Paladin's Hope

The story feels like falling into a pen & paper campaign. It's full of adventure, tension, and a lot of feeling! Originally I picked the book because of the amazing cover design. But T. Kingfishers writing style is as captivating as ever. I devoured the book within one day, and to be honest... I wouldn't have said no to a second part about Piper and Galens story.

I love T. Kingfisher and this series so much. It's the perfect mix of humor, seriousness, cozy atmosphere and romance. This is the only gay instalment of the series so far and sadly the shortest book, but I loved every page of it. Because it's on the shorter side, every scene felt purposeful and the pace never dragged. I also enjoyed the mystery aspect a bit more than in PALADIN'S STRENGTH. T. Kingfisher is just a master when it comes to writing unique characters you can't help but relate to (especially to their embarrassing internal thoughts).

The third book in the Saint of Steels series surprised me in more ways than one. What threw me off at first was that this book was significantly shorter than the others and almost felt like a novella. Piper, a lynch doctor who prefers the company of corpses, Galen, a broken Paladin of the Saint of Steel, and Earstripe, the first Gnole allowed to serve as a guard gnole, set out to figure out who has been dumping mutilated corpses into the river. Along the way, they find themselves in a maze they can only escape from by trusting one another. Both Piper and Galen were established characters in the previous books, so I was already excited about their return. Earstripe, though, was a new addition, and to be honest, he became my favorite character in Paladin's Hope. I had already adored the Gnole named Brindle from the previous book, Paladin's Strength, and I was infinitely curious to learn more about the Gnoles as a species. Safe to say, I wasn’t disappointed. Both the concept of the Gnoles and Earstripe as a sarcastically hardened character who drops the funniest comments whenever Piper and Galen get heated were highlights. The story itself felt a little deflated compared to the first two books, but that’s to be expected since the main plot of the series was resolved at the end of the second book. Still, knowing there’s a next book, it served its purpose well by setting up the possible conflict between the Gnoles and humans, as well as the looming threat of ancient war machines, for the next installment. I’ve already ordered the next volume and can’t wait to dive into another T. Kingfisher banger.

Wie habe ich mich auf die Gechichte von Galen und Piper gefreut :) T.Kingfisher mischt eine MM Romantasy Geschichte mit einem mörderischen Irren und einem gruseligen Todeskeller und ich war hooked! Ich kann diese Reihe absolut empfehlen und Stand März 2026 wird es für jeden der 7 Paladine ein Buch geben :D Yay!