I Should Read That

Book review¹

Piper is a lich-doctor, a physician who works among the dead, determining causes of death for the city guard’s investigations. It’s a peaceful, if solitary profession…until the day when he’s called to the river to examine the latest in a series of mysterious bodies, mangled by some unknown force.

Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane. He has long since given up on any hope of love. But when the two men and a brave gnole constable are drawn into the maze of the mysterious killer, it’s Galen’s job to protect Piper from the traps that await them. He’s just not sure if he can protect Piper from the most dangerous threat of all…

You can read my reviews of the first and second books here.

I tore my way through the entire Saints of Steel series in April – quite a feat for a notorious series abandoner – and it has quickly become a personal favourite. Paladin’s Hope is the third book in the series and the only outwardly queer romance (so far). While I enjoyed it, it’s the weakest in the series so far (but is still a great read).

I think where this book suffers is the length. It’s far and away the shortest book in the series, which doesn’t allow as much time for the plot and romance to develop – the depth just isn’t there. I really enjoyed the introduction of the clocktaurs and more information on the wonder engines, all of which firmly connect this series to the Clocktaur War duology. However, the plot suffers due to the amount of time Piper, Galen, and Ear Stripe spent trapped amongst these wonders. These three characters and their interactions definitely helped prevent things from getting too dull, but seeing essentially the same scenes of peril play out over and over got a little old. Fortunately things do pick up in the second half of the book. And most importantly, Kingfisher gives the people what they want most: more gnoles!

I really loved the characters in this book, especially Piper and Earstripe. You can probably tell I love the gnoles, (see above), and I was so thrilled we had a gnole main character. Through Earstripe, we learn so much about their species and culture and he’s easily one of the highlights of the series for me. Piper is also a wonderful character, from our first meeting in Paladin’s Grace to his own starring role in Paladin’s Hope. I really love his inner strength, his curiosity, and his respect. He’s a perfect foil for Galen, especially as the story goes on. I only wish we got a little more of their budding romance – with this being the shortest book in the series we didn’t get as much development as the other relationships, which is such a shame.

While not without its flaws, Paladin’s Hope is a good instalment in the series. Kingfisher serves romance alongside fantastic world building and sets up the overarching story for the second half of the series. I can’t wait to read more!

1. A copy of this book was provided to me by Orbit in exchange for an honest review ↩︎