#paladin's strength

[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

[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.

[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.... 👀

[dragonbadgerbooks]

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

Why do library books have to have due dates ToT

[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.

[wearethekat]

April Book Reviews: Paladin's Strength by T Kingfisher

Finally managed to get my hands on one of the very last T Kingfisher books I haven't read yet. Clara is a nun with a dangerous secret desperately trying to track down the remainder of her kidnapped order. Istvhan is a former paladin of a dead god on a suspiciously innocuous mission. When Clara is "sold" to a reluctant Istvhan, they agree to travel together temporarily-- but their goals may be closer aligned than they thought.

This is a fun and typically quality T Kingfisher fantasy romance, featuring the standard Practical Middle-Aged Woman x Slightly Smarter Kronk with Traumas. The horror element is reduced from Paladin's Grace (which I'd calculate as higher than most of her horror books). It's maybe a tad predictable, but in a very soothing fairy tale way.

If you like Robin Mckinley, or Olivia Atwater, or Legends and Lattes, you'll almost certainly like these. I've found T Kingfisher books to be predictably enjoyable for me.

[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:

[wholelotofweird]

Meowdy, I hope you're ready to take a peek at all of the books I've read the last 3 months!

By read, I do also mean listened to. I'm a huge fan of audiobooks, because my brain is bad.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone - Benjamin Stevenson

I love a good mystery book, and this is a good mystery book. The narrator has a strong voice and is up-front about their unreliable nature. This book does a great job of making sure you are on the narrator's side, it never feels like they are purposefully keeping readers in the dark in order to pull a gotcha.

Pacing and suspense are SO well balanced to the point where I devoured this book in a day.

Paladin's Grace - T. Kingfisher

I was so prepared for this book to lean way more heavily into a fantasy world where I'd have to learn more terms and how social systems work, and just 1000 other things that can put me off of fantasy books. It's part of the reason I put it off for so long after getting it recommended to me (sorry, Ben.)

THIS BOOK, THOUGH, is not that at all. We don't have to learn new names for "church" or "palm tree". The author manages to thread the line between assuming that readers know the world already, and not creating a bunch of buckwild new words. The handholding though the worldbuilding is so light that you almost don't even feel it.

The setting manages to feel modern and fantastic all at once, which is just... The perfect food for me. The pantheon exists, but it isn't the focus.

This is a romance novel but not a bodice ripper, or overly erotic. I feel the depths of the emotions between the two main characters, which is what I really want.

My one gripe is that the final resolution feels very deus ex. Now, if I was going to pull out my fancy degree and analyze this, I could make an argument that the ending is supposed to feel that, for [spoilers]. But... I'm not sure how true that is. Maybe I'll have to re-read the book and keep that argument in mind.

Even with the ending, this book is lovely.

The Cybernetic Tea Shop - Meredith Katz

This book is short and sweet and a lovely look at an ace relationship.

I haven't read a book sub 200 pages in about a billion years, so many modern books are 600+ pages. Some of them! So good! Others!! Painfully long! This book manages to build an amazing world, atmosphere, multiple characters, and a believable romantic relationship all in the space of a few hundred pages.

Not just that, but the story happens to be about grief, and life, and what it is a person really wants. There are a handful of books I've read in my life that I connect with on such a deep level that I feel seen and changed, Convince Store Woman is one, and this is one.

Cults - Max Cutler

Taking a hard swerve into some non-fiction. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this one. I'm not HUGE into true crime (anymore, 14 year old me S U P E R was), so I was a little concerned that I was signing up for some grim, overly detailed, look into the crimes.

What I got instead was a thoughtful look at the psychology behind cult leaders. Yeah, there are a few sections that are pretty grim, but the book doesn't revel in them, if that makes sense. There is never a point where I feel like I am supposed to be ENJOYING the crimes being detailed.

The focus on not just the leaders lives pre-cult, but the lives of the cult members does a ton of work to unmythologize (.... new word alert) some of these leaders.

House of Salt and Sorrows - Erin A. Craig

So... I don't know. I didn't dislike this book, but I'm not sure I'm a fan. I will read the second one when I have access to it, but I don't know that I'd read this one again.

Here is a true fact about me - I don't read summaries of books or horror movies. This, as you may imagine, leads me to having to some WILD times with media.

