Scan barcode
ritabriar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
I adore how Istvhan and Clara are built for each other, how their deep, dark secret flaws are exactly what makes them perfect for each other. As always, the main characters are kind and humorous. Sigrid, Galen, and Brindle are all vibrant and each charming in their own way.
The story is a quest and a mystery braided together with a romance on a road trip. It really has everything.
We get to visit a new city, with problems the Temple of the White Ratcan't really solve, but tries to manage anyway.
The story is a quest and a mystery braided together with a romance on a road trip. It really has everything.
We get to visit a new city, with problems the Temple of the White Rat
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Grief, Slavery, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, and Violence
Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Animal death
There are gladiatorial pits and aheartwithpaper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was a fun and adventurous read. Last quarter of the book was wild.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Animal death, and Body horror
Minor: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
abby_can_read'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
📱
This was cute and quick read. There were some parts that were slow for me. Overall, I would recommend and I enjoyed reading it.
This was cute and quick read. There were some parts that were slow for me. Overall, I would recommend and I enjoyed reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Confinement, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Slavery and Animal death
lilbookbee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
Lord what am I gonna do when I run out of T Kingfisher romances to read? I will be bereft and my long commutes will become unbearable. I will simply have to perish. 😮💨
In the meantime though, I'll be thoroughly enjoying The Saint of Steel books. T Kingfisher doesn't MISS, and this book is certainly no exception. With her brilliantly interesting story telling, and wit that makes me laugh out loud fairly often, I cannot resist the pull of these books. They are so well written, so fascinating, such lovely fantasy stories with romances that are just delightful. I cannot speak highly enough about the body of work in general, but specifically this book.
As much as I adored Grace and Stephen, Istvhan and Clara hold my heart. Their witty banter, kind hearts, and eventual ass-over-tea-kettle type love just had me swooning. I knew I was going to love Istvhan based off his appearances in Paladin's Grace, but it didn't prepare me for just how much I would love him. And Clara, sweet Clara, was just such a perfect match and able to go toe to toe with him in all the best ways. I wanted to SWOON every time he called her "Domina" and I give Clara all the credit in the world for not doing so herself. And getting to get glimpses at Galen, and knowing he is the main paladin in Paladin's Hope was perfect. I have a feeling he may become my new favorite!
I cannot finish this review without singing the praises of the audiobook narrator. He did narration for the two Saint of Steel books I have read, and I've learned he does narration for the third as well. He does a magnificent job giving voice and personality to these colorful cast of characters. He really made an amazing story somehow better.
In the meantime though, I'll be thoroughly enjoying The Saint of Steel books. T Kingfisher doesn't MISS, and this book is certainly no exception. With her brilliantly interesting story telling, and wit that makes me laugh out loud fairly often, I cannot resist the pull of these books. They are so well written, so fascinating, such lovely fantasy stories with romances that are just delightful. I cannot speak highly enough about the body of work in general, but specifically this book.
As much as I adored Grace and Stephen, Istvhan and Clara hold my heart. Their witty banter, kind hearts, and eventual ass-over-tea-kettle type love just had me swooning. I knew I was going to love Istvhan based off his appearances in Paladin's Grace, but it didn't prepare me for just how much I would love him. And Clara, sweet Clara, was just such a perfect match and able to go toe to toe with him in all the best ways. I wanted to SWOON every time he called her "Domina" and I give Clara all the credit in the world for not doing so herself. And getting to get glimpses at Galen, and knowing he is the main paladin in Paladin's Hope was perfect. I have a feeling he may become my new favorite!
I cannot finish this review without singing the praises of the audiobook narrator. He did narration for the two Saint of Steel books I have read, and I've learned he does narration for the third as well. He does a magnificent job giving voice and personality to these colorful cast of characters. He really made an amazing story somehow better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, Sexual content, and Animal cruelty
maryellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
My God, but I love this series so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Murder, Sexual content, Animal death, Body horror, Grief, Death, and Kidnapping
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, and Infertility
Minor: Vomit and Animal death
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
Clara is on the trail of her abducted sisters, and Istvhan is tracking a very strange pattern of headless corpses. They meet abruptly when Clara helps Istvhan navigate a cross-cultural social situation with the potential to go very badly for everyone involved. It turns out they need to go in roughly the same direction, and Clara joins Istvhan's traveling party while she tries to get word of her sisters. Most of the story revolves around the various obstacles in their journey, and the growing rapport between the two of them. The interactions are complicated at times as they're not sure how interested the other person is or how far they can be trusted. Clara, especially, has a lot of reason not to trust anyone with her secrets as they're not hers alone.
Istvhan was a secondary character in PALADIN'S GRACE, and his mission is related to the murderous and undead-adjacent "smooth men" Stephen encountered briefly there. This serves to wrap up that storyline, possibly completely, but it remains to be seen whether there will be further related incidents in later books. I enjoyed the brief anecdote from Istvhan as to more developments in Stephen and Grace's relationship. There's a new storyline related to Clara and her kidnapped sisters of St. Ursa, as well as the romance between Istvhan and Clara. This isn't the last book in the series, but because it appears that each book with have a different protagonist, it's pretty wide open as to what might be open enough to be picked up later. The one thing I can say for certain is there are five more paladins of the Saint of Steel who can be protagonists, and that the White Rat will continue to be relevant. Beyond that, these books are gradually filling in a whole world, and it's open enough that it doesn't feel like anything in particular was left for later, other than the march of time and that people will continue to need help that can be given by broken paladins of a dead god with their shiny swords.
Istvhan feels like he did in the first book, albeit having been filtered through Grace and Stephen's perceptions of him. Clara is an entirely new protagonist. Istvhan and Clara both have secrets they're keeping, and good reasons to be concerned that the other person might not want to stick around once they know. The romance is a slow burn, as even after they start to be physically intimate they don't know if the other person will stay interested once they know more of what's going on.
This would make sense to someone who started here without reading any other books in the world of the White Rat, let alone in The Saint of Steel series particularly, but the loose collection of the White Rat are building a world with each new story, and a few side details will be more impactful for someone who has already read PALADIN'S GRACE, in particular. Sometimes these little details double as updates about characters met elsewhere, other times they just contribute to the reader's growing knowledge of their shared setting. However, the main story and most of the side threads will be understandable and have much of their poignancy for someone who picks this up without knowledge of the other books.
I love the gladiator sequence towards the end. It's a tangle of plans, interruptions, and hoping things go well long enough for them to pull off something just shy of a miracle under terrible conditions.
Istvhan was a secondary character in PALADIN'S GRACE, and his mission is related to the murderous and undead-adjacent "smooth men" Stephen encountered briefly there. This serves to wrap up that storyline, possibly completely, but it remains to be seen whether there will be further related incidents in later books. I enjoyed the brief anecdote from Istvhan as to more developments in Stephen and Grace's relationship. There's a new storyline related to Clara and her kidnapped sisters of St. Ursa, as well as the romance between Istvhan and Clara. This isn't the last book in the series, but because it appears that each book with have a different protagonist, it's pretty wide open as to what might be open enough to be picked up later. The one thing I can say for certain is there are five more paladins of the Saint of Steel who can be protagonists, and that the White Rat will continue to be relevant. Beyond that, these books are gradually filling in a whole world, and it's open enough that it doesn't feel like anything in particular was left for later, other than the march of time and that people will continue to need help that can be given by broken paladins of a dead god with their shiny swords.
Istvhan feels like he did in the first book, albeit having been filtered through Grace and Stephen's perceptions of him. Clara is an entirely new protagonist. Istvhan and Clara both have secrets they're keeping, and good reasons to be concerned that the other person might not want to stick around once they know. The romance is a slow burn, as even after they start to be physically intimate they don't know if the other person will stay interested once they know more of what's going on.
This would make sense to someone who started here without reading any other books in the world of the White Rat, let alone in The Saint of Steel series particularly, but the loose collection of the White Rat are building a world with each new story, and a few side details will be more impactful for someone who has already read PALADIN'S GRACE, in particular. Sometimes these little details double as updates about characters met elsewhere, other times they just contribute to the reader's growing knowledge of their shared setting. However, the main story and most of the side threads will be understandable and have much of their poignancy for someone who picks this up without knowledge of the other books.
I love the gladiator sequence towards the end. It's a tangle of plans, interruptions, and hoping things go well long enough for them to pull off something just shy of a miracle under terrible conditions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Murder, Gore, Body horror, Suicide, Sexual content, Grief, Blood, Death, Confinement, and Child death
Moderate: Mental illness, Torture, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Medical content, Cannibalism, Vomit, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Slavery
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
I think I have a bit of a crush on Clara after reading this book. She’s such a badass!
T. Kingfisher has a real knack for describing desirable characters that don’t fall into the usual ‘gorgeous and chiselled’ romance character archetypes. Not just the women, but the men as well. Her characters are older, less conventional looking, maybe even have a little bit of fat padding their bodies, but they find each other sexy all the same. It’s so refreshing and I love it. I also loved that both Istvhan and Clara had sexual pasts and were unapologetic about it.
I did think that it dragged a little bit in the middle. This book is longer than the previous one and it felt like it at times. But the plots of Clara’s missing sister-nuns and the smooth men were engaging, and it was really interesting to see how they tied together. As always, T. Kingfisher balances the contrast of humour and sweet romance with creepy horror perfectly.
Overall, another winner in the Saint of Steel series and once again I’m dying to dive into the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Abandonment and Infertility
bethanycrowepowell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A classic perilous journey with a dash of paranormal mystery and a core of pining romance.
This second installment of The Saint of Steel series stands alone while delivering on the premise of the first. Istvhan is seemingly the most well-adjusted ex-paladin, and he's leading a group on the trail of the weird serial killer creature discovered in Paladin's Grace. When he accidentally "acquires" a woman while settling a debt of honor, he's just relieved to help her get on her way. But their roads are more parallel than they expect. And while Clara is sure this troupe is doing more than proving escort to some expensive barrels, she's also hiding a lot about who she is and what exactly she's heading toward.
But as their paths continue to run with each other it seems that honesty, both about the attraction that they're ignoring as a complication and their true aims, might be worth trying.
I liked decisive, unembarrassed Clara, who in this book is powered by rage but also love, and the way her insecurities and strengths were matched by Istvhan's.
This second installment of The Saint of Steel series stands alone while delivering on the premise of the first. Istvhan is seemingly the most well-adjusted ex-paladin, and he's leading a group on the trail of the weird serial killer creature discovered in Paladin's Grace. When he accidentally "acquires" a woman while settling a debt of honor, he's just relieved to help her get on her way. But their roads are more parallel than they expect. And while Clara is sure this troupe is doing more than proving escort to some expensive barrels, she's also hiding a lot about who she is and what exactly she's heading toward.
But as their paths continue to run with each other it seems that honesty, both about the attraction that they're ignoring as a complication and their true aims, might be worth trying.
I liked decisive, unembarrassed Clara, who in this book is powered by rage but also love, and the way her insecurities and strengths were matched by Istvhan's.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I've noticed that most (all?) T Kingfisher books will have two story arcs that typically are intermingled in some way. What is surprising is that neither detracts from the other and they work together in a very complimentary way which I imagine isn't easy.
Definitely looking forward to the next book!
Definitely looking forward to the next book!
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism, Confinement, Animal death, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Gore, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit