Paladin
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Average rating4
"Imagine Game of Thrones with less blood and more gender confusion and you get a taste of this knightly epic." - The Guardian Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam of Haywood is the most promising Paladin trainee in the kingdom of Thule... and knows it. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, and if her father has his way, she'll be marrying a Paladin, not becoming one. But Sam has never held much interest in playing damsel-in-distress, and so she rescues herself from a lifetime of boredom and matrimonial drudgery. Disguised as a boy, Sam leaves home behind to fight demons--the most dangerous monsters in Thule--alongside the kingdom's elite warriors. Pity that Tristan Lyons, the Paladin assigned to train her, is none other than the hero of her childhood. He hasn't recognized her-yet-but if he does, he'll take away her sword and send her packing. Sam is not the only trainee hiding secrets: Braeden is a half-demon with a dark past that might be unforgivable. Whether he can be trusted is anyone's guess, including his. As demons wreak havoc across the land, rebellion stirs in the West, led by a rival faction of warriors. A war between men is coming, and Sam must pick a side. Will saving the kingdom cost her life-or just her heart?
Series
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1 primary bookPaladin
Paladin is a 1-book series first released in 2015 with contributions by Sally Slater.
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What do you do when the fulfilment of your goal is held back by conventions? Fight harder!4.5 Stars for this adventurous gem with a romantic edge to it.
This review is also featured on my blog
I received a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sam was never your typical girl. Instead of dressing up prettily she is much more interested in getting better with the sword.
When her mother gets killed by a demon and Sam barely manages to escape with her life, thanks to a Paladin, Sam sets out on a path of blood and revenge.
But in order to become a Paladin, someone who kills demons, Sam has to leave behind everything. Including her gender.
Mere minutes into being a trainee Sam fears that everything is already over. Of all people she could have gotten as a mentor it had to be the Paladin who had saved her life back then!
Will her goal already be impossible to reach before her journey even started properly?
The plot device of girl disguising as guy is nothing new but the author's execution of it was.
Samantha is a strong and stubborn female lead who doesn't need protection. It didn't feel like she was a girl in disguise at all. Though her ‘physical disadvantages' make some things more difficult for her it only spurs her on harder in order to proof herself.
The book was so good and enjoyable that I found myself unable to put it down until I reached the last page. The end made me cry a little. Not because it is sad but because there is no sequel out yet.
Please don't let me wait long for another volume of this beauty!
I crave to read more about the world, the characters and their developing relationships.
One in particular, but no spoilers. ^^
The romance doesn't start until well into the story and even then it doesn't suffocate you or takes over the story.
And seriously, until the kissing scene I wasn't completely sure which pairing it would be. The cliche one or the one I was shipping hard.
When I saw that this gem was first uploaded on Wattpad before being published I was even more excited to read it. My personal experience is that the best books I've encountered so far are those either not well known or not published at all. And Paladin just added another book to that category.
Hey, mainstream novels, over here! Read and learn from this beauty right here!
Read it or miss out on something that is more than just well worth the time and money you spend on it.
