Skip to main content

Member Reviews

5 stars ⭐️ wow i absolutely adored this book I read it in 2 sittings. T. Kingfisher never fails this is one amazing whimsical magical story with a strange and wonderful concept! It’s giving sword in the stone! Very nostalgic for me. This is exactly the type of fantasy book I want to read as a mature adult! I love that the characters are not young and described like ordinary people. Absolutely a standalone you need to read. I throughly enjoyed this and I cannot wait to start the saint of steel stories now!

Was this review helpful?

T Kingfisher is now one of my go to Authours. The books that she produces are so imaginative and detailed. Normally her books are a twist on a fairy tale but this is whole new story. A family fued over a property ends with a discover of a sword which has a being held within who then protects it mistress from the troublesome family. Bit of a slow burner but definitely worthy the read. I wait with baited breath for Kingfishers next release.

Was this review helpful?

T Kingfisher is quickly becoming a "if she writes it, I'll read it" author for me. I've read two of her books this month and they were both five-star reads.

In this book, we follow 36 year-old widow Halla who has unexpectedly inherited her great uncle's estate. Unfortunately the rest of his family disagrees with his choice and want to see her marry her late husband's cousin to ensure the money stays with them. Cue her pulling out an old sword to end things, only to discover it contains a mystical being who is now entrusted with guarding her.

This was such a fun read! I love the author's style of writing which, through its wit and humer, manages to convey deeper topics such as the way society treats women with a light touch.

A recommended read for fans of T Kingfisher and romantasy with older heroines who actually act their age.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to T. Kingfisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhh, Kingfisher is always a hit or miss for me and unfortunately this was a miss. The beginning was promising but it fell quickly into a no plot, slow paced slog. It’s written in third person but from multiple POVs and unfortunately all Sarkis (MMC) thinks about is how tittilicious Halla (FMC) is. I found Halla funny at first but her naivety (almost weaponised incompetence) grated on me. The prose seemed repetitive and I just didn’t like any of the characters, however endearing they were to begin with.

Someone who adores cozy fantasy and skews more towards romance over fantasy would probably have better luck with it.

Was this review helpful?

This was great fun! I can’t ever say I’ve read a book about a man being stuck in a sword before..so it was certainly something new!

I loved the cast of this book — Halla, Sarkis, Zale and the Gnole and his ox. They had great chemistry all together, and I loved how they became a family that would do just about anything for each other.

Halla and Sarkis had great chemistry, and I really enjoyed watching them fall in love with each other. I was a bit disappointed with how the book ended with so much up in the air between the two of them, though. While I know we aren’t going to get everything wrapped up in a neat little bow, it did feel like there were some things left unexplored that could’ve been explored. Perhaps in the sequel — although Kingfisher has said that is about another character…

All in all, I did really enjoy this book and I will definitely be working my way through Kingfishers catalogue. Her writing is humorous, well plotted, and just all around fun.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit and T Kingfisher for the eArc of Swordheart.

Firstly, can we take a. moment to appreciate and admire just how pretty this cover is as a re release of Swordheart . I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover and I love T kingfishers books but wow, the cover!! Swordheart is a beautifully written standalone sword and sorcery that's set in the same universe as the Saints of Steel trilogy ( The World of the White Rat ) and Clockwork boys. These books are loosely connected by some characters that are mentioned and appear in other books. T kingfisher's world building is beautifully detailed but uncomplicated in its law which makes them very easy to read and follow.

Our MC, Halla has been unexpectedly locked up in her room after finding out she has inherited a large estate of her uncle, she contemplates killing herself on an ancient sword and finds herself face to face with Sarkis. A man who has been entrapped in the sword and swears allegiance to her. Breaking her out, they embark on a journey to find someone who can help claim her inheritance back.

Oh what a wonderful book this is! I just love Halla's and Sarkis' inner dialogues. Told by these two POV's we get to see how these two MC form a friendship, through trust and respect and then on to more. The undertones of romance has been done subtlety and does not detract from the wonderfully raw, honest and sometimes funny moments. Coupled with meeting some wonderful ( and not so friendly ) people on the way, Halla's travelling companions grow together. There is some wickedly funny parts that made me laugh out loud, literally and I loved how the story wrapped up at the end. The ultimate sacrifice.

I also listened to this on audiobook which was narrated by Jesse Vilinsky. Jesse has such a wonderful voice which matched the pacing and the rollercoaster of emotions and adventures in this book. I really hope we see more of Halla !!

5 STARS

Was this review helpful?

SWORDHEART By T Kingfisher

From the first line I was hooked !

Halla a widow with an inheritance, wants nothing more than her late husbands family to leave her alone. After the situation escalates quickly, Halla finds hope of rescue from the most unlikely of sources.
Sarkis, cursed to be the warrior of the blade, bound by a sorceress to protect who ever owns the sword. Even he could not envisage his next owner to be a housekeeper in her 30’s with serious family issues.

Anyone who knows my reading tastes, will be aware that in general I am not a romance fan. They would also know, I am a big fan of T Kingfisher’s stories. If anyone was going to make me pick up a romantasy book, it would be this author.
In true Kingfisher style I have fallen in love with this romantasy story that’s laugh out loud funny, witty and heartwarming.
The characters are lovable, relatable, and endearing. Older protagonists with normal everyday insecurities. (Well, maybe not the immortal trapped in a sword part! )
This story has so much heart, Kingfisher’s wit and writing means I could enjoy a fantasy romance without the horrible cringe, eye roll, response, I often experience when reading typical romance tropes.
Instead, this left me with a cosy, light-hearted feeling normally only reserved for nostalgic old favourites.
Highly recommend and will be adding this book to my collection.

