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cwerber's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
HOW DARE YOU END THE BOOK LIKE THAT?!?!?!
IS PIPER OKAY?!?!?!?
IT'S TWO IN THE MORNING AND NOW I CAN'T GO TO SLEEP THANKS TO YOU AND THIS BOOK.
TEN STARS OUT OF FIVE.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Hate crime, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Grief, Confinement, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
narya's review
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
5.0
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: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
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
4.5
PALADIN'S HOPE features Galen, one of the paladins of the (now dead) Saint of Steel. He appears in the first two books in the series but now gets a story of his own. The main story is entirely new, as Earstripe the guard-gnole requests that Galen and the lich-doctor, Piper, help him find out the cause of several mysterious and violent deaths (which are both introduced and resolved). Very late in the book I figured out that this wraps up some things left hanging from other White Rat books, not just the first two Saint of Steel books (though it does that as well). The epilogue, in particular, exists to show the state of Galen and Piper's relationship some time after the main story, and to continue the underlying thread of the death of the Saint of Steel. It leaves the book on a bit of a cliffhanger, but one related to the general course of the series and not to the central plot of the book.
Galen and Piper are both new narrators, though Galen is consistent with his previous appearances as a secondary character. The main story would make sense for someone who started here without reading the rest of the series or any other White Rat books, but the epilogue in particular will make much more sense for someone who has read the first two books. There's a pretty cool character detail to delight anyone who read THE WONDER ENGINE, and the return of a couple of characters who first appeared in SWORDHEART, but these connections aren't necessary for understanding most of the book. It is the strongest entry in the ongoing thread of greater understanding between gnoles and humans, or at least between some specific gnoles and a few humans. Until now it seems like gnoles have been doing most of the understanding, so it's nice to see things start to shift.
The worldbuilding focuses on gnole/human interactions and the details of the place where they find themselves. It's a character-focused story, but the setting is specific and growing more detailed with each new entry in the White Rat books.
Galen is a brooding paladin, but a very different flavor of one from either Stephen or Istvhan. He has nightmares which can trigger the battle-tide if he's touched in his sleep. The warning that Galen should not be touched in his slumber has been consistent in the series so far, and now we get his side of that burden. Piper works with the dead, a profession which most people find distasteful. The pace of their relationship has an entirely different flavor from the first two books. It takes place over a fairly short period of time, with the main action confined to a day or two. The restricted but fascinating setting acts as a crucible where Galen, Piper, and Earstripe spend a lot of time together under very stressful circumstances. They don't have quite as much trouble figuring out whether that the other person is interested (at least not for long), but are trying to figure out whether this is a fling or if it can be something more long-term once they're not in mortal danger.
I enjoyed the different pace of this one and am excited for more entries in the series.
Galen and Piper are both new narrators, though Galen is consistent with his previous appearances as a secondary character. The main story would make sense for someone who started here without reading the rest of the series or any other White Rat books, but the epilogue in particular will make much more sense for someone who has read the first two books. There's a pretty cool character detail to delight anyone who read THE WONDER ENGINE, and the return of a couple of characters who first appeared in SWORDHEART, but these connections aren't necessary for understanding most of the book. It is the strongest entry in the ongoing thread of greater understanding between gnoles and humans, or at least between some specific gnoles and a few humans. Until now it seems like gnoles have been doing most of the understanding, so it's nice to see things start to shift.
The worldbuilding focuses on gnole/human interactions and the details of the place where they find themselves. It's a character-focused story, but the setting is specific and growing more detailed with each new entry in the White Rat books.
Galen is a brooding paladin, but a very different flavor of one from either Stephen or Istvhan. He has nightmares which can trigger the battle-tide if he's touched in his sleep. The warning that Galen should not be touched in his slumber has been consistent in the series so far, and now we get his side of that burden. Piper works with the dead, a profession which most people find distasteful. The pace of their relationship has an entirely different flavor from the first two books. It takes place over a fairly short period of time, with the main action confined to a day or two. The restricted but fascinating setting acts as a crucible where Galen, Piper, and Earstripe spend a lot of time together under very stressful circumstances. They don't have quite as much trouble figuring out whether that the other person is interested (at least not for long), but are trying to figure out whether this is a fling or if it can be something more long-term once they're not in mortal danger.
I enjoyed the different pace of this one and am excited for more entries in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Gore, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Murder, Child death, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Pregnancy
paisleypetty's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
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