It is always a pleasure to read Kingfisher’s work. Swordheart perfectly encapsulated Kingfisher’s knack for creating gripping characters and storylines that readers cannot help but to read till the very end. I will absolutely be recommending this work, as well as Kingfisher’s other works, as they are all simply amazing.

This is a unique and enjoyable story. Halla inherits a house and all its belongings from her late husband's great-uncle. Just as she is about to claim her inheritance, her late husband's aunt and cousin come by. They lock Halla in her room until she agrees to marry her cousin. In this room, Halla discovers a sword. When she unsheathes the blade, a magical mercenary, Serkis, appears. He is bound to the sword and anyone who wields it. They escape the aunt and cousin together and travel to get help claiming her inheritance. The rest is adventure, action, magic, and fun. I gave this book 4.5 stars instead of 5 because I sometimes found Halla's banter annoying. I would have loved to bop her with a frying pan over the head. Otherwise, the rest of it was great. I enjoyed the new magical creatures and the world-building. Also, Serkis's backstory was unique. This book had very little spice. It was just a tiny sprinkle that was tastefully done and did not detract from the story.

This book was so good! It was my first Kingfisher book and I couldn't be happier with the introduction to this author. Firstly, this edition of the book is gorgeous, and the book was such a good read. I really enjoyed Halla as a character and the story itself was both humorous and adventurous!

Note for the publisher: I have not posted my review on socials yet but I plan to this week , once I take a decent enough photo.

Review: This book was the most fun I’ve had reading in a LONG time. I genuinely was cackling out loud at the comic relief this book provided. Even explaining how utterly dorky this novel was to my husband was entertaining for him.

Swordheart to me felt like if you mixed The Princess Bride with the Lord of the Rings world.

The interactions between Halla and Sarkis were so much fun to read, and their love story felt natural and believable. I also loved the friendship between Halla and Zale; it was one of my FAVORITE book friendships ever. I also loved the seamless inclusion of a non binary character with Zale. Absolute chefs kiss. I have to shout out to Brindle too; that gnole was SUCH a hoot.

I think Swordheart is going to become a lifelong favorite novel for me that I will reread time and time again. I absolutely want this special edition when it comes out and I have already added all of the other books in the World of the White Rat to my TBR.

I cannot wait to see where this series goes , as I am assuming we will see more!

This was hard to get into. Once I did, I was able to keep characters straight and the story line was okay. However, I just didn’t really care much about the MCs. This one is a cozy fantasy type, and slow going. So ultimately was not for me. The cover is gorgeous tho.

This book is a delightful mix of humor, adventure, and romance. Halla, an unconventional widow, accidentally frees Sarkis, a grumpy warrior trapped in a magical sword, and the two embark on a journey filled with witty banter, danger, and an unexpected slow-burn romance. T. Kingfisher’s writing is sharp and funny, balancing absurdity with genuine emotion. The worldbuilding is engaging without being overwhelming, and the characters—especially Halla and Sarkis—are impossible not to love. If you enjoy fantasy with humor, heart, and a unique premise, this one’s a must-read.

Once I discover a favorite author, it can only be expected that you’ll probably see a lot of reviews for them going forward. So as not to just run through them one after another, I’ve been trying to hold off on picking up a new Kingfisher novel until I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a slump. And, for whatever reason, many of my October books were a bit underwhelming. While this was a bummer, it gave me the only excuse I needed, so I immediately jumped back into the world of the Clockwork Boys with this standalone book.

You would think being left a grand estate and all the wealth and prestige that comes with that would be a blessing. But for Halla, the housekeeper turned unexpected heiress, it has lead to nothing but trouble. Hounded by the relatives of the deceased, Halla has all but given up hope of collecting on her inheritance. That is until, when trapped in a cluttered room in a mansion that should by rights belong to her, Halla draws a dusty old sword and finds…a swordsman as well? One who is enchanted to the sword and sworn to protect its wielder for the remainder of their life. But while Halla seems like an easy enough individual to protect, Sarkis, the swordsman, is in for a surprise.

I think it would be a bigger shock than anything if I read a book by this author that I didn’t enjoy. There are enough strengths in her general storytelling ability, her solid characters, and her witty dialogue that it’s hard to imagine a book that felt like a flop. There have been stories I’ve enjoyed more than others, however. So where does this one fit on that scale?

While much of the appeal of this book lay in the strength of the qualities I listed above, there were a few aspects of this story that I found particularly charming. For one thing, Halla is an “older” heroine, coming in with an age somewhere in her 30s. Kingfisher has used several older heroines like this to helm her books, and it’s something I always appreciate. Life and adventure doesn’t only come for twenty-somethings! And, indeed, we get more variety and life experience with an older lead who brings more baggage (both good and bad) to the story. Halla is an unlikely leading lady in that she starts the book out as a bewildered heiress who seems as if she may have been happier remaining a housekeeper for the rest of her life. What’s more, as the story progresses, her romance with Sarkis comes from the perspective of a woman who has already been married once and knows what’s what.

I also appreciated that this was one of the longer books I’ve read by this author. She tends to write books that come in between the 200-250 page count, just enough to be considered full novels instead of novellas, but noticeably shorter than the average fantasy novel out there. On one hands, this is a quality I love as there are so many massive fantasy tomes out there that not only don’t need to be the length they are (and are often worse for it) but the sheer amount of time it takes to read one lengthy novel necessarily limits how many one can get through. That said, I loved being able to settle in to this story a bit more than I have with past, shorter books by this author. I became highly invested in Halla’s journey towards self-worth and Sarkis’s work to restore the humanity he gave up when he became attached to the sword. We learn a lot about their personal histories, so it’s truly gratifying to see them come up against similar challenges here and make different choices.

That said, there came a point around the three quarters mark where I began to feel like the book was quite literally tracing the same road back and forth. This is played for good humorous affect, but the final go around did begin to feel a bit tedious as I began to wish that our characters could finally have something go right for them.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book. It was enjoyable and solid in all of the ways I’ve come to expect by this author, and I appreciated the increased page length to really soak in this particular world and these characters and their romance. Fans of this author or for those looking for a cozy fantasy novel, this is definitely a book for you!

Rating 8: Everything you could want from cozy fantasy fiction!

Link will go live on Feb. 28 on The Library Ladies blog

This was my first T. Kingfisher book but it will not be my last. My goodness this book was a breath of fresh air!

Full of hilarious dialogue with a beautifully developed MC, Swordheart is the story of a woman who unbeknownst to her is the beneficiary of a great estate. This draws Halla (our MC) into some bigtime drama in a story full of cozy fantasy vibes. A swoony love story with a real adult FMC, this is sure to please fans of My Lady Jane.

Swordheart further cements T. Kingfisher as one of my favorite authors! Kingfisher’s signature witty dialogue is hilariously woven into this cozy fantasy. Housekeeper Halla is shocked to discover that she is the sole recipient of everything in her former employer’s will. The fury of his family is swift and they attempt to pressure her into a marriage by locking her up. Halla despairs and concludes that her only option is to throw herself upon a sword- except when she unsheathes it a man appears from thin air. Absolute shenanigans ensue and I loved every minute of it!

Halla is such a strong and smart character who has learned how to navigate a world that underestimates her. I loved how she uses her ability to small-talk someone into defeat! Halla and Sarkis’ romance is sweet to watch as it unfolds through their misadventures. The worldbuilding is rich and filled with interesting magical details. I absolutely loved the found family of Halla, Sarkis, Zale, and Brindle that is formed as they travel together. The dialogue is both clever and hilarious. I hope we get to read the stories of the other swords! I’d highly recommend this book to anyone. Readers who love The Princess Bride, witty dialogue, found family, and lovable characters need to read Swordheart.

Thank you to T. Kingfisher, Bramble, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Swordheart is a charming and humorous story of a widow (Halla) in trouble who is rescued by a man (Sarkis) magically living in a sword. The wit and heart of this story make it a cozy and delightful read. For those expecting a spicy or even whirlwind romance, this is not for you; however, it fits the bill of humorous adventure romp with a touch of romance.

Halla is a bright an complex female lead. As a widow, she brings a unique and welcome perspective and an "older" romance lead. Her self-protective strategies, and Sarkis's discovery of this woman in a "modern age," bring relatable and subtle messages about the realities of being a woman in a man's world. The romance is both believable and well earned, and side characters that could have easily fallen flat add a depth to the wit and adventure threaded throughout the book.

Fantasy elements bring excitement where the romance may fall flat, and the magical world building is well thought out and constructed; although fantastical elements are seemingly added in as plot fillers at times that feel unearned.

Pacing could be better throughout the novel, and where humor can’t carry it forward, the story drags. It would be better served with an increase in either adventure plot or romance plot, as the heave reliance on dialogue alone lacks the momentum to build intrigue. Overall, Sworheart is a cute read, and will charm lovers of complex, quick-witted characters. 3.75 stars.

3.5 rounded down.

This is my 5th kingfisher book this year, I just caught up on all of the Saints of Steel titles. I did really enjoy this, but not quite as much as that series.

I found the beginning harder to get into, and found the characters at first more aggravating than endearing, but the further I read, the more I came to enjoy them. They do end up balancing each other out and the banter and wit from the characters keeps you engaged.

Plot wise, it did feel a little repetitive around the middle, not enough to feel disengaged, but I do feel one or two encounters could have been taken out and we still would feel the same story impact.

I do love Kingfisher’s writing style - quick witted, funny and easy to follow, which is a big part of the reason i’ e devoured so many of their books so far this year.

This was an absolute ride of a book, and I do mean that in the best way. If you’re a reader who is in the mood for something lighthearted, yet still genuine, I can highly recommend this book to you.

Things I loved:
- T. Kingfisher is hilarious. This is only my second book by her, and I can already tell when she’s written something. She has such a distinct, cheeky tone to her books that I really enjoy. Swordheart’s situational comedy and dialogue had me dying.
- It’s just fun. This is a book that is not at all serious and is very aware of that fact. However that didn’t detract from how connected I felt to the characters and their struggles.
- The side characters were to DIE for. Zale is one of my favourite secondary characters of all time. I never knew I needed a sassy, nonbinary priest in my literature until now.
- And while we’re on the topic, the representation in this book was excellent. It never felt forced or like the author did it just for the points. Characters all felt authentic to themselves, which was nice. The representation for older MCs in particular was awesome to read.

What didn’t work for me:
- Not much honestly. The plot got a little bit messy toward the end, so I think that could have been trimmed down and cleaned up. Sometimes the characters and events were a little TOO ridiculous. Most of the time it was a good amount but a few moments had me rolling my eyes.

Other than that, I absolutely loved this book and flew through it!

*A sweet thank you to author, NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for allowing me to read for an honest review!*

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

4.25/5⭐️

This was such a wonderful, humorous, cozy fantasy!! I found myself giggling constantly and of course rooting for our main characters! Fans of My Lady Jane, Assistant to the Villain, and The Princess Bride will adore this one!

“”Men will stare at you,” muttered Sarkis, hunched over the next potato. “And then I will be forced to beat them.””

On the grumpy side of our grumpy x sunshine trope is our sword-spirit bodyguard, Sarkis. I loved how interesting of a character he was with his ancient backstory, who doesn’t love a 450 year old in a 30 something year old body?? He was such an amazing character, falling head over heels for our sunshine, Halla.

Halla is our 36 year old widow, who is supposed to inherit her dead husband’s will. She is so quirky, but super smart and witty at the same time. For being an adult, she was embarrassed by her new feelings arising for her sword-spirit bodyguard and it was so fun to read about!

