Paladin's Grace

Romantic high fantasy mystery following Grace, a master perfumer who crosses paths with Stephen, a paladin whose god has recently died, while assassins and serial killers roam in their city. 
I absolutely devoured this novel ! The third book by T. Kingfisher I'm reading, this has all the qualities I saw in her previous books. This author has the great talent of constructing interesting stories, compelling characters and incredible world building.  This was such a page turner, the story was fast paced though i feel the mystery was resolved a bit too quickly. Still I liked the mystery itself (love anything with poisons and spies) and the serial killer was such a nice horror like touch. This particular plot element looks like it will continue onto the next books of the quadrilogy so I'm excited to read them.  I also really liked all the characters, the two main ones of course, they felt like real people but also the side characters.  I also loved the humour and the love story, everything was cozy and horny enough not to be too cringy (Romantasy or romance is not my favourite genre)  I don't think I'll wait too long to read the next books! 

Imagine a cute romance between two awkward grown adults who both have been through a lot in life. Throw into the mix a fantasy setting, hilarious secondary characters and a pinch of murder and mystery et voilà! You have Paladin's Grace. I loved it, I laughed out loud several times reading it, as well as shed a tear or two at some points. This book was something I didn't realize I needed and I loved every second of it.

I had to drag myself to keep up on the first few chapters because I was confused about the style. I'm not sure when was the last time I read a book with a narrator or like somehow a narrator? I don't know. It might be a me problem, but who knows? We're just here for the vibes.

I was so invested with Grace's abilities but along the way, I thought, nothing was really happening and Grace's awkwardness was the only thing clutching for me, tbh. I could have sworn it was Stephen who's the real weasel in this book. I'm giving this 4 stars because I'm now invested in whatever's going on with the severed heads. The writing was simple, it was mostly character driven but I did enjoy this one.

A fun fantasy in a well-built world involving a dead God, attempted assassinations, a berserker paladin who knits socks and, oh, perfume.
There is a weirdly compatible mix of dark and cosy in this book, with some evidently dark bits to the plot line, and yet it turns into fluff when the two protagonists are together. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this first book and look forward to reading the rest.

Fun and fluffy but eventually kind of repetitive.

A lovely, cozy read with a super cute romance and an interesting world!

I really enjoyed this and definitely want to read the rest of the series! I know some folks would call it “cozy” fantasy but I think it's probably a bit too violent and scary for that. I get what they are getting at because it's more like a fantasy with a smaller focus. Yes, there is political intrigue but it all takes place within one city and thus far, the fate of the entire world isn't resting on these folks as in other epic fantasies. The world-building is great and the characters feel really real and delightfully awkward. I also think that Grace's PTSD-esque blackouts were handled really well. I did really hate how they kept calling 37-year-old Stephen “middle-aged” but I guess that's my own problem with being . . . 37. :

3.5 stars
I enjoyed it, but of the words from this world I've read so far it was my least favorite. The main characters were great in their own rights, but didn't seem to spend much time together building a romantic feeling– I'd say this is more insta-love style. I was also a wee bit bored with things, but might be because I'm practically binge-reading books set in this universe.

Thoroughly excited to read Istvhan's book and already have it checked out!

Very enjoyable story. Funny and welled thought characters. Really liking the author, T. Kingfisher!! I know it is a series, so hope to hear Marguerite's story.

CW: beheading, mention of past abuse, on page panic attacks

I think I've heard the author's name before but don't remember ever encountering her books before. But this series in particular has had my attention since a few weeks ago because my favorite author Shelley Parker-Chan said this is one of her favorites. And love checking out those which are what my favorite authors are reading and loving. And this was pretty different from my usual fare.

I don't honestly know what I think of it, so I'll probably discover my feelings as I write this review. Im also a bit confused because I listened to this audiobook during an overnight train journey when I couldn't sleep at all, and my sleep deprivation may have left me unable to process it all properly. But the book nevertheless had me engaged and helped me feel calm even though I couldn't sleep. First thing I have to mention is that the audiobook is done very well, particularly the scenes when the narrator has to change his tone and pitch based on the emotion of the scene or when one of the characters is almost having a panic attack. I've seen in a couple reviews that this story is set in the same world as some other books by the author but I think it's fine to read as someone unfamiliar with them. But we also get only the required amount of world building necessary to further the story, and nothing more. There is also quite a good amount of gore and mentions of violence, but overall the tone of the book is more funny and irreverent. I also love the fact this is mostly a romance but we also get political conspiracies, religious cults, magical serial killers and so much more.

