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The Saint of Steel #4
Paladin's Faith
Marguerite Florian is a spy with two problems. A former employer wants her dead, and one of her new bodyguards is a far too good-looking paladin with a martyr complex.
Shane is a paladin with three problems. His god is dead, his client is much too attractive for his peace of mind, and a powerful organization is trying to have them both killed.
Add in a brilliant artificer with a device that may change the world, a glittering and dangerous court, and a demon-led cult, and Shane and Marguerite will be lucky to escape with their souls intact, never mind their hearts. . .
Shane is a paladin with three problems. His god is dead, his client is much too attractive for his peace of mind, and a powerful organization is trying to have them both killed.
Add in a brilliant artificer with a device that may change the world, a glittering and dangerous court, and a demon-led cult, and Shane and Marguerite will be lucky to escape with their souls intact, never mind their hearts. . .
446 pages, ebook
First published December 5, 2023
About the author
T. Kingfisher
49 books16k 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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December 6, 2023Another truly delightful paladin romp, although I have to object that I don't think anyone gets beheaded in this book, like T Kingfisher what are you doing. [EDIT: I am wrong, there was indeed a decapitation.The universe is a well ordered place once more.]
This is a brilliant extension of the building story and I am dying for more. We expand the focus out to bring in the two female paladins and a couple of secondary characters of whom I expect to see more, there's some great cameos (I'm glad I just reread Clockwork Boys!) but mostly it's a really terrific adventure romance between a deeply practical/cynical spy, and a paladin consumed by guilt and self doubt. Sheer pleasure. If you're feeling battered by life, these are superb books to hide in because their protagonists are also battered by life, but the books are still full of warmth and love and humour and family. I kind of regret I glommed this in a sitting (what, I woke up at 3am, what was I meant to do).
This is a brilliant extension of the building story and I am dying for more. We expand the focus out to bring in the two female paladins and a couple of secondary characters of whom I expect to see more, there's some great cameos (I'm glad I just reread Clockwork Boys!) but mostly it's a really terrific adventure romance between a deeply practical/cynical spy, and a paladin consumed by guilt and self doubt. Sheer pleasure. If you're feeling battered by life, these are superb books to hide in because their protagonists are also battered by life, but the books are still full of warmth and love and humour and family. I kind of regret I glommed this in a sitting (what, I woke up at 3am, what was I meant to do).
December 9, 2023
⚠️ The GIF is strong in this one. Thou hast been warned and stuff.
This is Fantasy Romance.
Yeah, all that lovey-doveycrap stuff is repulsive as fish *shudders* but T. Kingfisher wrote it, so there.
(Don't ask.)
This world! Those characters! Those dialogues!Those cows that speak in tongues! Also, martyred beards and apologetic furniture and cheerfully bloodthirsty dispositions and suicidal goats and holes that randomly eat people and undead-hermit-crab-wolverine monsters!
Yeah that's about right.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): I HATE romance but I LURVED this book. Need I say more? Didn't think so 😬.
· Book 1: Paladin's Grace ★★★★
· Book 2: Paladin's Strength ★★
· Book 3: Paladin's Hope ★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
November 2023
Coming December 5th, 2023!!!!
This is Fantasy Romance.
Yeah, all that lovey-dovey
(Don't ask.)
This world! Those characters! Those dialogues!
Yeah that's about right.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): I HATE romance but I LURVED this book. Need I say more? Didn't think so 😬.
· Book 1: Paladin's Grace ★★★★
· Book 2: Paladin's Strength ★★
· Book 3: Paladin's Hope ★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
November 2023
Coming December 5th, 2023!!!!
December 14, 2023
I might just be a demon because if Shane told me to kneel in his sexy paladin voice, I would fold. (If Shane isn't your cup of tea, there is also an Asterion dupe in this book).
This book spoke to my soul. 💚 In true T. Kingfisher fashion, this book blends sense of fun, adventure, humour, with sorrow and melancholy.
Truth be told, I had completely forgotten about Marguerite, who first appears in Paladin's Grace. I'm so glad she got her own book. I love a woman who takes command. She is the perfect foil to Shane who is the most pitiful main character ever. I love him. It is so rare to see a sad, low self-esteem male main character. I loved the subversion of the typical romance dynamic.
Things in this book that were specifically tailored for me:
- An abundance of forehead kisses.
- A kind, gentle and noble paladin with a soothing voice. T. Kingfisher writes the best "good boys". Shane is probably the goodest of them all.
- Bodyguard romance with the BEST dynamic. When both of them turn into bumbling idiots around one another? He wraps her up in a cloak and bridal carries her? He takes care of her when she gets hurt? And so much ogling. I'm afraid I'm going to run out of checkmarks by the end of this review.
- An "Asterion" dupe!!! Davith made me laugh an unreasonable amount. I really hope we get to see more of him.
- Sweet sweet Wren. The person who probably most people will relate to. She is an ode to wallflowers everywhere. I feel like this is T. Kingfisher's way of saying "It's ok. I see you".
Although I found that there were some pacing issues around the 60% mark, the final resolution was satisfying. Some tears were shed.
The world of the White Rats keeps expanding. I love that these are all stand-alones, with interconnecting threads throughout. It is very clear from the endings of the last two books that something is shaping up. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite series.
When is the next one??? Are we predicting the cover colours now? Blue? Yellow? Pink?
This book spoke to my soul. 💚 In true T. Kingfisher fashion, this book blends sense of fun, adventure, humour, with sorrow and melancholy.
Truth be told, I had completely forgotten about Marguerite, who first appears in Paladin's Grace. I'm so glad she got her own book. I love a woman who takes command. She is the perfect foil to Shane who is the most pitiful main character ever. I love him. It is so rare to see a sad, low self-esteem male main character. I loved the subversion of the typical romance dynamic.
Things in this book that were specifically tailored for me:
- An abundance of forehead kisses.
- A kind, gentle and noble paladin with a soothing voice. T. Kingfisher writes the best "good boys". Shane is probably the goodest of them all.
- Bodyguard romance with the BEST dynamic. When both of them turn into bumbling idiots around one another? He wraps her up in a cloak and bridal carries her? He takes care of her when she gets hurt? And so much ogling. I'm afraid I'm going to run out of checkmarks by the end of this review.
- An "Asterion" dupe!!! Davith made me laugh an unreasonable amount. I really hope we get to see more of him.
- Sweet sweet Wren. The person who probably most people will relate to. She is an ode to wallflowers everywhere. I feel like this is T. Kingfisher's way of saying "It's ok. I see you".
Although I found that there were some pacing issues around the 60% mark, the final resolution was satisfying. Some tears were shed.
The world of the White Rats keeps expanding. I love that these are all stand-alones, with interconnecting threads throughout. It is very clear from the endings of the last two books that something is shaping up. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite series.
When is the next one??? Are we predicting the cover colours now? Blue? Yellow? Pink?
