It was the gorgeous cover* of Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher that first caught my attention. Going in, I knew little about the book or the author, but the premise of a story about a broken paladin whose god has died hooked me from the start.
Poor Stephen is so mournful and adorable knitting socks for all his friends. He and his brother paladins have been taken in by another church to live out their days and find meaning in undemanding service.
Grace, the other main character and love interest, is a master perfumer, which adds a fascinating dimension to her scenes; she describes pretty much everyone and everything in terms of scents (and tries to figure out how she would recreate them artificially). Her pet weasel-cat is also adorable.
Paladin’s Grace is essentially a gentle, character-driven, slow-burn fantasy romance. There’s also some mystery, courtroom drama and a spot of adventure. Overall, it’s about the two main characters overcoming their pasts and giving themselves permission to be happy.
I enjoyed Paladin’s Grace without being consumed by it. It isn’t grim or dark, which suited me. (There are some severed heads and a creepy monster, but the gentle humour in the writing softens these scenes.) On the whole, its hope quotient is high.
Overall, I loved the premise and the world (I keep meaning to return to subsequent books in this series). I loved the fact the main characters are not in the first flush of youth — they’re competent adults with baggage to overcome.
And I especially loved the chapter towards the end, when Stephen berserks and does unexpected things, rather a lot!
*It was the original cover (pictured) that caught my attention, not the current one (found in bookstores), which I wouldn’t look twice at. Go figure.
NOTE: I originally wrote this review on first listening to the audiobook in May 2024. I’m playing catchup!
Ellen Gregory 