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A review by pacifickat
Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 Now there is a prayer I can get behind, thought Stephen as he walked away. Oh gods, if any of you are listening, please grant that we don't make things worse. 

I will admit that at first I judged this style of this book, perhaps because I have been spending too much time of late with literary fiction. I don't read very much romance, and the writing is not particularly impressive. However, I found myself drawn back to Stephen and Grace, like a warm hug or familiar friends. The plot is a good cozy fantasy lark, and I like the idea of
two older, somewhat "damaged" people, finding what may not be the all-consuming fire of first love, but something slower, more cautious, but no less sweet.
 

I did not find this book show-stopping, but I did find it to be a comforting side quest to more serious stories I tend to be drawn to as a reader. The mystery elements are fun, the romance is a pleasant slow burn, the POV characters are good people who are nice to spend time with, and the plot keeps it fairly light and cozy for the most part. My primary criticism to the romance element may be
that I think the relationship between Stephen and Grace could have used maybe one more story beat to make it believable to me that Grace would not simply flee on her own after being broken out of prison by Stephen. 
However, the story also didn't really need to be any longer, so I can forgive it for the character's actions feeling a bit implausible.
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