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. ***

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher is a book I thoroughly enjoyed. I just love the way she creates her characters and the dialogue. She makes me laugh. In this story we have Halla as our FMC and she is a widow. She is working as a housekeeper to her late husband's uncle. When the uncle dies he leaves Halla everything - his home, his money, his properties. This does not sit well with the remaining relatives and they determine to marry Halla off to her cousin - something Halla does not want. They keep her locked in her room and Halla determines to unalive herself to escape from the family and her plans for her. The only weapon she has is a sword that hangs over her bed. Halla unsheathes the sword and a man appears with a sword. His name is Sarkis and he is sworn to protect whomever wields the sword and he will not allow her to harm herself. The magic in this story is the found family that Halla cobbles together for herself. I enjoyed the journey and every bit of this story. I need to thank Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group for my advance reader copy. I gave this book 4.25 stars.

This was so fun and sweet! I think it could have used a little more editing, but I loved the characters and the story. If you love a cozy fantasy, definitely pick this one up. Halla was a great FMC! She was funny, curious, and smart in her own way. I loved all her questions and felt she was very autism-spectrum coded which I loved. Sarkis was fun and just the right amount of grumpy for this grumpy/sunshine romance without being annoying. My favorite characters, however, were Zale and Brindle. I think the book really picked up once they joined. I loved Zale’s logical but caring nature and the way they interacted with Halla. Brindle was just so fun and straightforward and provided a really good foil to everyone else. My points off were just for some things that I think definitely could have been edited down (in fairness, I was reading an advanced copy, thank you to netgalley!), but overall, this was a blast and a breeze to get through.

T. Kingfisher doesn't miss. This was such a good slow burn read. I cozied up on the couch and devoured it.

As always, I can't wait for the next.

Absolutely loved this book! Can’t wait to read more books by this author. The ending was a little open ended for me though.

What do I not like/love about this book? NONE
Has T. Kingfisher ever disappointed me? NO

I've been preaching this for a while now: WE NEED MATURED HEROINES. If you need a case study on it's efficacy or if it matters/affects the story, add Swordheart to the list. Halla is 36, a widow, and she's LIVED and her insight about life is refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional book with younger characters, but now that I'm in my 40's, I'm seeking heroines that are around my age and have experienced life. I don't want my age bracket to be relegated to the Literary Fiction or other genres, I want us to be in the forefront with the youngins because our voice is different and it lends a different perspective to the story. So, thank you Ms. Kingfisher for featuring older women in your work and championing us.

On to the story. Swordheart is HILARIOUS, Halla's talkativeness and curious questions (often in the more inopportune time) juxtaposed to Sarkis' steadfast demeanor is the source of amazing comedic relief. I was chuckling the entire time and totally love their interactions. The romance is a slow burn, and I love that we hear from Sarkis more on this than Halla. The cast of characters are well developed and I will never forget Alver Clammy Hands. Reading Swordheart was time well spend on my part, the pacing is amazing, the humor is on point, and the cast unforgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

I have been on a big T. Kingfisher kick lately, and while I did not pick this book up when it was published, I am so glad I did now. This has so many wonderful, absurd moments in it along with the just the right type of sarcastic humor that I eat up.

Halla, the main character, inherited a large sum of money from the dead uncle of her dead husband, and the terrible in-laws that come with it. Locked up and being forced to marry her cousin against her will, she is saved when a man (Sarkis) appears from the sword above her bed, the sword she drew so that she could take herself out of the equation and ensure that the funds transfer to her family, away from the duplicitous cousin and his overbearing mother.

But what starts out as a fun jaunt away from the family that wishes to keep her prisoner turns out to be more than what was originally bargained for. There are monsters out in the world, as well as monsters within, that both Halla and Sarkis must overcome that make this book an absolutely delicious tale of romance and adventure. The banter between Halla and Sarkis is top notch, and their slow burn romance makes me feel all kinds of gooey inside. This book is so happily cozy that I could snuggle with it on a cold rainy Saturday and be perfectly content.

An absolute delight of an adventure, full of chaos, hilarity, danger, and love.

Halla is a widow who has been living with the uncle of her deceased husband, Silas, and cares for him until his death. All hell breaks loose when the extended family learns that Silas left Halla everything. After a whole lot of drama and ridiculousness, Halla gets locked in her room, a 36 year old adult treated like a child, until she does what they want. Desperate, Halla takes the sword off her wall with the intention to end things, but when she pulls the sword from the scabbard there's blue lightning and then a hot warrior. Halla learns that the warrior, Sarkis, is bound to the sword and bound to serve the one who wields it.

Sarkis helps Halla escape and they start an adventure across the decadent Southern lands to help her claim her inheritance, and find what freedom might look like. Sarkis is drawn to Halla and all her frustrating but surprisingly wily ways, and the way that they overcome danger and missteps together.

This world was so much fun, and the side characters filled everything out so perfectly. There were a few times I was shouting at the page for them to trust their suspicions (or be MORE suspicious) and maybe a few times that I wish they had stabbed someone, but overall I think I smiled for most of the end of this book as Halla and Sarkis figure their crap out so they can focus on the fact that they want each other SO BADLY.

Seriously, a delight.

This book was what I needed to read at this moment in my life. It was the right combination of adventure, humor and romance. I liked that there was romance but it wasn't the main focus of the book. The characters were all so vibrant and likeable. I wouldn't mind going on an adventure with all of them.