Paladin’s Strength

Quotes

Genre

• Fantasy
• Romance
• Mystery
• Adult
• Magic

Trigger Warnings

• Nightmare
• Self-sacrifice
• Alcohol consumption
• Emesis
• Decapitation
• Murder
• Arson, off-page

*There may be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some need to be brought up to be discussed.

Summary

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…

Characters

• Istvhan – A paladin of the Saint of Steel
• Clara – A sister of Saint Ursa
• Galen – A paladin of the Saint of Steel
• Brindle – a gnole travelling with the paladins
• Ethan – Member of the White Rat with an affinity for animals
• The Sisters of Saint Ursa – Clara’s order with a unique attribute

Setting

The World of the Rat, after both the Clocktaur Wars and Swordheart series.

Overview

So Clara was like a lot of fun to read. She’s an amazon of a woman but still has self doubt and anxiety. Everybody’s got something. Istvhan was fun too, refreshing to have so many male leads be approachable and as human as a paladin of a dead god can be. He has a good sense of humor and I appreciated that though he is often in a leadership position he was comfortable with not having all the answers.

The story ties off the smooth men mystery as well and it’s hard not to love a good gladiator arena scene, especially when it has a mostly happy ending.

Pros

WEREBEARS. I’m a sucker for bears and it was just nice to see a badass representation. The sisters and Clara were fun to learn about and easy to respect.

The two main characters were well suited and very alike to each other. Sometimes they were so alike they were doing the same nonsense to avoid their relationship and it was simultaneously frustrating and hilarious. Istvhan has a great personality with a reasonable approach to everything, he’s hard not to like. Him trying to make sure he is treating her with the right respect is just so good to read. Clara really communicates the struggles she’s gone through but she is still ultimately a decent person, staying practical and clinging to her sense of humor as a life line.

The river town is a cool concept especially with the pirate like lords ruling supreme. I appreciated the tension the culture brought on. I enjoyed the trek to get there but I do wish we spent more time getting to know the city. And Ethan. He was… different.

Cons

Communication is key to a relationship. Assuming usually leads to running in circles and frustration. For everybody. I’m just saying. I was a little more forgiving than I normally would be since it felt ultimately realistic and they both were playing the “respect the other person” game. Again, communication just will help oh so much.

I felt like I wasn’t done exploring what the smooth men were and could be especially with the reveal of how many things could be done with them but that being said we did get to see some cool new contexts for them to perform in.

Final Thoughts

We got to see more of the world past Archon’s Glory and I appreciated that. The characters and their fumbling attempts to get things right was entertaining and realistic making me root for them more and more. I feel like this was a great edition to the series and I can’t emphasize enough how much fun i had with the werebears.

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