This was cute with pretty low stakes. I was hooked for the first half, but it started to drag in the middle. I assume we'll have a second book eventually so those plot points will come back later, but some parts felt unnecessary to the overall story. The third act conflict was so stupid. I'm sure I actually rolled my eyes while reading it.

The good parts: I love an FMC in her 30s who really knows who she is. Halla was a nicely well-rounded character. The magic and way religions are discussed was so different and made for an interesting world.

Swordheart is hilarious and cozy. It’s fantasy with a slow burn romance, but for me personally, the romance was more of a subplot than the focus of the book. The characters are fantastic. It is written in third person, dual POV. Halla was crazily lovable, she and Sarkis are a great pair of characters.
I think students will enjoy their voices and it is nice that it is not a steamy fantasy. I think my students will enjoy this book and it could be a fun school book club book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook to preview,

This was such a fun manhandling of an adventure. Cozy fantasy is now a new favorite. I absolutely felt like I was actually with Halla, Sarkis and the whole gang. It very much gave me "The Hobbit" vibes or even a small amount of "The Wizard of Oz" vibes-a leisure adventure with small inconveniences but nothing will stop them from getting to where their going...at least for long.
The banter between all the characters was phenomenal and I was constantly chuckling-especially at the internal dialogue. The general pacing of the timeline is slow however there's enough to keep you entertained the entire book! If you want to travel on an adventure filled with only minor inconveniences that may or may not get out of hand a time or two, this is the book!
This is the perfect read to enjoy snuggling into the couch with a cup of anything cozy and really at any time of year! I absolutely love T. Kingfisher's writing and she will forever be an auto-buy author for me. The way she can write is in its own way poetic. From horror to fantasy you're going to have a good time!

A new cozy fantasy for readers looking for less romance in their reads! Halla is tasked with traveling to secure her late husbands inheritance and along the way she finds a sword that is set on protecting her. Unfortunately, I found the pace and the quest hard to focus on so It was easily set down.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

T. Kingfisher does it again! Love ya Netgalley and publishers that approve me for Kingfisher's work, I will never not be grateful. I loved the relationship between Halla and Sarkis, and found the struggles they face to be less cozy but compelling.

Lemony Snicket for Adults!

This book was great. I have not laughed so much throughout a book in a really long time. The characters were all likeable (well the good ones), the world was interesting, the series of events were hilariously unfortunate. The conversations could take the most serious of subjects, and turn them into a laugh. Halla, Sarkis, Zale, Brindle, and that poor, long suffering ox took me on an exceedingly enjoyable, exceedingly slow, yet rewarding journey. I highly recommend.

This book is perfect for lovers of "cozy fantasy". Swordheart follows Halla, a women who has just inherited an estate that her late husband's family is scheming to take control of. After picking up a sword and finding an immortal being named Sarkis inside, the two take off on an adventure across the countryside where Sarkis is duty-bound (read: magically-bound) to protect Halla from danger, and danger do they find. This is an adventurous, low-stakes fantasy with a nice dose of slow-burn romance.

T Kingfisher writes characters with heart. I find myself lost in the banter and adventure of this author's stories over and over again. A hero with humor on a journey of healing. I will always read books by this author

I just finished Swordheart by T. Kingfisher. Thank you to Bramble and NetGalley for a free eARC. This book is a re-release, with a beautiful cover and lovely teal edges.

Halla is locked in her room. Well, her room at her dead Great-uncle (in law) Silas's house. Silas left everything to her, and now his family has locked her up until she agrees to marry a cousin with CLAMMY hands. At the end of her rope, Halla draws the sword that's mounted on the wall to be presented with, well, a man. Sarkis is the sword, or the he is a man who is trapped in the sword, or he was a man... But regardless of the logistics, he's not an apparition, and he's sworn to protect the wielder of the sword, AKA Halla. Breaking down the door, engaging in fisticuffs with her aunt's hired bodyguard, Halla and Sarkis flee into the night to try to find a way for Halla to get her inheritance, kick out her greedy relatives, and live a quiet respectable life. What they get, is a lovely adventure.

This is what cozy fantasy (or romantasy if you're so inclined) should be. Halla is a wonderful protagonist. She's "middle aged" (38), widowed, kind, funny, and smart as a whip. She has doubts about her overall worth, but that stems from society's failings, not hers. Sarkis is a man with a long and storied past, he's a warrior trapped in a sword, but he's never cruel or emotionally stunted. The chemistry between them feels natural, and their romance blooms slowly across the pages. Halla is very sheltered, so they have many trials and adventures along the way, but it never feels ridiculous or trite. It's a wonderful adventure with a land of an absurd amount of gods; it's both refreshing and delightful. I can't wait for book 2.

Oh, my heart!

There is nothing that I love more right now than a middle-aged second chance romance set in a fantasy world with fantastic supporting characters and a found family trope. Swordheart has all of this and more.

Halla is a widower whom has found herself in a very bad situation with her deceased husband's family vying for her inheritance that her Great Uncle-in-law left her instead of his blood relatives. Kept prisoner in a bedroom of her late Great Uncle's estate, Halla feels the only recourse to marrying her deceased husband's clammy handed cousin is to end things permanently for herself - the means of which she plans to use being an old sheathed sword. Imagine her surprise when the sword reveals, Sarkis - a human bodyguard trapped within the sword and who is now sworn to protect Halla.

I love how cozy and heartwarming this book was and how much I appreciated the wry sense of humor that permeates the pages. What I did not love is the fact that this is apparently the first in a trilogy (I am SO used to T. Kingfisher writing standalones, that this one threw me for a loop) and now I have to wait what will feel like ages for the next book (which I will of course be reading and then have to wait for the third and final installment and patience is not a virtue that has been bestowed upon me.)

Perfect for middle-aged fantasy fans and fans of T. Kingfisher. This one is a little more on the spicy scale than her usual fair and it is solidly a romantasy novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, T. Kingfisher, and Tor/Bramble for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars! I love T. Kingfisher, but this was definitely not my favorite of her work. The lingo used in it was a little off putting at times and I found the main character to be pretty annoying… still a cute book and can’t wait to read what else she writes!

Are you looking for a book that’s full of adventure and mirth? Humorous banter and just plain ol’ fun!? Then you’re ready to read a Kingfisher book - more specifically SWORDHEART.

Halla, a housekeeper and widow has suddenly inherited her uncle’s estate, upon his demise. Instead of this being a happy occasion, her relatives lock her up and try to force her to marry her cousin. A cousin who has really clammy hands and whose mother is after the estate left to Halla. No longer willing to reside in this world, to escape this grisly fate, Halla grabs a sword to finish the job when a man appears… out of the sword itself! Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in an enchanted prison inside the sword, sworn to shield the person who wields it. But he didn’t expect the wielder to be the extremely chatty and charming Halla. The two embark on a quest to save Halla’s inheritance and themselves.

Kingfisher novels are FULL of whimsy and adventure. Every time I’ve picked one up I am fully thrown into whatever world I’ve entered. I love reading all of the books in all the genres Kingfisher dabbles in, but there’s something special about their fantasy books.

The characters feel so real as if they’re just out of reach for a conversation or two. The main characters spring out from the pages, and the side characters even more so. I love how each who is quirky in its own way. The storylines always keep me interested and in awe of the writing.

Thank you @torbooks @raincoastbooks for a copy of Swordheart, I had so much fun reading it, 4✨.

Absolutely fantastic storytelling here, I've loved everything this author has written and this one is no different.

For whatever reason I struggle with the majority of this author's books other than the Sworn Soldier series (which I LOVE), mostly because I think her writing style is a little too twee for my taste. I definitely understand the appeal and recommend her books constantly, however!

Sword Heart
T. Kingfisher
3.75⭐️

Pub Date: 2/25/2025

Cozy fantasy lovers, I'm calling y'all!
This was just a fun one to read. Think genie in a bottle, but change that to a rusty sword instead. And the genie is a hot, will do anything to protect her, and kinda sassy. Halla and Sarkis embark on this adventure to defend Halla's claims to her inheritance, one that's being denied to her. And through this, Halla also takes her own journey from being a lowly wife/property of her deceased husband's family, to finding her voice and worth in her community. This is something short and sweet, cute and funny and just overall cozy book. Yes, there are still fight scenes and there are still infuriating parts in this plot, but the stakes are lower. Easy read, good palate cleanser from the heavy things I usually read. I am annoyed that the mystery of the sword is still not completed but this is just book 1 so there's more to come from this world.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This author never fails!!!!! Ugh this book was incredible and I ate it up! What an incredible story and I was constantly flipping the pages! I want a “knight” in shining armor lol

This book was fantastic!! I loved the FMC so much and my guy popping out of the sword? Absolutely. I was 100% here for all of it. This was my first T. Kingfisher book and I will now be reading absolutely everything in their catalog.

Honestly shoutout to T Kingfisher for being so consistent across all of their works. Honestly I've never been disappointed with one of their books and it didn't start now, a fantastic read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

i really enjoyed this- it was super silly (kinda shrek vibes) and i liked the combo of comedy and fantasy and romance- our main character was super fun to follow and i loved the personality of the man in the sword- lots of adventure and some fun little romance made this one a fun read!! if you liked assistant to the villain but wished it was written better i would def recommend this! 4.25 stars!

Not going to lie, I hadn't read any of Kingfisher's fantasy until I read this one. And then I read them all in the space of a few weeks, buying what I could not check out from the library, because I couldn't wait and yes they really are that good. A fellow reader of mine described Kingfisher's fantasy books as "where she goes to breathe and play", and that really feels true for this one especially. It's playful and sweet and fun, where every character trait is well fleshed out and every flaw feels like a shining facet of humanity, and hope could be around the corner at any time. Can't wait to pick up a hardback copy for rereading on hard weeks. This book is precisely for that. And we've still got, like, a lot of hard weeks left in 2025.