Paladin

5 STARS. FIVE “I got no sleep last night because of this book” stars. Find my original review with GIF’s here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1306056966?book_show_action=false.

Okay, so this book has been calling out to me since I saw one of my reviewer friends post a review about it:. Then I forgot the book’s name and was checking my the store page and WHAT DO YOU KNOW? This little precious is #1 in YA fantasy so that pretty much had me dying of curiosity. What? You don't believe me:

Then I read the blurb…

Girl pretends to be boy.
Girl goes to school to be a paladin (demon-fighter/warrior-type).
Girl trains under her hero who doesn’t know she’s a girl.
Girl makes friend with brooding half-demon boy (this wasn’t in blurb but reviewer mentioned it to me).
Girl has to help save her kingdom with her hero-mentor and a half-demon boy.

Okay >> Honestly, what part of that summary does not sound like I would love? The answer is: none, and Paladin really gave EVERYTHING it promised. This book gives fans of Tamora Pierce a bit more romance but still the action and dialogue you miss. You know, the way Defy was supposed to (only that failed miserably, I have very strong rage feels about that book that -I am sorry to anyone who loves that one!).

Now to some readers MORE romance might be a detractor -but to me nothing is better than a YA fantasy romance with a strong heroine and a great romance. I really feel like Sally delivered on my favorite tropes & storyline: she’s giving us a sassy protagonist who IS NOT A SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE (aka automatically good at everything) and a “hot, brooding bad boy-type” love interest (my personal fave, don’t get me wrong –I can love good boys too: book gods only know how much I am #TeamPeeta- but this book gives you BRAEDEN).

So let’s breakdown why I ended up loving this book:

* The shenanigans –Okay, whenever an author does "a girl pretending to be a boy" there needs to be some ridiculously hilarious scenes a la “Alanna: The First Adventure” (book) and "She’s The Man" (movie) and there are some especially priceless ones in here (the brothel and that scene where she is sleeping between both boys –OH, and the part where Tristan has Braeden & Sam practicing holds -dear books gods I was in tears). This book gave me what I felt “The Academy” (book) lacked.

* The plot was fast-moving, all over countryside, and easy to follow.

* The multiple POV’S between the three main characters. Everyone on Goodreads knows I have issues if a guy is portrayed too girly in his own POV. In this book the two guys sound like the characters they are supposed to be. Each one had his own habits/personality/etc. and stayed true to character regardless of who’s POV was portraying them.

* Tristan.

Even though he is the “other” love interest, he was not obnoxious in the slightest. 1) He was kickass. 2) His reputation with the ladies (and Sam’s mockery of it) was hilarious (she makes a gagging noise at one point while he is hitting on an innkeeper). 3) His distaste for being paired up with Sam –especially in the beginning was just good fun (and reminded me of Tamora’s heroine-mentor relationships). 4) His loyalty AND sense of justice –even the way he reacts to his betrothed being dead (that scene was really sad BTW)... He is almost loyal to a fault (take the High Commander into account) but he’s a character you respect. But –mostly- I just love his & Sam’s relationship:

She narrowed her eyes to slits. “Shut up, you. You’re part of the reason I became a Paladin in the first place. Sander might have saved your life, but you saved mine.”

* Sam –she reminded me a lot of Alanna. She’s got a sass to her and she really cares about her friends, she just wants to make something of herself and you can’t help but respect her. I really loved Sam's relationship with Braeden –even before she started to like him, the way they acted as best friends brought back Alanna-and-Jon feels when they were friends before lovers. That whole “I’ve got your back no matter what” thing.

* Braeden –seriously. This boy is hot. (I chose a Legolas pic because I could not find any pics with guys with long silver hair and garnet eyes, YES GARNET PPL!!! You know how much I love that color! I imagine him hotter than Legolas I just can't find right pic).

I can’t even –THAT kiss, the fact that his demon half wants her, the way he is so stubborn and determined to save humanity even when they reject him, the way no one has ever loved him, the way he cherishes his friendship & later falls for Sam, the way he is afraid of himself, the way he stands up to his father…

“Fine, he said, his tone inscrutable. “Then I’ll forget this, too.” He jerked her roughly to him, tilted her chin up, and brushed his mouth against hers. He pulled back from the kiss. “It’s forgotten,” he breathed into her mouth. >>> okay, seriously, how is that not hot? Ugh. He’s my favorite type of love interest and he plays the role perfectly.

* That scene where Tristan decides Sam needs to lose "his" virginity. I had to make this a pro on its own. OMG. I was laughing so hard I was crying.

* The other scene where the three of them are sleeping in tent and she is wedged between two guys –Tristan’s face buried in her hair with one leg over her while Braeden is holding her. It’s just so awkward you can’t help but cringe and secretly be cracking up over it.

* The relationship between Tristan-Sam-Braeden as a team. These three have each other’s back & they all worked so well together. They fight together, they travel together, even the conclusion of the triangle is amiable. These three NEED to be back together in the sequel!

* Braeden & Sam’s friendship –even before these two started to like each other, there were just so many moments where you find them the perfect pair. They start off as trainees under same paladin and they are both outcasts –she’s more scrawny than the bigger boy recruits because she’s a girl, and he’s a half-demon boy so no one trusts him and automatically assumes the worst. Their friendship starts off slow and it is just so sweet to watch them grow into best friends and then the feelings emerge and it’s HOT and PERFECT and YES.

“My eyes bother you, do they?”
“N-no,” Sam stuttered, startled by the question. “Was I staring?”
“You were.”
Sam winced at his bluntness. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
He turned his face away from hers. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

* How Sam is the only thing that saves Braeden from himself. Okay, that might be my favorite scene when he starts to turn and she does something to stop it. No, I will not spoil this moment for you. You need to read it.

* That ending twist, though.

“This poison you feel for her,” the High Commander spat, “is a contagion. You’re the king among beasts, Braeden, and your desires are theirs. Every time you look at her, every demon within range turns into a love-sick puppy… You want Sam, Braeden. Well, so do they. And they won’t stop wanting her til you either give up this foolish infatuation or she’s dead.”

* The ending (PS seriously reminded me of end of Alanna books). Not a cliffhanger, it is HEA, but you know there is trouble on the horizon and you can’t wait to see what becomes of everyone.

This book had characters worth caring about and a romance that was scorching (I’m telling you –that first kiss when she’s saying goodbye). It had a girl who had to work to be kick-butt (none of this “I’m already perfect at everything” nonsense) & a badass villain. If you love Tamora Pierce or an awesome romance, READ THIS BOOK. This is the fantasy I love –not bogged down by details, quick with the humor & sass, and character-focused which is the most important thing for me (I tend to run from long, windy epics).

Well done, Sally, well done.

I've read this book multiple times on Wattpad and it has only gotten better! ( never could have dreamed it could be better by somehow she did it) the perfect mix of action, romance, science fiction, and drama to keep you engrossed for the entire duration of the pages!

I can never get enough of this heroic and adventurous heroine. I've been following Sally for a while on WP, read the first draft of this story, and it's still my absolute favorite book. Wonderfully written; I still can't get enough of Thule and the fantasy surrounding Sam, Breaden, and Tristan. Looking forward to the sequel!

Very good story. Slight romance but not too much. Just right. More action and demonic powers than girly love interests. Great book. I'm sad it just came out as I immediately wanted to read the next in the series.

I absolutely adore Paladin! This is one of those books that you can't put downXD I read the draft on Wattpad and fell in love with the three main characters, reading the published version is so satisfying! The additions to the story have improved the story greatly, and I am so proud of Sally Slater for being able to finally publish her baby.

Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors in this review. First I want to say how enjoyable a read this was. I loved the characters and am very happy with the ending and look forward to the sequel (there better be a sequel). Despite my enjoyment of this book, I have rated it only 4 stars for a few plot points that are not explained which would lend the story more realism (well as much realism as any fantasy).
As the blurb explains, the story set in a medieval like land, and is about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join a group of nights known as Paladins (the Paladins are comparable to today's army elite though instead of fighting other humans there main purpose is to kill demons).
The plot gaps I would very much like explained is how a girl older than 16 manages the following. Firstly when she is on the rode with two males who are unaware of her identity, how does she manage to take care of her bodily functions? At the start of the story it describes each of the dorm rooms as having a two people to a room and an adjoining single person private latrine and bath attached, so it is understandable how she could avoid detection here but when travelling with two males in such close proximity it is surprising they did not tease her about modesty when she never removed her shirt or caught her going to the bathroom. And how did she escape bathing with the two men? I may not be an expert on men but it is my understanding that when travelling with other men it is not uncommon for them all to bath in a stream at the same time for defensive and practical reasons. My second pondering is how she managed to take care of her period and avoid detection? For surely travelling with men for months on the rode they would notice bloody rags. Thirdly, though this is more for the sequel than this book, what about contraception? She was starting to be quite amorous with her chosen man at the end of this book, which I'm sure will probably escalate in the sequel unless sufficient reason be given otherwise, so how do they avoid pregnancy is this land, for I cannot imagine she would want to get pregnant with being so young and the dangerous times ahead.
Anyway just a few points that had me thinking but overall a very enjoyable read and can't wait for a sequel to be published.

Classic story - with strong female lead - but loved the fact she was not just strong but tough as nails - you can tell the author loves her Cross-Fit and made sure her female characters could resume themselves ...add to that good storyline = great read

I originally read this book on Wattpad and it was and still is one of my all time Wattpad favorites. Now it's a real book and it just keeps on getting better and better. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Finally! A story that I'm not ashamed to recommend to friends. This book has substance and plot, and more importantly character development. Too often I start into what looks like a promising book only to have it deteriorate into something that would be more useful lining the bottom of a bird cage (note to some: don't line the cage with your kindle.) My biggest peeve is a book that dissolves into para-porn (aka paranormal porn.) Honestly, if a writer has to resort to sex scenes to move their story along then they're doing something wrong. Fortunately this story has none of that, but instead slowly builds the relationship between the main players leading to Sam's ultimate choice. Refreshingly, her decision does not seem forced or contrived. If I had any complaints about the story is that for quite a while the journeying to find the Uriel didn't seem to have a real solid purpose. It had me asking "Are we there yet?" Other than that the story was a good read and I'd be interested in reading a sequel.

I thought this would be another jewel amongst undiscovered books. But no. More of the same ole bland characters and uninspiring prose. Everything is so direct, but not in a concise way, but chunky. The characters were so static with very little backstory. I tend to judge fantasy books based on happy fake events that are unique and as powerful as the sad moments. But this book was all struggle and angst, so I had extreme apathy towards the characters. I will forget all about this book in a few days.