December 19, 2023
Catholic guilt, now available in Paladin
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December 6, 2023Look, I feel like you are either in the cult of the Saint of Steel by now, or not, but if you're not, this is book 4, go and start with book 1 (Paladin's Grace) and thank me later. These books are sweet, delicious romances, each one featuring a paladin of the Saint of Steel (a god-touched warrior who has recently been rent asunder by the death of their god) and a new love interest. They are very good romances, they're fluffy and good-humoured and consistently brilliant and hilarious. I love them, would read a million of them, etc.
However. These books (plus the Clockwork Boys books from earlier in the author's career, and Swordheart, also a delightful romance) are set in the same universe and their common factor is the Temple of the White Rat. It's a holy order of lawyers. And some community organisers too. Lawyers. Religious service that consists of filing affidavits and going to court. And honestly, these silly light fantasy books embody so clearly how legal public service works that it blows me way. The Temple's bishop, the remarkable Bishop Beartongue, is my favourite character in the series and in this book is quietly orchestrating the overturning of a continent's economy. For good reasons. But real reasons. And the fluffy romance against this background, of public service and community and real-world consequences to things, is to me unique and remarkable. Really would read a million of them.
However. These books (plus the Clockwork Boys books from earlier in the author's career, and Swordheart, also a delightful romance) are set in the same universe and their common factor is the Temple of the White Rat. It's a holy order of lawyers. And some community organisers too. Lawyers. Religious service that consists of filing affidavits and going to court. And honestly, these silly light fantasy books embody so clearly how legal public service works that it blows me way. The Temple's bishop, the remarkable Bishop Beartongue, is my favourite character in the series and in this book is quietly orchestrating the overturning of a continent's economy. For good reasons. But real reasons. And the fluffy romance against this background, of public service and community and real-world consequences to things, is to me unique and remarkable. Really would read a million of them.
December 23, 2023
This book was one that I had been waiting on for so long. I love the world of The Saint of Steel Paladins. But god I am so disappointed. The 2.5 stars is probably impacted by the degree of disappointment I feel honestly.
The appeal of the first three books in this series came from it being a fairly unique blend of charming cozy horror- of which this is not. The first 50% of this was a kind of dull spy/ political court story but I just found that it lacked the sophistation that is required for court stories to be interesting. I thought about DNFing at 50% but wanted to be able to base my thoughts on the work as a whole so pushed through but found myself skimming a lot. The second half was better than the first by a long margin but honestly, the damage was done by that point.
I didn’t care for Marguerite at all as a FMC and I didn’t really enjoy the journey of their relationship and how it developed. I want to avoid talking about spoilers in too much detail but there was one part in particular which really killed it for me. Honestly I enjoyed Wren and her story substantially more. And I’m kind of sad that it was kind of just dumped like a sack of potatos (I wouldnt be surprised if this is a story for a future book though).
I’m not going to lie… my enjoyment of this book was often diverted due to a sense of resentment that Stephen, Piper and Galen (my favourite characters) were off in the background exploring the plot line I had significantly more interest in and was largely ignored in this book.
Kingfisher has become a super polarizing author for me. When they hit, it’s 5 stars, but when they miss, they really miss for me.
Additionally, I feel like Kingfisher talks about large breasts constantly, and it’s not in a way that large busted women generally think of their chests or behave (it feels more the way a man would write about large breasts honestly). I feel like it gives me the same ick I get from gratuitous fan service in anime and every time it happens I have to pull the book away and grimace at the ceiling. But I acknowledge that this seems to be a me problem and that I am impacted by it more than other reviews I see, but I cannot shake it for the life of me.
For example: “Marguerite, who could not have done a single push up even if her breast hadn’t rendered the issue largely moot, tried not to feel bitter envy”. Gives me the ick, also how large would your breasts need to be that you could not do a push up at all??
Will I continue to read this series, yes, the world building and characters in it are still fabulous. I will unfortunately not go into future installments with the same blind trust I had before this one though. (Gosh, two rants in a week, who am I)
The appeal of the first three books in this series came from it being a fairly unique blend of charming cozy horror- of which this is not. The first 50% of this was a kind of dull spy/ political court story but I just found that it lacked the sophistation that is required for court stories to be interesting. I thought about DNFing at 50% but wanted to be able to base my thoughts on the work as a whole so pushed through but found myself skimming a lot. The second half was better than the first by a long margin but honestly, the damage was done by that point.
I didn’t care for Marguerite at all as a FMC and I didn’t really enjoy the journey of their relationship and how it developed. I want to avoid talking about spoilers in too much detail but there was one part in particular which really killed it for me. Honestly I enjoyed Wren and her story substantially more. And I’m kind of sad that it was kind of just dumped like a sack of potatos (I wouldnt be surprised if this is a story for a future book though).
I’m not going to lie… my enjoyment of this book was often diverted due to a sense of resentment that Stephen, Piper and Galen (my favourite characters) were off in the background exploring the plot line I had significantly more interest in and was largely ignored in this book.
Kingfisher has become a super polarizing author for me. When they hit, it’s 5 stars, but when they miss, they really miss for me.
Additionally, I feel like Kingfisher talks about large breasts constantly, and it’s not in a way that large busted women generally think of their chests or behave (it feels more the way a man would write about large breasts honestly). I feel like it gives me the same ick I get from gratuitous fan service in anime and every time it happens I have to pull the book away and grimace at the ceiling. But I acknowledge that this seems to be a me problem and that I am impacted by it more than other reviews I see, but I cannot shake it for the life of me.
For example: “Marguerite, who could not have done a single push up even if her breast hadn’t rendered the issue largely moot, tried not to feel bitter envy”. Gives me the ick, also how large would your breasts need to be that you could not do a push up at all??
Will I continue to read this series, yes, the world building and characters in it are still fabulous. I will unfortunately not go into future installments with the same blind trust I had before this one though. (Gosh, two rants in a week, who am I)
December 10, 2023
When I got the warning email from fantasticfiction (highly recommended by the way) this was going to be a release very very soon my fangirl comments were
"Omg, coming out in a few weeks! ( I love you fantasticfiction and your emails, really).
Want."
and yes, yes, lived up to it, indeed!
Now, despite me really wanting this book 4, I was ultimately lukewarm about 3 and even a bit about book 2. But this was as good as I hoped, and some more. The previous books have been really quite good fantasy romances, good as romances (each volume one pairing) and fantasy novels, but this one uplevels the fantasy, and yes yes yes, I want to know more, much more of ongoing plots - all the while still being satisfied with the ending. I loved the fantasy ideas and concepts being thrown around, yes yes yes. (I am not sure if I would recommend this as a standalone, because a lot of the universe might be otherwise baffling though I think it is OK to jump from book 1 to book 4!)
The characters were all fantastic. All. Really. The writing is her at her funniest, and that is very funny indeed and the romance felt right. I used to complain about some patterns and things I did not like in her books, but here what is there of the things I complained about (a road trip, some mental lusting) feels right, and there are no gnoles, none at all (I am in a very small minority, but I got issues with the gnole roles in both individual plots and universe at large). It is a really long fantasy book (135+kwords, by my count) but it is just the right length for the story, not bloated, not slow, not rushed, all good.
Now I want very badly the stories of the remaining paladins. Maybe there will be 3 more books? I suppose Marcus and his wife, as mentioned in previous books will get a story, but also Wren (and more of the snarky one, oh please, no matter with whom. More of the snarky one, he is as good as the old ladies for entertainment), and also oh yeah the other one, not going to mention who. (Is one of the future books going to be called Paladin's Wisdom? Oh, I want!).
And see, this is why I do not make best of the year lists in November, I might get lucky in December (and usually I do... Making lists too early might lead to bad book karma? If you hope for good books maybe they will come out of hiding and thrown themselves your way...)
Incidentally I have been vaguely meaning to reread more Pratchett, particularly Small Gods, and this is tipping the point for that. It might be an influence here (but I need to reread it..)
"Omg, coming out in a few weeks! ( I love you fantasticfiction and your emails, really).
Want."
and yes, yes, lived up to it, indeed!
Now, despite me really wanting this book 4, I was ultimately lukewarm about 3 and even a bit about book 2. But this was as good as I hoped, and some more. The previous books have been really quite good fantasy romances, good as romances (each volume one pairing) and fantasy novels, but this one uplevels the fantasy, and yes yes yes, I want to know more, much more of ongoing plots - all the while still being satisfied with the ending. I loved the fantasy ideas and concepts being thrown around, yes yes yes. (I am not sure if I would recommend this as a standalone, because a lot of the universe might be otherwise baffling though I think it is OK to jump from book 1 to book 4!)
The characters were all fantastic. All. Really. The writing is her at her funniest, and that is very funny indeed and the romance felt right. I used to complain about some patterns and things I did not like in her books, but here what is there of the things I complained about (a road trip, some mental lusting) feels right, and there are no gnoles, none at all (I am in a very small minority, but I got issues with the gnole roles in both individual plots and universe at large). It is a really long fantasy book (135+kwords, by my count) but it is just the right length for the story, not bloated, not slow, not rushed, all good.
Now I want very badly the stories of the remaining paladins. Maybe there will be 3 more books? I suppose Marcus and his wife, as mentioned in previous books will get a story, but also Wren (and more of the snarky one, oh please, no matter with whom. More of the snarky one, he is as good as the old ladies for entertainment), and also oh yeah the other one, not going to mention who. (Is one of the future books going to be called Paladin's Wisdom? Oh, I want!).
And see, this is why I do not make best of the year lists in November, I might get lucky in December (and usually I do... Making lists too early might lead to bad book karma? If you hope for good books maybe they will come out of hiding and thrown themselves your way...)
Incidentally I have been vaguely meaning to reread more Pratchett, particularly Small Gods, and this is tipping the point for that. It might be an influence here (but I need to reread it..)
February 15, 2024
DNF @ 62%
I tried. I really did, but this was just... not good.
I'm devastated to say this about the 4th book in a series I've generally really enjoyed (not to mention it's a T. Kingfisher), but I could not hold out any longer.
First off our FMC, Marguerite, is supposedly a spy. She did not read as a spy - rather, she read like someone who thinks they're a spy (this is a very big distinction). Also, she's described by all as this badass, but in reality she was just really bad at her job - Wren literally did the majority of the spy work and we didn't even get to see it!
Secondly, the FMC and MMC had absolutely 0 chemistry. In fact, if the synopsis hadn't explicitly stated that Shane was the love interest, I would have thought we just hadn't met the guy yet. This was a regretful revelation for someone in the mood for a Fantasy Romance.
And I'm not even gonna get into the devastating lack of gnole content...
I think my mood and rating are definitely sour as a reflection of my disappointment... I'm just gonna pretend this doesn't exist, tbh.
I tried. I really did, but this was just... not good.
I'm devastated to say this about the 4th book in a series I've generally really enjoyed (not to mention it's a T. Kingfisher), but I could not hold out any longer.
First off our FMC, Marguerite, is supposedly a spy. She did not read as a spy - rather, she read like someone who thinks they're a spy (this is a very big distinction). Also, she's described by all as this badass, but in reality she was just really bad at her job - Wren literally did the majority of the spy work and we didn't even get to see it!
Secondly, the FMC and MMC had absolutely 0 chemistry. In fact, if the synopsis hadn't explicitly stated that Shane was the love interest, I would have thought we just hadn't met the guy yet. This was a regretful revelation for someone in the mood for a Fantasy Romance.
And I'm not even gonna get into the devastating lack of gnole content...
I think my mood and rating are definitely sour as a reflection of my disappointment... I'm just gonna pretend this doesn't exist, tbh.
April 22, 2024
Glad to read Marguerite’s story finally! Loved her and Shane.
It was an interesting book that read as filler at times and ending we get definitely sells that, but I loved every piece of this.
Full Review: Look I loved Marguerite and Shane, but the highlights were Davitch and Wren. I can't wait for some follow-up there.
"Paladin's Faith" follows the events of the last book with some of the lost paladin going off to find out who killed their god and others staying behind to still work for the White Rat. Shane and his sister (the paladins call each other brother and sister) Wren are tasked with working with spymaster Marguerite. We know that Marguerite got herself in hot water in the events of book one, but now she's running out of time since the Red Sail is out to kill her. She's determined to find a figure that can in essence perform something miraculous that could change their world as they know it.
With Shane and Wren in tow, Marguerite goes off and shows how honestly boring spywork mostly is. We get to see Shane and Marguerite's growing attraction to each other and Wren feeling adrift.
I will say though I gave this five stars, I didn't mark it as a favorite. And honestly that's because I didn't find Marguerite and Shane that compelling in retrospect as a couple. Sorry, my heart still lies with Stephen and Grace. I also don't see me re-reading this one since I do think at one point things are just happening to get to the next book and not so much that it needed to happen. You will get what I am talking about later on when you read this one.
And lastly that ending....Kingfisher needs to stop with the cliffhangers now. And that's because it's not satisfying to read and then get to a point where you go great. Each book in a series needs to stand alone. At this point, four books in, we get the world building in broad strokes with some things (new) tossed our way here. And we get new characters and intrigue. I would just like the book to end and actually focus on the couple. Not the next person or some random ending that has you go, great, another book we go.
It was an interesting book that read as filler at times and ending we get definitely sells that, but I loved every piece of this.
Full Review: Look I loved Marguerite and Shane, but the highlights were Davitch and Wren. I can't wait for some follow-up there.
"Paladin's Faith" follows the events of the last book with some of the lost paladin going off to find out who killed their god and others staying behind to still work for the White Rat. Shane and his sister (the paladins call each other brother and sister) Wren are tasked with working with spymaster Marguerite. We know that Marguerite got herself in hot water in the events of book one, but now she's running out of time since the Red Sail is out to kill her. She's determined to find a figure that can in essence perform something miraculous that could change their world as they know it.
With Shane and Wren in tow, Marguerite goes off and shows how honestly boring spywork mostly is. We get to see Shane and Marguerite's growing attraction to each other and Wren feeling adrift.
I will say though I gave this five stars, I didn't mark it as a favorite. And honestly that's because I didn't find Marguerite and Shane that compelling in retrospect as a couple. Sorry, my heart still lies with Stephen and Grace. I also don't see me re-reading this one since I do think at one point things are just happening to get to the next book and not so much that it needed to happen. You will get what I am talking about later on when you read this one.
