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adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Of the first three The Saint of Steel books this is my least favourite, which was disappointing because I was so, so excited for Piper’s story. I’ve loved him as a character from Book #1 and I love him even more now that we were able to experience his perspective. The reason this installment fell short for me is because of the brevity, so I guess that’s a testament to Kingfisher that I just wanted more.
Insta-love is one of my least favourite tropes, and I definitely found Piper and Galen’s story to be insta-love. Not only is the timeline in the book significantly shorter than the two previous books, but the length of the novel is much shorter too. Unfortunately, that was really apparent to me and I wanted more development between Piper and Galen. As it was, I couldn’t quite buy into how quickly they fell in love and their relationship progressed. Although I will fully admit that the life-or-death situation and adrenaline pulsing through most of the book would sway both to going all in very quickly.
As well, I believe there were two continuity errors in Paladin’s Hope, or at the very least two explicit references to past scenes that didn’t quite match up with how they were previously described. That took me away from the story quite a bit as I tried to parse through it.
All of that said. The last line. My gods, the last line. Paladin’s Hope was hovering around a four-star rating for most of the book because of the brevity and insta-love, but the final line had me sitting up in bed and actually screeching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This series just keeps getting better! I think Piper and Galen were such a lovely pair, and the secret to what was causing the deaths being explored in the beginning was a fun adventure.
I like how this book explored discrimination within this fantasy setting. It made the main characters that much more loveable that they stood up for the underdog.
I like how this book explored discrimination within this fantasy setting. It made the main characters that much more loveable that they stood up for the underdog.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm struggling to find words to convey how much I love this series - the characters are so endearing and the story has touched my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Medical content
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
My favorite of this series so far — and they've all been great!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Excrement
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
God help me, T Kingfisher owns me, mind, body, and soul. I've loved every book I've read by her, especially those in The Temple of the White Rat series, but this one takes the cake. I was already pretty sure it was going to be a five star read, but that final line, WHEW BOY. I listened to this on audio in my car alone, and upon hearing Piper's utterance of the final line of the book I SCREAMED. Out loud. More than once, for multiple minutes. I stopped screaming only to start hollering again moments later. The ending of this book shook me to my core. A fellow reader in my book club said that Paladin's Grace (the first in the Saint of Steel series, of which this is the third) had the best opening line, and this one had the best final line. Nothing truer has ever been said.
I don't even know how to talk about how amazing the rest of this book was. I knew I was going to like Galen, but I still wasn't expecting to love him this much. And Piper too!!! They were the best match and the cutest and the snarkiest and all around my favorite couple in the series. Only Kingfisher could write a series and have me love each couple more than the last. Piper and Galen have my heart.
This book also had one of the hottest scenes I've had the pleasure of reading, and it wasn't even a smut scene. Listening to the scene in chapter 20 where Galen and Pipe are pressed together getting through the blade trap, and Galen keeps Piper distracted by murmuring potentially suggestive things and kissing the back of his neck. Like they are in an absolutely perilous situation and yet somehow the two of them are just oozing sexual tension. In the words of T Kingfisher herself, that scene made *me* want to howl like a dog. And then the follow up in chapter 21 where after getting a great blow job from Piper, Galen gives him the hottest reach around known to man. As in they are sitting on the floor, and Galen has Piper basically in his lap, Piper's back to his chest, and he reaches around and gets him off and oh my GOD. God help me, a position like that has ALWAYS made me hot and bothered, but after the rocketing tension from the chapter before??? Whew boy 🥵🫠
I cannot believe I waited as long as I did to read these books. I don't know if I will ever be able to stop talking about them. I want and need everyone to read them so I can discuss them in perpetuity forever.
I don't even know how to talk about how amazing the rest of this book was. I knew I was going to like Galen, but I still wasn't expecting to love him this much. And Piper too!!! They were the best match and the cutest and the snarkiest and all around my favorite couple in the series. Only Kingfisher could write a series and have me love each couple more than the last. Piper and Galen have my heart.
