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prismatical's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The tagline and synopsis are very misleading; this is a romance novel that happens to take place in a fantasy world, and the paladin stuff is more there as backstory than anything else. If that isn't a deal breaker for you, you should also know that the plot is pretty weak and takes a back seat to the oddly juvenile romance. A not-insignificant part of the first half of the novel is just Grace and Stephen really, REALLY wanting to fuck each other instead of developing as characters. Grace's backstory in particular feels like an afterthought.
I didn't like that the female paladins got so little focus. Wren gets ONE LINE of dialogue and a couple of throwaway lines about her, and I don't think we even learn Judith's name in this book. I didn't even realize that there were two female paladins until I looked it up. All the male paladins at least get to be introduced, if not more. That was really disappointing because rage when expressed by a man and rage when expressed by a woman are treated very differently in reality, so I wanted to see how T. Kingfisher would tackle that issue. The way she chose to handle it was to not mention it at all. If Wren and Judith don't get their own books or they have to share one book, I'm really not going to be very happy about that. It's also worth noting that Stephen mentions that he wants to stay close to his brothers in arms, but he makes no mention of sisters. Hmph.
The POV switches around too often for my taste. I'm totally fine with POV changes at chapter breaks, but mid-chapter POV changes are just not my cup of tea, especially when they happen in the middle of a scene. The POV changes made it harder to get to know Stephen and Grace because we don't get to stay inside their heads for very long before switching back. I think T. Kingfisher wanted that to line up with the nature of the murder mystery. We do a lot of headhopping, and the serial murderer is beheading people. Unfortunately, while it was an interesting idea it still doesn't add much to the story as a whole.
And finally, my biggest criticism despite not being much of a romance reader: it's actually not very romantic and I didn't believe that Stephen and Grace had a connection beyond wanting to fuck each other and finding commiseration in feeling "broken." The sock scene was very cute, but that was it. This novel also conflates romantic and sexual attraction like you wouldn't believe, which I personally found annoying. I'm too aroace for this.
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity and Child abuse
cmbohn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Infidelity, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Violence
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Infidelity, Body horror, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
sonatica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, Death, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Body horror, and Infidelity
Minor: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Medical content
kori_dragon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Religious bigotry, War, and Infidelity
Sexual content in the later half of the book. Graphic murder in the later half of the book.cwerber's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Seriously, though. I loved the two main characters and several of the secondary characters. I can't wait to read the second and third books.
But I do have a question that may never be answered. How did Stephen's god die? Maybe that question will eventually be answered.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Sexual content
abby_can_read's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a wonderful book. I throughly enjoyed myself. I love that this book featured to middle-aged main characters. Their chemistry was good, the plot was enjoyable, the worldbuilding is awesome, and I found the writing to be full of laughs.
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity and Toxic relationship
reclusivebookslug's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Body horror, Infidelity, and Violence
directorpurry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Confinement
Moderate: Body horror and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
ariep's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Infidelity, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide