#paladin's strength

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

umm hi hello was anyone gonna tell me about these insane new covers for The Saint of Steel series by T Kingfisher? 😱

they're so gorgeous! they release July 8th in Australia, idk about the rest of the world, but I am so fling-flangin excited!!!!!

[kneesntoess]

the white rat priests about the saint of steel paladins: if you can't get organic, home grown paladins, store bought is fine

[animezinglife]

“What if she kills you, boss?”

“Then either avenge me or put her in charge.”

- Paladin’s Strength, T. Kingfisher

[bibliophilecats]

Currently reading: Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

[goodgrammaritan]

"Canoodle!? I have never canoodled in my life."

"You don't expect me to believe that."

"You had better. When I do it, it is not canoodling."

"Same thing."

"Madam," said Istvhan, his voice dropping nearly an octave, "I have made love. I have had sex. I have bedded, rutted, fucked, and on one occasion, with enthusiastic consent and a great deal of oil, I have sodomized, but I have never, not once, canoodled."

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

[fredicia]

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

[tovetar]

“A paladin? A holy warrior?!” Clara put her hands on her hips. “And you’ve been giving me crap about being a nun when I’m only a lay sister? “Is this really the time?” asked Istvhan. “Yes, it’s the time!” “It’s only that men who would like to put you in a zoo are probably going to come back soon.” “Then they can wait! I am not done yelling!” “Yes’m,” said Istvhan, and stared contritely at his toes. “You’re a paladin!” “More or less. Less these days.” “But a paladin!” “I feel very bad about it.” Kingfisher, T. Paladin's Strength (The Saint of Steel Book 2)

[socialfauxpa]

2024 Book Wrap Up

Managed to read through 69 books* this year. My average rating for the year was 4.47 haha I'm not the biggest critic of anything. I rated 9 books 5 stars and have included some specific thoughts about them all under the cut.

Feel free to follow me on The Storygraph if you'd like real time updates on what I'm reading through out the year.

*Including comics and text based RPG novels.

5 Star Reads Reviews Under the Cut:

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

My first read this year and probably one of my favourites. Part of The Radiant Emperor Duology following Zhu Yuanzhang and her rise to power following She who became the sun.

I LOVE this series and recommend it to everyone, I will be re-reading them in the future, Zhu is maybe one of my favourite characters ever. How can you support women's rights if you don't support women's wrongs.

Loved everything about this book the characters the pacing the way it ties up some of the dangling threads from She who became the sun.

One of the things that I LOVE about this series is Shelley Parker-Chan's exploration of gender, societal roles and the gender dynamics in their historical fantasy. It is SO delicious. The idea of like recognizing like and being able to find happiness in it or exploiting it for personal gain makes me CRAZY

Who doesn't love reluctant allies due to the babygirlification beam of the first novels central antagonist.

Both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the world are fantastic audio books Natalie Naudus is fantastic and I loved the vocal tones she would use for each characters in their various gender expressions.

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

The thrilling conclusion to the Imperial Radch trilogy. Breq was a space ship, due to circumstances outside her control, she isn't any longer and its everyone else's problem.

I really loved this series, there's really something so lovely about the concept of a machine that cares so deeply about its humans that it is willing to tear every ounce of itself out to help them. Especially when its humans wont let them.

I really loved this book and the way it concluded the Radch trilogy. Something something finding community and helping what you can and protecting each other from what you can not.

The Unbroken and The Faithless by C.L. Clark

Books 1 and 2 of the Magic of the Lost trilogy.

These books consumed me. I LOVE them.

I read the unbroken in 2022 and re-read in 2024 when The Faithless came out, and its SUCH a banger will be re reading again.

Characters and world building is INSANE. Very high fantasy politics and drama with a back bone in French colonialism of Northern Africa. I really loved this setting as its super different from a lot of the other high fantasy series I've read in the past.

Touraine and Luca's relationship and dynamics make me insane. What if we each others only salvation and path forward but continuing to use and be used by one another is flaying an exposed nerve that may cause not only our destruction, but will break the peace we have managed to broker between our two nations at great personal expense.

I LOVE the magic system C.L. Clark has created in this universe its so meaty (pun intended) and I am desperate to know how this series ends.

Highly recommend the Audio book of these as well. Rasha Zamamiri's performance is INCREDIBLE. The way she plays not only Touraine and Luca, but all the characters like Jaghotai and Djasha adds so much depth and richness to the story.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book, I've been working my way though the Wayfarers series whenever I need a book I know I will love.

I re-read LWTSAP before reading A Closed and Common Orbit this year. CCO is a fantastic heartbreaking read I would absolutely recommend as well but it didn't quite hit the same as the first.

Can't recommend this novel enough I once described it to a friend as "what you remember liking the most about Firefly, with the lived in grungy alien world building and crew dynamics of mass effect 2" and I stand by that haha.

The Prospects by KT Hoffman

Loved this gay a hell baseball romance.

It really hit when I needed something lovely and happy with good romance and tension not about being gay in sports but about being good enough at the sport you love to continue to do it after the summer I had (woof).

You go funky little trans baseball man and you climb that tall man like a tree good for you gene.

We love a teammates, to rivals, to teammates (again), to reluctant friends, to lovers story line.

I loved this book enough I actually thought about watching baseball but I did manage to repress that urge and funneled the energy into watching the PWHL.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Loved this gay as hell soccer romance.

The third? sports romance and second Meryl Wilsner I read this year and 100% my favourite.

