Reviews

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

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kathleenel's review

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

While The Curse of Chalion is certainly my favorite in Bujold's World of the Five Gods books (besides some of Penric's novellas, which are delightful but different animals from the longer works), I do enjoy this second, slower installment. I think most of my joy comes from having an unusual protagonist like Ista - a mother, a woman in her 40s who longs for independence, a former ruler, someone betrayed by the gods and embittered by it. Ista's character is definitely what kept me engaged across my reads of this book, as the beginning can be somewhat slow. Once we arrive at Porifors, however, and the real crisis becomes apparent, the book moves at a quick clip, and I really loved the characters that were introduced. Ista's growth throughout the book is probably my favorite part of reading, and I loved to see her journey just as much this second time as I did the first.

ahalpine's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hopeless_wanderer's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

elizas's review

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dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

madao3's review

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adventurous inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

polygonia's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

trigonomitron's review

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5.0

I swear this is my new favorite author. Bujold can write about a typical Tuesday afternoon and I'd probably enjoy it. Her prose is so much fun. Her vocabulary is poignant. She raises the tension juuuust enough, then resolves it in the most satisfying way every time.

Her protagonists follow a hero's journey in a fresh way: Starting the story broken and used instead of young and naive. They have a healthy relationship with the gods: wary and critical. Divine intervention plays a key role in this series, but it is woven into the tale in a way that doesn't come off feeling cheap.