This is a HYSTERICAL, utterly delightful, glitteringly-heartwarming romantic fantasy! As usual, Kingfisher has created incredible, not-very-genre-typical main characters - Halla, a 'respectable widow' who asks lots of questions, is wonderfully practical, and is on the run from the kind of *mundanely* evil relatives who need to be dropped in a volcano; and Sarkis, an ancient warrior bound to the sword Halla tries to kill herself with. (It all makes sense in context, I promise.)

Sarkis' ancient code of honourable behaviour had me SHRIEKING with laughter - see, not wanting to interfere with Halla's niece coming to rescue her! - but as I'm used to with Kingfisher's love interests, he is far too world-wise not to realise how wonderful Halla is. The moment early on, when he realises that she's babbling in order to distract herself from how physically miserable she is...GAH. Instant heart-eyes from me! Kingfisher's heroes are never shallow, and I love that about all of them. But Sarkis might hold a special place in my heart, less for his tragic backstory (and it is quite tragic) than for the way he helps Halla realise how worthy she is.

And Halla!!! Hi, I love her!!! I feel quite strongly that we would be excellent friends. (ATTACK SHEEP. Hysterical!)

It's amazing how much Kingfisher can make you hate her villains; they're never comically, over-the-top evil, but realistically so - I suspect most readers recognise something in most of her villains, and that's definitely the case here. I had to keep putting the book down to take a break from grinding my teeth at these UTTER ASSHATS!

Swordheart is immensely satisfying in every respect - it even works pretty well as a standalone, although it's the start of a trilogy! - and it's CATAPULTED to the top of my favourites list. Recommended MOST STRONGLY!

What a unique premise! This on the cozier side romantasy hit the right spots for me. While it took some suspension of disbelief initially to accept he’s a man and also an enchanted swords once I wrapped my brain around it I sank into it

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher follows Halla, who has been imprisoned in her room by her family following her inheritance of a great fortune. The only escape for her is death by sword, which is lucky for Halla considering she has one hanging above her bed. Unfortunately, the being that lives inside the sword, a warrior named Sarkis, won’t allow Halla to die. With the help of Sarkis, Halla escapes from her house arrest and the two go on a great adventure.

My personal thoughts: I’ve loved every T. Kingfisher book I’ve read, this one included. The writing is immersive and entrancing, and the plot moves quickly enough to keep you hooked. This book has its share of romance, but it isn’t the entire focus which I appreciate. Halla and Starkis both felt fleshed out, which I also appreciate as a reader. A glorious fantasy filled with all the romance my little heart could ask for. Another great from T. Kingfisher!


I would recommend this book to lovers of cozy fantasy and lovers of Travis Baldree and Rebecca Thorne. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor Publishing group for allowing me to read this e-arc!

After inheriting a great fortune, widow Halla has been imprisoned in her own room by her greedy relations. The only escape? Death by the sword. Luckily she has one hanging over her bed. Unluckily, said sword happens to be a magic one and the being that lives inside it will not allow her death. Sarkis, the warrior spellbound inside the sword, helps Hall escape house arrest and the two go on the run. Priests, paladins, gnoles, great-uncles-in-law and more help and hinder them on their quest.
Swordheart is a lighthearted fantasy that will appeal to readers of Travis Baldree.

Swordheart stole my entire heart. I did not expect it to, but wow, it did. I mean of course I thought I'd enjoy it, it's T. Kingfisher after all, but I did not expect to absolutely adore it as much as I did- so much so, in fact, that I had to pre-order it. It's driving itself to my house as we speak type. This is basically the definition of romantasy, before romantasy even called itself that. (Shoutout to Bramble for re-releasing it, for 2018 Shannon would have never noticed it, while 2025 Shannon devoured it.)

What's there to say? It's definitely on the cozier end of the spectrum, and the romance is a big focus (though not the whole focus, which I appreciated). I adored Halla, and felt a real connection to her, and the side characters were the best. The snark and banter was 1000% on point, as always. Sarkis is a wonderful love interest too, and I enjoyed his backstory. And look, the book is perhaps a wee bit longer than it needed to be, but I was having so much fun that it hardly mattered. It is charming, and so downright funny, I could not put it down!

Bottom Line: Amazing characters, a great story, a ton of fun. What more can you ask for?

A truly fun low-stakes fantasy filled with romance and adventure and a dash of humor. I did feel like there were a few slow moments, but overall a good read.

Swordheart was a thoroughly enjoyable romantasy read. T. Kingfisher infuses the story with tons of humor, a fun fantasy world, and charming older characters. I usually stay away from the more 'cozy' fantasy books but this managed to keep me invested in the stakes.

