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kgc8's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
I thought long and hard, but I couldn't think of any reason not to give this book 5 stars! Kingfisher knocks it out of the park with an interesting premise, likeable and funnily awkward leads, heartwarming support and compassion for people going through touch situations, and laugh out loud moments. I couldn't stop thinking about the book when I went to bed.
I somehow missed this book was a romance, but the author does a great job of balancing it with the plot. Unlike a lot of other romantic mysteries, I felt like both played a role in the resolution of the story and the romance did not dominate. And despite it being a "fluffy" romance where boy and girl are very attracted to one another from the start, there are also some horror/dark fantasy elements. I really look forward to seeing how the rest of the paladins fare in their adventures and romantic exploits.
I somehow missed this book was a romance, but the author does a great job of balancing it with the plot. Unlike a lot of other romantic mysteries, I felt like both played a role in the resolution of the story and the romance did not dominate. And despite it being a "fluffy" romance where boy and girl are very attracted to one another from the start, there are also some horror/dark fantasy elements. I really look forward to seeing how the rest of the paladins fare in their adventures and romantic exploits.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
thebetterstory's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
3.5
Another book with a wonderful premise and T. Kingfisher’s signature mix of the creepy and the cozily mundane. Unfortunately, this is actually my least favourite of hers I’ve read so far—which is a shame, given it’s the only one that’s part of a series—owing purely to the rather clumsy romance.
Normally I quite like Kingfisher’s romantic subplots, perhaps because all the ones I’ve read previously have been quite low-key, but it takes up a much larger focus in this one and the novel suffers for it. Grace and Stephen are individually likeable, but there were numerous asides in every chapter where they had ill-timed inappropriate thoughts about each other and pattered on for a bit about what a bad idea it would be to kiss/have sex with the other that quickly weighed the narrative down and honestly felt a bit juvenile. You could cut out all the times Stephen thought about breasts or Grace thought about muscles, or a side character teased them about it, and the book would be both much shorter and much better.
Happily, there’s still plenty to like here. Things pick up a lot about halfway through, which thankfully also means less badly written internal monologuing about anatomy, and the plot is tidy and satisfying. The entire conceit behind the paladins and their dead god hits all my fealty kink buttons, the banter is funny when it’s not about getting laid, and the supernatural villain eventually encountered is fantastically creepy. There’s enough depth to the worldbuilding that I’m excited to get different characters in future instalments that can explore the setting from more angles.
Recommended along with the rest of T. Kingfisher’s work; even not at her best, she packs lots of fun ideas into her narratives. Just know that you might enjoy yourself more with a different book of hers if you end up bouncing off of this one.
Normally I quite like Kingfisher’s romantic subplots, perhaps because all the ones I’ve read previously have been quite low-key, but it takes up a much larger focus in this one and the novel suffers for it. Grace and Stephen are individually likeable, but there were numerous asides in every chapter where they had ill-timed inappropriate thoughts about each other and pattered on for a bit about what a bad idea it would be to kiss/have sex with the other that quickly weighed the narrative down and honestly felt a bit juvenile. You could cut out all the times Stephen thought about breasts or Grace thought about muscles, or a side character teased them about it, and the book would be both much shorter and much better.
Happily, there’s still plenty to like here. Things pick up a lot about halfway through, which thankfully also means less badly written internal monologuing about anatomy, and the plot is tidy and satisfying. The entire conceit behind the paladins and their dead god hits all my fealty kink buttons, the banter is funny when it’s not about getting laid, and the supernatural villain eventually encountered is fantastically creepy. There’s enough depth to the worldbuilding that I’m excited to get different characters in future instalments that can explore the setting from more angles.
Recommended along with the rest of T. Kingfisher’s work; even not at her best, she packs lots of fun ideas into her narratives. Just know that you might enjoy yourself more with a different book of hers if you end up bouncing off of this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Toxic relationship
Minor: Miscarriage and Violence
silentquercus'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gaslighting, Blood, Confinement, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
wandering_seal's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Loved this. Loved the quietly funny writing style. Loved the adorably awkward romance. Great worldbuilding and interesting story. All round great read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Confinement, and Mental illness
ritabriar's review against another edition
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, likefinding 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.
Some things in this book happen by chance, like
Magic is common in this setting. The magic that really digs into the plot is a bit horrifying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, Body horror, and Infidelity
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Gore
Grace's husband is a piece of work. This is the source of the toxic relationship, infidelity, and panic attack tags. The horrible smooth men are the source of the body horror and gore tags. A young man has been pressured or brainwashed into making a really bad,jonie_rich's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
This genuinely got weirdly spooky, but it also made me laugh out loud in public. A well rounded book that I genuinely enjoyed. I’m looking forward to continuing the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
alainral's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, and Murder
Minor: War
hareems's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I'm not big on romances at all but this book was exactly what I needed in a romance. It has a solid backstory that never overshadows the leads' love story but that also isn't irrelevant enough to just be a plot device propelling their story forward. Plus the world building is great, again to serve as a strong enough backdrop for the main story but never to take over as the main element of intrigue.