And lastly that ending....Kingfisher needs to stop with the cliffhangers now. And that's because it's not satisfying to read and then get to a point where you go great. Each book in a series needs to stand alone. At this point, four books in, we get the world building in broad strokes with some things (new) tossed our way here. And we get new characters and intrigue. I would just like the book to end and actually focus on the couple. Not the next person or some random ending that has you go, great, another book we go.
December 23, 2023
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Paladin's Faith is the four book in the the Saint of Steel series and it was phenomenal. T. Kingfisher has done a great job with all of the all of her books with Paladins in them. I love that she leans into the trope that they have a tendency to take blame for everything, feel guilty for things they shouldn't and the general martyrdom they feel. I have found Paladins in the past to be one of my least favorite tropes but with this view of them it completely works. The Saint of Steel series follows a set of Paladin's whose god has died. They have been left adrift after the death of their god an now serve the Temple of the White Rat who took them in. Shane, is special in that he lost two gods in his life, not just one and so he can be extra broody about it sometimes.
We met Marguerite in Paladin's Grace. She is a high caliper spy, and is currently trying not to get killed by her sometimes employer and sometimes enemy, the Red Sail. It seems that some of them have it in their head to kill her. She needs to borrow a few Paladins to help her find an artificer who has built a contraption that will destabilize the Red Sail enough that Marguerite is not in danger anymore. The job is simple, get the the Court of Smoke, gather intel to figure out where the artificer is and get to her before the Red Sail. Also, don't die in the process. Marguerite is in more more than she expected though with two Paladins in tow and a building lust between herself and Shane.
The Court is a dangerous place. Subtle intrigue is not really what Paladins train for but Wren and Shane are doing well enough under Marguerite's tutelage. Shane can't help but like almost everything about Marguerite and it is so distracting to him. He is dangerous without his god, all the Saints of Steel are with nothing to guide him when he goes into a Berserker's rage.
What I love about this series is that there is the greater arc of how did the Saint of Steel even die, I mean he was a god and who can kill that, but it is also the stories of how each of the Paladins who lost their god find a way in this new world. I especially liked that not only did we get time with Shane, but also Wren to see more of the love and dynamic between the survivors. They are siblings and Shane might make mistakes while trying to help his little sister, but it is always well meant and sweet.
I would say that this is probably my favorite of the series since Paladin's Grace and with the set up for Judith's book which I assume will be next, I will try to wait patiently to see what T. Kingfisher's plan is for her. T. Kingfisher has a humor I love and great moments between flawed characters. I always enjoy the stories she tells.
Paladin's Faith is the four book in the the Saint of Steel series and it was phenomenal. T. Kingfisher has done a great job with all of the all of her books with Paladins in them. I love that she leans into the trope that they have a tendency to take blame for everything, feel guilty for things they shouldn't and the general martyrdom they feel. I have found Paladins in the past to be one of my least favorite tropes but with this view of them it completely works. The Saint of Steel series follows a set of Paladin's whose god has died. They have been left adrift after the death of their god an now serve the Temple of the White Rat who took them in. Shane, is special in that he lost two gods in his life, not just one and so he can be extra broody about it sometimes.
Shane wondered if there was a term for feeling guilty about not feeling sufficiently guilty.
We met Marguerite in Paladin's Grace. She is a high caliper spy, and is currently trying not to get killed by her sometimes employer and sometimes enemy, the Red Sail. It seems that some of them have it in their head to kill her. She needs to borrow a few Paladins to help her find an artificer who has built a contraption that will destabilize the Red Sail enough that Marguerite is not in danger anymore. The job is simple, get the the Court of Smoke, gather intel to figure out where the artificer is and get to her before the Red Sail. Also, don't die in the process. Marguerite is in more more than she expected though with two Paladins in tow and a building lust between herself and Shane.
The Court is a dangerous place. Subtle intrigue is not really what Paladins train for but Wren and Shane are doing well enough under Marguerite's tutelage. Shane can't help but like almost everything about Marguerite and it is so distracting to him. He is dangerous without his god, all the Saints of Steel are with nothing to guide him when he goes into a Berserker's rage.
"I don't want to hurt you." Which, in most other men, she would have taken as a brush-off, but in Shane was probably nothing more of less than the truth
"Physically of emotionally?"
"Errr..." He had to think about that. "I was mostly worried about physically. You, um...don't seem very vulnerable emotionally."
What I love about this series is that there is the greater arc of how did the Saint of Steel even die, I mean he was a god and who can kill that, but it is also the stories of how each of the Paladins who lost their god find a way in this new world. I especially liked that not only did we get time with Shane, but also Wren to see more of the love and dynamic between the survivors. They are siblings and Shane might make mistakes while trying to help his little sister, but it is always well meant and sweet.
I would say that this is probably my favorite of the series since Paladin's Grace and with the set up for Judith's book which I assume will be next, I will try to wait patiently to see what T. Kingfisher's plan is for her. T. Kingfisher has a humor I love and great moments between flawed characters. I always enjoy the stories she tells.
“Shane,” she said, turning to look at the paladin, “when a woman is lamenting that she doesn’t feel attractive, you’re supposed to tell her she’s beautiful. Not that you’re honored to kill people with her.”
He looked at her blankly, then said, “Oh.”
December 10, 2023
I do not read romance novels... unless, apparently, they are set in the World of the White Rat. I love the world building and will put up with romances to spend more time in the world. Starts off slowly, with almost insa-lust (it's an improvement over insa-love!), some spying, avoiding of assassins and the search for a particular arctifacer. There is also a clever demon involved. A fun, cozy-fantasy.
September 12, 2024
4 stars. Charming and containing yet another cast of lovable characters, Paladin’s Faith continues this series’ tradition of being utterly enjoyable jaunty fantasies with just the right amount of romance.
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January 23, 2024Sometimes I feel like I write the worst reviews for the books I love the most. The more emphatically glowing the adjectives—superb, hilarious, perfect—the emptier the recommendation seems. You all are gonna think it’s exaggerated discourse hiding mediocre affections. It’s not. It’s not! My affections are straight-up overflowing this cracked cauldron. I love T. Kingfisher. I love these paladin books specifically. I love how the seemingly incongruous mixture of romantic yearning, swashbuckling adventure, whimsical horrors, grounded fantasy economics, divine mystery, and genuinely funny jokes all comes together. In the hands of a lesser writer that combination could induce cringe whiplash, but in T. Kingfisher’s hands, what it induces is desire (1) to reread the hell out of these marvelous books (2) to take you gently by the shoulders and make uncomfortable eye contact—I’m not great at eye contact so this is really saying something, y’all—and earnestly proselytize these books to you. I have been so sad since I finished this one because all I want is to be back in this world, laughing at unexpected perfume jokes and mentally yelling “KISS” at Marguerite (sneaky, clever spy with a flexible moral code who sometimes does sex work and happens to need a sword-wielding bodyguard who can’t be bribed) and Shane (deeply un-sneaky, very straightforward holy warrior who is tormented by his feelings of lust for Marguerite, who he’s supposed to be protecting). They do kiss, I’m delighted to report.
