Swordheart by T. Kingfisher was a breath of fresh air.
Kingfisher shines by writing a light, pithy story while simultaneously detailing the woes of women in society. The way Halla felt she had to “dumb herself down” was enraging, AND YET, through Kishfisher’s writing, is undeniably hilarious.
The story's premise is refreshingly unique: a widowed housekeeper mistakenly draws an enchanted sword, forever tying herself to an immortal warrior bound by magic to protect her from harm. The peculiar cast of characters collected along the way quickly endeared themselves with wit and charm. And the world-building was not once overwhelming.
I will say that Swordheart is not a high-speed, high-stakes (or, in general, anything fast) read. It is a funny, low-stakes, cozy fantasy I looked forward to cuddling beside my fireplace to read each night.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Bramble for allowing me to read the advanced copy of this rerelease!

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher is probably my favorite book written by T. Kingfisher.
The writing is genuinely stunning and incredibly emotional, genuinely it's such a rush to read.
I couldn't put this down and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Swordheart had all the makings of a book that I truly thought I would enjoy. And believe me, I tried my darndest to enjoy this book.

I made it to chapter 10 when I realized that I was not enjoying reading it and could not force myself to keep going. The pacing was quite slow for me, it felt like for 9 chapters almost nothing happened. I felt like I was frozen in time. And while the characters seemed promising, the writing style was not one I enjoyed reading. I know that T. Kingfisher is a widely loved author and I was hoping to join that group.

I think this is one of those cases where it’s not you, it’s me.

UPDATE 3/1/25: I ended up going back to the book and giving it another shot. I did end up finishing most of it, though I admit to skimming portions of the story…unfortunately, my thoughts are still relatively the same. The pacing remained very slow for me and it was very difficult to enjoy. I’m giving it 2 stars because the characters had a lot of promise and the idea of the story was okay.

I really enjoyed this story. A cute, cozy fantasy perfect for a rainy or snowy day with strong elements of found family and redemption. Reminiscent of older princess tales with rotten-to-the-core families who treat the FMC like dirt and a hero who comes to her rescue from the unlikeliest of places. I found myself laughing more than I thought I would at their back and forth banter, witty quips, and Halla's incessant questioning. High recommend the audio version of this book as well!

This was SO cute!! I loved all the characters, but especially Zale - more Zale please!

I still haven't read a Kingfisher book I haven't loved - this one is no different. With a light-hearted, Princess Bride kind of vibe and a delightfully real feeling middle aged woman MC, this was a joy. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this universe.

So I’m here from reading multiple books by T. Kingfisher. I enjoy the writing style and how the plot unfolds. The characters are interesting and the world building well written. This is an easy read. I always add this author to the TBR.

Thank you to Bramble and the author for a gifted copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book so much. I’m so happy I got to read it for the release. This book was heartwarming and heartbreaking. It had laughing at loud. The characters were lovable all around, the villians were truly hate worthy. There was romance and adventure. This has it all!

If I were in charge of coming up with the title for this book, I'd call it "There and Back Again" (but not really because Tolkein already claimed that one) since most of it takes place as she journeys back and forth the same road. It sounds quite dull and was mostly predictable, but this book was a great time and it will make you truly laugh out loud.

While the dialogue in parts had a few too many filler words for my liking, I found my favorite part of the book was the banter between Halla and the many minor characters. From the moment she meets Sarkis, their opposite personalities create tense moments and minor conflicts that lead to frustrated communication and eventual flirtation. Halla's feigned ignorance to get out of trouble leads to some hilariously random idle chit chat. The relationship between Halla and Zale with their similarly rational brains led to some brilliant, yet inappropriately-timed debates, but some scenes that I want to see visually portrayed for their brilliance. And don't get me started on Brindle, my favorite character. I'd read an entire book about Brindle. I would take a sword through the heart for Brindle. Brindle is perfect.

While I found the plot to be a bit predictable until some specific moments at the end, I had a great time reading this. With a less represented protagonist (36 year old widow with a curvy figure), a cast of characters who all need their own spinoffs, and an adorable enemies to lovers romance, I think many romantasy lovers will find something to like in this one. I'm hopeful that with this republished edition, Kingfisher has plans to release more books in this series as it does end with a nod toward a sequel!

This was everything I could’ve possibly wanted in a cozy fantasy. I was giggling and kicking my feet through all of it. The characters were amazing, the banter was great. I loved it so much and highly recommend to anybody needing a smile.

an absolutely delightful journey featuring bureaucratic nonsense, money-grubbing relatives, a slow-burn romance between a literal murder-sword-man and a woman with an unmatched ability to roll with weird situations, and just enough humor to make me snort-laugh in public. The dialogue is sharp, the world is immersive without feeling bogged down in lore, and the romance? Chef’s kiss.

This was a bit of a swerve from my recent reading tastes but took me back to the days when I only read fantasy. If you are looking for a cozy fantasy, this is it. The stakes are fairly low and its banter was charming. It really fit my two favourite genres, romcom and fantasy, together to make for something quite fun. We need more romcom/fantasy books out there! My one complaint- it was a little longer than necessary for the story being told.

