Published: February 11, 2020
Publisher: Red Wombat Studio
Series: The Saint of Steel #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 366 (Kindle)
My Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year…
Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind…
From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.
And so the epic T. Kingfisher readathon of 2022 continues, this time with the first book in the Saint of Steel series. Who could possibly resist such a compelling synopsis? What happens when a paladin’s god dies? Clearly I cannot resist such a synopsis and this book answers exactly what happens when a paladin’s god dies.
This charmingly dark tale has two main POV characters: Stephen, the former paladin of the Saint of Steel, and Grace, the awkward perfumer extraordinaire. Their first meeting is most memorable and every moment thereafter is either terribly awkward, fraught with unspoken passionate feelings, or a combination of the two. There are actually a few normal, non-fraught interactions but are those really worth mentioning? The two of them, both together and apart are just plain amusing. The inner dialogue (monologue?) is really just the best.
Anyhoo, aside from the hilarious interactions, this actually has some really intriguing political/religious maneuvering going on, plus there’s a serial killer leaving heads all over the place. Oh, and during a presentation of gifts to an important foreign dignitary, an assassination attempt occurs. It’s quite the bundle of thrills!
It’s honestly been awhile since I’ve read this (I’m hugely behind on reviews still) so I’ll keep this brief. I really enjoyed everything about this story, from the characters to the fact that it’s still set in the World of the Rat. I’ll be checking out more books in the series soon!
Powder & Page 