I love a good T. Kingfisher book!
The banter.
The plot twists.
The great one liners.
Swordheart absolutely had all these elements! Halla and Sarkis had me cracking up! Zale and A Gnole found a place in my heart. The journey we were taken on is truly wild from Halla fully believing she had to throw herself on a sword to keep from marrying her late husband’s clammy hand cousin to the science experiments conducted to figure out how Sarkis and the sword he is bound to worked. All the way to the White Rat god and back to ask for help to save Halla’s inheritance. This story has suspense, romance, fantasy, and twists (that were a touch predictable, but still enthralling)!

However, the story just felt long to me. Lots of introspective inner dialogue that didn’t change the outcome of the plot. And some of the scenes felt like they were a bit dragged out. Halla plays a crying incompetent fool one too many times to try to save their necks and there was the dreaded “he kept a secret I can’t trust him” element way too far in.

Still love T.Kingfisher and I am interested to see what might lay ahead for Halla and Sarkis!

Swordheart comes out February 25th!!

I got maybe 6 chapters into this before I decided it wasn't a good fit for me--it was offered to me as an ARC but from what I can tell it's actually just a new publishing of a book that came out in 2018 and for the most part it seems pretty well enjoyed, so that's great!

Other reviews say it's low-stakes and cozy and for a book this long I can't do low-stakes. I'm also not really into Halla's whole ... thing, especially not at her big age. It feels like I'm reading a 23 year old protagonist and not a 36 year old one.

I assume this book went through some more editing before its new pub date (or I sure hope it did) but I was also pretty put off by the amount of punctuation errors in the NetGalley copy. There were a ton of missing periods/commas/et cetera and it almost didn't feel finished in that sense.

Overall I think I might just stick with Kingfisher's horror. This one didn't work out for me!

What a fun little book! A woman and her enchanted sword, what could be better? Maybe a very curious, non-threatening sweetheart who has never swung a sword in her life and the big scowly guy who pops out of the sword and is determined to protect her from anything that comes her way. Fortunately for both of them, she's in a pickle of a situation. The only thing left to do is run away together, right?

The secondary characters are also wonderful: Zale and Brindle. Love them.

T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors and writes some of my favorite books, and this title is no exception. Kingfisher writes heroes past the age of twenty with levity and humor while also creating a fantasy world I always feel immersed in.

Thank you NetGalley and Bramble for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have never been that excited to get approved for one before.

Nothing can stop me from raving about Kingfisher's writing now, and you can say whatever you like but she’s one of the very few authors who make me highlight entire passages just because of how brilliantly they're written. I savoured this novel like the “decadent” comfort food of a book it is. She had me from page 1, and I will be here for the rest of the series, patiently waiting for the next trip into one of my favourite fantasy worlds ever created.

Swordheart is a cozy fantasy romance following a very respectable and impressively self-aware widow Halla and her morally ambiguous bodyguard, who also happens to be an enchanted sword, on their quest to liberate Halla from the loving clutches of her late husband's family and oppressive societal norms.

The story takes a linear fairytale-like approach to moving the plot, which fits the light mood of the narrative perfectly. There are quite a few fairytale tropes in play that absolutely delighted me as the kind of childish reader who enjoys it when the genre is shown proper respect. In true Kingfisher’s style, most of the characters are very fond of thinking out loud and talking to themselves at length, bringing extra lightheartedness to the overall mood, and yes, ohhhh yes, there are even some creepy monsters, although not as many as I would have liked.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to enjoyers of Emily Wilde’s adventures and cozy fantasy readers who like to see their characters not take themselves too seriously.

P.S. If this review wasn’t based on an advanced copy, it would’ve been littered with my favourite quotes, of which there are too many so maybe it’s in everyone’s best interest that it remains quoteless.

This book is everything I want “romantasy” to be - sweet, silly, comical, romantic, emotional, adventurous, with euphemisms and pining galore. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it has so much heart. I loved that the main characters were mature people with feelings and flaws and history. Just all around a really wonderful read!

