I have enjoyed everything I have ever read by T. Kingfisher and "Swordheart" was no exception. If anything, this is my favorite book of her's.

Written with Kingfisher's fabulous cozy and comedic style, "Swordheart" feels a bit more like a classic fantasy romance than her other books that I've read. I loved both Sarkis and Halla. Compared to the other book I've read in this universe ("Paladin'a Grace"), "Swordheart" feels a little more specifically focused on the two characters rather than having a conflict that relates to the wider world. The stakes were plenty high, but the consequences were more personal.

One of my favorite things about Kingfisher's protagonists is how they use ordinary skills in extraordinary ways. Halla is a housekeeper, used to diminishing herself in order to protect herself. However, her strong wit and tenacity proves to be incredibly useful throughout the story. She doesn't need to be an expert sword fighter or have magical powers. She's enough all on her own.

I honestly and truly enjoyed every moment of this book. If I had one criticism, it's that I wish that there was a tiny bit more resolution to certain parts of the ending. I'm hoping this ultimately becomes a trilogy (where some of those elements could maybe be addressed). The ending seems to imply that there could be more books. However, this was originally published in 2018 and isn't being marketed as the beginning of a series.

5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Bramble for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Kingfisher does it again! And by that, I mean writes a weary, middle-aged protagonist who wants to live a peaceful life in her corner of the world and yet the horrors (and in-laws) persist. Halla, while at once grating and far too full of questions, was the perfect delivery of commentary on how both the world views women and how women must adapt to survive in the world. I'm eager to visit these lands again, and hopefully spend more time with the others trapped in swords.

I LOVED this!! It was exactly the breath of fresh air that I needed and craved. I listened to this on audio and Jesse Vilinsky is becoming one of my favorite narrators! The way she is able to make each character sound different and recognizable and have it be engaging to listen to, is such a talent and I bow at her feet in praise!

The way T. Kingfisher writes should be the example for authors everywhere. It is crafted masterfully with humor, action, romance, love, intrigue, mystery and at times a bit of horror. I was interested with every character that appeared on page even if they were designed for me to hate them, which I did. Every character in the story was fully fleshed out and felt like real people, especially the main characters Halla and Sarkis. They are not perfect people and their flaws as well as their talents made me fall in love and root for them during the entire adventure!

The plot was engaging for being mainly a journey story and just when I think I know where it’s going it went into a different direction! I love how expansive the world is and I’m excited to read more books by T Kingfisher set in this universe! I also hope if the epilogue is implying what I think its implying that there will be more books with Halla and Sarkis in the future!

This was such a cozy read! It’s got the whimsical, casual storytelling of classic fairy tales with just enough grit and wit to keep it from being too fluffy. I loved the slow burn romance between Halla and Sarkis and all the banter that entailed. The side characters are unique (loved the nonbinary and lgbt representation) and it’s also worth mentioning that Brindle is a perfect little cinnamon roll and I hope there’s more gnoles in the sequel.

Some things I liked:
FMC in her mid thirties and plus sized
Fully devoted MMC
Nonbinary representation
LGBT representation
Bodyguard trope
Only one bed trope
Found family
Unique world-building
Lots of witty banter
Part of a larger universe
Doomsday prophecy pet birdy
Brindle 🥹 💕

I can see this becoming one of my comfort books and I’m looking forward to the sequel that was just announced! Now, to read the rest of The World of the White Rat until then.

very cute read! read it in a couple days and it was very enjoyable. At times, it did seem like the story moved along slow but then it picked back up again. Overall, a nice casual read.

This is my fourth novel by T. Kingfisher, and I hope to someday read everything she writes. Swordheart is a cozy fantasy that is so fun to read, with interesting, loveable characters where the only thing unfathomable in this fantasy world is that the characters could face serious conflict (yet they do and often). All I wanted for Sarkis and Halla was love and banter. The fantasy world is the same as the Clockwork Boys and the Paladins in the World of the White Rat. It helps to have a background in those as there are references to the history and religions found in her other books. I'm not sure it's essential, but I wouldn't really recommend starting with her books here. I know this is a standalone, and it would be fine just not ideal.
The opening scene of this novel will live rent-free in my mind. I am so happy this book found me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this ARC!

This was incredible. I loved every word in this book. The story was interesting, the characters were lovable, and I can not believe this book isn’t talked about more.

Fans of cozy fantasy and T. Kingfisher won’t be disappointed. I’m not a big romance reader, but this sweet slowburn romance was perfectly balanced with a well-paced plot, genuinely lovable characters, and typical Kingfisher humor.

Honestly, this cover was too pretty for me not to read this book. I read it after the publication date but I just could not resist it. I am so glad that I didn't resist. I have read another of T. Kingfisher's that I just did not like but it was not my genre. I am amazed by how engaging this book was because so little happened, but it was delivered with loveable and compelling characters and a sharp wit that left me laughing out loud multiple times.

Hala has just inherited from her great-uncle in-law but the rest of the family is ticked off. When she refuses to marry her late husband's cousin, they lock her in her room until she agrees. She decides that rather than agree and give them access to her money she should kill herself and therefore the money can create a dowry for her nieces. When she opens the sword that is in her room, a man appears, enchanted into the sword. The two escape and set off to get a priest/lawyer from the Order of the Rat.

Now that description does not do this book justice. I laughed, I teared up, and I could not stop reading it! Pick this one up!

I give it 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley, Bramble, and Tor publishing group for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

Not my favorite T. Kingfisher, but still a fun romantic romp full of her signature wit and humor. I enjoyed the characters and the overall plot, but as I'm not a huge fan of romance novels, and this leaned more into the romance than the fantasy, I felt it was a little long.

4 stars! “Swordheart” is such a fun read! The story kicks off with Halla, a widow trapped by her greedy relatives who want her inheritance. Things take a wild turn when she accidentally releases Sarkis, a cursed warrior who lives inside a sword. Yeah, literally *inside* a sword. The two of them team up to escape Halla’s situation and take on the ridiculous bureaucracy of the Temple of the Rat to secure her freedom.

The dynamic between Halla and Sarkis is a blast. She’s clever and practical, and he’s a grumpy but lovable swordsman who’s stuck being magically bound to whoever wields his sword. Their banter is spot-on, and watching their relationship grow from wary allies to something more is super satisfying. The romance is sweet without overshadowing the adventure, and their chemistry feels real and earned.

There are some great twists along the way, especially with the Temple of the Rat. Instead of epic battles and dark sorcery, a lot of the conflict involves legal loopholes and the temple's ridiculous red tape, which somehow makes for a lot of laughs and some surprisingly tense moments.

The ending wraps everything up nicely. Halla outsmarts her family and, with the temple's help, keeps her inheritance. Sarkis finally gets his freedom, and they ride off into the sunset together—well, not literally, but it feels just as satisfying.

Overall, *Swordheart* is a charming mix of humor, adventure, and romance. It’s not overly serious, but it’s got heart and a fresh take on fantasy tropes. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something light and clever with a bit of romance and a lot of laughs.

3.5 stars! This is my second T Kingfisher book and though her characters are charming, I’m not totally sure if she’s an author I’ll continually reach for. I liked both Halla and Sarkis, as well as side characters Zale and Brindle, but the pacing was a bit too slow for me. I especially felt that the third act dragged. The ending was also a bit unsatisfying, like the story is incomplete, not sure if there’s a sequel to this?

Also I’m not sure if this was intentional or just because it’s a galley, but there was a LOT of punctuation missing from the Kindle format. If it is intentional, it makes the writing style have more of a stream of consciousness vibe, which I didn’t really like. Kingfisher’s style of writing dialogue in general doesn’t always jive with me, but overall this was enjoyable enough.

This was a cute, cozy romance! The beginning was fast-paced and full of drama, which immediately pulled me in. Unfortunately, the middle felt repetitive and dragged, so much so that I ended up skipping about 20% and could still follow along just fine.

Halla, the FMC, is a 30-year-old woman but often came across as an 18-year-old with her constant questioning, which was a bit annoying. While their banter had its endearing moments, it wasn’t quite strong enough to justify how much of it there was.

For a cozy fantasy, it was just okay. The MMC’s strange obsession with certain parts of Halla’s body was...interesting. That said, the concept of a man being stuck in a sword was fun and added a unique twist!

I went in half blind, and I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was sooo good! Halla is so quirky, and Sarkis is a grumbling man.. It was fun and heartwarming to see these two grow as individuals and fall for each other. I thought the world building was interesting but not too over powering and I am looking forward to continuing on with this series! Definitely a cozy fantasy with silliness and heartwarming abilities.

thank you mrs kingfisher for blessing us with sarkis, halla, and their companions. i loved every minute of this book. i hope sarkis and halla and zale and brindle all live happily forever.