I don't know which character to mention first because both of them are so compelling in their own ways. Stephen is a Paladin, but one who's god is dead and he is a broken man who is full of guilt and fear and doesn't think he deserves happiness. But he is also brave and chivalrous and steadfast (which is also true for all of his Paladin brothers) and it's hard not to like him or feel sorry for him.

Grace on the other hand is a perfumer who has had life changing bad experiences before and lost everything she held close to her heart multiple times, and is now satisfied with what she has built for herself and doesn't want any complications. She is sweet and naive in some ways, doesn't think she'll ever find love, and gets panic attacks when she suddenly remembers some past bad situations. What I will never forget is how the author describes her talent as a perfumer, the way she contextualizes everything through scent and the way she describes everything and everyone through smells is funny and endearing. I also love how the narrator brought her insecure and panicky self to life.

I think this is technically a slow burn because they both take their sweet time to get together but their fascination with each other pretty much starts in their first meeting. But they are both so scared to put themselves out there and be vulnerable that they keep affirming to themselves that the other couldn't possibly be interested in them. There is so much internal monologue on both sides wallowing about it which was sad but also frustrating, and I wanted to just smack their heads together sometimes. But they are also very good to each other, their personalities being perfectly complementary and also there's so much mutual respect.

The side characters are equally eclectic and amazing and I wanted to know more about all of them. Bishop Beartoungue is the well respected leader of a religious order and I adored seeing her showing off her power, but also being super funny in interactions with those she was familiar with. It's obvious that there is so much more to her and I would love a whole book about just her. Istvhan is Stephen's closest friend among the Paladins and is a grounding force in his life, counseling Stephen to realize that he deserves love too and standing up with him in dangerous circumstances. We don't get too many close interactions with other Paladins but they all seem like a great supportive group, albeit with past issues of their own. Marguerite is Grace's landlord, best friend and self confessed spy who is very mysterious but self assured and a force of nature in support of Grace even if she doesn't always do it openly. I'm hoping we'll get to know her true story in the upcoming novels. We also have other compelling characters who have small but interesting presence throughout and were part of some very funny scenes.

After this long story that I've written, I think that despite some frustrating moments with the two main characters, I overall enjoyed this story which was a good combo of slow burn romance, compelling character arcs, lots of entertaining scenes and dialogue and a plot which was convoluted, violent and funny all at once. Now I can see why the author is so well acclaimed and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

It was so funny!! I laughed out loud so many times! The romance was sweet if a little bit frustrating in the middle. 

4.5 stars. This was exactly the kind of read I needed right now. It's a light hearted fantasy-mystery-romance-humour kind of thing and manages to create pretty compelling characters and factions within the world for something that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The prologue made me wonder if it was going to be another heavy and grim fantasy because goodness knows I've read quite a lot of that already this month. Then as we got into the story proper, the elements of humour popped up fast and furious, and I fell in love with Kingfisher's writing pretty quickly.

What really worked for this book was how endearing its characters became very quickly. Stephen had me as a knight-paladin working on his guilt complex at the same time as his knitit g hobby, Istvan (I'm still working on remembering how to spell his name) got me with that stupid conversation he had with Stephen on how creatively they could turn decorations into weapons at a boring social event, Bishop Beartongue was a sassy queen, Grace was relatable with her “oh god oh god I'm messing this up aren't I” inner soliloquy, and Marguerite was just downright the most intriguing of the lot.

The mystery in itself wasn't too difficult to guess and wasn't crazy plot-twisty but packed sufficient punch to avoid falling flat. This book in itself zooms in on some “smaller” problems but I've a feeling that as the trilogy progresses, we're going to be confronting higher and higher level layers of plot - which is great as far as I'm concerned!

One of the more enjoyable and engaging reads I've had in a while.

Tantor! Release the audiobook for the sequel!!

I like how this started as a fantasy in chapter 1, romance in chapter 3, murder mystery in chapter 14.

Likes:

* The characters were amazing. Main, side, all of them.

* Character in their 30s (Finally!)

* The humor was so good.