This story has been out for a bit but a new deluxe edition will be on shelves starting on February 25th! If you love comedic fantasy stories with heartwarming endings, you’ll definitely want to pick this up!

thank you to netgalley and tor publishing group for this eARC!

i really liked this book! i haven’t read any thing else by kingfisher, so i don’t know if this is similar or not, but it was freaking adorable.

i loved the world. i wish i had seen a bit more of how the magic worked and the expanded world, but i get why we didn’t. mostly i just wish this wasn’t a stand alone because i’d love to see more of this world. i also think the way that exposition was handled was perfect. it felt like a very natural way to learn the information. i was a little confused about the gnole situation, so a tiny bit more clarity on those characters (?) would have been appreciated, especially since they have later importance.

i love halla and sarkis. they’re adorable. i would have maybe liked to see a conversation about halla’s insecurities and see how the two would handle that, but that’s more a personal gripe and not an actual issue with the book. their relationship developed very smoothly and it didn’t feel rushed or drawn out. i think that the conflict with why he was in the sword, was a little silly. i don’t know maybe it’s a me problem, but i just didn’t really understand why it upset her as much as it did; i think it either should’ve been a bigger issue or i wish kingfisher had gone a little more in depth into why it bothered her. i do think, though, that it is a fine conflict, since she got over it fairly quickly and it was a small problem, it was just written as though it was a huge conflict and that tone threw me off.

i really liked the plot. i think the way that magical elements were integrated with a legal issue is amazing. i loved it the whole way through.

this book was such an interesting take on fantasy and it was so so fun to read. would one hundred percent recommend, especially to anyone looking for an easy romantic fantasy.

I'm a huge T. Kingfisher fan and Swordheart was no exception. A widow in distress, protected by a magical sword, seeking a priest from the Temple of the Rat to help her claim her inheritance? Yes, please.

I love the world the author created with the various religious groups and their roles in society. Even though this book was set in the past, I think there were many analogies to current day societal issues, which I enjoyed. I particularly appreciated the way Halla used the way people viewed her because she was a woman to her advantage. And as always, T. Kingfisher's dry humor kept me thoroughly entertained throughout the journey, and I also enjoyed the romance between Halla and Sarkis. There were even some unexpected twists and turns. I'm not generally a cozy fantasy fan because I like a bit more world building and action, but I enjoyed Swordheart (as I do most things from T. Kingfisher).

Review on Tiktok forthcoming.

This was a fun, low-stakes fantasy with a strong romance and adventure. The story itself was fun for the most part but not my absolute favorite book of the year. The humor hit a few ways!

Goodness! I fear I've stumbled upon an author that I absolutely adore. The concept was fun and the execution was perfect for me. I was so torn between zooming through the story and savoring it - that's the kind of chokehold it held on me. Wildly enough, this may be my favorite read of the year and we've barely just begun. Hard five stars and I will defend my love for this book till my dying breath.

Thanks again NetGalley. Loved this non-arc arc. Reading along with the audiobook made the experience that much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced copy!

This is a rerelease, which I didn’t realize when I requested the arc. Regardless, it’s firmly put T Kingfisher on my TBR after I also enjoyed A Sorceress Comes To Call. There’s a sharpness to her writing that I really enjoy- a dry sense of humour that works well with the cozy fantasy. This one bad romance, which ASCTC didn’t (not really) and so I think I enjoyed this one a bit more! I’ll definitely be working through her backlist

*thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC*

T. Kingfisher is the queen of fantasy with humor sprinkled in.
Throughout, I found myself laughing because of the dialogue between the characters. The humor felt genuine.

It was refreshing that the FMC was older. Even though not very experienced, Halla was delightful and witty. The MMC, Serkis had great character development. Their romance felt authentic. There was also non-binary representation with the side characters.

I felt like parts of the plot dragged especially in the middle. Some of the descriptions felt repetitive like Halla being “a respectable widow” I almost counted how many times that was said throughout the book.

For being a fantasy- quest type story I really liked the world we were in and even though there wasn’t a ton of magic. It still felt fantastical.
I didn’t know it was part of the Clockwork Boys universe until the end. So I’m excited to read the others in this world.

Overall, 3.5 stars. And I would recommend this to other fantasy readers.

Heat Factor: What are you implying??? Halla is a *respectable widow*

Character Chemistry: Sarkis spends a lot of time counting under his breath

Plot: Halla’s terrible relatives are trying to steal her inheritance. Luckily, she finds an immortal sword man to help her. Road trip with much mayhem ensues. Like, so much mayhem.

Overall: What a delightful book.


So technically I read an ARC of this because a beautiful deluxe edition with sprayed edges is being released later this month, but it’s actually several years old. But you know what? Who cares that it’s not new. I still had a blast reading it. (It does mean that it seems like the promised sequel is…not happening any time soon, so try not to get excited about it. Luckily for me, Kingfisher has written a bunch of *other* books in this world.) I will say that my copyeditor’s soul shriveled up a little at the (lack of) punctuation and, unfortunately, I now know that that cannot be blamed on this being an advance copy that hasn’t gone through proofreading. Be warned if you are a fan of things like em-dashes, ellipses, and, hell, commas—you know, the things that signify pauses in sentences.

Anyways, the basic premise is that Halla is a widow who has been thanklessly keeping house for her great-uncle-in-law for the past decade. (Sidenote: apparently I’m a haggard crone because Halla is 36 and “middle-aged.”) Now, the old man has died and left all his worldly belongings to her. The rest of the family is Not Impressed (understatement), which means that they plan on forcing Halla to marry the cousin with clammy hands. Halla would really rather not, and so she decides to kill herself. However, when she unsheathes the heirloom sword that’s been hanging on her bedroom wall for years, a man pops out. A very attractive silver fox with big muscles, to be precise. Turns out, the sword is a magic sword that is also a man (the metaphysics are a bit hazy, despite many experiments in the middle part of the book), and he is now sworn to protect Halla—the wielder of the sword—until she dies or gives the sword away. The plot, such as it is, follows Halla and Sarkis as they escape, travel to another town, get help from the Rat God (patron god of lawyers), travel home, and have a black moment. There are many adventures along the way, very few of which are fully resolved beyond the bare minimum of Halla and Sarkis escaping. So epic fantasy readers, be aware that there’s a lot of worldbuilding that happens here that’s just…left hanging. Like, what’s up with the deer people and the slime monsters? Why were the priests of the Hanged Mother so obsessed with Halla?

But honestly, the plot doesn’t even matter. All you need to know is that it’s a one damn thing after the next type situation so you can buckle up. What is actually delightful about this book are the characters and their interactions because they are so. Friggin. Funny.

There’s nothing like a good example, so here’s a snippet:

Sarkis emerged from the scullery, looking soggy. “I have defeated the dishes.”

“Were there any survivors?”

“The only casualty was some kind of monstrous serving plate with pears on it.”

“Oh, that,” said Halla with relief. “Dare I hope it’s broken past any possible mending?”

Sarkis considered this for a moment, then went back into the scullery. Sounds of breaking crockery drifted through the open door. “Yes,” he said, returning.


True love is breaking that ugly serving platter your mother-in-law gave to you for a wedding present that you feel guilty about getting rid of.

While that short passage does capture the tone of the book, it doesn’t quite capture the characters and how delightful their dynamic is. Therefore, I must obviously include another one. This particular interaction happens right at the beginning of the book, but highlights the essentials of the characters:

“My lady Halla, I have fought dragons on multiple occasions.”

Halla considered this. “Did you win, though?”

Sarkis coughed, looking suddenly embarrassed. “Well, one time.”

“What about the others?”

“It was more of a draw. The point is that they were dragons, not your cousins.”

Halla folded her arms. “How big is a dragon, anyway?”

“What?”

“I’ve never seen one. Are they rabbit-sized? Cow-sized?”

“They’re dragon-sized!” he started to roar, caught himself, and continued in an angry whisper, “They’re the size of a house!”

“All right, but a big house or a small—”

Sarkis turned around and began to beat his forehead very gently against the wall. “The great god is punishing me,” he said softly, “for my crimes. I cannot go to his hell, and so he has sent a woman to torment me.”


Sarkis is a big tough man who is utterly baffled (and charmed, obviously) by Halla. Halla asks tons of questions—both because she’s curious about everything and because she’s found it to be a remarkably effective shield (as she says later, people don’t kill stupid women; they just kick them aside). Halla believes the best in everyone; Sarkis believes that everyone they meet is trying to murder them. Watching them bounce off each other is just fun.

Honestly that sums up my feelings about the book as a whole: it’s just fun.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.