Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

13 reviews

latashman's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have recently discovered T Kingfishers fantasy books and love them. They feel like stepping into a fairytale. This book had some pretty gruesome scenes with the smooth men, but was overall lighthearted with humor intertwined with the dark. I found that the pacing was well done. I appreciate that her stories do not include an epilogue (esp one with pregnancy trope, etc) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Trafficking and Cannibalism

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 Rat

can't really solve, but tries to manage anyway.

 

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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 a

group of women

forcibly taken to them. Creepy dolls make an appearance, in a way, associated with the

return of the smooth men

.

sunsorbit's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Death, and Trafficking

Moderate: Slavery

distilledreads'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

It took me a little bit to adjust to Istvhan’s voice/character in this book, because it felt quite different from his portrayal in the first The Saint of Steel book and I was so excited for more of his sassy banter. However, he is really only like that with his fellow paladins, and I have grown to love that subtle difference in character. 

It is evident in the first three books, but really becomes apparent in Book #2 and Book #3. The paladins have an intense bond and treat each other with snarky barbs in a way that they don’t treat anyone else. When they’re off on their own, their own insecurities, demeanor, and personalities comes out. 

I loved the way the overarching plot that began in the first book was picked up in Paladin’s Strength and we were able to see more of the larger world. Just like Stephen, Istvhan was incredibly respectful and sought explicit consent while being a burly bear of a character that I absolutely adored. Kingfisher does an incredible job of depicting intense passion in a healthy and consenting manner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Confinement, Trafficking, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Infertility

ariep's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense slow-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

I loved loved loved this book! I love the way T. Kingfisher writes, and I think her characters are so fun. The dialogue is spectacular, and the voice actor for this audiobook is a new favorite of mine. I loved how mysterious, adventurous, and often wholesome this story was! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to reading the next one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Confinement, Death, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Violence, Kidnapping, and Trafficking

purplepenning's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Body horror, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Gore, and Trafficking

Minor: Excrement, Infertility, Cannibalism, Slavery, Alcohol, and Child death

readinggem's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad 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

4.0

The pining went on for too long

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Trafficking, Violence, and Gore

leahrosereads's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

5.0

It's super official. I love this cozy (adjacent) higher stakes fantasyso much. 

The first book gave readers fantastic characters and incredibly interesting mysteries, some of which were solved, but one other HUGE mystery wasn't. I'm so glad to see that that mystery continued into this one. 

But of course, there was also a couple of other quests along the way, and I loved every side moment and character here just as much as book 1!  No book 2 blues.  

I cannot wait start the next book!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Death, and Violence

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.  

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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

epsyphus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

So much fun!
Edit for reread: I love this world so much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, Kidnapping, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty