The Paladin

Aug 28, 2011 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-author, for-review

When then author Ken Newman sent me a review request for his book The Paladin and part of the blurb attached was: "Tongue-in-cheek action-adventure in the genre of 'Kill Bill' and 'Hell Boy' --- the Publisher" After reading that quote I jumped on the chance to read The Paladin. Thankfully I was not disappointed.

Who hasn’t wanted to jump into the life of one of your favorite book characters? I know I have! Well careful what you wish for because that is sort of what happens to Harriet Smith. I lo...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wowee! The Paladin is a ride. Not only is it a humorous and fun read but it's very original. This book follows the mission of one Maggie Black, paladin extrodinare, on her quest to stop a devoted husband from lifiting a curse put on his wife that has kept her entrapped for hundreds of years. Oh - did I mention the wife is a supernatural demon who has the power to destroy the world? Or that her husband uses witches and shape-shifters to stop Maggie? And how about the fact that Maggie works for an...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Valentina rated it 3 of 5 stars

What I liked most about this book was its freshness, not only in plot, but also in writing style. As readers in this modern age, we are constantly bombarded by supernatural mysteries, etc. which while fun, tends to run in the same direction ie vampires, werewolves, zombies. This book is a bit different, which is why it made it a pretty interesting read.
The characters were well done. Larry, the angel who recruits Harriet (or Maggie as her alter ego is called) is hilarious, with many moments of di...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Paranormal Haven rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-beth-guest-reviewer

Harriet was a kindergarten teacher until Larry appeared one day. Larry, the ex-angel decided that Harriet would make a great Paladin. Righting wrongs is what Larry does to get back in good with God. Instead of handling supernatural problems himself, he gets his Paladin to do it for him.

After Harriet is chosen, she is whisked off and transformed into Maggie Black. Instead of flipping out with all of the supernatural stuff Maggie has come backs, and kicks ass. This was a fact that actually bugged...more Harriet was a kindergarten teacher until Larry appeared one day. Larry, the ex-angel decided that Harriet would make a great Paladin. Righting wrongs is what Larry does to get back in good with God. Instead of handling supernatural problems himself, he gets his Paladin to do it for him.

After Harriet is chosen, she is whisked off and transformed into Maggie Black. Instead of flipping out with all of the supernatural stuff Maggie has come backs, and kicks ass. This was a fact that actually bugged me. It didn't seem very real, or a natural response. There is also some roaming POVs in the first half that bugged me.

Larry sends Maggie to a small southern town. Here she is to kill an innocent boy, Zack, before he unknowingly releases a monster that could bring the end of the world. His grandfather, Silas was the one who sealed the monster for Larry sixty nine years ago. I was actually irritated with Maggie for not trying to discover other options.

Zack, the handsome boy, about to bring the world to its knees is doing it for what he thinks is a good reason. An ex-girlfriend of his, Brenda, says that kidnappers have taken her mother and want Zack to find this 'vessel.' Zack, being a great guy agrees to help her even though their past is rocky. I liked both Zack and Brenda. Brenda comes across as snobby, but once more of her history is explained my perception of her changed.

There is a very small romantic plot line. Maggie meets up with Zack's dead grandfather, Silas, and falls in love. I wasn't crazy about the relationship. Maggie falls for the pretty blue eyes very quickly, and not very long after that decides she is in love with him.

The plot line is strong, with a lot of action. It has a wide range of characters, but only a few of them stuck with me. The chapters are short, and make for easy reading. At times some of the wording is strange, and easily jarred me out of the story. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but I think that was because I was never strongly invested in Maggie.
-Beth (Guest Reviewer)(less)

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Jul 30, 2011 Beth Dawkins rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Harriet was a kindergarten teacher until Larry appeared one day. Larry, the ex-angel decided that Harriet would make a great Paladin. Righting wrongs is what Larry does to get back in good with God. Instead of handling supernatural problems himself, he gets his Paladin to do it for him.

After Harriet is chosen, she is whisked off and transformed into Maggie Black. Instead of flipping out with all of the supernatural stuff Maggie has come backs, and kicks ass. This was a fact that actually bugged...more Harriet was a kindergarten teacher until Larry appeared one day. Larry, the ex-angel decided that Harriet would make a great Paladin. Righting wrongs is what Larry does to get back in good with God. Instead of handling supernatural problems himself, he gets his Paladin to do it for him.

