T. Kingfisher

He's a paladin of a dead god, tracking a supernatural killer across a continent. She's a nun from a secretive order, on the trail of the raiders who burned her convent and kidnapped her sisters. When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other's quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond...

Paladin's Strength

Amani Zaha

Paladin's Strength follows Istvhan (friend of Stephen from Paladin's Grace), who is pursuing a lead to solve the mystery of the bizarre smooth men introduced in the first installment. Clara, a secretive nun travelling solo to rescue her kidnapped sisters, ends up joining Istvhan and his troops on their journey.

Like its predecessor, the first half of the story is very slow, seemingly dedicated to setting up the foundations of Clara and Istvhan's relationship before the narration can move onto its other subplots. I enjoyed following the progression of their relationship, and found Clara to be a more compelling character than Grace. Kingfisher also has this ability of making her supporting characters, no matter how small their presence is in a story, solid and interesting enough to potentially carry a story of their own. I could easily imagine books about several of the supporting characters that are introduced in this story.

The horror element is just *chef's kiss*. In my review of Paladin's Grace, I mentioned how impressed I was by the subplot about the smooth men, wishing that particular storyline had been explored much further. And Kingfisher does not disappoint! While it takes a while for us to reach the action, Paladin's Strength delves deeper into the lore and origin of the smooth men; the segments related to them made me wish she had written a horror story centred on these creatures instead.

A thought related to the smooth men subplot: (view spoiler)[This is very much a personal preference and a minor detail, but I thought the final scene with Stachy's first creation lacked the horror element otherwise present in scenes featuring the smooth men. Gone was the eerie, unsettling feeling of earlier scenes, such as at Stachy's house. As it is written now, it reads more like a face-off between the hero and villain in a generic Marvel movie lol. (hide spoiler)]

Also: Kingfisher has some sort of fixation on breasts in her writing, but that doesn't seem exclusive to this series — it's just part of her brand at this point lol.

Janice Hopper

It's always fun to read a book by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon.) But her "fluffy romances" (even with severed heads and were-bears and such) are starting to feel a little formulaic to me, at least the romance part. That could be because I'm not much of a romance person. 

But I liked the main characters, and the plot rolls along well.

Paladin's Strength

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