December 12, 2023
Some thoughts:
- Longer than it needed to be, but added some interesting depth to the lore (I was intrigued by the end of the last book that suggested that the Saint's fate would actually be explored rather than just used as the set up, and it looks like that's indeed the case).
- I was probably never going to like this quite as much as the other ones because I really could not be much less interested in Shane. Stephen irritated me in a similar way but with less of stick up ass as pointed out by many characters. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book - I've yet to regret spending time in any Kingfisherverse novel, but I was merely happy that characters involved in a plot I'm invested in found love, rather than being particularly moved or turned on by the romantic plot itself.
- I always want more Istvhan. This is Kingfisher's own fault and she has no one but herself to blame.
- Him, followed by Beartongue, Piper, and apparently Ashes Magnus are my favourite Saints characters (Clara and Zale can come too, and Brindle and Earstripe).
- I miss the gnoles.
- Marguerite kind of seemed like a different person in this one?
- Appreciate that all these books have people of all ages and experiences having conversations about sex and desire and preferences and teaching/learning and consent and it's all very hot.
- Looks like we have Marcus, Wren, and Judith still to go. I am most curious about Judith. As for Marcus, I hope his love story lets him go back to his wife. That would certainly force Kingfisher to shake up the formula a bit. (I love her, I really do, but: "I will never have a relationship" - "I CAN'T have a relationship with hot person because of the reason!" - kiss - "Oh no what if I hurt them with my berserker ways"/"I don't DESERVE love" - sex 1 - sex 2 - final non-romance plot is resolved - "I love you" - fin. Every time. Let's see what she can do with an already established relationship.) Wren just deserves the world.
- AND THESE COVERS. I absolutely love these freaking covers. A+ job.
- Longer than it needed to be, but added some interesting depth to the lore (I was intrigued by the end of the last book that suggested that the Saint's fate would actually be explored rather than just used as the set up, and it looks like that's indeed the case).
- I was probably never going to like this quite as much as the other ones because I really could not be much less interested in Shane. Stephen irritated me in a similar way but with less of stick up ass as pointed out by many characters. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book - I've yet to regret spending time in any Kingfisherverse novel, but I was merely happy that characters involved in a plot I'm invested in found love, rather than being particularly moved or turned on by the romantic plot itself.
- I always want more Istvhan. This is Kingfisher's own fault and she has no one but herself to blame.
- Him, followed by Beartongue, Piper, and apparently Ashes Magnus are my favourite Saints characters (Clara and Zale can come too, and Brindle and Earstripe).
- I miss the gnoles.
- Marguerite kind of seemed like a different person in this one?
- Appreciate that all these books have people of all ages and experiences having conversations about sex and desire and preferences and teaching/learning and consent and it's all very hot.
- Looks like we have Marcus, Wren, and Judith still to go. I am most curious about Judith. As for Marcus, I hope his love story lets him go back to his wife. That would certainly force Kingfisher to shake up the formula a bit. (I love her, I really do, but: "I will never have a relationship" - "I CAN'T have a relationship with hot person because of the reason!" - kiss - "Oh no what if I hurt them with my berserker ways"/"I don't DESERVE love" - sex 1 - sex 2 - final non-romance plot is resolved - "I love you" - fin. Every time. Let's see what she can do with an already established relationship.) Wren just deserves the world.
- AND THESE COVERS. I absolutely love these freaking covers. A+ job.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2024
Really nice fantasy book in this series. Fun and entertaining read with a surprisingly developed world setting. Nice humor throughout. Very recommended
December 17, 2023
December 2023
I appreciated and quite loved a bunch of elements of the midway point in this series. Sadly, this felt somehow off to me, compared to the other eight T. Kingfisher books I read. I feel like the bones of it were all there, but maybe it needed another draft, another pass. It felt more like a series of adventure episodes that rather meanders and doesn't build up to anything, except the conclusion of the romance, which also felt a bit sketched out. But I did like it and I don't feel like being hard on it right now by critiquing it further.
So here are some of the things I loved:
+Marguerite performing an act of sexpionage during the adventure and Shane accepting that, with the resolution making it clear that Shane still accepts that might happen in the future and he has no say in it.
+This is another of those books that understands why some people might love and benefit from D/s sexual dynamics (and it was good!).
+A lot of fun little moments and classic T. Kingfisher humor. Particularly enjoyed Magnus as a character, the Dreaming God paladin dynamics and the worldbuilding we got.
+I'm super intrigued by Judith, I imagine hers will be the final book in the series.
+Lady Silver and the whole year-gods thing was really great, hope we get more from that.
Prediction:
Still excited for the rest of the series!
November 2023
Oooh, Christmas is coming early with more paladin romance!
I appreciated and quite loved a bunch of elements of the midway point in this series. Sadly, this felt somehow off to me, compared to the other eight T. Kingfisher books I read. I feel like the bones of it were all there, but maybe it needed another draft, another pass. It felt more like a series of adventure episodes that rather meanders and doesn't build up to anything, except the conclusion of the romance, which also felt a bit sketched out. But I did like it and I don't feel like being hard on it right now by critiquing it further.
So here are some of the things I loved:
+Marguerite performing an act of sexpionage during the adventure and Shane accepting that, with the resolution making it clear that Shane still accepts that might happen in the future and he has no say in it.
+This is another of those books that understands why some people might love and benefit from D/s sexual dynamics (and it was good!).
+A lot of fun little moments and classic T. Kingfisher humor. Particularly enjoyed Magnus as a character, the Dreaming God paladin dynamics and the worldbuilding we got.
+I'm super intrigued by Judith, I imagine hers will be the final book in the series.
+Lady Silver and the whole year-gods thing was really great, hope we get more from that.
Prediction:
Still excited for the rest of the series!
November 2023
Oooh, Christmas is coming early with more paladin romance!
December 25, 2023
страшенно люблю цю серію
December 30, 2023
Paladin’s Faith is a fourth book in The Saint of Steel fantasy romance series by T. Kingfisher. It follows the paladins of a dead god who try to find their place in a world where they are no longer needed, set in the same world as the Clocktaur War duology, though a few decades later.
Shane is a paladin abandoned by two gods, which has given him a huge inferiority complex and a fear of getting everyone around him killed. He’s ordered to protect Marguerite Florian, a spy who is trying to locate an artificer who has created a device that’ll potentially disrupt the economy of the entire world. She’s a resourceful woman with few compunctions about her work and how she gets it done, which doesn’t always sit well with Shane. Naturally, a romance ensues, albeit slowly, as one of them fears he’s not good enough and the other doesn’t really have a need for a romance.
Despite the interesting premise, this is by far the weakest book in the series. The entire first half of the rather long book is basically filler events, with a token attempt made to locate the artificer. The romance doesn’t go anywhere. Things pick up on the latter half, but what was supposed to be the driving force of the plot takes a back seat when a new storyline appears, and is all but forgotten. It’s Shane’s story, and it’s a good one, but it doesn’t really mesh with the romance. That the pair ends up together in the end is because this is a romance, and the book would’ve been fine without.
