Paladin's Hope

The entire Paladin series by T. Kingfisher took a class and a trope I've thought was boring my entire life and elevated it into a complex, human, intricate lifestyle I'm deeply invested and curious about. The whole series is a nuanced exploration of a belief system and its imaginative pitfalls and flaws I'd never have considered on my own. Every character is an adventure within themselves. The author's own investment is obvious in the layered and conflicted paladins and the characters around them. I haven't looked at paladins the same since I started this series and haven't stopped singing its praises to anyone who will listen.

This is the first in this series I read, and I think I’m going to have to go back and read the other two since I’m invested in the story now. I was drawn to the series for the focus on the paladins living with their trauma and finding people who loved them with it, and that was an aspect I definitely enjoyed. But I knew I was going to love this book during the discussion of police corruption and the way the bishop was seeking to counter it in the second chapter, a theme that continues all through Earstripe’s arc and I really enjoyed the handling of that.

Also the worldbuilding around gnoles, their language and use of pronouns, was really interesting.

I adored Piper (and really sympathized with the combination of panic and wry practicality he brought to the situation), and felt for Galen, and watching their relationship build from initial attraction to realizing they really liked each other was a lot of fun. The underground maze was pretty cleverly constructed and Earstripe stole at least half his scenes.

I had a good time with this world and will look forward to returning to it!

Arguably the best book in the series so far, though it might be because the story felt like a sidestory from the build up of the smooth-skinned men.

Our main characters are both known from the previous books, their attraction to each other another signature nod to Kingfisher's writing style, yet because of how short this book felt compared to the others, there was less yearning. While Galen did mess up, he eventually pulled his head out his backside and just communicated. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly their relationship developed as well, weirdly fitting for the two's personalities.

I enjoyed the exploration of the labyrinth beneath, an interesting bit of insight into the lore of Clocktaur War, as well as the twist at the end of the epilogue.

Looking forward to see if anything comes out from it in the next book.

Again: I love these books and I loved Earstripe and the gnoles!! I didn't love the murder maze but that's just me. Still a great read!

Was sweet and I enjoyed reading it even if I didn't quite understand how the obstacle course worked. Also the last two lines... are you kidding me?! I want to know!!!! But I don't think the God's death is an aspect the books will actually dive into :(

Looking forward to the next book.

It took me a while to get to this third book but it's always such a joy and so easy to find myself lost in a T. Kingfisher book.

I was actually planning to read this one through the audio just like I did the first two but I found myself suddenly impatient and continued with the kindle ebook, devouring the whole thing in just a couple of hours because it was such a delight to read. The writing is breezy despite the murder investigation and a huge part of the book being about surviving an ancient obstacle course of life and death, and even when the stakes are so high, the author manages to keep the proceedings emotional and personal.

Shane is a berserker like his brothers in arms and doesn't think he deserves love or companion in his life because of his nightmares, but he is a Paladin full of honor and sense of duty, and it's just so easy to like him. Piper on the other hand is kind of a medical examiner who might prefer working on dead humans instead of dealing with living ones and their emotions, but he is also equally all about helping people and believes in equality and Justice. It's obvious right from the get go that they are perfect for each other and the author creates some very dangerous and close proximal situations which help them see the other for who they are and develop feelings.

The trio is completed by the absolutely sincere gnole Earstripe who may be discriminated everyday in his position as guard because of his not being human, but that doesn't stop him from being extremely proud of his job and takes it seriously even when no one wants to listen to them. If this book is a love story of Piper and Shane on one hand, it's also the story of Earstripe's belief in getting to the truth as well as the overall perspective of gnoles in this world dominated by humans.

It's a perfectly blended story of love, friendship, and justice, and only T. Kingfisher can make both dark themes and joyful moments seem like they belong in the same book. I was initially worried that this series would only be a trilogy but the author recently confirmed that she is working currently on the fourth book and I'm delighted that we won't have to leave this world yet. In the meantime, I'm already eager to get to the author's upcoming novella.

I enjoyed the setting of the obstacle course, even though it was clear they were walking into a trap. Great characters and world.

My favourite book in the series yet! A good combination of romance but enough action to keep the story moving.

Classic Kingfisher World of the White Rat novel: hilarious, touching, and sure to make you kilig. It's lovely reading how Galen finally manages to heal a bit, especially after what we've seen of him in the first two books. Piper's a sweetheart too, and I find him relatable (though maybe not in a good way haha). AND THAT ENDING!

The weakest one in the trilogy. Mid dragged a bit, but wasn't too bad.
But it wasn't as exciting as the other 2 books. I guess the mystery of the smooth men and the beheaded people was just too entertaining ☹️

P.S. Someone tell me how or why the Saint of Steel died?!?!?!? That's the biggest mystery!

For more of my reviews, check out my blog.

Another good entry into the Saints of Steel books. I was slightly disappointed by this book, however. It wasn't as funny – to me anyway – compared to the other books. I think it might have been the main character that I didn't really connect with. I'm not a huge fan of ‘cold' or ‘standoffish' characters as a whole, so Piper didn't really...vibe with me, I guess. I still enjoyed the book! What's not to enjoy, but I wish I had liked Piper more.

The whole obstacle course thing was pretty freaking cool, though.

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