Colleen's Reviews > Paladin's Grace

3.5 Stars

*A bizarre combination of bodice-ripping and severed heads with a delightful vein of humor*


Paladin’s Grace popped up on my Readerly recommedations. It sounded like a fun little adventure.

Stephen the Paladin has been scarred and adrift ever since the god he served died. No one knows what happened to his god, and his sworn servants are left aimless and prone to uncontrollable berserker fits. Yet Stephen and the other Paladins not claimed by madness try to find purpose in helping people. And Knitting. Knitting lots and lots of socks! But then a chance encounter puts Stephen in the path of a woman named Grace who is tangled up in a political plot far more dangerous than she knows. In addition to the political machinations, the city is also plagued by a mysterious serial killer chopping off people’s heads.

“He wished that he could break out his knitting, but for some reason, people didn’t take you seriously as a warrior when you were knitting. He’d never figured out why. Making socks required four or five double-ended bone needles, and while they weren’t very large, you could probably jam one into someone’s eye if you really wanted to. Not that he would. He’d have to pull the needle out of the sock to do it, and then he’d be left with the grimly fiddly work of rethreading the stitches. Also, washing blood out of wool was possible, but a pain.”

It’s odd to describe this story. The tone is light with a lot of snarky humor. But the plots of political intrigue and a bloody serial killer were a strange counterweight to Stephen’s and Grace’s moony, lovelorn longings. Yet somehow, the story did manage to stick an entertaining balance between these contrasting elements.

I didn’t realize that this book is set in the same world as some of the author’s other works. It was labeled as the first in a series, so I hadn’t looked into it farther than that. There were some of the elements of the world that probably would have made more sense if I’d read the other books. But enough was explained that the story still worked as a standalone.

I knew there would be romance in Paladin’s Grace, but I wasn’t expecting it to turn into a bodice-ripper. It wasn’t overly steamy, but the story did spend a fair amount of time deliberating about how long Stephen and Grace would fight their feelings. The main characters were frustrating at times in their insecurities. There was some @gift of the Magi level of mutual martyrdom going on at times. Yet they were still endearing characters. Even if I did want to shout, “Just get on with it!” at times.

“If we limited loving to just the sane, undamaged people, the next generation would have about three people in it and presumably humanity would die out shortly afterward.”

It would have been more thrilling if the story had focused more on the mystery elements with the serial killer and the political intrigue. But at least those elements still got a decent amount of page time – enough to make engaging plots. So often, romance stories with intrigue only include just enough to add a dash of flavor but never actually bother having a real plot.

By far my favorite parts were the humorous conversations between Stephen and his fellow Paladins. There was a hilarious conversation when they were stuck guarding a boring, posh party and decided to debate the merits of using the swan ice sculpture as an impromptu weapon should a fight break out. And Bishop Beartongue was so awesome! I dearly wish she had had a bigger part.

“Look, if you can't laugh about the homicidal fits that make you a menace to society, what's even the point?”

While I did enjoy the story overall, I’m not sure I’ll rush out to read the rest of the series. But I have a feeling I’ll pick them up at some point in the future when I’m in the mood for something light yet bloody.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars