Ken Newman

(Received Copy For Review by Author)
Overall Rating: 3.7/5 (Rounded to 4)
Review Originally Posted at: www.RJDoesBooks.com

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 words in a book…right? WRONG! Her life is turned upside down when she is given a test and reborn as kick-ass character Maggie Black, and it is then that the action she’s been dreaming of becomes all too real.

I was just a tad bit confused in the first few chapters as to where things were going. The 3rd person narrative kept on changing between different characters who were all connected to each other is some way, and I had a difficult time keeping up when so much was going on. I really would have preferred if there were more chapters that followed Maggie. She had to be my favorite character in this book (which is probably why I wanted more chapters of her. ) Her’s were so interesting and just plain awesome, it’s hard not to want more of that. haha.

Nevertheless, The Paladin is a great first novel in what I hope will be phenomenal series. It has moments of comedy, action-y goodness, and even a little romance. I can easily see this being turned into a movie and certainly hope it one day becomes one. Ken Newman does a fantastic job with this book and I am anxious to see what will lie ahead.… (meer)

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 people would be frazzled, but she takes the events on Blue Fox style, not friggin out to be more exact.

She’s been hired, not as kindergarten teacher, but a Paladin to do the work of a “fallen” angel who very much so wants to get back on the good graces of god – since who does want to life the rest of their lives in the fires of Hell after all? Now Harry is dead and Maggie Black is born to punish the wicked and help the innocent – to be precise she has to find and kill a boy, Zack, to make sure world doesn’t suffer the evil consequences, it should not matter that the boy is innocent.
Battling the supernatural isn’t exactly easy and she meets Silas with a past worth telling and it doesn’t take long for her to develop feeling for the man.

The plots interesting, and funny, full of witty remarks and humor. The story is fun to read, and really does have the air of Kill Bill and Hell Boy, this is paranormal story that men will enjoy! Now there were parts where the story slipped a little from me and I had to focus back on the feel of the book. Entertaining journey nonetheless.

@ http://niinas-reading-and-reviewing.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-paladin.html… (meer)