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Book Review: Paladin’s Strength, by T. Kingfisher

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I borrowed and audio copy of T. Kingfisher‘s Paladin’s Strength through Hoopla (narrated by Joel Richards). It is book two in The Saint of Steel series. I reviewed book one, Paladin’s Grace, a month or so ago.
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He’s a paladin of a dead god, tracking a supernatural killer across a continent. She’s a nun from a secretive order, on the trail of the raiders who burned her convent and kidnapped her sisters.

When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other’s quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond…

my review

Well, this was officially another winner for me. I’m becoming a huge T. Kingfisher fan. I did think Istvhan sounded an awful lot like Stephen from Paladin’s Grace (book one of the series), as in most of the Paladin’s seem to sound interchangeable. Granted, they were all paladin’s of the same god, would have spent a lot of time together and have similar background. So, maybe that’s to be expected. But it does show a bit of an author’s (maybe) limitation when too many characters sound too much alike. To be fair, I happen to love the character type—their mien, stoicism, deprecating humor, honor, etc. So, I’m not so much complaining as simply observing. I also thought the book was a little longer than need be. But my goodness, how I loved Clara and her by-play with Istvhan, how Kingfisher lets them be older and beautiful in non-standard ways, and the basic moral palette of the books. I will 100% be back for more!

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Other Reviews:

A Balm for Troubled and Troubling Times – A Review of Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher

Review: Paladin’s Grace

 

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Book Review: Revenge De Los Muertos,by Talis Jones

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Revenge De Los Muertos, by Talis Jones was promoed on Sadie’s Spotlight and, as it happens, I won a copy of it.

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Selah’s biggest dilemma was trying to decide what to study in college. That is, until she stumbled across a clue to the grandparents she’d never met and hopped on a plane to Mexico where she would discover an entire hidden world of magic and monsters. Her best friend was a bruja, the Chupacabra was more than a myth, and she’d inadvertently caught the attention of the terrifying Blood King with golden eyes. What started as a two-week vacation quickly devolved into an adventure she might never return from.

Día de los Muertos had almost arrived and the monsters were on the hunt.

my review

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the idea of it, the culture the setting immerses the reader in, and the writing is easily readable. But I also feel like the main character was a wet rag who passively floated through the whole book, with the exception of one deus ex machina save toward the end. And even it happened without any active volition on her part. What’s more, most of the book (up until about 80% mark) focused on flirting, and dinners, and the daily minutia of vacationing and making friends. I was just a tad bored with the whole pedestrian affair.

None of that is to say this book is bad. It’s not. It introduces some interesting mythos and supernatural creatures. I think it just wasn’t exactly what I wanted it to be.

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Book Review: Fae’s Torment, by Atlas Rose & Kim Faulks

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I received a signed copy of Fae’s Torment, by Atlas Rose and Kim Faulks in a Supernatural book Crate I ordered.

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Hate. Retribution. Revenge.

It burns in my veins and keeps me awake at night, hunting Crown City’s streets like the ones who took from me. 

But it’s not these streets where I want to spill blood. It’s over there, across the bridge. Where the shadows of this world cloak their sick, foul secrets…and where they trade magic for mortal lives.

I can’t get across there. Can’t walk in their world. If I could, I’d take this knife and shove it between his ribs.

But I doubt I’d find a heart.

None of them had hearts. Not their leader, Shrike, or Mojin, the one I see the most, or Honor and Ruin, the ones I don’t see. The ones no one sees.

They’re the ones who corrupt. They’re the ones who kill.

They’re the ones who took my brother from me…

Only I found a way to get to them now. This new seductive club the Wolves opened  called Dark City needs mortal women to entrance these beasts and I’m the one they’ll want.

The one who hides the truth behind her smile.

And a knife against her thigh.

Only when I take my chance I’m the one taken instead. But my enemy doesn’t want me dead…they want something else. Something those dark Unseelie eyes promise…and I might never sleep again.

my review

I was reluctant to dive into this book. It does have a note that says, “Each Mafia Monster series can be read as a stand alone in the same world. There is cross over of your favorite characters to help you understand underlying motivations better, but it’s not necessary to read from book one.” The thing is, I don’t always trust authors when they tell me a book can be read as a stand-alone, especially when—like here—it is either book 7 in an over-arching series or book 1 in a new one. In the end, I gave it a read. I’d say it’s just followable. I was really confused in the beginning and, honestly, never had a firm grasp on the world.The struggle is trying to pick apart what I wasn’t understanding because I’d not read the previous books (that the authors say aren’t necessary) and what I didn’t understand because of poor plotting and world-building.

Despite all of that, I was still able to enjoy Izzy and the fae’s insanity. None of it makes much sense, if you think too hard about it. She’s always trying to kill them, for example, but never seems to do more than press a knife to their neck or leg. If you really wanna kill someone, why are you pausing to threaten and not just doing it? Over and over again, I wondered this. And the potent mix of hate and lust that the fae so liked in Izzy would be seriously detrimental to her mental health. Talk about toxic and abusive! But by the end I was invested in the craziness enough to look for the next book (which isn’t out yet).

My only real gripe (besides the thin world) was the utterly unnecessary attempted rape scene. It contributed nothing to the book other than the apparent authorial need to ask, “can a heroine truly be strong unless someone’s at least tried to rape her?” It didn’t even make sense. She suicidally throws herself at groups of immortals but basically does nothing but beg when  a couple human men nab her. Ummm, that’s one seriously inconsistent characterization there.

Outside of that, I did have fun with this one eventually. It’s never going to top my favorite list, but I look forward to book two in a “it’s bonkers but fun” kind of way.