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

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.

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…

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!

Other Reviews:

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

Review: Paladin’s Grace

Book Review: Spin the Shadows, by Cate Corvin

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I borrowed an audio copy of Cate Corvin‘s Spin the Shadows through Hoopla. It was narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley.

I ate six seeds. Now I owe six months of debt to a dangerously sexy Fae hitman.

I’d had everything a dryad could want- a job, an apartment, and a scandalous human boyfriend-
Until I stole the wrong fruit from the wrong Fae.
Dragged into the Seelie underworld of deception and lies, I do anything he commands: steal, spy, even fight as we hunt down a notorious Fae fugitive.
Not exactly the fun I was looking for, despite the intense attraction between us.
But when the mission ends, I may not want to leave.

Dark and Wicked Fae is a Hades and Persephone-inspired Fae reverse harem romance, with high steam and a harem that builds over time. For mature readers only.

This was a big bucket of Meh for me. I wouldn’t call the writing or the narration bad. It’s just that nothing about the book—not the characters, not the world, not the supposed romance, hell, not even the one sex scene—lit me up. I felt pretty flat about the whole thing, the whole way through.

I said “supposed romance” because, despite being a slow-burn reverse harem, there is no romance here. The main character has sex with one man, kisses another, and is obviously open to a third who hasn’t made a move yet. But there is no romance going on, not even before the sex scene. So, meh.

But worst of all, for me, was that the entire method to her investigation is to dress like a whore and walk into arenas where men disrespect, disparage and abuse women. And while I understood that punishing such men was part of her motivation, it meant I had to sit through the disrespect, disparagement, and abuse of women. I don’t enjoy that. At. All. What’s more, I’ve read such plots so many times that I’ve come to consider them the lazy, low-hanging fruit of the plotting world. So, meh.

All in all, Cate Corvin may be a fine writer. I might try another of her series. But I have no desire to continue this one.