After Harriet is chosen, she is whisked off and transformed into Maggie Black. Instead of flipping out with all of the supernatural stuff Maggie has come backs, and kicks ass. This was a fact that actually bugged me. It didn't seem very real, or a natural response. There is also some roaming POVs in the first half that bugged me.

Larry sends Maggie to a small southern town. Here she is to kill an innocent boy, Zack, before he unknowingly releases a monster that could bring the end of the world. His grandfather, Silas was the one who sealed the monster for Larry sixty nine years ago. I was actually irritated with Maggie for not trying to discover other options.

Zack, the handsome boy, about to bring the world to its knees is doing it for what he thinks is a good reason. An ex-girlfriend of his, Brenda, says that kidnappers have taken her mother and want Zack to find this 'vessel.' Zack, being a great guy agrees to help her even though their past is rocky. I liked both Zack and Brenda. Brenda comes across as snobby, but once more of her history is explained my perception of her changed.

There is a very small romantic plot line. Maggie meets up with Zack's dead grandfather, Silas, and falls in love. I wasn't crazy about the relationship. Maggie falls for the pretty blue eyes very quickly, and not very long after that decides she is in love with him.

The plot line is strong, with a lot of action. It has a wide range of characters, but only a few of them stuck with me. The chapters are short, and make for easy reading. At times some of the wording is strange, and easily jarred me out of the story. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but I think that was because I was never strongly invested in Maggie.(less)

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Oct 01, 2011 R.J. Gonzales rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed-autographed-books, received-for-review

(Received Copy For Review by Author)
Overall Rating: 3.6/5 (Rounded to 4)

When I read "kidnapped by a five year old", "shape-shifting hit men", and "psychotic witches" I knew I had to read this!After reading, “in the genre of 'Kill Bill' and 'Hell Boy'” It went from a yes, to a HELL YES! haha. In the beginning of The Paladin by Ken Newman we meet kindergarten teacher Harriet Smith who is busy reading and daydreaming of an action packed life, one she knows she’ll only be able to experience through...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Paladin is a novel by Ken Newman from Sunbury Press.

Book Blurb:

Larry is an angel of the Lord... retired. To avoid final judgment and a rather warm room without a view, he seeks to make amends by helping humanity against spiritual darkness. Unable to directly interfere, he must use a human to do his dirty work, or as he calls them... Paladins.

A lonely kindergarten teacher, Harriet Smith, dreaming of romance and an exciting life of high adventure, has no idea that she has been chosen... that...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Niina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Harry (that’s short for Harriet) is a kindergarten teacher with a small addiction to Blue Fox novels, which her employee does not approve – when she gets a new 5 year old into her class she isn’t expecting the kid to come with aggressive bodybuilders who try to take her down. She’s about to kick some serious ass when she’s drawn through a portal and loses a whole month, but that is not the weirdest thing yet, she wakes up in a spa in Japan, apparently having passed a job interview. Now most peop...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Kira Cortz rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Paladin was a fun urban fantasy read. This book was different from my usual PNR but a welcome commercial break for sure. Ken Newman does a great job at keeping you turning the pages to see what is going to happen next. I wasn’t certain at first where the plot was headed but once Maggie found her “true calling” the story was set in motion. Ken was quite a few characters and several of them are utterly despicable. I would like to have seen more background history on Maggie and Larry the angel...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Brooke rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ex-kindergarten teacher, Harriet, finds herself doing the bidding of ex-angel Larry. His duty is to right wrongs that have been made, and he wants Harriet to do the hard work. Harriet, now transformed into her alter ego Maggie and now Paladin of Larry's, must find a man named Zack and kill him before he can, unknowingly, release a tornado of evil on the Earth. Maggie will face a scummy priest, a nasty witch, a snobby girl, and many other baddies throughout her attempts to find and kill Zack and...more Ex-kindergarten teacher, Harriet, finds herself doing the bidding of ex-angel Larry. His duty is to right wrongs that have been made, and he wants Harriet to do the hard work. Harriet, now transformed into her alter ego Maggie and now Paladin of Larry's, must find a man named Zack and kill him before he can, unknowingly, release a tornado of evil on the Earth. Maggie will face a scummy priest, a nasty witch, a snobby girl, and many other baddies throughout her attempts to find and kill Zack and save the world.

There were a lot of things to like about The Paladin. First of all, the plot was intriguing right away. Mostly because it was something new. Second, the many different characters. All the characters offered very distinct personalities, which is great because there are SO MANY in this story. Third, the cover. It's rugged and has a cool comic book style.