Also Kingfisher writes dialogue and inner monologues like no one else. How were they SO relatable and effective? I could fully feel both Stephen and Grace's thoughts and they were written so realistically I imagine anyone else could've felt the same way.
Also Stephen is how "nice guys" should actually be written. He's nice to a tee but it's not his whole personality. And it's never remarked upon how nice he is, which is great because that's honestly the bare minimum. Actually ALL the paladins are equally as nice. And I'm glad it's never addressed because Kingfisher treats this as the standard, as something that's just a given. I wish this would become commonplace in the booktok space as well, seeing as how it plays such a vital role in books going vital (most of them toxic romantasy), much to chagrin (srsly, how is ACOTAR a 4+ star read on here?).
Plus the humour is remarkable. It's so funny and often self deprecating which I LOVE.
Also love Marguerite. How could you not? She's so wonderful. We all need Marguerites in our lives.
I think the only reason I'm really docking a point is because neither Stephen nor Grace are the most interesting characters. I love that they're ordinary, but even ordinary people have quirks that set them apart, and truly I don't think Stephen has a single one. His quirk is knitting socks, which I love, but that is just not enough. Same with Grace. I LOVE her perfumer identity and her talent for it, but again that's it. There's nothing more to either of them that makes them more interesting than the supporting cast.
Which leads me to Istvhan. He was easily my favourite character and I wanted more of him, which is great because we have a whole next book dedicated to his romance (😭). He was actually hilarious and if that's just a snippet of him, I have to assume that a whole book of his POV will have me cackling regularly. Love that.
I think these may be my favourite romances of all time (even if I haven't read the rest), and despite my bar being low I genuinely think it's because Kingfisher has blown it out of the park with her writing.
Also Kingfisher writes dialogue and inner monologues like no one else. How were they SO relatable and effective? I could fully feel both Stephen and Grace's thoughts and they were written so realistically I imagine anyone else could've felt the same way.
Also Stephen is how "nice guys" should actually be written. He's nice to a tee but it's not his whole personality. And it's never remarked upon how nice he is, which is great because that's honestly the bare minimum. Actually ALL the paladins are equally as nice. And I'm glad it's never addressed because Kingfisher treats this as the standard, as something that's just a given. I wish this would become commonplace in the booktok space as well, seeing as how it plays such a vital role in books going vital (most of them toxic romantasy), much to chagrin (srsly, how is ACOTAR a 4+ star read on here?).
Plus the humour is remarkable. It's so funny and often self deprecating which I LOVE.
Also love Marguerite. How could you not? She's so wonderful. We all need Marguerites in our lives.
I think the only reason I'm really docking a point is because neither Stephen nor Grace are the most interesting characters. I love that they're ordinary, but even ordinary people have quirks that set them apart, and truly I don't think Stephen has a single one. His quirk is knitting socks, which I love, but that is just not enough. Same with Grace. I LOVE her perfumer identity and her talent for it, but again that's it. There's nothing more to either of them that makes them more interesting than the supporting cast.
Which leads me to Istvhan. He was easily my favourite character and I wanted more of him, which is great because we have a whole next book dedicated to his romance (😭). He was actually hilarious and if that's just a snippet of him, I have to assume that a whole book of his POV will have me cackling regularly. Love that.
I think these may be my favourite romances of all time (even if I haven't read the rest), and despite my bar being low I genuinely think it's because Kingfisher has blown it out of the park with her writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Sexual content
mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A wonderful, funny, sweet start to the series. I loved both of the main characters. Stephen has a sturdy practicality that was laced with genuine kindness. And Grace is so unique and intelligent and caring. The vulnerability of both characters made you love them. The thread of their romance - aka the main point of the novel - was my favorite part of the book. And the fact that both characters were in their 30s was refreshing! I love a book that shows that life isn't over when you leave your 20s.
The things that kept this from a 4 star read for me are just some simple style choices. The inner monologue, while oftentimes funny, sometimes was a bit too much talking to themselves. Also the poisoning plot and the beheading plot together felt like a lot going on.
Kingfisher drops lots of breadcrumbs for the rest of the series, and I'm excited to get to it.
The things that kept this from a 4 star read for me are just some simple style choices. The inner monologue, while oftentimes funny, sometimes was a bit too much talking to themselves. Also the poisoning plot and the beheading plot together felt like a lot going on.
Kingfisher drops lots of breadcrumbs for the rest of the series, and I'm excited to get to it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Cursing
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Infidelity, Body horror, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence