Paladin

By: Sally Slater

Narrated by: Carly Robins

Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam of Haywood is the most promising Paladin trainee in the kingdom of Thule. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the 17th 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, but if he does, he'll take away her sword and send her packing. 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?

©2015 Sally Slater (P)2015 Tantor

Excellent Epic Fantasy with Strong Female Lead

Would you consider the audio edition of Paladin to be better than the print version?

Yes. The voice actor did a great job with executing.

What did you like best about this story?

The Twist of the Paladins.

Which scene was your favorite?

The hospital scenes with the light humor were my favorite.

Any additional comments?

I first read this novel on Wattpad where I also write epic fantasy. Both of us have popular fantasy novels on there, and hers published first. This story is absolutely amazing, and really brings out a strong female character which I don't believe epic fantasy as a genre has a lot of. The character is strong, as strong or stronger than a female in The Wheel of Time. You feel a connection with the protagonist immediately and when the chapters end they leave you craving for more. I highly recommend it to all fantasy fans, the read is enjoyable, and once you get into it, you won't want to put it down. I will be following Ms. Slater's career as it progresses as I am sure that she has many more great novels to unfold. Pick this book up and read it, I guarantee you won't regret it.

-Craig

Love hurts!

Love the overall story, But, and tjusning a BIG but!
The whole love story takes away from the main story waaaaaaay too much!!!

One for the ages

I enjoyed the well thought out characters and story strong female lead with grit , good back stories not to much just right. Will follow Sally Slater’s work on the following ups . I like Sam’s spunk !!!

Excellent Book, can't wait for the next one

I really enjoyed this book with it's action and settle love it engaged me and I listen to it all the way through.

hard to finish

struggled to finish this book. it ended chapters before the book actually did. most of book was very good. I liked the theory of the story. the male voices were all the same, though.

A MUST READ

Let me start off by saying how much I enjoyed Paladin, the places, the characters, everything about this book, Its as if the worlds of Game of thrones and Inuyasha had a baby, and the baby was Paladin, with a few difference to give the book its uniqueness.

For starters, the main character Sam or Lady Samantha is a strong willed woman, yes shes like your typical Disney princess, unhappy with her life so she sets out for greener pastures, but with a twist, no one has to come rescue her, for she is good with a sword.,

Braeden however is your typical half demon you see in most anime's, silver hair, slit pupils, and of course handsome, but with a twist, He is able to transform, which oddly enough gave me “An American werewolf in London” vibes.

Finally we have Tristan, your typical knight in shining armor, and Sam's Paladin mentor, He is a Paladin and first of the sword, he's an honorable guy with exceptional sword skills, though his mind doesn't quite stack up to his sword skills.

Paladin takes place in the Kingdom of Thule, as it follows Sam on her quest to become a Paladin, Paladins are the defenders of Thule, they fight for justice and to protect all of Thule's people, and of course they slay demons, but Sam has a problem, there is no such thing as a female Paladin, but that didn't stop Sam, she gave up being Lady Samantha. To become Sam of Haywood. In order to join.

All and all Paladin has enough going on in it to keep you interested, yes it does have some slow moments but not enough to make reading and/or listening to the book such a chore, the characters are relatable, the plot and story are on par, the ending leaves you wanting more but with a lot of questions unanswered with anticipation for the second book. Uriel. ... If it ever comes out.

I'll address the major issue I have with Paladin, and that is the title of the book, example, other books that has Paladin in its title, thus making it hard to find on book sites if you don't know the authors name.

I highly recommend giving Paladin a read,, you will not be disappointed, the audio book is also good, and voiced very well, the voice acting is above average but compared to other audio books I've listened to, I feel it could have been better, but that's not the books fault.

Well Done. Mrs Slater.

phenomenal!

I LOVED this book so much! I always love a strong independent female lead (mainly because I relate well to them)!

Intesting

I would have thought the demon would have smelled that she was a girl, and would have had a comment like "I knew all along"

Amazing story - can’t wait for more

Loved this! Really hope there’s a sequel. Imaginative & plenty of room for more story. Highly recommend

A feisty heroine, demons and great battles.

What made the experience of listening to Paladin the most enjoyable?

The character development of Sam, the interaction with Braeden and Tristan, the pace of the action and that this book can be taken as a stand alone story. Months after finishing this book and moving on to other YA fantasy books, incidents in this book come back to haunt me.

What did you like best about this story?

The ending and the journey there. I read other reviews, I always read reviews before buying a book and although the negative reviews can sway me away from the written word, an audio book is about the narrator. In this case, I disagree about the predictable story line and stilted romance.

What about Carly Robins’s performance did you like?

As I said, her interpretation of the characters.