Gabrielle's Reviews > Paladin's Faith

I think that at this point, even if those books weren’t great (which they are), I would just keep reading them, because I am so invested in the ideas T. Kingfisher has decided to put on the page, and so excited about the way she has structured this series – taking a supporting character from the previous book and promoting them to main character in the next – and so attached to her characters that I will just read as many of these “Saints of Steel” books as she sees fit to publish. If I may place a request, Ms. Kingfisher: twelve more, please.

This fourth foray into this lovely series brings back Marguerite, Grace’s spy bestie from “Paladin’s Grace”, who had pulled a disappearing act at the end of the first book. Marguerite has been away for a few years, but she is forced to come back and ask the Order of the White Rat for help when she uncovers a secret: a former employer of hers has identified a new technique for harvesting salt which might upend the entire economic system across several cities and make them lose a lot of money, so their plan is to destroy it and neutralize the person who invented it; and now that Marguerite has acquired this knowledge, she is also in their crosshair. In order to survive long enough to stop the nefarious plan, she asks Bishop Beartongue to help by providing her with paladin bodyguards to keep her safe while she does… whatever it is spies do. She ends up with Wren and Shane, both of whom have lurked around the corners of the pages of the previous books without ever getting too much spotlight.

So yeah, if your thing is sexy bodyguard, this is the “Saint of Steel” book for you (but you should still read the whole series)! As with the previous books, there is a good deal of tension between two people who fall for each other but are both convinced that they will be a danger and/or not good enough for the object of their affections before they inevitably give in, but Kingfisher knows just how to make this fun and endearing, and how to draw up characters dealing with trauma and damage so none of that angst feels exaggerated or gratuitous. And yes, this is deliciously female gaze-y (though only moderately spicy, by my admittedly filthy standards) and it’s awesome!

Marguerite is a wonderful character to follow around, and I am sure that she would be a nightmare to actually protect; spies, after all, rarely stay put or in safe situations. And the Saint’s paladins are dealing with their own rather hardcore PTSD, an element that I had been/keep hoping would be explored more deeply through the series, and we dig into it a bit here through Shane’s experience of his god dying and the empty space it created in his life. A clear pattern that has been established through the series so far is that a person who cares for someone accepts them as they are, flaws and damage and all, and there’s something perennially lovely about seeing these traumatized characters find solace and support with someone (“I’m less broken when I’m around you”… Jesus, Kingfisher, my heart!!!). Maybe that’s truly what keeps me so happy and excited about these books: they are so full of hope in how much healing a person can do when they feel loved, and that’s wonderful.

Even if Wren is not as central to this book as Marguerite and Shane, I was really glad that we got to be more familiar with one of the women paladins; her character, a skilled warrior who has essentially lived with half a dozen older brothers for years, is both funny and very touching, especially in contrast with Marguerite’s more experienced and worldly personality. I totally understand why Shane would want to beat up anyone who hurts her feelings, and I hope we see more of her in future books.

I think I have mentioned this in previous reviews of books from this series, but I love the Order of the White Rat, and if there is anything from this world-building I wish was real, it’s them. Bishop Beartongue is an awesome character, but their entire organization is the stuff of my dreams: their dedication to help and heal people warms my heart every time. I also never tire of Kingfisher’s tone, which is light, wry, conversational, and clever, without ever becoming pretentious or silly. Her dialogues are sharp and sound perfectly real. It’s nearly impossible for me not to read these books with gluttony, because she combines that really great writing style with good pacing and awesome characters. I may have missed my metro stop and cursed loudly a few times while reading this one during my daily commute…

When I got my copy of this book, I was under the impression that this would be the last one, but apparently, there have been rumors of a fifth and sixth book! This makes me absurdly happy (though outraged that I have to wait for them to be published, gawd!), and someone should tell Amanda, who will also be thrilled. Thanks a whole heap to Erika, who convinced me to check out these books knowing I would pretend to vomit as she explained that they were romantasy novels but that I would, somehow, still like them. You have excellent instincts, my friend/we really are peas in a pod, regardless of the distance. I am going to be hunting down the “Clocktaur War” books to make the time pass until we have a publication date for book 5!