Amazon and Barnes & Noble reviews submitted, pending systems' approval
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Blog link goes live March 18th

**TL;DR**: Another fun and romantic fantasy from T. Kingfisher
**Source**: NetGalley, thank you Bramble!

**Plot**: Halla, while attempting to end her life, ends up with a magical guardian from within a sword. Hijinks follow.
**Characters**: As always T. Kingfisher’s characters are easy to love. They’re fun and friendly and it’s hard to go wrong.
**Setting**: The setting was a little loose, and we spent most of our time traveling so it wasn’t the strongest for me.
**Romance/Fantasy:** I love the romance in these books as I’m a goofy person and this always feels a little goofy. The fantasy was great as well, especially if you’re familiar with her other fantasy novels. ****

**Thoughts**:

T. Kingfisher’s Swordheart has been trending a lot lately, and this beautiful trad printing of it does it a service. The story follows practical Halla. Trapped in her own home after inheriting a large sum of money, she decides the best path forward is to end her life so the money she has gained goes to some distant family. So she pulls an old antique sword off the wall and when she does so a man appears, magically bound to the sword and it’s wielder (now her). From there they set out on an adventure.

This is a journey book, we leave Halla’s home and go to two towns then come back. The characters spend a lot of time on the road and interacting and that is where I think Kingfisher shines. Her dialogue is snappy and funny and her characters’ interactions feel like conversations and reactions I have with my friends. You laugh, you gasp, and you just have a lot of fun. There are also little nods throughout to other books in the Kingfisher world, which is delightful for a returning reader.

My only complaint is that the book felt it’s length. It’s just shy of 450 pages and it did feel a bit long at times. Is that enough for me to say skip it? No, not at all. But there is a bit of bloat. I enjoyed this. I want more here (a sequel has been announced) and I can’t wait. There is a bird shouting doom filled prophecies! How can you not want more? For fans of romantic fantasy, cozy, or humorous fantasy this would be a great pickup.

Laughed out loud—Frequently! Not bad for the 2nd time around!

I had so much trouble controlling my laughter especially as it was 3am in the morning and my partner was sound asleep. 😂🤣😂
Halla had to her complete surprise inherited her great uncle Silas’ estate. Silas’ sister Malva is not happy. So much so that Malva has imprisoned Halla in her attic bedroom until she consents to marry Malva’s son, Cousin Alver, he of the clammy hands. Looking around for a way to escape and finding none, she resorts to trying to stab herself using an old sword. She draws the sword a few inches when with a flash of electric blue light, out pops the sword’s resident guardian who will protect whomever draws the sword. He’s shocked because Halla’s scantily clothes, and Halla because, well, could this day get any worse? Halla becomes garrulous. She asks questions when she faces danger. Most people ignore her and think she’s empty headed. However it seems Sarkis is now sworn to defend her, garrulous or not.
Which leads to them fleeing Rutger’s Howe and heading for Archen’s Glory the capital of Archenhold to find the temple of the White Rats.
The White Rat priests become involved—always fun!
A wonderful tale of missteps, misadventure, and misdirected set in the very dynamic world of Archenhold.
(The Deluxe hard cover edition.)

A Tor ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This book was not my favorite! I felt they could have done more with the characters what drew me in was the story description but honestly after way through the book I lost interest and it was a struggle to finish. I usually like cozy but this didn’t hit for me unfortunately:) what I did like was the cover and this story had alot of potential!

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

The banter was the best! This is a cozy read that I enjoyed. I feel like it could have been a bit shorter but other than that it was a fun time.

This will be the book I suggest for a palate cleanser for the rest of time.

The banter in the book made me laugh out loud over and over again. I loved all of our main characters. Many times books are compared to "The Princess Bride" but, baby, this one hits.

Following Halla as she accidentally becomes acquainted with Sarkis..the sword (Yes, our MMC is essentially a sword. )
He helps her escape from her delusional and money-hungry in-laws on a journey that consists of mostly Halla asking questions and strategically playing a fool. I loved every moment of this book. I will be buying the audiobook because I KNOW the banter will be made so much better.

Kingfisher is usually hit or miss for me, this time it was just fine. This felt too long for what it was. I think I'm just a little shocked because this doesn't feel like Kingfisher to me. I liked the idea and I liked how the main characters were a bit older.

This book originally released in 2018, but now with a stunning new hardcover and teal edges! This was a great cozy fantasy. It was unassuming and the witty banter was top notch.

I liked the author's portrayal of both the FMC (Halla) and MMC (Sarkis) in that they both didn't take each other too seriously. The love felt real between the two characters. There adventure together was also really fun in that it wasn't too serious, and seemed low stakes.

I found this book thoroughly charming, although I think you would have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy it. The characters are delightful, but the plot does meander quite a bit, and there are definitely points where it feels repetitive. I would say that this feels like a cozy fantasy, except for all the corpses. The corpses do pile up and make it a bit hard to call it fully cozy. The relationship between Halla and Sarkis absolutely has that feeling, though. I appreciated that they're both middle-aged (I mean, apart from the bit where Sarkis is a 500 year old sword). Halla's babbling is incredibly relatable. The book is quite funny (again, corpses not withstanding) and makes for an enjoyable read if you've got the patience to wander along with it.