coming. Anyway, recommended.
December 19, 2023
wayyyy too horny for my taste. like i get it, i would also fuck him, but those two were simping for each other way too extremely and way too early. it might be my fault for going in with the wrong expectations but i thought this would be some intense high fantasy and not a guide to getting laid by a muscular man with a sword.
also minus stars because every men in this smelled like gingerbread which was a fact that was mentioned approximately 53738632 times and i am allergic to gingerbread and also easily annoyed.
also minus stars because every men in this smelled like gingerbread which was a fact that was mentioned approximately 53738632 times and i am allergic to gingerbread and also easily annoyed.
December 8, 2023
🤪 I Must Be Slightly Out of My Little Mind Buddy Read (IMBSOoMLMBR™) with the MacHalos and stuff 🤪
Actual rating: 3.6458965896 stars.
↪ Reasons why I didn't quite self-combust while reading this Fantasy ROMANCE :
① T. Kingfisher wrote it and T. Kingfisher = Clocktaur War + A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking (yes, this is a disgusting YA story, I am very aware) + Swordheart = yum.
② HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (because, um, you know, T. Kingfisher wrote it and stuff).
③ Slightly awesome cast of characters is slightly awesome. Well except for the female lead who manages to have a backbone and yet be kinda sorta meh as fish, which is quite the feat if you ask me. BUT. My new girlfriend Bishop Beartongue—who happens to be as ancient as I am, imagine that!—more than makes up for this meh-ness, so all is very well thank you very much indeed and stuff.
④ I skimmed through most of the lovey dovey crap.
④ Paladin tropes werethoroughly killed dead seriously harmed during the writing of this book, which is somewhat glorious, methinks.
⑤ Zale, aka one of the mostest awesomest non-binary characters in the history of mostest awesomest non-binary characters.
⑤ Frozen geese as lethal instruments (pretty sure my Cimmerian boyfriend would love that, what with his death-by-beef-bone obsession and stuff) and potentially weaponizable stuffed egrets.
⑥ All of the above.
① + ② + ③ + ④ + ⑤ + ⑥ =
Don't ask.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): ever heard of a paladin who knits pink socks in his spare time? Didn't think so. Ha!
· Book 2: Paladin's Strength ★★
· Book 3: Paladin's Hope ★★★★
· Book 4: Paladin's Faith ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
This is romantasy. I read it from start to finish. And actually made it out alive. I didn't convulse while reading it, either. Or develop a slightly excruciating rash on my exoskeleton. But you know what the worst thing is? I actually enjoyed the bloody book. I kid you not. T. Kingfisher, what have you done?!
Note to self:
Easier said than done.
➽ Review to come and stuff.
Actual rating: 3.6458965896 stars.
↪ Reasons why I didn't quite self-combust while reading this Fantasy ROMANCE :
① T. Kingfisher wrote it and T. Kingfisher = Clocktaur War + A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking (yes, this is a disgusting YA story, I am very aware) + Swordheart = yum.
② HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (because, um, you know, T. Kingfisher wrote it and stuff).
③ Slightly awesome cast of characters is slightly awesome. Well except for the female lead who manages to have a backbone and yet be kinda sorta meh as fish, which is quite the feat if you ask me. BUT. My new girlfriend Bishop Beartongue—who happens to be as ancient as I am, imagine that!—more than makes up for this meh-ness, so all is very well thank you very much indeed and stuff.
④ Paladin tropes were
⑤ Zale, aka one of the mostest awesomest non-binary characters in the history of mostest awesomest non-binary characters.
⑤ Frozen geese as lethal instruments (pretty sure my Cimmerian boyfriend would love that, what with his death-by-beef-bone obsession and stuff) and potentially weaponizable stuffed egrets.
⑥ All of the above.
① + ② + ③ + ④ + ⑤ + ⑥ =
Don't ask.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): ever heard of a paladin who knits pink socks in his spare time? Didn't think so. Ha!
· Book 2: Paladin's Strength ★★
· Book 3: Paladin's Hope ★★★★
· Book 4: Paladin's Faith ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
This is romantasy. I read it from start to finish. And actually made it out alive. I didn't convulse while reading it, either. Or develop a slightly excruciating rash on my exoskeleton. But you know what the worst thing is? I actually enjoyed the bloody book. I kid you not. T. Kingfisher, what have you done?!
Note to self:
Easier said than done.
➽ Review to come and stuff.