* Knitting socks

As a fantasy-romance book with under 3000 reviews, I was definitely hesitant to give this one a go (you can't trust Goodreads ratings!!). However I was pleasantly surprised and found it to be quite well-written.

The two main characters (Stephen the paladin and a perfume-maker named Grace) manage to endearingly bumble their way into a relationship. It's quite cute, although I got tired of how many times it had to be mentioned how tall or broad shouldered the male lead was. A comfy read.

Paladin's Grace was just as funny as Swordheart if not more so. There's a lot more violence in this book – lots of decapitations and poisonings and attempted murders, but not so many that it makes the book extremely dark. The main character, Stephen, is a paladin for a dead god. He's a sweetheart who knits socks for his brothers and is constantly worried about going berserk. Grace, his love interest, is a perfumer on the run from her horrible ex-husband.

Basically, if you like to laugh, like fantasy books, and romance books, just pick this one up. I think you'll enjoy it.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Hy

“...a lighthearted, charming read, filled with wonderful characters and clever, gently humorous writing. But at the core of that charm and lightheartedness are themes of hopefulness in the face of great adversity; of finding strength in oneself after harrowing life events; and that love and happiness are not just for the undamaged, but for everyone.”

4.5 stars. I've only been reading T. Kingfisher for a few years but she's quickly become one of my favorite authors (her Twitter feed is pretty entertaining too, especially if you care about wombats and chickens). She strikes just the right balance between snarky and genuine, and her characters are usually down-but-not-out regular Joes and Janes whom you immediately want to see find their HEA. Several recent books, including [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] and [b:Swordheart 42747739 Swordheart T. Kingfisher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542983306l/42747739.SX50.jpg 66478946] were fantasy adventures that featured strong romantic elements. Paladin's Grace puts the romance front and center, although because it's T. Kingfisher, there are also severed heads and a not insignificant body count. I fell completely in love with our hero Stephen, a warrior paladin whose god died (didn't know that could happen? neither did Stephen), devastating his soul and destroying most of the men who served with him. He has tried to reconstruct his life as hired muscle for the law clerks, healers and diplomats of the Temple of the Rat while worrying that he will at any moment snap and fall into one of his beserker rages that were useful when his goal was to kill lots of bad guys, but not so much these days. The best thing about Stephen? He knits socks in his downtime. Be still, my heart! Could anything be better than the image of a large, strong, knight in shining armor who is sitting quietly and knitting red socks so his fellow paladins' feet don't get cold? Where Kingfisher loses me, just a little, is in her heroine Grace. She's a talented perfumer who is also trying to build a new life for herself after fleeing her last home. She's smart, caring, and brave, but unfortunately she has that dreaded “oh he can't possibly be interested in me” thing going on, as well as the “my last lover was admittedly a jerk but he said I was terrible in bed so that must be true.” I don't need all of my heroines to be badasses, but the insecurity gets old pretty quickly. Of course, Stephen is also doing his share of “she can't possibly want me because I'm a broken man who might lose my shit without warning,” but at least he doesn't doubt his own sexual attractiveness. Still I liked Grace enough to think she would be a good match for the unparalleled Stephen, and the secondary characters added a lot to the story too (Swordheart readers will be happy to see an old friend, and rest assured, there are gnoles!), especially several of Stephen's brothers-in-arms who deserve their own story. It's hard to explain Kingfisher's sense of humor because much of it is context specific, but here's a great passage featuring Stephen and DuValier, the advisor for a visiting prince, who has taken a shine to Grace:“You grant your servants an enormous degree of liberty,” said DuValier, apparently remembering that it was beneath his dignity to fight with a man-at-arms. “He's not a servant,” said Grace indignantly. “He's...ah...” Oh blast, what did she say?“Sworn to her service,” rumbled Stephen. “By an oath.”“You are?” said DuValier, which was good because otherwise Grace would have said it, and that would have rather spoiled the effect. “I thought you were sworn to the Temple of the Rat.”“I swear a lot.”There's so many other things I wish I could fit into this review (I didn't even mention Tab the ferret-like civet and his unique contribution to the perfumes), but Kingfisher's writing is so rich that I could write a thesis on her work. If you haven't discovered this wonderful author yet, this is a fine place to start, although I think the two books mentioned above might be my favorites. If you are a fan, the only thing that might stop you from reading Paladin's Grace is that once you start you will not sleep until you finish.