Anyway, the point is: I was expecting a mystery period piece. What I got was a fantasy mystery period piece. It was fun, it was a little overly complicated. At the end of the day, I was definitely not the target audience for this.

I'm Glad My Mom Died - Janette McCurdy

Jesus. Christ.

When i-Carly was popular I was juuuuuust old enough to say I hated it, while watching it with my younger sisters pretty frequently. I didn't make sure to watch any of the big event episodes. I didn't see every episode, but the show was a constant in my life.

To get such a raw look at someone's life who was molded to be a 'peer' was WACK. Jennette doesn't sugar coat anything. Her experiences are raw and honest and it is probably the only way these experiences could be expressed.

Paladin's Strength - T. Kingfisher

You may be asking "why didn't you put this up next to the first book?"

Great question.

I'm putting this list in order that I read them, so like. Ease off.

I equal parts liked this book just as much, and had trouble getting through it. I am once again in love with the world and with the characters. During some of the middle of the book it felt like the book was 600 pages just to be 600 pages, and not because things needed to be said.

When I was in college I was accused of writing too many "stage directions" in my literature. I blame my years of RPing on Gaia Online and fan-fic writing on that. There is a definite style that comes from those writing exercises, a style where you want all of the readers to know everything from point A to point B. The thing is, not all of that is needed. I don't need 200 pages of sexual tension and flirting to believe in the relationship of two people. It's the "show don't tell" rule taken to the extreme.

There are some times when it's okay to tell and not show.

I like this book, I wish it was shorter, I will be reading the next one in the series because, damn it, this series is fun.

The Curse of Chalion - Lois McMaster Bujold

I don't tend to read fantasy books Like This anymore. When I was younger this type of book was my bread and butter. I've found that a lot of them (to me, at my advanced age) are tedious. And I'm tired.

This book! Manages not to be tedious and absolutely cradled me in the arms of fantasy I loved when I was younger. The book isn't, plot wise, comforting and yet I felt comforted reading it. I understand that the sentiment makes little sense. I'll say, though, if you were like me and were/are a big fan of Tamora Pierce's work - I cannot recommend this book enough.

Mrs. Sherlock Holmes - Brad Ricca

What is more cool than a woman lawyer, investigator, and social rights advocate in the 1900s? Basically nothing. This is another non-fiction book that truly brought to life the folks it detailed. I am OBSESSED with this woman.

I had never heard of Grace Humiston, which seems like an absolute shame, not just because she was cool as all hell, but because she spent so much time and effort protecting the underserved classes of 1900s New York. She was a lawyer who often worked for free to represent folks who could either not speak or write in English and were being taken advantage of.

She became an investigator, basically, because she knew the police were not putting effort into it.

The Salt Grows Heavy - Cassandra Khaw

This was another one that I didn't read the summary for before jumping in. I knew it was a queer book and I knew there was a mermaid, I didn't need any other convincing.

Here we have another sub 200 page book that tells an amazing love story. A story of personhood and growth and revenge.

It is not an easy read either in content or syntax. I haven't really put any trigger warnings with any of the other books, maybe that's a system I'll implement if anyone is interested. But this one: Body Horror, and Gore. If you have a weak stomach I would, sadly, not recommend this to you.

That said, this book is one of the more poetic ones I've read in a long time. Every word feels purposeful in a way that I don't run into often. Keeping the book short works perfectly for that style. If it were any longer I could easily find myself getting lost in the writing.

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

This book has been on my TBR for... A While. It took my friend starting it and sending rave reviews for me to pick it up.

Here's another fun fact about me - My brain is broken. I have a hard time engaging with media that I KNOW I will enjoy, simply because. Because why? I don't know. To be contrary? Because I don't want to be disappointed? Because I'm scared I'll like it too much?

Who knows, don't recommend shows or movies to me and expect me to get back to you in a timely manner. You have to wait 3-5 years.

So, knowing that, I am glad I forced myself to pick this up. This is the coffee shop AU that we all love. The creation of this AU was treated with such love and care, it's clear the author knows what's up. All I want is a big strong character to fall in love with a smaller, softer, character and also run a little shop.

This book delivers on that and more. I cannot WAIT for the next book.

Leech - Hiron Ennes

I'm going to start with the easy stuff - This is a wonderfully dark book. I'm not usually a gothic horror reader, but wow. This book is about horror, identity, reclaiming the self. My library had it miss-tagged as romance which??? It is SUPER not.

The harder part is putting into words how I feel about this book. I like this book, it is complex and poetic. There were times where I felt like I was about to crawl out of my skin, in a good way. Emotions are so viscerally described that I could feel them in my gut.

The history of the world feels so deep, and the author does an amazing job at making me feel like that there are things going on outside the view of the character. That is an amazing skill to pull on, making the world around the character feel truly alive.

I told my friends when I finished it that sometimes "u read a book and the book read u."

I haven't put on my literature analysis hat on in nearly a decade. I would LOVE to spend more time to sit with this book and peel back the layers and figure out all of the ways this book makes me feel seen as a queer person. I don't have the words for that right now. Just know that I felt it.

Ghost Eaters - Clay McLeod Chapman

I don't know how I feel about this book. I think, overall, I like it. I think the plot is interesting, but the book isn't really about the plot, it's about the character. It's about grief and relationships and healing.

I felt like the first 200 pages were a real struggle for me. Unlike some of the other books I've read on this list, I did read a blurb about this one. I wonder if that was why the first 3rd of this book was a struggle. I was waiting the hook to find me. Instead, I had pages and pages of character exploration. I don't hate character exploration! But it wasn't what I was expecting.

The end... Left me feeling sad, and a little hopeless. Which, I think is the point. I think is why I don't read a ton of horror books. I love horror movies, I don't mind if the endings of those are bleak and hopeless. I think the difference is time spent. Reading a book takes so much more time and dedication and like... I want to be happy, is the thing.

I like this book, I think it's a wonderfully written look at addiction and grief and the ways those can eat a person alive.

Paladin's Hope - T. Kingfisher

I devoured this book in 5 hours. I... I opened it and did not put it down. I think this one may be my favorite of the three. I think the author managed to strike the exact right balance of tension, romance, and action.

Unlike Paladin's Strength, I never felt that there were these big empty spaces -- There was momentum.

I want to once again say that I LOVE that the characters are into their 30s. As a person also into their 30s it's just nice to see folks who feel real. Maybe I've been reading the wrong books for years, I simply feel a deep connection for characters similar in age who are just so... Normal (ignoring that some of them are paladin's of a dead god... you know what I mean).

[goodgrammaritan]

Istvhan stirred. "You are not a failure, you know," he said, "simply because you can't endure something unendurable."

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

[eccentric-ocean]

So I finished yet another T Kingfisher book, this time Paladin's Strength. [Warning i will be nitpicking]

I wonder if I've ruined it for myself by reading it in quick succession after Paladin's Grace... At the same time, I think I can objectively say I enjoyed it less than Paladin's Grace, and a lot less than Swordheart.

The shape-changing was definitely a surprise. But I didn't feel as interested in that idea as I was in the sword-man or the berserkers, or even simply in Halla's life story. The story felt quite repetitive and as curious as I was about Istvhan, there was little to see of other beloved characters. The Temple of the Rat wasn't the one I had grown fond of either.

Another issue that begun in Paladin's Grace but bothered me more here is that I was under the impression initially (Swordheart) that this fantasy world was kind of medieval with a twist. But here we get something that feels (to me) a lot more American. I don't really want to read about "canoodling" 15 times in what I thought was a medieval world (cuz chain mails and armors and swords).

But then there's also gladiator games! Which makes me even more confused. Like, I know fantasy is by definition not a reflection of the real world. I still would've preferred for the story not to aggregate so many elements from different periods. I find it distracting! Cuz I stop and take note. And I kinda wanted to read a somewhat medieval fantasy and nothing else. Give me all of the paladins and nuns and rat gods and swordfigthing you want but must there be a colosseum ?

The smooth men story gets resolved pretty well though. But it feels sort of like background stuff. There's two competing storylines in this book.

The various main characters in the 3 books have similar vibes in their internal monologues and banter. I still think Swordheart was much funnier. But maybe that's because I read it first. So that adds to the repetitive nature.

I'm not mad that I read this. It was still fun, for the most part. I just didn't connect as much with the characters (even secondary ones, except sweet Galen) and was distracted by the world building. And I probably need a break from this series.