April 17, 2021
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
T. Kingfisher is quickly becoming a new favorite author of mine. Paladin’s Grace is the fourth book I’ve read by her and she really does the blend of romance and fantasy, what I like to call romantasy, together so well. Paladin’s Grace is set in the World of the Rat, after both the Clocktaur Wars and Swordheart series. All of these books are standalone, so you do not have to have read The Clocktaur Wars or Swordheart to enjoy Paladin’s Grace.
Stephen is a broken man. Somehow his god, The Saint of Steel, died. When this happened, his entire order lost their collective minds. There is now a bit of an empty space where his god used to live, but he is lucky as he was one of the few to survive. Taken in by the Order of the Rat, Stephan is just trying to find a way to exist and serve with the loss of his god. He also is trying not to go berserk and kill everyone. He didn’t expect a woman to jump into his arms and asked to be saved.
Grace is a perfumer and she has learned the hard way that she needs to save herself and can’t depend on anyone else to come to save her. Also, she knows that “Relief feels like happiness, if you don’t know the difference.” Really, she is a practical woman who keeps to herself, but somehow ends up embroiled in court politics, an assassination attempt and in a budding romance with a broken man who smells like gingerbread. When she asked him to save her, from some Paladin's of an order that usually hunts witches to burn, she had no idea that she just entered the life of a man that could be perfect for her. Plus he smells good, if you are a perfumer that seems important.
Kingfisher weaves a great tale full of a little angst as two broken people figure out who they are to each other and political machinations swirling around them. I liked both Stephen and Grace as people. Their inner dialogs made me giggle and the discussions they had with one another seem so heartfelt. The world of the White Rat is interesting, full of gods and strange magics. The order of the White Rat itself is a lot of fun as people try to out maneuver each other verbally (they are mostly lawyers you see). Zale, a priest of the White Rat has been a favorite character of mine since Swordheart, so I was happy to see him again. The only thing this was missing was a gnole (talking badger like creatures) for me to adore. I had to make due with Marguerite, a spy for one of the foreign countries.
Again, Kingfisher has woven a wonderful fantasy story and romance together. I’m quickly making it through her catalogue of books and have not been disappointed. Her writing and humor are fantastic and I look forward to seeing some of the rest of Stephen’s broken Paladins find their way to love.
Narration:
Joel Richards fits Stephen's voice so well. Stephen is in his forties and Joel was able to make him feel like someone who has been through a lot and thinks everything through before doing anything. He was able to capture Grace's vulnerabilities as well and make the band of Paladins at the Temple of the White Rat really shine. He did a fantastic performance that made the story even better for me.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
T. Kingfisher is quickly becoming a new favorite author of mine. Paladin’s Grace is the fourth book I’ve read by her and she really does the blend of romance and fantasy, what I like to call romantasy, together so well. Paladin’s Grace is set in the World of the Rat, after both the Clocktaur Wars and Swordheart series. All of these books are standalone, so you do not have to have read The Clocktaur Wars or Swordheart to enjoy Paladin’s Grace.
Stephen is a broken man. Somehow his god, The Saint of Steel, died. When this happened, his entire order lost their collective minds. There is now a bit of an empty space where his god used to live, but he is lucky as he was one of the few to survive. Taken in by the Order of the Rat, Stephan is just trying to find a way to exist and serve with the loss of his god. He also is trying not to go berserk and kill everyone. He didn’t expect a woman to jump into his arms and asked to be saved.
Grace is a perfumer and she has learned the hard way that she needs to save herself and can’t depend on anyone else to come to save her. Also, she knows that “Relief feels like happiness, if you don’t know the difference.” Really, she is a practical woman who keeps to herself, but somehow ends up embroiled in court politics, an assassination attempt and in a budding romance with a broken man who smells like gingerbread. When she asked him to save her, from some Paladin's of an order that usually hunts witches to burn, she had no idea that she just entered the life of a man that could be perfect for her. Plus he smells good, if you are a perfumer that seems important.
Kingfisher weaves a great tale full of a little angst as two broken people figure out who they are to each other and political machinations swirling around them. I liked both Stephen and Grace as people. Their inner dialogs made me giggle and the discussions they had with one another seem so heartfelt. The world of the White Rat is interesting, full of gods and strange magics. The order of the White Rat itself is a lot of fun as people try to out maneuver each other verbally (they are mostly lawyers you see). Zale, a priest of the White Rat has been a favorite character of mine since Swordheart, so I was happy to see him again. The only thing this was missing was a gnole (talking badger like creatures) for me to adore. I had to make due with Marguerite, a spy for one of the foreign countries.