Unfortunately, some of the things that were positives about the book were also negatives. The plot while interesting and action packed, was choppy. This is also a product of the multiple characters and points of view. The transitions between different characters was not always smooth, which left me with a jerky reaction and pulled me out of the story.

The character Silas and his history were definitely my favorite part. His past and how he ended up the way he did were the result of a major deception and betrayal, and I feel like he handled it all pretty well. Once he entered the story, it really picked up and gave it the emotion I feel was lacking in the beginning.

Maggie on the other hand, pretty much handles things TOO well. She hardly questions Larry's ideas, and goes right along with the plan to kill Zack. I feel like a true heroine should attempt to think of new ideas and create new plans for tough situations. Murder of innocents should never be a first option. The characters could all have used a little more soul searching. I feel like their personalities were there, but showing why they are this way (instead of telling) would have more impact. The evil (in all forms) that Maggie, Silas, and Larry must face is pretty nasty; however, I feel like it was wrapped up too easily in the end.

What I think was needed in this story, and I'm sure others who read this will agree, was more editing. I don't usually focus on this in my reviews, because I prefer to focus on the story itself. However, I feel like this is a big enough issue that it needs mentioning because I know how picky some of you readers are. With a few more rounds of editing I think this could have been a stronger story. The grammar and spelling errors were obvious, enough to pull me out of the story, and the dialogue was a bit static.

Overall, I did like the story, but feel like it is not ready for public viewing yet.(less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Jennifer (a.k.a The Book Nympho) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I highly recommend The Paladin to any urban fantasy fan that loves to read about a heroine that starts out as an unlikely hero that grows into a kick ass chick. Newman did a great job of keeping me entertained and there was so many twisted that I could not pretend the end of the book, which is a sign of a great writer, in my opinion. I also liked the fact that Newman was not afraid to let a few of his characters die and don’t expect a nice clean ending with a bow on it. There are few things left...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Nina rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I saw the cover of The Paladin I knew that this book would be action packed. And let me tell you something, it was. Harriet Smith is one tough cookie who can kick ass, just like the Bride (Beatrix Kiddo) in the movie Kill Bill. She was awesome. The story was fast paced and I was quickly absorbed into the pages to read what happens to this character. The thing I didn’t like about this story is that there where too many characters. And too many characters can make you either love the story mo...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Natasha rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I was sent a review copy from the author, I was thrilled to read something so full of adventure and originality. Who doesn't want to live the life of their favorite heroine from a novel?
I knew I was going to like it from the first chapter. The characters were fun and very well written. I think the only thing that bugged me was what one character would say particularly. Larry as an adult calling Harry/Maggie baby girl. He called her girl quite frequently, which was a bit annoying, but I cou...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Deidre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks

Going in to this book, I wasn't sure what I expected. But I was pleasantly surprised that Mr. Newman was able to hold my attention throughout. Yes, it is rather like a B-Movie and the characterization is lacking depth and growth. This was not a detractor for me though others may find it to be a problem. Reading this book, I willingly suspended my disbelief and enjoyed the ride. I sincerely hope there will be additional books with these characters.

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Aug 03, 2011 Norma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved the book! I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun urban fantasy. Had a great plot and very developed characters. I really got into the character of Harry/Maggie, plus Larry the Angel is a hoot! My only quam is that the cover really sucks. Hope this is book one of a series. If it is, please get a better cover artist!

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Jan 17, 2012 Tanya rated it 1 of 5 stars

Take my rating with a grain of salt, I did not finish the book. Once I ran into language that I considered very offensive I removed it from my kindle. I felt for those first few pages I read that the writing was subpar, and simplistic, when I ran into language I would not tolerate in my own home I had enough.

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Aug 22, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

http://simpleloveofreading.blogspot.c...

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May 03, 2013 Adriana marked it as purchased · review of another edition

Apr 27, 2013 Steph marked it as to-read

Shelves: kindle

Feb 25, 2013 Thota added it · review of another edition

Jan 22, 2013 Scott Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Dec 24, 2012 Cindy added it

Oct 19, 2012 Jean marked it as to-read

Sep 05, 2012 Carrie Penney marked it as to-read

Aug 30, 2012 Gary Makries rated it 3 of 5 stars

Aug 19, 2012 John E. Bailor is currently reading it

Jul 19, 2012 Jennifer marked it as to-read

Jun 28, 2012 Brian Barga rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 19, 2012 BookishDreamer marked it as to-read

May 16, 2012 Yolanda Sfetsos marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

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