I really thought the pacing of this was really well done and the romance between Grace and Phoebe was so lovely. I really loved the exploration of fame and how it impedes someones ability to truly be themselves. I'm also a sucker for a "wait this person is just willingly giving out their love no strings attached??? That cant be right, they must want something from me" trope.

Who doesn't love a golden retriever newbie helping the black cat veteran finding the joy in the game again, they also fuck nasty about their problems.

Boy howdy Meryl Wilsner can write sex scenes too, the locker room scene was both unexpected and gorgeous.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

The third Meryl Wilsner I read this year. LOVED.

I'm so hype for her Meryl Wilsner's new book coming out in April 2025.

I read this one on my phone on a plane to LA this Halloween and loved every second of it.

The concept of Cassie meeting her freshman best friend's recently divorced mom in bar before she knew who she was, then continuing to "date" her hooked me and I had such a fun time reading this.

I loved that the narrative tension didn't come from the illicit nature of the romance causing issues. But was really just a straight forward romance novel about two people falling in love without realizing it, and the miscommunication that follows when you love someone you "aren't actually dating". Incredible.

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

Probably one of my favourites of the year. I LOVED THIS BOOK

The second novel in the The Saint of Steel series. I loved all the saint of steel novels in this series but Paladin's Strength REALLY HIT.

I though the fantastical world building, the mystery and magic from the first novel really got turned up to eleven in this one. For my money this novel was perfectly paced and balanced with the romance between Clara and Istvhan.

The idea of a paladin whose god has died and now they need to find something new to devote themselves too is DELICIOUS.

I'm a sucker for a lover and a beloved narrative especially where neither one thinks they are worthy of the other's love (they are).

Another fantastic audio book. I listened to it twice before it went back to the library. Joel Richards' narration of these books really adds a fantastic richness to each of the Paladins and I really really loved his performance of Istvhan.

[shy-fairy-levele3]

I am loving the Saint of Saint of Steel series by T. Kingfisher.

Almost finished the second book, and have the third on hold from the library.

[franticbindings]

Really enjoying the Saint of Steel series! It strikes a pretty interesting balance where the interpersonal conflicts between characters are pretty low stakes ("how do I make up for this social misstep"), which are greatly heightened by the character's own internal conflicts which are pretty heavy stuff ("the misstep is only a really big deal because of my horrible trauma, or your horrible trauma I don't know about yet") but which is engaged with in a way that feels hopeful; here is an obstacle it will be satisfying for the characters to grow past together.

Then the fantasy/action part of the plot will show up and it touches on the main characters in similar ways; we're still having a good time and mostly worrying about how this is going to affect the romance or the character's personal stuff.

The fantasy stuff for everyone else though is like: time for some straight up horror stuff to happen. A fight will break out and it's the kind of fantasy fight where someone on "your" side dies immediately so you know this is serious business. People get hurt in ways that they're not going to recover from even if they survive. I'm not really ever worried about this stuff happening to the main characters though.

There's a very specific slice of what could happen in space that is the intersection of romance and fantasy that is solidly in "dark/horror fantasy" and everything else leans more lighthearted. It's a fun juxtaposition! I'm not widely read in this genre, so I don't know how unique it is to strike this particular balance.

[shsenhaji]

📚 January Reading Round-Up 📚

January was a pretty great reading month! Finished a few books I'd started in December, while also binging some new ones.

- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (good, very funny and bittersweet, full of detailed and lush descriptions, loved the last part the best, very different than the movie's plot)

- Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher (Delightful, funny, characters were a bit too self-deprecating but it worked nonetheless, all the feels)

- Manacled by Senlinyu (Very good, cried at a lot of parts, not my favourite iteration of this trope but a great addition, loved the fanart, interesting take on Draco Malfoy that I did enjoy)

- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Very good, loved the audiobook, funny and smart and heartfelt, MC has ADHD vibes, some cool twists, great intertwined flashback story structure)

- Fullmetal Alchemist Fullmetal Edition Vol. 5 by Hiromu Arakawa (Very good, thankfully some of the scenes didn't hit me as hard as the anime, loved the humour and the art style)

- The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani (Good, very intense, loved the second half of the book more, great character development and themes)

- A Darkness at the Door by Intisar Khanani (Very very good, binged it in a day, very poetic and lyrical and angry and cathartic, loved the romance and the friendships and the ending)

- Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier (Good, loved the beginning, not quite what I was expecting for the ending, great characters and communication)

[thedrownedlibrary]

I have reached the part of Paladin's Strength where Clara and Istvhan are both like "huh maybe they DO understand what this is like"

And while I don't want the entire holy order of St. Ursa to be dead.

I DO want Clara and Istvhan to end up running some sort of boarding school/training academy for werebears (and maybe were-whatever else there ares) and berserkers (because I fully subscribe to Istvhan's theory that the Saint of Steel took berserkers as his chosen, but didn't make them berserkers to begin with)

[mosswolf]

saint ursa, you say.... 👀

[animezinglife]

Istvhan: I have to be more careful. I'm such an idiot. I'm a huge guy and I never want a woman to feel intimidated by that or like she doesn't have power in this situation. Or any situation. Why am I even thinking about that situation?! Clara: [bludgeons bandits over the head and manhandles him into a wall] Istvhan:

[dragonbadgerbooks]

August Fun Day Book Photo Challenge: August 24, 2023 National Waffle Day

Why do library books have to have due dates ToT

[goodgrammaritan]

"Paladins aren't supposed to take hostages," said Istvhan morosely.

"Yes, but you didn't keep him, so it's probably fine."

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher