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 Amazon 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 first read this book in wattpad, so many years ago, and here I am again, reading it again and feeling as though it is the first time. I love this book. The lore. The camaraderie between Tristan, Sam, and Braeden. Their banter, stubbornness, values, and fleshing of their development is utterly amazing, just like how I remembered the first version of this book, but now better. Braeden is my favorite with Sam, their interactions have so much charisma and I love how they become close so quickly because it felt so natural for them to do so.Sam is one of my favorite female leads in a book, she’s amazing in every way and I love how this book ended.Granted, I would love a sequel, I have so many questions and I want to see more of this energetic trio because they truly are my favorite.10/10. The writing is wonderful, the twists were unpredictable, and the characters were always true to themselves. This will forever be a comfort book of mine.

It's actually more like a 3.5 star book, I've read this first on Wattpad, got my copy and finished it in less than eight hours.I can say that Sally Slater's published version is indeed better than the draft on Wattpad. The fighting scenes have improved greatly and now flow seamlessly, the interactions between Sam, Braeden and Tristan are still both hilarious, heartfelt and something I think you'd see in the real world between friends and respected co-workers. I really do think she fleshed Sam out more in this as well, we really get to see just why she wants to be a Paladin so much. She lost her mother to a demon attack and was powerless to help. I have to give points to Ms. Slater, Sam is probably one of the best female characters I've seen in ages. So many these days that are "strong" refuse anything feminine and look down on other women who love wearing pretty clothes and want to get married. I really loved and appreitacted that Sam wanted both to be a warrior and still be a woman. She didn't scorn others who just wanted to be the one who waited at home for their men. I really think that was a nice theme to have in this novel; that there are all kinds of strong women. It's not about kicking ass like the guys, it's about having the choice to if that's what you want. I love that Sam found a way both to be Lady Samantha, and Sam of Haywood-she realized she didn't have to give up either to get what she wanetd out of life.Breaden was a nice romantic lead, a bit angsty but it did make sense Sam's stregnth didn't take away from his and if he ever tried to tell Sam what she wanted she put him in his place quick. To use her own words "I know my own mind". He lived in a world where his heritage would be feared by most people. He grew up being an outcast. The powers given to him because of it was also something I liked, being able to sense the demons, healing so fast was incredible and so vivid in my mind while I was reading! I also liked how it came at a steep price, too much use and their gos his control. I liked about his powers-powerful yes, but it came at a price. I hope we will be seeing more of his backstory in the sequel!Trisitan was another character I liked quiet a bit, honorable, perhaps too much and got into some trouble as a result. His backstory broke my heart and it really explained his loyalty to the High Commander and the Paladins as a whole. I think he changed the most out of the whole gang to be honest. Rather than trust blindly that the Paladins where doing what was right he learned to question and act a little more independantly. I will be looking forward to see what he does in the sequel with the Uriel!I gave this book 3.5 stars because the characters were fun and interesting, it carried some wonderful themes, a compelling villain and this, my favorite line: "If this was a fairytale I'd be my own Gods-dammned knight!" However, I expected more from this novel, I wanted it more fleshed out how Paladin's select those they take on, Sam's relationship with her dad (we only were told of it, we never really got to see it), how Sam escaped from Haywood, more close calls with the two boys finding out she was a girl. (They traveled together for months, there should have been some close calls. Late night bathroom breaks, periods, something to plant the seeds in their minds.)Overall some things fell sort of my expectations, but on the whole I really really enjoyed this book and I will be putting out an order for the next book!

I loved this book. There were well-developed characters that leapt off the page and plot twists aplenty. Some I saw coming and some I didn't, which added to the excitement. Just when I thought I had something figured out, something else would happen.The main character of Sam is not one I have seen in fantasy in a long time. She's strong, and not just the physically strong that has been inundating the fantasy genre in recent years, I mean she's the type of girl to befriend a half-demon with red eyes that looks a little scary. She'll stand up for her friends, even if it means her own death. She's the type of girl who will do what is right, even if it's not easy, and that's why I loved her. She could wield a sword well and had excellent fighting skills, but it was her inner passion and strength that was appealing. It was hard not to fall in love with her. And best of all, she doesn't whine - well she does, but it's used as comic relief rather than the whiny internal monologue, which just has my teeth clenching.Then there was the interaction between Sam, Breaden and Tristan. They were all very different characters but they balanced each other out nicely. I loved their banter. It was great seeing them together.The writing was excellent and it was easy yo slip right into the story and stay there for hours at a time without realising it. I cannot wait for the next book.

Brilliant adventure with strong characters. I really enjoyed reading about a young female protagonist, who although headstrong, doesn't come across as a spoilt brat. Too often I've read Fantasy where the lead female leaves me wishing someone would give her a slap. Sam knows exactly what she wants, and gets it without immature behaviour. The romantic element doesn't overwhelm the plot, and much to my happy surprise, didn't resort to sexual artifice to keep the story flowing. Well done, Sally Slater. More please

I thought this book would be another YA swords and sorcery adventure/romance but it has a really interesting twist in a fast-paced story with an unexpectedly complex plotline revealing itself in the last one third of the book . While we ride with our heroine Sam and her Paladin-mentor Tristan on the expected journey to fight the wicked, it's the inclusion of the half-breed Braedon in their group that provides a sharp new angle to the old tropes.You can feel the story growing darker as Sally Slater explores Braedon's source of power, and how he struggles to prevent it overcoming him and unleashing enormous violence on his own companions. Braedon's conflict sits a little uncomfortably with the jocular Tristan story-line, and for a while one isn't sure if the story is meant to be comic or dark. However the last chapters take us firmly into deep issues of loyalty, identity and honor that have us waiting to see what happens next as our heroes literally sail into the sunset. An enjoyable and addictive debut - if rather uneven - promising richer things to come.

Loved the book. It has everything you need in a modern fantasy romance; a strong female lead that doesn't focus too much on her love life but has enough to keep the romantics in us all interested. its hard to find a book these days with a strong female lead and a good plot to go with it which is what this book has I can't wait for the second book. If you like the fever series's then you will enjoy this book I'm an avid female fantasy reader and I recommend this book to those of us that sift through book upon book to find those worthy of reading in this genre.

Beautiful and touching story. It really is beautifully told. With a strong and easy to relate to female protagonist. It was a story about being true to who you are, and finding a place in the world for yourself. It's one of the best story's I've read in a long time with an intriguing plot, amazing characters. They are well thought out, and all connect wonderfully to make a dimensional story about sam and her adventures in finding herself, and love. The story doesn't just focus on her it focuses on her two comrades. They are developed beautifully, and their friendship is written just right. I hope there is a sequel to this book, but even if there's not I think I would still be happy, because it was left in a good place.