Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel Book 1)

I’ve been sampling badly written novels in this genre too much lately. To return to excellent prose , fine characters, and a compelling plot — plus humor and a romance that is believable and touching and fun (and includes a man who knits socks!) —what a pleasure!

This story comes together very well because of the characters. Grace, our heroine, is a perfumer. Her remarkable sense of smell allows her to break fragrances into their components and to compound unique personal perfumes for customers. She has escaped an abusive past and is building a new life in a new kingdom. Grace is vulnerable, but also strong and determined to survive on her own and to solve her own problems. Stephen was a paladin called to work on behalf of his god, until the god died. Now the paladins that survived the death of their god are watching after each other and working for Bishop Beartongue who serves the White Rat. Stephen is a mighty warrior, but he struggles with his control and worries about his broken soul and his future. There is something charming about a powerful man who knits pink socks. The wise and wonderous Bishop is smart, empathetic, kind, and a skilled diplomat. She provided a home for the paladins after the death of their god despite the murderous berserker rage that overcame many of them when the god died. The background is rich, and the plot is complex. The nice thing is that the story does not get lost in lengthy explanatory passages to set up the characters, the world, and the elements of the plot. There are multiple plot lines, which reach resolution, although one of the plot lines is only partially resolved. The romance is romantic, with some passionate sex scenes. This is a pre-industrial world where travel is by horse or on foot, and lighting is with candles. It is a complicated social structure with multiple temples that serve different gods and a multiple political powers. There are details that are gross (an autopsy, decapitations, and oceans of mud) and some that are charming (the gnoles, small badger like creatures that engage in street cleaning and odd jobs). The pacing is brisk and the writing is good.

Nobody does paladins like T. Kingfisher. If you loved Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine, you’ll love this book! Mystery, adventure, romance, snark, and a purring civet cat. Oh, and a paladin who knits socks. Irresistible!

I read A LOT. I read a lot of different genres and authors. T. Kingfisher is at the top of my lists, and Paladin's Grace is just one more reason why! Kingfisher's world for this tale, and several others, is incredible. That she can carry across the feeling of stepping back into it, regardless of time or place, between "unrelated" tales is a true gift. Her characters are unique, believable, loveable, shareable, hateable, fearable, and on and on. I love the paladins, I love that you can count on them to be what they are in every book - they are hilarious, they give you warm fuzzies, they are tragic, and they are one of the best parts of any story set in this world. Zale is back and they are a stroke of human genius- T. Kingfisher's inclusive narratives are so seamless you wish real life could mimic her art. If you're new to T. Kingfisher, congratulations!! You are about to get sucked into a reading list that you'll eagerly dread reaching the end of. Never fear, rereading her work is even better than reading it for the first time. You do not need to have read any of her works to thoroughly enjoy this one!! But you'll appreciate the subtle references if you have, or when you return to it again. This one is touching, empowering, fun, and utterly satisfying. The characters are deeply nuanced, believable and - yeah, "just so great "! If you like fantasy, and romance with a story, with real emotions - you need to read this book. It's laugh out loud funny and heart-wrenching in some places, again - those Paladins! And just an all around satisfying read. And if you're already a T. Kingfisher fan, then you're just reading the reviews for fun - because you already know it's gonna be awesome.

I loved the richly described world, the premise and the characters ( a sock-knitting ex-paladin!!) and the love story was sweet.Recommendand the

If you've liked any of her other books, you'll love this one. If you haven't read her work yet, then this is a great starting point. It's set in the same world as Clockwork Boys and Swordheart, and she does such a great job of bringing the city of Archenhold to life. The way the author keeps adding more and more depth and life to this setting with every book, yet each book stands well on its own, well, it's really amazing. The characters really ring true.Also the romance is really good. The conflicts in the story all felt liked they progressed naturally. If someone made a dumb mistake, it was a mistake consistent with their character (i.e. No one gets tossed an Idiot Ball in this book)Anyway, I'm going to immediately go re read this book now, because it's that good.

First, I need to declare that Ursula Vernon (T. Kingfisher) is one of my favourite authors. I recommend the Harriet the Hamster Princess books to anyone with children, a sense of humour or, preferably, both.The books set in the world of the Church of the White Rat are equally marvellous. They are funny, touching and unpredictable. Her imagination is quirky and full of a sense of the ridiculous, and her characters are fully fleshed out and don't conform to standard fantasy tropes. Her romance writing is fresh and real, and full of the genuine human worries and insecurities that plague and enhance everyone. Her paladins are noble and flawed, and very very funny.I recommend any and all of her books, and each one is slightly better than the last.I still haven't read The Twisted Ones, but I will get to that as soon as possible.Thank you, Ms. Vernon.

I love all the author's works, and this is a long beloved favourite. Stephen the paladin is simply the perfect hero: kind, forthright, tortured by his tragic past, and he knits. I love him excessively. Grace is a lovely heroine: skilled, determined, very aware of who she is. The notes about perfumery are interesting and add so much colour to the story. Also, it's hot. The almost-kisses are as good as the actual kisses.The whole series is great, and I love the world these books exist in. Overall, an excellent fantasy adventure with a love story that really works.I know I've overused the word 'love' in this review, but I really do love this book. I want you to read it, because you deserve to love it as much as I do.

I really enjoyed this story. The writing style is great and the characters are very enjoyable. It felt like various genres all added together which was quite refreshing and I'm always happy with stories which have a generally lighter tone.