Kingfisher is one of those writers who writes in so many different tones that i'm never sure what i'm gonna get when i read her. this one was up and down for me. it's quite a romp and often funny, but didn't compel me the same way Thornhedge did (that's still my fave i've read of hers!). similarly, i found myself very fond of some of the characters and rooting for their happiness, but it took me a while to reach that point.

of the two POV narrators, Halla charmed me the most—i can almost never resist a practical middle-aged woman! her predicaments, her outside-the-box thinking, and her cleverness all delighted me. the other narrator, Sarkis, won me over eventually too—there were times when i really felt for him, and sometimes his gruffness was fun—but i think i'm just not the right audience for gruff warrior men who think quite a lot about trying to control their lustful urges. like, good for him and Halla, but the romantic and sexual tension between them didn't hit for me. the side characters though!!! i adored Zale the nonbinary lawyer-priest, and Brindle the hardworking badger-creature. i would read a whole book just about them!

the plot was also mixed for me. on the one hand i really enjoyed a lot of the shenanigans and zany inheritance drama, but on the other hand the plot as a whole felt unfocused to me, more like a collection of things that happened without a lot of tissue connecting them. the storylines that did carry through, and the "twist" reveal (which wasn't hard to see coming, but i think the reader is intended to see it coming), were compelling to me. but there's a lot of traveling in this book, and i didn't feel like the journey was more important than the destination(s) in this case; the bonding that happened on the road just didn't draw me in the way i think it was meant to.

so overall, up and down! it was fun, and i think for a reader who's more invested in hetero romance it would be a satisfying read. it's neither spectacular nor bad, just fine. they can't all be winners to me specifically, i guess!

halla is a housekeeper who suddenly finds herself in possession of her great uncle’s estate…much to the dismay of his relatives. sarkis is an immortal swordsman…“swordsman” in both the sense that he is a man of swords, and, well, also a man in a sword. when halla draws the sword that imprisons him, sarkis finds himself defending his new wielder against more threats than the average person encounters.

this seemed like such a fun concept, so i was very eager to read this book! i loved the dynamic between the two characters. normally when we have an immortal x mortal relationship, the mortal is barely an adult (or sometimes not even an adult yet). in this book, though, the mortal, halla, was middle-aged. this was really cool to see since there aren’t many fantasy books (at least, that i’ve read) with middle-aged main characters. i liked how this played into the plot and her motives.

this was also a pretty funny book! the other characters had a LOT of fun investigating exactly how sarkis’s sword magic works, which led to some funny moments. that said, there are tons of heavy moments; in my opinion, though, these were well balanced!

i’d recommend this to any adult fantasy fan. i look forward to reading more books set in this universe!

I went into this book not knowing anything about this author, but my gosh! I'm glad I discovered her!
This cozy fantasy gave me all the feels and I absolutely loved the romance between Halla and Sarkis!
The banter and overall vibe is what I long for with FMC and MMC's.
Thank you NetGalley for introducing me to this author and I look forward to reading more!


Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My actual rating is 4.75 stars. This book is so close to perfection it's not even funny. This is my first T Kingfisher book and it was an absolute delight! There were several moments I had to put this book down because I was laughing so hard. I would categorize this book not as romantasy, but fantasy with a romance subplot. The main reason I did not give this five stars is because it meandered a little too much in the middle for me. Also when I say the banter is bantering I am not being hyperbolic. The chemistry between our two main characters, not necessarily romantically just as two people forced into a situation, their friendship just jumps off the page. Our main characters are complex and incredibly likable. I don't know if I have ever felt so compelled to read every single work by an author after reading one book by said author. This book is for fans of The Princess Bride, Monty Python, and Legends and Lattes.

Halla has been living with her late husband’s family. She took care of his family member, Silas, before his eventual passing. He ended up leaving her all his money. The family is mad, and locks her in her room. They have come up with the idea of forcing her to marry her cousin by marriage. She’s panicking and decides she can’t live like this, so she’s pulls a sword from the wall of the room. Planning on ending it all. Until a man known as Sarkis comes out of the sword after she wields it. He ends up helping her escape, and they journey far to get help on her getting her inheritance. So much happens in that time and the bond between her and sharkas grow more and more. romantasy to the fullest, a lot of world building in this magical realm, a rat priest, wild adventure, bodyguard and widow