Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

32 reviews

saintyeehaw's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted to like this book so bad. I loved the world-building and ate up every little detail. Unfortunately, I loved every character except the two protagonists. I found Grace's inner monologues to be so cringeworthy that I barely finished the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

dianacally's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

wilybooklover's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

5.0

If there’s one interest that I love almost as much as fantasy romance novels, it’s fragrance, so a fantasy romance featuring a perfumer heroine felt like it was tailor-made for me. 

Besides that, this was a delightfully fluffy romance juxtaposed against quite a dark storyline. That balance can be quite tough to pull off but T. Kingfisher does it so well. Grace and Stephen are two damaged but kind people who fall in love despite getting caught up in a web of political intrigue and a preponderance of severed heads (the cause of which was unbelievably creepy). Despite the dark background this story is infused with so much humour and warmth and hope. The hero knits socks! I loved it and will immediately move on to book two. 

Oh, and we see the return of Zale and the Temple of the White Rat, from Swordheart! Sardonic Zale may be my favourite secondary character ever and I kind of want to read an entire series following them as they solve legal problems. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Sexual content, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Infidelity and Injury/Injury detail

elyria's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror

As with most T. Kingfisher books, there's an element of body horror that isn't described extensively, but is a major plot point of the book.

The plot largely revolves around the characters attempting to solve a series of beheadings

epsyphus's review

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was so much fun. The pinning was immaculate. Three books into her work and Kingfisher hasn't missed once yet.
Edit for reread: I hadn’t realized until after reading Swordheart that that book, this series, and her Clockwork books are all in the same universe. I’ve been reading them out of chronological order so it was fun to reread this book knowing what Zale had been up to in Swordheart. I really do love her characters so much. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Sexual content

hailey_mack's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders

generallycobalt's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Trust T. Kingfisher to give me romance with a good helping of body horror.

bethanycrowepowell's review

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• 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

A romantic, earthy fantasy reminiscent of Chalion hewing a little more contemporary in tone. I'd heard a lot about this series here and there, so finally jumped in. For me, it was an unusually successful gritty fantasy in a secondary world that centers a romance while still having a compelling plot, one that continues into the rest of the series even once the MCs of this book have found their happy ending.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Body horror, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

Both protagonists are living with traumas that shape their reactions and impact how they move through the world. This is treated respectfully, even though it makes their journeys more complicated.

mairead_parade's review

dark funny hopeful medium-paced

• 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

4.75

Despite the fantasy setting, the romance and dialogue read very contemporary and realistic. The two MCs approach their relationship with a lot of practicality and self-awareness, which doesn’t necessarily sound that romantic, but is done really well here. I was less interested in the mystery but am definitely hooked for the rest of the series.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Emotional abuse

buttermellow's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, Gore, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Toxic relationship, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content