And those stakes are very real! Halla is a widow who is threatened with being married off after she inherits a sizeable estate. It's grounded, not epic-fantasy-world-ending, but terrifying for her.

Halla is clever and curious but has had to live a life others chose for her, and at first she cannot see anything else for her future. She finds ways to weaponize other's impressions of her however, and never feels helpless, which I appreciated since often softer characters are damsels without their own strengths. Not Halla! And Sarkis, oh Sarkis. The immortal warrior bound to the sword Halla finds is a little hard around the edges after centuries of being a weapon. I loved watching him soften over the course of their journey, though his humor never does (still chuckling at him skinning his enemies, the dastardly potatoes).

The romance is slow but not glacial, and the characters have believable reasons to take it as slowly as they do. The chemistry is there, but they've got other things to worry about, and Halla is a respectable widow! She can't jump into bed with the hot sword she just met even if she would very much like to.

The third act break-up felt a little off, but I feel that way about those generally. It wasn't entirely immersion breaking, and the other things going on in the plot at that point were enough to smooth it over.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and the things I could point at as flaws were few and far between. I very much enjoyed the ending, it was exactly what I needed for a heart warming romance with raunchy humor.

*Thank you to TOR for providing an ARC of the special edition in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor/Bramble, and T. Kingfisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Ironically enough I have read several books this month purporting to be Princess Bride-inspired and THIS one was my favorite, by far, of them all. Plotwise it isn't necessarily the same, but the same jaunty tongue-in-cheekness was there and the characters, OMG, absolute perfection.

After all, a gnole knows what is best for a gnole. IYKYK

I LOVED Halla, Sarkis was absolutely spot-on, I really all the various priests and priesthoods and Zale was absolutely terrific, gnoles in general were great and Brindle was my fav character in the entire book. I realize this review is less of a review and more of a written fangirl squeeeeeeee! but rarely ever has T. Kingfisher steered me wrong and THIS is the best of of the bunch. I really really hope that the "World of the White Rat" tagline GR has posted above the title is a real thing and that there will be more books set in this world.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think one of my favorite parts about this story was that the romantasy aspect was with a heroine who was older and who wasn't the hottest, tiniest, longest-haired, biggest-eyed, curviest, etc. person in the entire fantasy world. Don't get me wrong, I love tons of romantasy that contains all of that--but this was just such a refreshing read and my brain very much enjoyed it. I think that the relationship building for the romance was very masterfully done, it was very real and believable. I just loved this. I thought the set up was great, the characters were compelling, and the romance was great. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I cannot wait to get our physical copies in at the branch!

Swordheart is exactly the mix of fantasy and romance that I love to read. Kingfisher has built a world full of competing faiths, fantastic creatures, and absolutely terrible relatives. Halla is set to inherit her great-uncle-in-law's estate when he dies, but her other in-laws have some big feelings about that. When they try to imprison Halla in her own home, she discovers the sword above her bed is more than an eccentric knick-knack. It houses an immortal - and very hot - warrior who will protect her with his life. Together they flee the home in search of friends and aid on a journey full of many twists and unique characters. Middle-aged, neglected Halla made for a very compelling FMC. I especially appreciated seeing her grow into her own woman after a lifetime of keeping her head down and doing as she was told. Sarkis of the Weeping Lands, the man in the sword, offered a gruff and grumpy counterpoint with his own tragic backstory. This was a perfect read up until the third-act break (inevitable in a romance), which I felt like was rather abrupt and out of character for Halla. Ultimately it leads to a great conclusion, but for a few chapters there I was taken aback by the turn of events. Overall a wonderful story, and I hope we get more as Kingfisher mentions in the acknowledgements!

This book was so much fun! I loved Halla and I loved reading a Romantasy with an older heroine who wasn’t amazing at being in a fantasy novel and wasn’t overly special. She did inherit a sword that was special, but it was a breath of fresh air to have her be quite useless at combat and be so funny. Sarkis was also fun and I loved that he didn’t just immediately have heart eyes for Halla, but genuinely got to know and love her and also admit she had her quirks and flaws, such as her incessant talking, which turned out to be useful in many situations.
This book was just perfection! I absolutely loved it, highly recommend it, and can’t wait to see more books set in this world. There was fun, adventure, high stakes, romance, and a ton of laughs along the way.

