Review: Paladin's Strength, by T. Kingfisher

[Russ Allbery]

Paladin's Strength
by T. Kingfisher

Series:    The Saint of Steel #2
Publisher: Red Wombat Studio
Copyright: 2021
ASIN:      B08WWKXXVY
Format:    Kindle
Pages:     474

Paladin's Strength is a sequel of sorts to Paladin's Grace, but it has
different protagonists. It picks up a subplot from that novel with
another former follower of the Saint of Steel. You can safely read the
books in any order; there are some minor spoilers for the Paladin's
Grace subplot in this book, but nothing that would matter for the
enjoyment of the story.

Istvhan and his fellow brother Galen are acting as the head of a
mercenary band, which has hired on to escort Master Distiller Brant and
his collection of Emperor Oak barrels. In truth, they have another
mission from the Temple of the White Rat: to track down a disturbing
monster that leaves a trail of beheaded bodies.

Clara is a lay sister of St. Ursa, a convent that was raided by slavers
who hauled away the nuns. She was left for dead in Arral territory when
she fell sick, and was taken as a house slave after they nursed her
back to life. The story opens with her holding a sword in front of
Istvhan's tent, part of the fallout of Istvhan killing a young Arral in
self-defense. The politics of that fallout are not at all what Istvhan
expects. They end with Clara traveling with Istvhan's company, at least
for a while.

Both Istvhan and Clara are telling the truth: Istvhan is escorting a
merchant, and Clara is hoping to rescue her sisters. Both of them are
also hiding a great deal. Istvhan's quiet investigation of the trail of
a monster is easy enough to reveal once he knows Clara well enough.
That he's a berserker who no longer has a god in control of his battle
rage is another matter; the reader knows that, and of course so does
Galen, but Istvhan has no intention of telling anyone else. Clara has
her own secrets about herself and the sisters of St. Ursa, ones that
neither the reader nor Istvhan knows.

This is a T. Kingfisher novel about paladins, so of course it's also a
romance. If you've read Kingfisher's other books, you know she writes
slow burn romances, but Paladin's Strength is next level. Istvhan and
Clara have good reasons to not want to get involved and to doubt the
other person's attraction or willingness, but this goes far beyond the
obvious to become faintly absurd. If you like the sort of romance where
both leads generate endless reasons to not pursue the relationship
(some legitimate, some not) while steadfastly refusing to talk to each
other about them and endlessly rehashing hints and interpretations,
you're in for a treat. For me, it was too much and crossed over into
irritation. By the two-thirds point, Kingfisher was gleefully throwing
obstacles in their way to drag out the suspense, and I just wanted
everyone to shut up about having sex and get on with the rest of the
story.

That's unfortunate because I really liked Clara. She isn't the same
type as Grace, Halla from Swordheart, or even Slate from Clockwork Boys
and The Wonder Engine, the other novels set in this universe. She's
self-contained, physically intimidating, cautious, deliberate, and very
good at keeping her own counsel. I won't spoil her secret, since it's
fun to work it out at the start of the book, but it's a lovely bit of
characterization and world-building that Kingfisher handles with a
thoughtful eye for its ramifications and effect on Clara's psychology.
I would happily read more books about Clara.

I liked Istvhan well enough when he was doing anything other than
mooning over Clara. As with all of Kingfisher's paladins, he's not a
very subtle person, but he's a good straight man for Clara's quiet
bemusement. He fills the paladin slot in this story, which is all he
needs to do. There's enough else going on with Clara and with the plot
— two separate major plotlines, plus a few subplots — that Paladin's
Strength can use a protagonist who heads straight forward and hits
things until they fall down.

The mooning, though... this is going to be a matter of personal taste.
I think the intent was to contrast Istvhan's rather straightforward
lustful appreciation with Clara's nuanced and trauma-laced
reservations, and to play Istvhan's reactions in part for humor. I'm
sure it works for some people, but I found Istvhan juvenile and puerile
(albeit, to be clear, in a respectful and entirely consensual way),
which didn't help me invest in a romance plot that I already thought
dragged on too long. Thankfully the characters finally get past this in
time for a dramatic and satisfying conclusion to the plot.

The joy of Paladin's Grace (and Swordheart for that matter) was the
character dynamics and quirky female lead, which made the romance work
even when Stephen was being dense. The joy of Paladin's Strength for me
was primarily Clara's matter-of-fact calm bemusement and secondarily
the plot and the world-building. (Kingfisher's gnoles continue to be
the best thing about this setting.) None of that helps the romance as
much, and the slow burn was far, far too slow for me, which lowers this
one a notch. Still, this was fun, and I'll keep reading books about the
Temple of the White Rat and their various friends and encounters for as
long as Kingfisher keeps writing them.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Reviewed: 2021-03-30

URL: https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/paladins-strength.html

-- 
Russ Allbery (eagle at eyrie.org)             <https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>