Again, Kingfisher has woven a wonderful fantasy story and romance together. I’m quickly making it through her catalogue of books and have not been disappointed. Her writing and humor are fantastic and I look forward to seeing some of the rest of Stephen’s broken Paladins find their way to love.
“He wished that he could break out his knitting, but for some reason, people didn’t take you seriously as a warrior when you were knitting. He’d never figured out why. Making socks required four or five double-ended bone needles, and while they weren’t very large, you could probably jam one into someone’s eye if you really wanted to. Not that he would. He’d have to pull the needle out of the sock to do it, and then he’d be left with the grimly fiddly work of rethreading the stitches. Also, washing blood out of wool was possible, but a pain. Still, if he had to suddenly pull out his sword and fend off an attack, there was a chance he’d drop the yarn, and since he’d been feeling masochistic and was using two colors for this current set of socks, there was absolutely no chance the yarn wouldn’t get tangled and then he’d be trying to murder people while chasing the yarn around. And god forbid the tide rose and he went berserk. You never got the knitting untangled after that; you usually just had to throw it away completely.”
Narration:
Joel Richards fits Stephen's voice so well. Stephen is in his forties and Joel was able to make him feel like someone who has been through a lot and thinks everything through before doing anything. He was able to capture Grace's vulnerabilities as well and make the band of Paladins at the Temple of the White Rat really shine. He did a fantastic performance that made the story even better for me.
Listen to a clip: HERE
September 23, 2021
I really like this world that Kingfisher has created, and her characters are a lot of fun.
Grace, a perfumer and super-smeller, gets accidentally caught up in an assasination plot. Stephen, a wrecked paladin, gets caught up in helping her. Meanwhile, people in the city keep discovering headless bodies. It’s a nice plot, with just a few of Kingfisher’s trademark macabre elements.
Unfortunately, this is also a “fluffy romance” (the author’s words) and it’s a bit too fluffy for my taste. I finally started skimming over the section in each chapter where Stephen and Grace pine for each other while bemoaning their own deficiencies. (It’s very similar to the romance formula in Swordheart.) Their dynamic improves about halfway through the book, but it’s really annoying until then.
I was glad to see Zane, the lawyer from Swordheart, and I love the heartwarming Rat organization in general. I enjoyed the focus on smells, due to Grace’s profession. The paladins are all great.
Grace, a perfumer and super-smeller, gets accidentally caught up in an assasination plot. Stephen, a wrecked paladin, gets caught up in helping her. Meanwhile, people in the city keep discovering headless bodies. It’s a nice plot, with just a few of Kingfisher’s trademark macabre elements.
Unfortunately, this is also a “fluffy romance” (the author’s words) and it’s a bit too fluffy for my taste. I finally started skimming over the section in each chapter where Stephen and Grace pine for each other while bemoaning their own deficiencies. (It’s very similar to the romance formula in Swordheart.) Their dynamic improves about halfway through the book, but it’s really annoying until then.
I was glad to see Zane, the lawyer from Swordheart, and I love the heartwarming Rat organization in general. I enjoyed the focus on smells, due to Grace’s profession. The paladins are all great.
March 29, 2020
3.5 stars. It’s a pleasant read, a linear and flowing story light on plot and a bit heavy on the romance side, which isn’t my preference. I liked the protagonists a lot and it was fun to return to the world of Swordheart. This book is a stand-alone but there is an opening for more tales.
“Annnnnd now I’m thinking about how to make perfume out of human flesh. Yep, that’s completely normal behavior. Nothing odd going on here.”
“He and I are friends.
Aren’t we?
Granted, she hadn’t known Stephen that long, but if you couldn’t bond over multiple corpses, what could you bond over?”
“Annnnnd now I’m thinking about how to make perfume out of human flesh. Yep, that’s completely normal behavior. Nothing odd going on here.”
“He and I are friends.
Aren’t we?
Granted, she hadn’t known Stephen that long, but if you couldn’t bond over multiple corpses, what could you bond over?”
June 11, 2024
You know how sometimes you get the wrong book at the wrong time? Well, this was the perfect book at the perfect time. And I am so, so grateful for it.