A woman who is left a large inheritance by a wealthy uncle finds herself being trapped by family members hellbent on getting the money from her and the only way to escape is with the help of the mysterious immortal warrior trapped in the sword that her uncle owned. Romance, adventure, and magic await! Halla was never really attached to her husband so when he died his uncle took her in... and when he died he left Halla all his fortune... his considerable fortune that the rest of his family means to take from her, whether by forcing her to marry a man she wants nothing to do with or to kill her for it.... they've locked her in her room and put guards making her only true option to escape is to end her own life.... except the sword she picks up to do it with suddenly has a man appearing in her room! Said man is named Sarkis and he is an immortal warrior trapped inside the sword and he is forced to be the bodyguard of anyone who wields the sword. Sarkis is used to fighting off dragons, wars, deadly assassins... but he never expects to be doing is helping a woman escape her in-laws and going against bandits! Halla and Sarkis find themselves journeying together as they escape trouble and find a soft romance brewing between them... but can a romance between a wealthy widow and an immortal warrior really work out or are they just too different? This was such a fun cozy fantasy romance. I loved the soft romance between Halla and Sarkis and I enjoyed the ending they got. It's a cute read and the story itself felt fun to read, I immediately liked Halla and had so much fun with her adventure. I've always been a huge fan of T. Kingfisher's writing and seeing this story get a whole new deluxe edition was a pleasant surprise!

Release Date: February 25, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

“Halla of Rutger’s Howe had just inherited a great deal of money and was therefore spending her evening trying to figure out how to kill herself.”

Man, this was a fun read. I’ve been reading a lot of really high fantasy books with complex worlds and magic systems and this was a perfect palette cleanser. It’s a light fantasy romance with a heartwarming story and fun characters. Swordheart was wickedly funny throughout and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the interactions between Halla, Sarkis, and Zale. Halla in particular is a highlight, with her wacky responses and witty humour making this book incredibly entertaining. Sarkis broods a bit too much for my liking, but I’m sure there’s a lot of people who would really like it. I also appreciated that the characters were actual adults, not freshly-turned 18-year-old kids - though Halla did act quite naive at times. If you’re looking for a light romance with some fantasy elements, I’d definitely recommend it!

Keeping on theme with me being obsessed with the characters in a T. Kingfisher novel, wow! I love Halla and Sarkis's lovely, awkward romance. The book overall is genuinely cozy with enough adventure to not become tedious. I think a lot of us could use this weird and wonderful sitcom of a novel right now.

An unexpected inheritance, an ancient sword, and greedy relatives set the stage for Swordheart. No one was more shocked when Halla inherited her wealthy uncle's estate than Halla! Of course, there were others in the family who hoped to get their hands on the estate. After being locked in a room of the estate she inherited, Halla draws a sword and is beyond shocked when Sarkis, an immortal swordsman who has been trapped in the sword comes out. He is sworn to protect whoever sets him free. After the shock wears off for both, the battle for Halla's estate begins!

This is a whimsical fantasy romance meets adventure tale. I enjoy T. Kingfisher's writing and thought I would love this one as well. While it was enjoyable, it also felt long, and failed to wow me. What I enjoyed is that the two main characters are both middle age and have some life experiences behind them - Sarkis has much, much more experience! I enjoyed Halla and her quick thinking, bad singing, and wit. Sarkis is tough, has bulging biceps, is a little grumpy, and fierce.

For me romance is all about the journey and I just had a hard time with their entire journey in this book. But along the way, this magic of the first part of the book began to wear off for me. Many enjoyed this book more than I did so please read their reviews as well.

I struggled to get into this book at first, but once I got everyone straight it was pretty easy to follow for the rest of the book. I found the plot to be just okay, I never felt particularly invested in the main characters. It's a slow paced fantasy which is just not my favorite.

Book Review: Swordheart by T. Kingfisher ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had the opportunity to read an ARC of the new edition of Swordheart, and since it’s already published, I was also able to listen to it on Audible—which was an awesome experience! The narrator did a fantastic job bringing each character to life, and she portrayed Halla beautifully.

I really enjoyed this book and its characters—Halla, in particular, made me laugh so much. Her unexpected inheritance from her great-uncle Silas sets off a wild chain of events thanks to her late husband’s rather unhinged family. What follows is a delightful adventure filled with humor, action, and some truly memorable moments with Halla, Sarkis, and their companions.

This book kept me thoroughly entertained, and I was literally laughing out loud at times. I also spotted the new edition out in the wild, and it’s absolutely gorgeous—it would make a fantastic addition to any personal library!

I gave Swordheart a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐—a fun, engaging read that I’d definitely recommend!

New T. Kingfisher? New T. Kingfisher!

Okay, new-ish. Swordheart was first published back in 2018, but it's getting a shiny new reprint courtesy of Tor's Bramble imprint. So, new!

Halla doesn't have a lot in her life. Her husband died years ago, and she's been living in her great-uncle Silas's home, caring for him and the household in his old age. She describes herself as a respectable widow, and while she is infinitely curious, she's also relatively content to live has she has been.

Silas's death changes everything. Due to Halla's having cared for him, he left her (and her alone) all of his possessions in his will, and his other relatives are livid at the perceived slight. Her great-aunt Malva and cousin Alver vow to lock Halla up in her room until she agrees to marry Alver, so that Silas's house and things will remain in their possession. In her desperation, Halla decides to kill herself, drawing a sword that was in Silas's collection. Her attempt to stab herself is cut short when a man appears in the room with her. His name is Sarkis, and he is bound to the sword that she just drew. Remove the sword from the scabbard, and you can command him, a la a genie in a lamp. With a duty to protect Halla, as she is the rightful owner of the sword now that Silas has died, Sarkis sets about freeing her from her imprisonment.

After breaking out of what is, by all rights, Halla's own house now, she and Sarkis flee the small town of Rutger's Howe (and I can't help thinking that T. Kingfisher is a Blade Runner fan). They set off on a journey to secure Halla's inheritance so that she has something to bequeath to her own nieces, having no children of her own, but there are many obstacles in their path. Soon, they have to face off against brigands, lawyers, priests, and unspeakable horrors. With the assistance of Zale (a representative of the Church of the White Rat) and a gnole named Brindle, the adventurers journey from Rutger's Howe to Archen's Glory. They need not only to prove that Halla is the rightful heir to Silas's house and the sword that contains Sarkis, but also solve the mystery of Sarkis's entrapment in the sword almost 500 years prior.

And what's an adventure in a medieval-inspired fantasy world without a little romance? This is a Bramble title, after all. Halla is a respectable widow, and Sarkis is an ancient soul bound to an iron blade. That's not about to stop either of them from developing feelings toward each other. They might be able to eventually tell each other the truth, but truth is often more complicated than it should be. Is Halla attracted to Sarkis only because he saved her life? Is Sarkis only attracted to Halla because he's been barely able to live as a man over the last few centuries of sword-dwelling? Is it right for a widow to fall in love with her bodyguard and vice versa?

Set in the same world as Kingfisher's Saints of Steel series, Swordheart will delight fans who will recognize elements of Halla's journey (and maybe several of the characters she meets along the way). For me, it was my first foray into the world of the White Rat, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Halla is delightfully disarming and has much to learn about the world outside of her small home town, while Sarkis is brusque and harsh but slowly comes to understand the people of the "decadent south" as time passes with her. The influence each has on the other is slow-building, but masterfully written. The reprinted version of Swordheart hits shelves Tuesday, February 25th. Check it out.

My utmost thanks to Tor/Reactor/Bramble and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a fair review.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2025/02/24/swordheart-a-review/

The description of this book caught my attention, but I admit I struggled to get into the story once I got started. I think part of this was that my ARC was missing some punctuation and this author adds "er"s, "um"s, stutters, and stumbles to the characters' speech. So without punctuation, this can slow up the reading as you are figuring this out. However, once I got past that, I really enjoyed the story. So I don't count that against the story since that was part of the ARC and not the published book - though there were still maybe more "er"s than I am a fan of in stories. Lol.

I love having a romantasy (cozy fantasy with romance?) with older main characters. The humor was fun. And the story ended up leaving me wanting the next book!

Thank you to #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Swordheart, Halla is a middle-aged widow who suddenly finds herself the recipient to her uncle's inheritance. Her aunt and cousin from her husband's side lock her in her bedroom to force her into an arranged marriage so they can get the funds. Scouring her room for something to defend herself, she find a strange sword. When she unsheathes it, a warrior named Sarkis suddenly appears to explain he's sworn to protect whoever yields the sword. Together, Halla and Sarkis journey to prove her right to the inheritance with the help of a rat priest, a gnole, and a slow ox.

I loved how Halla is a middle-aged, curvaceous widow who's considered homely by her village. Then she meets Sarkis and he sees her as funny, unique and beautiful. I found myself rooting for their relationship from the start of the book and I loved how Halla pretends to be a ditzy, naive widow in order to get people to leave her alone and so she can seem more innocent than she is. I loved seeing her grow to become more independent and self-assured. Yey for middle-aged MCs! The side characters were also queer-inclusive and hilarious, including her clammy-hand cousin, the rat priest with questionable morals, and the slower-than-a-snail ox carrying them on their journey.

*** I received an ARC of this Special Edition from NetGalley. The book was originally published in 2018. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***