On top of the weak story, this lacks the charm and delightful whimsy of the earlier books. Marguerite doesn’t make a very interesting romantic heroine and while Shane has his moments, he’s not much of a romantic hero either. Side characters exist to fill the pages, but I suspect their story will come later. And not a single gnol made an appearance. The epilogue promises an interesting story to come though, and even though this was a disappointment, I’ll definitely read on.
Shane is a paladin abandoned by two gods, which has given him a huge inferiority complex and a fear of getting everyone around him killed. He’s ordered to protect Marguerite Florian, a spy who is trying to locate an artificer who has created a device that’ll potentially disrupt the economy of the entire world. She’s a resourceful woman with few compunctions about her work and how she gets it done, which doesn’t always sit well with Shane. Naturally, a romance ensues, albeit slowly, as one of them fears he’s not good enough and the other doesn’t really have a need for a romance.
Despite the interesting premise, this is by far the weakest book in the series. The entire first half of the rather long book is basically filler events, with a token attempt made to locate the artificer. The romance doesn’t go anywhere. Things pick up on the latter half, but what was supposed to be the driving force of the plot takes a back seat when a new storyline appears, and is all but forgotten. It’s Shane’s story, and it’s a good one, but it doesn’t really mesh with the romance. That the pair ends up together in the end is because this is a romance, and the book would’ve been fine without.
On top of the weak story, this lacks the charm and delightful whimsy of the earlier books. Marguerite doesn’t make a very interesting romantic heroine and while Shane has his moments, he’s not much of a romantic hero either. Side characters exist to fill the pages, but I suspect their story will come later. And not a single gnol made an appearance. The epilogue promises an interesting story to come though, and even though this was a disappointment, I’ll definitely read on.
March 13, 2024
I cannot believe I am saying this. But. This is too long and weirdly paced.
Read
December 7, 2023Očekivano dobrodušni fentezi - sad je već jasno da je Ursula Vernon rešila da napiše po jedan lagani ljubavni roman o svakom članu ekipe tužnih paladina (njih sedmoro) koji su ostali bez sveca/polubožanstva u čije ime su se borili diljem svojih domovina, i da sve njih srećno i adekvatno udomi. Rekla bih da je za nijansu-dve uspešniji nego njene najnovije horor/fentezi novele, kao da je pisan s više gušta a manje unapred smišljenog koncepta.
Read
December 31, 2023DNF at 25%
Yeah no this ain't doing it for me unforunately, and it's a last minute read of 2023 so that makes it even worse 🤡😪 originally as I said before, paladin's grace as the first book of the series felt more original and the best book in the series and it stayed true to this fact.
Yeah no this ain't doing it for me unforunately, and it's a last minute read of 2023 so that makes it even worse 🤡😪 originally as I said before, paladin's grace as the first book of the series felt more original and the best book in the series and it stayed true to this fact.
Want to read
November 21, 2023I'm screaming, crying, and need this book like yesterday. 🥹
February 5, 2024
Truly from the bottom of my heart did not care about the romance in this one, but I'll live. Still delightful.
Read
December 11, 2023Još jedan paladin srećno udomljen, još jedan zaobilazni korak bliže razrešenju misterije
July 31, 2024
This was such a delight! We see Marguerite, whom we met in book one, return to the story. She needs help, and goes to Bishop Beartongue of the Rat God. Marguerite has worked for years as a spy for an organization called the Sail, and says she needs protection from them, as a part of the organization wants to kill her. Margeurite knows that there is an artificer who has develoiped a new technology so innovative that it can help change society so significantly that the Sail won't have time to kill her anymore.
Beartongue can see the advantage, and loans her two paladins, Shane and Wren, for protection while Marguerite elicits information from various contacts at a several day long event held by the Court of Smoke.
Things eventually go wrong, and they have to go on the run, with a fellow spy known by Marguerite. They must both stay alive while finding the artificer.
This was such a fun adventure story with the author's trademark humour and compassion for her characters. We get to meet two wonderful female paladins, in Wren and Judith, and get to watch the cynical, guarded and practical Marguerite lose her heart to a paladin consumed by guilt and doubt. It's a sweet, hopeful, and kind story, and made me happy.
Beartongue can see the advantage, and loans her two paladins, Shane and Wren, for protection while Marguerite elicits information from various contacts at a several day long event held by the Court of Smoke.
Things eventually go wrong, and they have to go on the run, with a fellow spy known by Marguerite. They must both stay alive while finding the artificer.
This was such a fun adventure story with the author's trademark humour and compassion for her characters. We get to meet two wonderful female paladins, in Wren and Judith, and get to watch the cynical, guarded and practical Marguerite lose her heart to a paladin consumed by guilt and doubt. It's a sweet, hopeful, and kind story, and made me happy.
January 2, 2024
I am, as usual, quite gratified to find middle-aged main characters in a fantasy series with their concomitant backaches, aching knees in damp weather, worsening eyesight and even (non-pregnancy related) stretch marks! As a bonus, even a childfree woman! I do also love the sprightly practical Magnus although this intelligent artificer only appears in the last 20% or so.
Perhaps it's due to reading this through a distracting time but I found myself not hooked, especially when the troupe is in court. Also Shane's moralistic judgemental attitude toward Marguerite's necessary spy duties (seduction) was rather off-putting. I'm just not into the brawn 'I want to protect the wimmen' prototype. Wren is the antidote to that but her vulnerability to vicious 'womanly' gossip is puzzling. I do wish Davith's backstory is a bit more fleshed out, with tantalizing hints of what affects him.
The action did ramp up in the last fifth of the novel when demon and Dreaming God were involved. I would have liked more theology exploration. This is #4 of the Saints of Steel series, it's interesting as each of the paladins get a feature and I presume Judith will be the focus of #5. 3.5⭐️
Perhaps it's due to reading this through a distracting time but I found myself not hooked, especially when the troupe is in court. Also Shane's moralistic judgemental attitude toward Marguerite's necessary spy duties (seduction) was rather off-putting. I'm just not into the brawn 'I want to protect the wimmen' prototype. Wren is the antidote to that but her vulnerability to vicious 'womanly' gossip is puzzling. I do wish Davith's backstory is a bit more fleshed out, with tantalizing hints of what affects him.
The action did ramp up in the last fifth of the novel when demon and Dreaming God were involved. I would have liked more theology exploration. This is #4 of the Saints of Steel series, it's interesting as each of the paladins get a feature and I presume Judith will be the focus of #5. 3.5⭐️
January 31, 2024
It's high time I start looking for a paladin of my own.
This entire serie is like coming home after a long, mildly bad day and find fire roaring in the stove, a hot meal and a comfortable padded chair big enough to curl into, with your cats on your lap and a pot of tea on the side.
This guys are the greenest flags ever. I love that they are not teenagers. That they have a past, scars, and even if they think they are broken, they still can chose the right thing, and ultimately find love. Our female main characters are not children either, they are full fleshed and all around adorable (yes, even sassy Marguerite and her hilarious inner monologue. I have one of those, so I can relate). Shane was just a tad too mopey for my taste, but it was clear from the previous books he was going to be. Not even Stephen managed it to that extent!