“I will always love you, as long as this cursed steel endures.”

Swordheart was a laugh-out-loud humoruous tale about a very stubborn middle aged (since WHEN is 36 middle aged?!) widow who stands to inherits her great uncle's estate much to the dismay of his other relations. When Halla is placed under house arrest she humorously draws an old sword and POP out comes Sarkis who gallantly defends her as they make their escape in search of a good lawyer.

After about 70% I felt the story drag just slightly but the humor really kept the pace up and so did the side characters.

This has very good one liners- akin to humor in My Jady Jane, Terry Pratchett books, and the like.

Some of my favorite lines:

"What would you say if I tortured you?" asked the bandit leader conversationally. Halla blinked at him. "Err 'ow' probably? Stop, stop, stop.' something like that?"

"A human's trying." "A human should try harder."

"We've already murdered a couple of people. I don't think cutting trees is going to be that big a sin."

I am so glad this book is getting republished as it put it on my radar. If you are in a fantasy book slump this one may do the trick.

Content: some mostly closed door scenes and one a bit more open but fades to black. Some stabbing and creepy creatures.

I loved the fantastical world and slow burn romance in this book, as well as the normalization of genderqueer/non-binary people. All the characters were well-realized, there was solid plot but also time for humorous diversions. Will definitely read the sequel!

The plot of the story was very promising and honestly was very excited to read it, but unfortunately made it to 32% of the story and unfortunately it just kept dragging and was very slow.

Our intrepid heroine Halla inherits her great uncle's estate and is locked away by her greedy relatives until she agrees to marry her clammy handed cousin. While wasting away in her room, she unsheathes an old sword hanging on the wall and suddenly a grizzled warrior Sarkis appears in front of her. He is sworn to protect whomever owns the sword and together the two of them embark on a few misadventures in order for Halla to get her inheritance back.

This was my 2nd T. Kingfisher book and what an absolute banger! I had so much fun reading this book and did not want it to end. Halla and Sarkis were unconventional romantic leads and it absolutely worked. Despite their relationship only developing over a couple of weeks, it was so sweet and heartwarming. They so obviously wanted the best for each other, I just loved it. I am also grateful to Kingfisher for having a heroine in her 30's and centering a woman who does not want children. It is so nice to see that in a romance book particularly with a male love interest who supports all her reproductive decisions.

Kingfisher's writing was hysterical with just non stop wit. There was a whole chapter discussing the logistics of magical swords and bodily fluids that had me howling with laughter. A true highlight was the nonbinary lawyer-priest Zale as they had so many good quips as befitting a lawyer. And an entire religion dedicated to lawyers and providing legal defense for anyone who asks? Fucking genius.

If you are looking for cozy romantasy book, please look no further. You will laugh, you will smile and you will sigh happily. The story doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel for the bodyguard romance trope but it definitely provides a fun and unique twist on it.

Review posted on Fable on 2/18 and Goodreads, Storygraph and Tiktok on 2/19.

I guess I would describe this as a cozy fantasy romance featuring a middle-aged, widowed FMC. Very little happens over nearly 450 pages, and at a glacial pace, no less! The writing was a little quirky which was fine for a bit but kind of irked me by midway though. (Also, I didn’t know that this is a republishing, the original having come out in 2018.)

~ "Why do you have a sword, anyway?" "To fight with. It's a sword."
"Yes, but you came out of a sword. It seems redundant." He stared at her as if she had lost her mind. ~ 
Hehehe all this and so much more banter straight from the beginning! This was such a wonderful fantasy adventure of a book that keeps you entertained the whole time. Halla is a housekeeper who is taken on an adventure of a lifetime alongside Sarkis... who came out of a sword. Halla is very relatable and it is so nice to finally have an FMC that is actually close to my age instead of being 18  . I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait to read more from T. Kingfisher and of The World of the White Rat series! 5 stars, would definitely recommend!

If you like T. Kingfisher's "The Saint of Steel" Series, you will love this. This book was originally published before that series and is really a precursor to it. That being said, I enjoyed this book about the same amount as that series. It was enjoyable, funny with some romance, it was not my absolute new favorite book but I had fun reading it. It is a very solid 4-star book. This book leans more toward romance than fantasy with low stakes but a fast enough plot. I also always enjoy it when the main character is in their 30s and finds love. Overall with great nonbinary rep and the wonderful fan-favorite gnoles, this was a very pleasant read.

With T. Kingfisher, you never know what the next writing may bring, but I eagerly look forward to these book every single time. From Fairytales , to fantasy, and horror, to everything in between, I swear T. Kingfisher really is a master of the writing craft and I hope you will do yourself favor and find one that feels right for you! This one is a cozy fantasy with romance and I would say, tactful spiciness.

This world opens with Halla and the death of her great-uncle who she's been caring for before his passing. Upon his death, he bequeathed his house and estate to her instead of to his "family" and now they are holding her hostage until she agrees to marry Alver which would keep the inheritance where they feel it belongs.

As Halla is trapped in her bedroom, she decided the best way to resolve the situation of the impending marriage, is to use the sword hanging on the wall to just remove herself from the situation entirely. However, when she draws the sword, a battle worn man appears in her bedroom and she figures she may have another option to get herself out. They go on a bit of a madcap adventure across the countryside to find a temple which should be able to help resole the issue. And I really liked the twisty ending we got as well.

The characters are fun and I loved Brindle who seems to be a furry creature with sharp teeth but does a great job! The rest of the characters are flawed in all the right ways, naive, stubborn, secretive, etc. The dynamic is fun as they make their way across the countryside.

This book has so many tongue in cheek, and stream of though moments. Lots of the things that are often unsaid are said out loud which frequently puts the characters in interesting situations. You will be glad you read it!

*Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing an ARC/DRC for review. All opinions are my own. *

This is my second T. Kingfisher novel, and it did not disappoint. The book begins with 36-year-old Halla, a longtime widow who has spent the last decade keeping house and caring for her deceased husband's grumpy great-uncle. After his death, the will is read, and the loathsome relatives who come out of the woodwork are horrified to find she has been named as the sole inheritor. They hatch a plan to marry Halla to one of her husband's cousins, and when she refuses, they lock her in the attic and refuse to let her out until she agrees to marry him so they can get their hands on the inheritance. Despondent and disgusted at the prospect, she grabs a sword off the wall and contemplates removing herself from this mortal coil, but when she unsheathes the sword, she finds that it is inhabited (genie-style) by an immortal warrior who is sworn to protect the wielder of the sword.

The scene is set, and the journey that follows is full of understated humor any unconventional adventure as our bumbling heroine and her scowling sword-warrior set out to escape and right the wrongs that have been wrought upon her.

Reminiscent of The Princess Bride, the wit and banter between the two protagonists is delightful as their grumpy and sunshine attitudes clash whenever they encounter an obstacle in their path. Sarkis has loyalty in spades, but it deepens from being obligatory to respect (and more) as he wars with his conflicting feelings and hidden past. As their growing friendship unfolds, Halla and Sarkis go from resenting each other's shortcomings to viewing them in a different light as they see beyond their first impressions. They navigate two-timers, power-tripping priests, highwaymen, moving mountains -and luckily, no dragons - unsure of who they can trust, all the while trying keep the secret of the sword close at hand.

Kingfisher's storyline is refreshing, funny, unique and distinct. It's fantastical while avoiding worn-out settings and clichés of the genre. It doesn't waste time on world building and setting up rules for its magic. Its characters are unconventional - and Halla is relatable, her methods and strategies for dealing with nefarious adversaries anything but what one would expect from a protagonist.

A fun Cozy Fantasy. The beginning had my full attention. I loved the humor. The middle fell a little flat for me. The ending made up for it. Halla was so chatty and funny. Sarkis was grumpy yet hilarious. The banter was excellent. It was a very easy read.

