Absolutely adored Swordheart! I've never read anything by T. Kingfisher but they've been recommended to me continously because of my love of fantasy. I should have read it sooner! The banter between all of the characters was so good. It had me laughing out loud multiple times. I really enjoyed the world building as well. I can't wait to read more by this author!!

The heart of this story was as strong as a sword — I adored Halla as a main character, and her ability to ask ridiculous questions to get out of dire situations was highly amusing. Sarkis is a loveable and charming love interest and character in his own right, and I also loved all the side characters, especially Zale and Brindle. While a few parts dragged or seemed a bit contrived to move the plot forward, I was highly entertained by this one and have yet to meet a T Kingfisher novel I didn't like.

Such a happy and exciting book! Romance and adventure and long rambling stories to distract annoying relatives and priests. When Halla inherits the estate of her dead husband’s great-uncle, the rest of the annoying family shows up and locks her up. This amazingly leads her to contemplate death and discover an immortal warrior trapped in a sword. Left me smiling for hours.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this DRC.
#Swordheart #NetGalley

I was not aware that this a rerelease for a book that came out in 2018. I rated this 5 stars back then and the bonus content made it that much better, however since it is a special edition, I feel like an actual physical copy should have been provided since the selling point is for sprayed edges, special end papers, redesigned covered, etc.

Swordheart

Halla is a widow who has inherited not only a wealthy uncles estate, but some greedy family who are trying to marry her off to a cousin so they can take the inheritance for themselves. After being locked in her room for days, Halla finds an ancient sword. As she unsheathes it, a man appears. His name is Sarkis, and he is an immortal warrior who is required to protect the welder of the sword. Sarkis helps Halla escape from her family, and the two embark on an exciting adventure to free her from the family and gain her inheritance.

This story is like Princess Bride and Airplane wit wrapped into a hilarious, exciting,
Cozy book. Crazy adventures, characters you can’t help but love, and hilarious dialogue that’ll have you laughing out loud. This book is a hidden gem and brings the cozy fantasy vibes you didn’t know you needed!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for a copy of the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

My first Netgalley read! TOR never seems to disappoint when it comes to publishing incredible fantasy novels!

Swordheart is a journey between two, one who is human and one who is... not human? A desperate attempt for freedom leads the two all across the kingdoms, scouring for materials, fighting off enemies, and slowly falling for each other?

Halla takes us on a marvelous journey filled with adventure, love, excitement, heartbreak, grief but most of all her trust in sarkis - even if he isn’t telling her the truth about everything.

I really enjoyed this read! I found myself reading it every night and staying up until 2am because i just had to know what the next chapter had to offer! It was so easy for me to fall in love with halla and sarkis’ characters! I love how we also got to see halla’s character develop from a somewhat scared, submissive girl to this brave and determined woman. She’s not your typical gal either! we get a funny, curvy, sassy-mouthed woman

An EXTREMLY cozy fantasy, adventure read! Funny and compassionate, Somewhat gruesome scenes but in a laughable context, oh and closed door romance!! VERY enjoyable read and also my first T. Kingfisher!! Excellent writing!! Excited to see what else comes in this series!

I had a great time reading this book, with one major caveat. What in the world is the deal with the punctuation? Some of it could potentially read like a stylistic choice but 9/10 times it reads like a lack of copy editing. There are missing periods and commas. The run-on sentences without punctuation that occur during the dialogue are definitely a choice...but one that was distracting and took me out of the story. I'd say it was just the eARC but this book came out in 2018!

Plot and character-wise, this was great fun. The third act break-up wasn't done well, though. I'm going to find this hard to recommend just because the syntax and grammar could be really off-putting.

I was picturing Sarkis as Pedro Pascal so this was good for me.

I definitely love T. Kingfisher's books and this is no exception. It follows a woman named Halla, who picks up a sword only to find out there is an immortal warrior named Sarkis trapped inside it who is now bound to protect her. The book takes us on the journey of Halla and Sarkis and many things that they encounter while trying to reclaim Halla's inheritance that her late husband's family is trying to gain. I loved the relationship that Halla and Sarkis engage in including their banter and a trope of grump/sunshine. This was a cozy fantasy that was super fun!

I liked this cozy fantasy by T Kingfisher. It did remind me of The Princess Bride with some light shadows of The Wheel of Time or even some slight Tolkien moments when the wagon veered off path. The two main characters saved this from getting too silly and off the rails- the sword itself was a great dramatic and comedic device.

Wow. What a story. I have to say a bit to take in at the beginning but overall this story is compelling, short, but innovative in its origin. I liked it and think any fantasy reader will enjoy this one.

This book had to potential to be really good. I love the story and it had some cute rom com moments, but I felt it straddled the line of fantasy and romance without ever committing to one or the other. Essential I wanted MORE of some thing. Hella and Sarkis had moments, but their romance felt rushed as there were very few big moments between unfamiliarity and love. I liked it enough, but definitely not my favorite T. Kingfisher novel.

I loved this cozy little fantasy! Halla was a charming main character and I loved the world T. Kingfisher created. I can’t wait to read more.