The worldbuilding is sublime. I have yet to read the main serie, but I understood everything that is going on in the books without it being dumped or heavy. We have real stakes, not just filler side plots to justify the romance. Amazingly, it is possible to do both justice. I am now stoked to know what really happened to the Saint of Steel, because at this point I doubt Kingfisher is meaning to let it fade. What we saw or found out in this installment is so very interesting and I can't wait to see where it goes.
The side character are not even so "side" honestly. Bishop Beartongue is a constant, solid figure, and the entire Temple of the Rat is a marvelous concept, so well developed. Can we have one, too? We would sorely need it in this world as well, I fear.
Lady Silver was an unexpected addition, at least to me. I hope to see more of her or her kind as well.
I also hope Wren and Judith get their own books in time, and I believe it may be the case, especially the latter.
That said, my absolute favorite is Istvhan and I swear to the Rat if I don't see him again I'm going to riot.
And yes, I do feel a bit guilty that I temporarily dumped PJ's Chalice of the Gods to read this. I still love you too, Percy, I promise.
This entire serie is like coming home after a long, mildly bad day and find fire roaring in the stove, a hot meal and a comfortable padded chair big enough to curl into, with your cats on your lap and a pot of tea on the side.
This guys are the greenest flags ever. I love that they are not teenagers. That they have a past, scars, and even if they think they are broken, they still can chose the right thing, and ultimately find love. Our female main characters are not children either, they are full fleshed and all around adorable (yes, even sassy Marguerite and her hilarious inner monologue. I have one of those, so I can relate). Shane was just a tad too mopey for my taste, but it was clear from the previous books he was going to be. Not even Stephen managed it to that extent!
The worldbuilding is sublime. I have yet to read the main serie, but I understood everything that is going on in the books without it being dumped or heavy. We have real stakes, not just filler side plots to justify the romance. Amazingly, it is possible to do both justice. I am now stoked to know what really happened to the Saint of Steel, because at this point I doubt Kingfisher is meaning to let it fade. What we saw or found out in this installment is so very interesting and I can't wait to see where it goes.
The side character are not even so "side" honestly. Bishop Beartongue is a constant, solid figure, and the entire Temple of the Rat is a marvelous concept, so well developed. Can we have one, too? We would sorely need it in this world as well, I fear.
Lady Silver was an unexpected addition, at least to me. I hope to see more of her or her kind as well.
I also hope Wren and Judith get their own books in time, and I believe it may be the case, especially the latter.
That said, my absolute favorite is Istvhan and I swear to the Rat if I don't see him again I'm going to riot.
And yes, I do feel a bit guilty that I temporarily dumped PJ's Chalice of the Gods to read this. I still love you too, Percy, I promise.
March 28, 2024
We're back to the road trip, everyone. While I think Paladin's Faith corrected some of the mistakes of the series' second Paladin's Strength by making the party much smaller and consequently actually allowing us to learn something about them - except I did not actually enjoy the dynamic of the quartet very much - I am not sure it managed to improve over that second instalment. And certainly it lost most of the momentum and humour of the third.
Paladin's Faith starts out as something more akin to a spy story, where our main goal should be to save an artificer from a merchant-spy organisation at a court of nobility. I actually enjoyed this idea - the paladins and our lead Shane are way out of their depth once it comes only to socialising, intrigue, information and bitching around, and I think placing Wren and Shane in their respective roles as 'small noble' and 'brooding bodyguard' was a very interesting premise. Marguerite, the spy we know from (still the best of the series, now very very closely followed by part three) Paladin's Grace, is the only one truly in her element there. We even had the seeds for interesting moral and ethical questions, and something that could have become a very interesting point of contestion between the two romantic leads, the incredibly moral and honest paladin Shane and the significantly more pragmatically-moral spy Marguerite. Wren and Davith's characters, too, as well as others in the Court of Smoke (Lady Silver? Fennel? Even that horribly lecherous Lord?) could have made for an excellent and shillering cast to dive into questions of ethics and morals in a world both run by capitalist merchant's guilds as well as gods and their black/white morality paladins. The potential. Gold.
Except, what do we do? About halfway through we abandon the Court Arc of the story, move to the Quartet on a Hike arc (I really disliked that one and its dynamic, I admit), then move from the Demon Cult to the Demon Slayer Arc (pun intended), and close the story. What I mean to say by using the otherwise more anime-adjacent term of an "arc" to describe the coherent overarching plot of one part of the story, is to say that I believe that the narrative jumps around too much in a way that makes the novel appear somewhat like several stories glued together. That the artificer who was a central goal of the first arc just suddenly disappeared did not even feel out of character for the narrative when it happened; the fact that at the very end, some dialogue tries to stick the pieces of several arcs together to make it seem as if it was 'all coming together' only served to give me the impression that Kingfisher also knew it was too disjointed to feel like one whole.
Concerning the relationships, I have to admit that I perhaps like Marguerite and Shane the least. Unlike actually all prior pairings, they had the amazing potential of an actual conflict of ethics and were, unlike other couples, not based primarily on physical attraction. They are opposites in character that would be extremely interesting to dive into. Except due to the nature of the story, this is implied more than developed, so that I personally feel that their romance was left empty. In fact, I ended the novel realising - to my own dismay - that I even bought the entire Istvhan/Clara romance better, purely because there we knew it was based on the whole 'they're so strong and big and are the only one who could take me in a fight (or the sheets)'. Shane/Marguerite have the makings of character, and then too little introspection into their own attraction or too little time to develop the ethical questions the novel could have been doing instead of introducing world-lore-focused arcs.
Indeed, while the Quartet on a Hike arc essentially serves to expand the map of the story only, the two Demon Slayer arcs definitely provide interesting snippets of lore about demons and gods, as well as how paladins work. I enjoyed that, and will remain curious to find out more about the world. Do I think this should have been a separate book, and this one remain at the Court? Definitely. I believe Shane is the perfect lead for the Demon Slayer plot, and the morals and honesty we saw developed match it perfectly; but if we split this book into two parts, it would have worked better. I think this is what the initial goal of Paladin's Faith was; but the pretended interrelations and the consequent forgetting of plot elements just made each part feel incomplete, and the lack of proper debates about ethics and a resolution between the two leads similarly left me with only the feeling of potential, rather than satisfaction.
Addendum 1: I just remembered, a whole novel later and we were given no follow-up to the dramatic and amazing reveal Piper did at the end of Paladin's Hope. What was it? Why are we not allowed to know? Will it actually come back or do I have to wait another 7 novels until it is Galen's turn again to find out? If there is one issue I have with the series, then it is that no novel seems to have any real consequences for the following ones except minor points like Istvhan being 'up north' now. Little hope for the Judith reveal as well now, until we get to her own instalment at least.
Addendum 2: In this sense, I am also not entirely certain why we did the Demon Arcs now rather than continue on to explore the Ancients from book three. With Shane as the lead, we naturally need the Demon arc, but then we would not have needed the Court arc, or could have combined that one with more about the Ancients and made this instalment into Wren's story (girl definitely goes Through It here anyway, she'd have deserved this too) rather than Shane's, and have him be the protagonist of book 5 focused on the two Demon Arcs.