Halla unexpectedly inherited the estate of the wealthy uncle she's been caring for for the past decade. Unfortunately, money-hungry relatives want the inheritance. As he hides from them, she unsheaths an ancient sword. A man named Sarkis appears, explaining he is an immortal warrior who had been trapped inside it and sworn to protect whoever wields the sword. Sarkis doesn't have to fend off armies, only bandits and relatives, and ignore the threat of the sword itself.

Originally published in September 2024, there is now a special edition! As a childless widow, Halla's inlaws mostly ignored her until the inheritance. They were willing to lock her into her bedroom as a means to coerce her into marrying a cousin to keep the inheritance within the family, but Sarkis appeared and helped get her out of the house. The pair wind up having a hilarious adventure on the road to the city to find a lawyer, who is a priest of the God of the Rat, and the trio makes their way back for the inheritance. Along the way are priests of another god that harasses travelers, paladins of yet another god eager to fight demons, and a stretch of land that wanders about to catch travelers just because it can. Of course, the road isn't a smooth one for Halla, but she and Sarkis complement each other well and we get to watch them fall in love.

This is a great example of T. Kingfisher's writings and is the first of a trilogy of haunted swords. Sarkis' two captains had also been turned into swords, and I would love to see what happens to them, as well.

I loved this! The humor and banter was just so good! And the romance was light but very swoony.

One note is that the errors in this ARC were horrifying. I’m talking whole paragraphs with no punctuation, multiple sentences that were unreadable. It really took me out of the story at times just trying to figure out if something was dialogue or where one sentence ended/began. I know advance copies are not finished with editing but this was insane.

The signature wit and clever observations from T. Kingfisher's characters are delightfully present in Swordheart, where our heroine must figure out how to deal with her toxic family AND the newly summoned warrior she has just freed from a sword.

Halla finds herself in quite the pickle - she has inherited everything from her great-uncle, but his relatives have decided to lock her up unless she marries one of them (a cousin with clammy hands, ew!), so as to keep the money in their greedy little mitts. She unwittingly frees Sarkis, an immortal warrior trapped in a sword, and he is pledged to defend her from anyone and everyone.

I love that Halla is not a young ingenue, but in her thirties, and acts like a grown up. Sarkis is impossibly and sweetly grumpy, but he appreciates Halla and is determined to help her out. And frankly, considering he's been trapped in that sword for ages, I understood his grumpiness. My favorite side character was the priest, Zale, who also knows a little about the law and wants to help Halla get her inheritance.

There is a bit of an open ending so I hope that we revisit this world again, it was heartwarming and delightful to read.

We're dancin' to some fantastical music here.......and every step is a delight.

T. Kingfisher is a favorite hands down. This is my ninth book by her. Have so many more to get to as well. Kingfisher knows just how to sweep away the world and transport her readers into a completely different realm of fancifully strange.

Swordheart introduces us to Halla, a widowed housekeeper. She has more problems than just mice under her bed. She's wrapped in the traumas of the in-laws and the out-laws. You see, Halla is the beneficiary of her great uncle's will. Her great aunt and her cousin have locked Halla in her bedroom. The master plan is for Halla to marry her creepy cousin who will then take over the mansion, the land, and the wealth. Halla gets zero.

Pondering her best escape, Halla unsheaths a silver sword hanging over the bed for years. Upon doing so, a strange man in armor appears. His name is Sarkis and he explains that now he is beholdened to Halla as her protector. Kinda like Genie in the Bottle vibes.

What transpires here on out is an exciting adventure. We'll be taken to the Temple of the White Rat and meet the priest, Zale. We'll also meet Brindle, a gnole, who owns an ox to drive the cart. There's also mountains that move and slimy things that slurp. Non-stop delight and non-stop peels of laughter on the side. The dialog is typical Kingfisher with humorous banter and snarky comebacks. Throw in well developed characters and a snappy storyline and you've got it all here. I'm waiting in the wings for the next one, T. Kingfisher. Write faster.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Tor Publishing and to the talented T. Kingfisher for the opportunity.