Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

71 reviews

teddie_valetine98's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.5

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toobusy's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was so much fun and not your typical Romantasy on the market. I cackled many many times while reading/listening to this. NOW I find out that it's a series that follows each of the paladins??? I'm in love.

"Good mystery elements + good romance and banter + established fantasy world = fun read for me"

As another reviewer noted, this book is great if you've outgrown the amazingly gorgeous and talented 18-yr olds that are destined to save the world. This story is about two people who have seen some of the world and it hasn't always been kind. I love the awkward but well meaning interactions between Grace and Stephen and crew even if the "I'm too hurt to love anyone" trope gets a bit old. The character dialogue is light and full of banter that keeps it light-hearted and fun despite the darker mysteries afoot.

Some of the internal dialogue does get repetitive and I got tired of Grace's timidness. Yes I know you think you're a little grey boring mouse and that you can't do anything right. But at some point you have to start growing past that mindset right? At least for the sake of character development.

At times I found the romance to be a bit "male gaze-y" and oversimplified for me. Lots of descriptions of how small and plump and round the FL is and how hard and LARGE the ML is (whole body not just certain bits...).

Loved the characters from the Temple of the White Rat and Stephen's fellow paladins (see Beartongue and Istvhan). Overall I liked how all the characters fit in. Plus casual LGBTQ+ representation is always a bonus.

This felt well paced up until about the 2/3 mark where it dragged for a bit but then picked up the pace for the ending.

2.5/5 🌶
(suggested content throughout the book and some Not-to-black moments)

*AudioBook*

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rhi_'s review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

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vagrantheather's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Grace is a middle aged perfumer three years into a new life in a new city (the beloved fantasy world that Kingfisher has used in a number of novels), after running from her asshole of a husband and business partner. Steven is a paladin whose spirit broke when his god died, who has taken up residence as an armed warrior for another god, the Rat. The two find themselves thrown together when a poisoner attempts to assassinate a foreign diplomat at an event they're both attending.

As usual, Kingfisher manages to write a delightfully lighthearted, fun, and engaging book, that explores some grim topics and develops strong characters. While Paladin's Grace didn't manage to be quite as funny or charming as Swordheart, it was thoroughly enjoyable and gratifying. Potential readers should be aware that there is one somewhat graphic sex scene.

I absolutely love that Kingfisher writes in trans representation without feeling the need to make the character's identity into a plot point. I also adore that our MC Grace interprets the world through smells.

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silentquercus's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

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ritabriar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-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

5.0

As always, Kingfisher's main characters are kind and funny and stand up for each other when they can. I love Kingfisher's characterization of Paladins, especially these paladins, as self-sacrificing, self-blaming, and angsty to a fault. Grace is delightful, her interest in scents and perfumes fascinating and handy for solving problems. Marguerite is a remarkably well-developed character for as little as she appears on the page. As always, I love the Temple of the White Rat and all of their people. They certainly help the main characters navigate much of the political intrigue they get tangled up in.

Some things in this book happen by chance, like

finding the first dead body and various chance meetings

, but most things happen because the characters make them happen, such as

figuring out what's going on and what to do about it.

Magic is common in this setting. The magic that really digs into the plot is a bit horrifying.

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britreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book has everything. A god dies in the first chapter. There are loveable berserkers, a woman with the nose of a bloodhound, a sexy spy. People are being decapitated and no one cares, until they really do. Zombies! A cat! I learned a surprising amount about perfume. Cathedral balcony sex. I don't know what more I can say. Read this book.

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natalie_chase's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

I really liked this story. The plot is definitely secondary to the character development but does exist. Both the MMC and FMC in this book are a breath of fresh air and build their relationship in a very thorough meaningful way. The side characters are very interesting and active in their interaction with the plot and main characters. The MMC might be the first romance hero I’ve actually thought would make a good book boyfriend.

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mabechel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.5

It's a good mix of fantasy world building and a somewhat fluffy romance. Refreshing in it's approach to both.

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bdingz's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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