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A review by hareems
Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher
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 (ðŸ˜). 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 (ðŸ˜). 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