Paladin's Faith

Really intriguing ideas in this one. and the characters are fun. most of it feels like a setup for Judith's book, though.

3.5 ⭐️.

Shane's constant anxiety and guilt really spoke to me even if I didn't love the salt machine plot.The demon hunting stuff was also intriguing and I really liked the way it turned out. I really hope that the next book - is there one?! - is about Judith because girl what are you doing?!

The best book in the series! Well-thought story that gives you nice punch in the gut. Will read again! 

I think this is the first in the World of the Rat I've read that didn't feature the gnoles. Although, we do get introduced to a few other beings and heard about older friends. This was fun.
I'm also so curious what is to come because this is supposed to be 7 books long??? And we have some of the paladins researching what could have happened to the Saint of Steel and now Judith doing HER thing and the Rat just chugging along fixing everything haha. So, so curious what will come next.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to read this due to having a toddler, Christmas work parties, and being pregnant but uh.............T KINGFISHER, you never let me down. Not once. I know when I pick up one of your books that I'm gonna have the time of my life, laugh at least twice, and be disgusted at least once.

Was PALADIN'S FAITH my favorite of the Saint of Steel books? Nope, not even close, (Paladin's Strength will have my heart forever.) but damn if it wasn't a fun entertaining ride nonetheless. I absolutely recommend these books, and usually shove them down someone's throat at earliest opportunity. So basically...why are you still reading this review? GO PICK THIS BOOK UP.

Not my favorite Saint of Steel novel, but T. Kingfisher's unique combination of fantasy, adventure, romance, humor, and a dollop of horror always ensures a rollicking read. The book's plot nominally involves the quest to find an artificer whose invention threatens to destabilize the economy and ignite wars between kingdoms. But that setup frequently feels like window dressing for the slow-burn road trip romance between worldly-wise spy Marguerite (Grace's landlord in [b:Paladin's Grace 50702014 Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1) T. Kingfisher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580209503l/50702014.SY75.jpg 75730699], who is tired of being an assassin's target), and honorable, self-loathing paladin Shane (who feels guilty about not feeling sufficiently guilty when he innocently touches her shin). Marguerite appreciates the irony:Here we are, the future of the world's economy at stake, probably being chased by people with murder on their minds, and I keep thinking “But does he like me?” Probably that said something about the resilience of the human spirit, or at least its stupidity.The stakes do become dramatically higher in the last 20% of the book, with Marguerite and Shane hard-pressed to find anyone who isn't trying to kill them. Sadly there are no gnoles, but the fascinating demon-slaying paladins of the Dreaming God, who were last featured prominently in the [b:Clockwork Boys 36618062 Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1) T. Kingfisher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511019840l/36618062.SY75.jpg 58376790] duology, feature prominently.Those hoping for a resolution of the cliffhanger from [b:Paladin's Hope 59109627 Paladin's Hope (The Saint of Steel, #3) T. Kingfisher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632853679l/59109627.SY75.jpg 93205483] will be largely disappointed; in fact Kingfisher tosses in a new twist in the epilogue that adds even more chaos into the World of the White Rat. I have faith that she will tie all of the loose ends together someday, and I'll keep reading about her honorable, loyal and occasionally berserk paladins until then.

Kingfisher does it again! As always the romance was on point and delightful. Marguerite is a delight to read, and honestly strikes me as much more???open, I guess? Than the previous protagonists. Which is funny given her line of work, but she read as the one with the least to hide, and was most willing to acknowledge her own feelings and the feelings of others. 
And then there is Shane. I was not entirely expecting this storyline for him, but I am IMMENSELY pleased with and delighted by how it went. His connection to the Dreaming God was mentioned in passing in previous books, but now that I know how deep that connection goes, and what the loss of both that connection AND the connection to the Saint of Steel did to him, well??? I mean, is it any surprise that his self-doubt runs VERY deep? This facet of his personality plays a lot into his dynamic with Marguerite, and makes for some admittedly squee-worthy moments between the two of them. 
Wren is also a delight and a darling in this one. There is an entire subplot going on with her that in some ways was more enjoyable to read than Shane and Marguerite???s, largely because while the beats for the Shane/Marguerite romance were more or less familiar and unsurprising, Wren???s subplot was less predictable. 
Speaking of the Dreaming God, it was fun getting to meet more of his paladins! I kind of hope some of them will get books of their own eventually, but given that there are still three more paladins of the Saint of Steel to go before the current series is finished, I suspect it???s going to take a while. And honestly, I???m more interested in seeing more paladins of the Forge God; they seem pretty cool, based on the few glimpses Kingfisher???s shown of them in previous books in this series. 
I was also delighted by all the throwbacks to the Clocktaur War duology! Readers who???ve read those books are going to be in for a TREAT, given how many nods and mentions are made in passing to characters and events that happened in that series. 
Since there???s a rather heavy Dreaming God presence in this book, it shouldn???t be any surprise that there are demons at play, and the one featured here is VERY interesting. Won???t say more to avoid giving out spoilers, but I think a lot of readers are going to be fascinated by this one - and by the implications that particular plotline has for a whole lot of things in potential future books in this series and in others set in the World of the White Rat. 
Overall, this was a great continuation of the series, even if the connection to the bombshell ending of Paladin???s Hope isn???t as direct as some readers might???ve wanted. Then again, that???s been the pattern for this series all along, with each book able to function almost as a standalone and instead lightly referencing previous books instead of being direct sequels. Still, that plot thread in Paladin???s Hope is picked up in this one, though in a highly unexpected way that might leave some readers feeling a bit rabid about the release of the next one. 

Kingfisher's new book is like the part in Dragon Age Inquisition where you sneak around at a party in a castle, but hornier, bloodier and funnier.