T. Kingfisher writes some of the most sympathetic characters in fantasy, and in Swordheart she managed to make me love a nervous, pathologically curious housekeeper whom I initially found exceptionally irritating. At the beginning of the novel, Halla, the housekeeper, comes into an inheritance and is subsequently trapped by her in-laws, who want to secure the fortune for herself. She manages to escape with help from Sarkis, a gruff, put-upon warrior magically trapped in a sword who finds himself at Halla’s service. I found the beginning of the novel slow going, with lots of confusion from Halla and frustrated sighing from Sarkis. Once Zale, a nonbinary priest, and Brindle, a talking badger, entered the picture, though, I was hooked. The group have the banter of a practiced DnD crew, and I read the final half of Swordheart in one delighted afternoon. Kingfisher leaves the end open for a sequel, but as far as I know, nothing is in the works yet. If one does get published, I’ll be first in line to read it!

This is my first book by the author and the writing style was very different than what I’m used to, but it was fun. Very cozy and lots of dark humor. I liked the characters and their journey together. A fun slow burn!

Halla has had a rough life and when her father-in-law, whom she was taking care of and living with in his house, passes away things get even worse for the young widow. Because, despite inheriting the estate, she also has to contend with his greedy relatives. Fortunately, she stumbles upon a magical artifact in the house, a sword which has trapped inside a Warrior sworn to protect the wielder, which may be the leverage she needs to save her and her nieces from destitution.

This slow- burn romance had all my favorite tropes in it but the plot was too long and really rough in a lot of areas. You can tell the author is world building for a series with the set-up of important side characters and the HFN ending is your other clue there will be more books.

Do not skip the content and trigger warnings for this book because the author has dark humor regarding a few sensitive topics, like suicide.

Swordheart was a delightful fantasy romcom novel with enjoyable banter and in many ways almost a wholesome like romance — if a mercenary trapped in a sword who is rather murdery can be wholesome? Peaked your interest?!
We meet Halla a widow who inherits an estate from the uncle she has been taking care of since her husband passed away many years ago. Her uncle, an avid collector had many artifacts and considerable wealth. Upon the will being read the greedy aunt and cousin lock Halla away and plot to marry her and take her inheritance.

Halla grabs the ancient sword above her bed and upon unsheathing it, a blue glow emanates and bam! A warrior named Sarkis, comes out and he is sworn to protect Halla.

This starts us on our journey, which is fun filled and the banter is definitely the best part of the book. Sarkis and Halla are adorable and the side characters like Zale have a ton of personality and add to the comedy like journey.

Swordheart is not a high action packed fantasy with overly thought out worlds. It’s a fun, magical journey with perils and obstacles alongside some rather wretched villains. But at the core of the story is an adorable and endearing love story.

I do wish we would have gotten more lore and a deeper connection to the gods and smith that forged the sword. The ending felt a bit unfinished and I do hope the next book goes into more rich details and backstories of the smith and the other swords!

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read such a fun book!

This book was a decent read. People who enjoy low-stakes, slow paced fantasy would devour this. To me, it was a little boring and mundane. I enjoyed the plot and the idea of the story, it just fell flat. I think the writing was good and the characters were likable, but I didn’t enjoy the lack of action.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy fantasy without all the war and suspense!

This had been on my radar so long because T. Kingfisher is one of my backlog authors. I love their writing style and I've enjoyed everything I've read from them so far. I had heard great things about this one and, honestly, I think it's underhyped.

It's one of the funniest romantasies I've read in my romantasy journey and it was just a wonderful time, I ate it up!

The characters are lovable and interesting (I looooved Halla and Sarkis so much!), the romance is wholesome, the sense of humor was top notch IMO, and the fantasy elements are very nice even if the worldbuilding doesn't go super deep (granted, this is set in a world that I think is established in Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine, which I haven't read, but definitely will).

I have nothing bad to say about this, I enjoyed every moment!

Oh my goodness, I loved this book so much!! All of the characters were delightful, from the leads Halla and Sarkis, to all of the supporting characters, most notably Zale and Brindle. The humor!! The humor present in this book is probably not for everyone, but it was absolutely perfect for me. It made me laugh at so many unexpected moments during the tale! If you're looking for a fantasy with a cozy feel (that still somehow has high stakes), a unique sense of humor, and a lovely romance, I highly recommend SWORDHEART!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book turned out to be such a joyful surprise. I went in thinking I’d get a fun fantasy adventure, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much humor would be packed into the story—it’s sharp, clever, and had me laughing more times than I can count. The plot kicks off with Halla, a housekeeper who suddenly inherits her uncle’s fortune, only to find herself targeted by greedy relatives. Her unlikely ally? Sarkis, a grumpy, immortal swordsman magically bound to a sword she accidentally unsheathes. Together, they’re thrown into a whirlwind journey of chaos, danger, and reluctant partnership.

The romance is such a sweet, slow build, rooted in genuine connection rather than over-the-top drama. There’s hardly any spice here, but the chemistry between Halla and Sarkis still shines in the way they grow to trust and understand each other. Halla herself is endlessly lovable—a character you cheer for every step of the way, even when she’s fumbling.

The villains? Oh, they’re perfectly infuriating. You’ll love to hate them. The author has an incredible knack for crafting antagonists who push all the right buttons to keep you invested. At this point, I’ll pick up anything T. Kingfisher writes. Her ability to mix humor, heart, and compelling characters into her stories is unmatched, and this one is no exception.