Addendum 3: @Hirondelle, in case you read this: please let me know what the 'bit of lore' is that you mentioned being introduced at the start of Paladin's Grace that returned now, I cannot for the life of me figure it out.
Addendum 4: [re-edited after deliberation] At this point in the series, I still think the ranking goes 1<3<4<2. I am all the more appreciating the exciting action of instalment three now, especially since Paladin's Faith failed to fully grip me and 'force me' to continue reading, even when I finished on a dramatic cliffhanger chapter. Book four is evidently superior to book two though, particularly in terms of lore and the central question of the dead god as well as a better focus on introduxing characters properly.
Paladin's Faith starts out as something more akin to a spy story, where our main goal should be to save an artificer from a merchant-spy organisation at a court of nobility. I actually enjoyed this idea - the paladins and our lead Shane are way out of their depth once it comes only to socialising, intrigue, information and bitching around, and I think placing Wren and Shane in their respective roles as 'small noble' and 'brooding bodyguard' was a very interesting premise. Marguerite, the spy we know from (still the best of the series, now very very closely followed by part three) Paladin's Grace, is the only one truly in her element there. We even had the seeds for interesting moral and ethical questions, and something that could have become a very interesting point of contestion between the two romantic leads, the incredibly moral and honest paladin Shane and the significantly more pragmatically-moral spy Marguerite. Wren and Davith's characters, too, as well as others in the Court of Smoke (Lady Silver? Fennel? Even that horribly lecherous Lord?) could have made for an excellent and shillering cast to dive into questions of ethics and morals in a world both run by capitalist merchant's guilds as well as gods and their black/white morality paladins. The potential. Gold.
Except, what do we do? About halfway through we abandon the Court Arc of the story, move to the Quartet on a Hike arc (I really disliked that one and its dynamic, I admit), then move from the Demon Cult to the Demon Slayer Arc (pun intended), and close the story. What I mean to say by using the otherwise more anime-adjacent term of an "arc" to describe the coherent overarching plot of one part of the story, is to say that I believe that the narrative jumps around too much in a way that makes the novel appear somewhat like several stories glued together. That the artificer who was a central goal of the first arc just suddenly disappeared did not even feel out of character for the narrative when it happened; the fact that at the very end, some dialogue tries to stick the pieces of several arcs together to make it seem as if it was 'all coming together' only served to give me the impression that Kingfisher also knew it was too disjointed to feel like one whole.
Concerning the relationships, I have to admit that I perhaps like Marguerite and Shane the least. Unlike actually all prior pairings, they had the amazing potential of an actual conflict of ethics and were, unlike other couples, not based primarily on physical attraction. They are opposites in character that would be extremely interesting to dive into. Except due to the nature of the story, this is implied more than developed, so that I personally feel that their romance was left empty. In fact, I ended the novel realising - to my own dismay - that I even bought the entire Istvhan/Clara romance better, purely because there we knew it was based on the whole 'they're so strong and big and are the only one who could take me in a fight (or the sheets)'. Shane/Marguerite have the makings of character, and then too little introspection into their own attraction or too little time to develop the ethical questions the novel could have been doing instead of introducing world-lore-focused arcs.
Indeed, while the Quartet on a Hike arc essentially serves to expand the map of the story only, the two Demon Slayer arcs definitely provide interesting snippets of lore about demons and gods, as well as how paladins work. I enjoyed that, and will remain curious to find out more about the world. Do I think this should have been a separate book, and this one remain at the Court? Definitely. I believe Shane is the perfect lead for the Demon Slayer plot, and the morals and honesty we saw developed match it perfectly; but if we split this book into two parts, it would have worked better. I think this is what the initial goal of Paladin's Faith was; but the pretended interrelations and the consequent forgetting of plot elements just made each part feel incomplete, and the lack of proper debates about ethics and a resolution between the two leads similarly left me with only the feeling of potential, rather than satisfaction.
Addendum 1: I just remembered, a whole novel later and we were given no follow-up to the dramatic and amazing reveal Piper did at the end of Paladin's Hope. What was it? Why are we not allowed to know? Will it actually come back or do I have to wait another 7 novels until it is Galen's turn again to find out? If there is one issue I have with the series, then it is that no novel seems to have any real consequences for the following ones except minor points like Istvhan being 'up north' now. Little hope for the Judith reveal as well now, until we get to her own instalment at least.
Addendum 2: In this sense, I am also not entirely certain why we did the Demon Arcs now rather than continue on to explore the Ancients from book three. With Shane as the lead, we naturally need the Demon arc, but then we would not have needed the Court arc, or could have combined that one with more about the Ancients and made this instalment into Wren's story (girl definitely goes Through It here anyway, she'd have deserved this too) rather than Shane's, and have him be the protagonist of book 5 focused on the two Demon Arcs.
Addendum 3: @Hirondelle, in case you read this: please let me know what the 'bit of lore' is that you mentioned being introduced at the start of Paladin's Grace that returned now, I cannot for the life of me figure it out.
Addendum 4: [re-edited after deliberation] At this point in the series, I still think the ranking goes 1<3<4<2. I am all the more appreciating the exciting action of instalment three now, especially since Paladin's Faith failed to fully grip me and 'force me' to continue reading, even when I finished on a dramatic cliffhanger chapter. Book four is evidently superior to book two though, particularly in terms of lore and the central question of the dead god as well as a better focus on introduxing characters properly.
December 13, 2023
Such a treat to dive back into a fresh story in the world of the White Rat. Lovely to get to know some of the ancillary paladins that were before only briefly mentioned by name. Marguerite, who we first meet in Paladin’s Grace as a quick thinking charismatic spy, and one of her mission escort/bodyguard paladins, Shane, who is probably the most guiltiest (need a stronger word) and noble of all the paladins of the Saint of Steel, are perfect foils for each other. Shane is such an overwhelmingly good guy and total sweetheart, and Marguerite, completely used to being used and using other people, has no idea what to make of him. The way they orbit around each other for the first half of this book created some fantastic building sexual tension. I really love the secondary characters in this too like Wren, the artificer, and I even warmed up to Davith by the end (side note: am I finally going to get my Brenner-like love interest??). To not be spoilery, the third act “non-human” villain was unexpectedly a really engaging character as well. It was such a strong throughline with how empty Shane feels without guidance from the Saint of Steel, especially since it was the second time he’d been abandoned by a god, having been rejected by the Dreaming God in his youth as well. Marguerite taking the reins was excellent for him, but I thought it was really clever how ‘wisdom’ reached him the same way. It’s not a perfect book, I probably would have cut a lot off their initial journey to the fortress just to get to the meat of the story quicker, and definitely wanted some more details regarding the “cliffhanger” epilogue in Paladin’s Hope. But the humor is excellent and the character growth for both Marguerite and Shane are probably my favorite of all of the Paladin books. I don’t know if I’m more curious about what’s next for Judith or Wren, but I’m pumped for the next book either way, whenever that is!
July 22, 2024
I’m absorbed by Kingfisher’s Paladin series
This has it all! Intrigue, alluring lady spy, gorgeous paladin, assassins, demons, and a twisty plot.
This has it all! Intrigue, alluring lady spy, gorgeous paladin, assassins, demons, and a twisty plot.
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