This book also had one of the hottest scenes I've had the pleasure of reading, and it wasn't even a smut scene. Listening to the scene in chapter 20 where Galen and Pipe are pressed together getting through the blade trap, and Galen keeps Piper distracted by murmuring potentially suggestive things and kissing the back of his neck. Like they are in an absolutely perilous situation and yet somehow the two of them are just oozing sexual tension. In the words of T Kingfisher herself, that scene made *me* want to howl like a dog. And then the follow up in chapter 21 where after getting a great blow job from Piper, Galen gives him the hottest reach around known to man. As in they are sitting on the floor, and Galen has Piper basically in his lap, Piper's back to his chest, and he reaches around and gets him off and oh my GOD. God help me, a position like that has ALWAYS made me hot and bothered, but after the rocketing tension from the chapter before??? Whew boy 🥵🫠
I cannot believe I waited as long as I did to read these books. I don't know if I will ever be able to stop talking about them. I want and need everyone to read them so I can discuss them in perpetuity forever.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Violence
Minor: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Excrement, Kidnapping, War
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another lovely fantasy with the perfect balance of mutual pining, smouldering romance, and loveable characters. But how can you end it like that???? I am relieved to know there will be more books, because I love these stories immensely, but I do rather wish there were more now following that last paragraph. Alas, I will have to put my patience hat on. Thankfully, there are plenty more stories written by Vernon under the Kingfisher pen name for me to read and re-read whilst I wait.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide, Police brutality, Classism
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really like how different the three paladins main characters in this series are. I love all of them, even if Galen speaks less to me, but Piper speaks to me more than the other 2 love interests so it balances out, and it really is nitpicking at this point. They're all amazing characters and I love them.
10/10 would read the series again with great pleasure.
The relationship dynamic of this opus of the series was nicely different of the others (yet always a variation of the theme of the broken paladins which I love very much). The prevalence of sex related matters in characters' inner monologue is still bothering me a bit as a personal preference, but it is author's style at this point and as in the others, it did not prevent me from enjoying the relationship and it's development at all. If anything, I even found the first sex scene between them more vivid and interesting the others I've read.
I really liked that the gnoles and society issues related to them were a focus of the book ! Gnoles are awesome.
The last line of the book is pure genius and it is worth everything.
10/10 would read the series again with great pleasure.
The relationship dynamic of this opus of the series was nicely different of the others (yet always a variation of the theme of the broken paladins which I love very much). The prevalence of sex related matters in characters' inner monologue is still bothering me a bit as a personal preference, but it is author's style at this point and as in the others, it did not prevent me from enjoying the relationship and it's development at all. If anything, I even found the first sex scene between them more vivid and interesting the others I've read.
I really liked that the gnoles and society issues related to them were a focus of the book ! Gnoles are awesome.
The last line of the book is pure genius and it is worth everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Comienza mucho más directo y yendo al grano que los dos anteriores, lo cual al principio me descuadró. Pero es otra historia de otros personajes. Tampoco sigue la trama del misterio, aunque es cierto que queda bastante cerrado en el anterior, e introduce una distinta que también llega muy de golpe.
(Edit: vale, lo mismo leerse los libros de Clocktaur War antes que éste viene bien, pero tampoco es necesario. Solo es que Paladin's Hope rescata cosas de los otros y te hace algo de spoiler si no los has leído. Eso se apaña si tienes mala memoria.)
PERO
Compensa muchísimo con el desarrollo de los personajes, que se expresan con libertad (aunque sea para ellos a veces) y te permiten reflexionar sobre muchos sentimientos y situaciones. Son adorables, son humanos, los acabas queriendo mucho.
Un detalle:
Según avanzaba me iba quedando con la sensación de que el poder de Piper apenas se explota para lo prometedor que es. La últina frase del libro me lo compensó bastante. Ojalá haber sabido más sobre la muerte del Saint of Steel, no diria que no a una cuarta parte. Y si no, para la imaginación.
Brutales los giros que mete esta mujer en la trama y el cariño e intensidad con los que trata los temas sentimentales y las relaciones, una trilogía que he disfrutado muchísimo.
(Edit: vale, lo mismo leerse los libros de Clocktaur War antes que éste viene bien, pero tampoco es necesario. Solo es que Paladin's Hope rescata cosas de los otros y te hace algo de spoiler si no los has leído. Eso se apaña si tienes mala memoria.)
PERO
Compensa muchísimo con el desarrollo de los personajes, que se expresan con libertad (aunque sea para ellos a veces) y te permiten reflexionar sobre muchos sentimientos y situaciones. Son adorables, son humanos, los acabas queriendo mucho.
Un detalle:
Brutales los giros que mete esta mujer en la trama y el cariño e intensidad con los que trata los temas sentimentales y las relaciones, una trilogía que he disfrutado muchísimo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts