Reviews with content warning for Blood - Paladin's Grace

A light fun fantasy romanc about growing beyond trauma and allowing vulnerability in order to heal. I didn't know this was a romance going into it haha, but I enjoyed that aspect of it. It was really cute the sex scenes were well done (this isn't erotica though fyi). Sometimes the characters annoyed me though bc they were so stupid when it came to liking each other 😅, especially Grace. But also I really really appreciated the way Kingfisher wrote about Grace's sexual insecurity, I thought it was fresh and empathetically rendered.

The story was p good. There's an A plot (then the B plot is the romance I'd say) and a C plot that propel the story. I wish they had influenced each other more, they seemed really separate at times, and the way they ended up intertwining wasn't satisfying to me, I think because there hadn't been much to do with each other for most of the book.

The pacing was a bit scattered at times, the last act was the least dragging for sure. The inconsistency didn' derail my interest though!

Ultimately it succeeded in bring a fun fantasy with a compelling, warm, and sympathetic romance. I liked it! The places it fell short were a half hearted narrative complexity and poorly placed second act.

I recommend for people who like soft romances, kinda unconventional fantasy characters, and a comedic writing style.

Content Warnings

alexijai98's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

If you’re not into “idiots in love” or whatever the trope is called this isn’t the book for you. I came very close to DNFing simply because I was getting very tired of the protagonists continuing to doubt each other’s feelings and self flagellate, but I found that pushing past my annoyance was worth it. Also the infidelity and toxic relationship is NOT between the two protagonists!!!

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lillimariexo's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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distilledreads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I went into Paladin’s Grace knowing practically nothing about the plot. I genuinely don’t think I read past the first line of the summary, but I was hooked by the premise of a paladin’s god dying and needed to read it. So, imagine my absolute DELIGHT to find out this was a fantasy romance. Kingfisher had me hook, line, and sinker the whole way through and this has become a new favourite series.

I have seen so much praise for Kingfisher online throughout the years, but I don’t read horror, so I never had the opportunity to experience her writing for myself. I am so, so happy I was finally able to change that because I loved the characters she created in this series.

Even though there was an alarming number of severed heads (I was always worried about the severed heads, Stephen), I found this to be the perfect cozy fantasy. I’m not sure if I was just under a rock and missed all discourse about this series, but it is an absolute travesty in my opinion that this series wasn’t dominating the subgenre during the recent surge of cozy fantasy. There is no needless subplot of stalking and sexual harassment, and the treatment of such within the book is handled incredibly well.

Stephen, the paladin MMC, was refreshingly respectful and well-aware when his behaviour slipped from protective to creepy. Grace, the perfumer FMC, was a fierce character self-described as a grey mouse, but watching her confidence grow had me fist-pumping the air.

I lost count of how many times I legitimately laughed out loud while reading Paladin’s Grace. The banter was perfect for me and I loved the foreshadowing that Kingfisher wove throughout the book. The world is intriguing and I can’t get enough.

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