Let me preface this review with some context: I generally do not like romance. I can count on the fingers of one hand the literary romances I actually got invested in. And this book is one of them. My husband who hates romances even more than I do read "Paladin's Grace" right before I did and he loved it too! My point is: do not write this book off on the label. Maybe it's because the lovebirds are middle aged, grumpy and damaged, and dance around each other hesitantly in a very realistic way? I just found their awkwardness so relatable (as was Grace's blurting of inappropriate things) and I basically spent the first half of the book shaking it and yelling "KISS HER, YOU SILLY TWAT!" at it.
Right, I should talk about the story!
Stephen was a paladin of the Saint of Steel, a god of war; then one day, his god died, sending his entire order into chaos and disarray. Many of them ended up dead. He and six other paladins survived and are being housed and looked after by the Order of the White Rat (basically religious bureaucrats, but kind and efficient - so it's definitely fantasy). They do some work as bodyguards, but mainly spend their time trying to heal and feel less broken. One day, after an assignment, Stephen is on his way home when he accidentally rescues a woman being chased by some rather annoying fanatics who think she's a witch. What she actually is is a perfumer, with a crummy past of her own she is trying to move past. This lovely but lonely woman, Grace, and Stephen develop a friendship that's 95% pining for each other awkwardly. But things come to a head (pun intended if you've read the book) when they get caught up in a weird conspiracy as a series of strange murders keep happening in the background.
Here are my two relatively small complaints about the book: the pacing in the first half is much slower than the second half, which suddenly kicks into high speed and makes the book impossible to put down. I was not quite prepared for that. I would have also loved a bit more world-building at the beginning, because I am quite curious about all the different weird gods and their weird organization.
But really, those are minor quibbles because this was just so much fun. Stephen and his siblings in arms are wonderful, and I loved how Kingfisher drew up former military characters dealing with PTSD in such a sensitive and compassionate way. Grace's post-divorce damage is handled with equal finesse and is also quite realistic. In fact, most of the characters and their conversations feel incredibly real, and I loved it. I also dig Kingfisher's humor: dry and just dark and bleak enough, and it permeates the story, making it impossible for me to find a page that did not make me smile.
I was going to give it 4 stars because of the aforementioned issues, but considering this book was just what I needed and exactly when I needed it, fuck it, I'm rounding it up to 5. And I'm hunting down the rest of the series.
Let me preface this review with some context: I generally do not like romance. I can count on the fingers of one hand the literary romances I actually got invested in. And this book is one of them. My husband who hates romances even more than I do read "Paladin's Grace" right before I did and he loved it too! My point is: do not write this book off on the label. Maybe it's because the lovebirds are middle aged, grumpy and damaged, and dance around each other hesitantly in a very realistic way? I just found their awkwardness so relatable (as was Grace's blurting of inappropriate things) and I basically spent the first half of the book shaking it and yelling "KISS HER, YOU SILLY TWAT!" at it.
Right, I should talk about the story!
Stephen was a paladin of the Saint of Steel, a god of war; then one day, his god died, sending his entire order into chaos and disarray. Many of them ended up dead. He and six other paladins survived and are being housed and looked after by the Order of the White Rat (basically religious bureaucrats, but kind and efficient - so it's definitely fantasy). They do some work as bodyguards, but mainly spend their time trying to heal and feel less broken. One day, after an assignment, Stephen is on his way home when he accidentally rescues a woman being chased by some rather annoying fanatics who think she's a witch. What she actually is is a perfumer, with a crummy past of her own she is trying to move past. This lovely but lonely woman, Grace, and Stephen develop a friendship that's 95% pining for each other awkwardly. But things come to a head (pun intended if you've read the book) when they get caught up in a weird conspiracy as a series of strange murders keep happening in the background.
Here are my two relatively small complaints about the book: the pacing in the first half is much slower than the second half, which suddenly kicks into high speed and makes the book impossible to put down. I was not quite prepared for that. I would have also loved a bit more world-building at the beginning, because I am quite curious about all the different weird gods and their weird organization.
But really, those are minor quibbles because this was just so much fun. Stephen and his siblings in arms are wonderful, and I loved how Kingfisher drew up former military characters dealing with PTSD in such a sensitive and compassionate way. Grace's post-divorce damage is handled with equal finesse and is also quite realistic. In fact, most of the characters and their conversations feel incredibly real, and I loved it. I also dig Kingfisher's humor: dry and just dark and bleak enough, and it permeates the story, making it impossible for me to find a page that did not make me smile.
I was going to give it 4 stars because of the aforementioned issues, but considering this book was just what I needed and exactly when I needed it, fuck it, I'm rounding it up to 5. And I'm hunting down the rest of the series.
June 15, 2024
4.5 stars. Riotously funny at times, downright horrifying at others, and somehow always a bit swoonworthy, Paladin's Grace serves as a premier example of the kind of romantic fantasy I gobble up eagerly.
May 3, 2021
This could be silly at times, but I ended up really enjoying that. Some of the confrontation scenes are bonkers and ridiculous (campy), but it didn't really bother me. I actually smiled while reading them. I liked the two characters that we follow. The plot takes a back seat to the romance in here, so be aware of that going in. Yes, there is the mystery of these severed heads being found and also a mystery about a potential assassin, but the romance between Grace and Stephen is front and center.
Stephen is a paladin of a dead god, meaning he is a berserker basically. But for being this hardened killer, he really isn't. After the god died, the surviving paladins just exist, Stephen being the most morose. Stephen's one hobby is that he knits socks. Himbo alert? If not a full himbo because Stephen isn't really unintelligent, he definitely gives off the himbo vibe. He wasn't as gruff as I would expect of an ex-soldier and paladin of a dead god, but... like how can you dislike such a sweet guy?
Grace actually had the more interesting background to me. She ran away from her old life and works as a perfumer, hoping that no one from her past ever sees her again. I enjoyed seeing her addressing some of the pain that she had experienced in the past and start to try to put some of those things behind her. She suffers from panic attacks, usually brought on by scents reminding her of bad memories. I also enjoyed her fish-out-of-water moments with her landlord pushing her to enter high society places and grow her business. As for Grace and Stephen together? I was rooting for it. They're both friggin' beautiful dorks, and I love that.
I think the background plot was probably the weakest for me. That said though, this is the first book in a series, so a lot of this is set up for the future of the series. The severed head mystery is not fully wrapped up, but the assassin situation is wrapped up enough that it gave me some catharsis after finishing. There is a trial that happens in this book, and holy moly was it chaotic! This was definitely one of the more exaggerated moments of the book, but I thought it was entertaining. I also thought it was cool that the attorney that we meet goes by they/them pronouns. It's subtly included, and I appreciate that.
Honestly, this was a really good time. I'd definitely continue this series and check out more by this author.
Stephen is a paladin of a dead god, meaning he is a berserker basically. But for being this hardened killer, he really isn't. After the god died, the surviving paladins just exist, Stephen being the most morose. Stephen's one hobby is that he knits socks. Himbo alert? If not a full himbo because Stephen isn't really unintelligent, he definitely gives off the himbo vibe. He wasn't as gruff as I would expect of an ex-soldier and paladin of a dead god, but... like how can you dislike such a sweet guy?
Grace actually had the more interesting background to me. She ran away from her old life and works as a perfumer, hoping that no one from her past ever sees her again. I enjoyed seeing her addressing some of the pain that she had experienced in the past and start to try to put some of those things behind her. She suffers from panic attacks, usually brought on by scents reminding her of bad memories. I also enjoyed her fish-out-of-water moments with her landlord pushing her to enter high society places and grow her business. As for Grace and Stephen together? I was rooting for it. They're both friggin' beautiful dorks, and I love that.
I think the background plot was probably the weakest for me. That said though, this is the first book in a series, so a lot of this is set up for the future of the series. The severed head mystery is not fully wrapped up, but the assassin situation is wrapped up enough that it gave me some catharsis after finishing. There is a trial that happens in this book, and holy moly was it chaotic! This was definitely one of the more exaggerated moments of the book, but I thought it was entertaining. I also thought it was cool that the attorney that we meet goes by they/them pronouns. It's subtly included, and I appreciate that.
Honestly, this was a really good time. I'd definitely continue this series and check out more by this author.
June 14, 2023
3.5
“Stephen’s god died a little after noon on the longest day of the year.
Un libro que me llamó la atención nada más verlo. Resulta que a esta autora la quería leer por dos novelas suyas recientes, sin embargo, en una de estas que me puse a ver su repertorio vi esta saga y me dije: esta será mi primera impresión de la autora y tengo que decir que ha sido una maravilla.
“My duty is to serve. I will be sword and shield for the weak against the strong. I will be a symbol for those who require hope. I will bear the burdens for those who cannot bear them.”
A decir verdad, yo iba con una premisa muy diferente de la novela, pero lo que me he encontrado es una maravilla, al menos para mí. Me explico, me lo he pasado en grandes con las aventuras de los dos protagonistas de esta novela, sobre todo nuestro paladín con tendencia de tejer calcetines. El resto de personajes también me ha encantado, sobre todo cierto forense pasivo agresivo y una obispa con mucho carácter. Además, la novela cuenta con golpes muy buenos y chistes un poco oscuros que admito que son uno de mis puntos débiles.
-Am I really the only person concerned about the severed head situation in this city ? Said Stephen.-Really?
-I’m sure the people who had their heads cut off were very concerned, said Margherite
-At least briefly, added Grace.
Tengo una pega que ponerle y es que me esperaba un poco más de profundidad en la historia, mitología y escenario, sin embargo, estoy bastante contenta con lo que me he encontrado.
-Sometimes I go berserk and begin killing people said Stephen dryly.
-Yes, well you haven’t yet.
Totalmente recomendado. Sin lugar a dudas.
“Because he smeels like gingerbead. Obviously”.
“Stephen’s god died a little after noon on the longest day of the year.
Un libro que me llamó la atención nada más verlo. Resulta que a esta autora la quería leer por dos novelas suyas recientes, sin embargo, en una de estas que me puse a ver su repertorio vi esta saga y me dije: esta será mi primera impresión de la autora y tengo que decir que ha sido una maravilla.
“My duty is to serve. I will be sword and shield for the weak against the strong. I will be a symbol for those who require hope. I will bear the burdens for those who cannot bear them.”
A decir verdad, yo iba con una premisa muy diferente de la novela, pero lo que me he encontrado es una maravilla, al menos para mí. Me explico, me lo he pasado en grandes con las aventuras de los dos protagonistas de esta novela, sobre todo nuestro paladín con tendencia de tejer calcetines. El resto de personajes también me ha encantado, sobre todo cierto forense pasivo agresivo y una obispa con mucho carácter. Además, la novela cuenta con golpes muy buenos y chistes un poco oscuros que admito que son uno de mis puntos débiles.
-Am I really the only person concerned about the severed head situation in this city ? Said Stephen.-Really?
-I’m sure the people who had their heads cut off were very concerned, said Margherite
-At least briefly, added Grace.
Tengo una pega que ponerle y es que me esperaba un poco más de profundidad en la historia, mitología y escenario, sin embargo, estoy bastante contenta con lo que me he encontrado.
-Sometimes I go berserk and begin killing people said Stephen dryly.
-Yes, well you haven’t yet.
Totalmente recomendado. Sin lugar a dudas.
“Because he smeels like gingerbead. Obviously”.
April 29, 2021
2021-04: 4 stars.
Though I hadn't planned on rereading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed this book all over again. I had needed something light and sweet and funny, and this book did the trick admirably. I like this author's humour and stories, and now that I've reacquainted myself with this world and the characters, I can get on and read the next book in this series.
2020-o6: 4 stars.
A wonderfully fun story of perfumes, poisons, romance, severed heads, assassination plots, paladins of a dead god with berserker tendencies, a shy and kind perfume developer with a delightful civet and a past terrible marriage, and terrific Bishop Beartongue and lawyer Zale, both of the Church of the White Rat.
Ok, I’m gushing a little. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and a return to the world of the Wonder Engine and Swordheart. This is not a direct sequel to Swordheart or the Clocktaur books, and there are elements tying them together, though not so much that you must have read those books to enjoy this one. And enjoy this one I did!
Though I hadn't planned on rereading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed this book all over again. I had needed something light and sweet and funny, and this book did the trick admirably. I like this author's humour and stories, and now that I've reacquainted myself with this world and the characters, I can get on and read the next book in this series.
2020-o6: 4 stars.
A wonderfully fun story of perfumes, poisons, romance, severed heads, assassination plots, paladins of a dead god with berserker tendencies, a shy and kind perfume developer with a delightful civet and a past terrible marriage, and terrific Bishop Beartongue and lawyer Zale, both of the Church of the White Rat.
Ok, I’m gushing a little. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and a return to the world of the Wonder Engine and Swordheart. This is not a direct sequel to Swordheart or the Clocktaur books, and there are elements tying them together, though not so much that you must have read those books to enjoy this one. And enjoy this one I did!
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