I would recommend this book to readers
*who like romance - with realistic expectations within a fantasy setting
*Older protagonists -aged 30 upwards ( very underrepresented group within fantasy)
*Those looking for a cosy adventure.

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars
I am slowly making my way through T. Kingfisher's books, and I am absolutely loving life. I really enjoyed this one and found myself hooked from the very first page. It is the perfect book for those looking for a cosy and low-stakes fantasy with amazing characters and witty banter. I loved the found family element of it and quickly grew to love and cherish these charming and funny characters.

The romance was perfect, and I was all here for the slow burn and the absolute yearning from both Halla and Serkis. I also loved how much depth these characters had and their development throughout the story.

While this is set in the world of the Clocktaur War duology, you don't have to have read them to fully enjoy this story. I've only read the first book and fully enjoyed and loved this one. Swordheart had me laughing, smiling, and it even brought tears to my eyes! I absolutely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This has the typical humour and cozy vibes of Kingfisher, which is why I keep devouring her work, and a fun story set in the same world as her Clocktower War duology, set after the events of said series - you don't have to read it to understand what's going on though. We have thirty-five year old widow Halla (love that for a protagonist!) who just unexpectedly inherited great wealth and a warrior kept in an ancient sword who she accidentally summons when she tries to kill herself with said sword. What follows is a sweet fantastical quest to fight for her inheritance that introduces us to some amazing side characters, all set in a beautifully drawn out, at times whimsical world.
The book is heavy on the romance and yes, once again I'm wishing for a romance being drawn out over the whole duology instead of peaking already in the first book, but that's just my personal preference. I do love Halla and her big Sword Man Sarkis, it's just a little instalovey for me. I'm just a sucker for a good slow burn.

Cozy, charming, funny, with great likeable characters and low stakes that nevertheless kept me entertained - a perfect read for a lazy weekend. Will definitely pick up the second book in the duology.

Was this review helpful?

Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle's estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.

This is a low stakes, relatively cozy fantasy and it does have a lot going for it. However, some of the dialogue took away from this for me. It continuously drew me on to just do something to irritate me again!

Bit, we love a grumpy x sunshine slow burn so it gained some stars back!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

If it wasn't clear that I'd fallen in love with Kingfisher's writing after finishing Paladin's Grace, let me reiterate: this universe is EVERYTHING. The older, non-conventional love interests?? The absolute CHAOS situations they end up in?!! The banter and platonic relationships? I was kicking my feet the whole way through because did I mention WE ALSO GET HIS POV. Just stunning, I'm becoming a permanent resident of The White Rat universe as we speak.

Was this review helpful?

I had read one book by this author previously but I enjoyed the funny side of the story. This one was similar in its format, as it's a very special group traveling together. I'm known for not enjoying books with travel and travel and travel as much as I'd like, but I still had a lot of fun. I did laugh out loud a few times, and even though there are a lot of vibes, there's also a plot. I enjoy T. Kingfisher's writing and can't wait to read more from her !

Was this review helpful?

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2025/06/26/review-swordheart-swordheart-1-by-t-kingfisher/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Yes, She DId it Again

I’m loving T Kingfisher at the moment and can’t get enough of her books, which is good because recently there have been a couple of books that I think had earlier release dates (perhaps in the US) that have now hit the shelves in the UK (or maybe they’ve been rereleased) – and boy am I happy. I recently read and loved Paladin’s Grace (and thankfully the rest of the series seems to be already written so colour me happy) and Swordheart, which is the first in a new series is set in the same world. I think that reading the two fairly close together really worked well for me because here in Swordheart we come across again the same Gods, strange countryside, critters and Paladins. It was such an easy book to fall into with great banter and a cosy romance. Who even am I? When did I start loving cozy romantasy style books? Seriously, I don’t know, maybe Kingfisher has cast her spell but whatever, it works for me at the moment and so I’m happy.

This story gets off to a pretty whirlwind start. We meet Halla. Halla has recently inherited her great uncle’s estate (who she kept house for) but instead of finding herself in the position of being able to help her niece’s and live a comfortable life, the rest of the family have imprisoned her and are insisting she marries her cousin – basically so that the money will become theirs and they can write Halla off. Halla has no intention of marrying her clammy handed cousin, she wants to help her nieces and the only idea she can come up with under pressure is to end everything so that her remaining family inherit. With this in mind she decides that a sword in hanging in her room will be the perfect tool, until she draws it from the scabbard and a warrior appears. Sarkis is bound to the sword (all will become clear) and becomes the protector of the rightful owner (in this case Hanna as she has inherited the house and it’s contents). From here ensues an escape, an adventure and a romance.

To be honest, the plot isn’t particularly complicated. Hanna needs to reach the Temple of the Rat so that one of their own can defend her and her inheritance. Along the way of course Hanna and Sarkis will encounter not only common bandits but also people intent on stopping Hanna and also those interested in particular in this strange magical sword.

I had such a good time reading this – so much so that I find it difficult to believe that this is almost 450 pages long. Seriously, the pages must have read themselves.

What really helped for me was that I really liked the two main characters. I loved their slow burn attraction and the way they bumbled around each other so shyly. I really enjoyed the additional cast members and I love the world.

I am going to keep this review short and sweet because there’s only so much gushing I can put up with before I annoy myself. If you want a cosy, low stakes romantasy, a couple of great main characters and some found family, a strange world where the land itself can take control of your destination, great banter and fantastic humour, all combined with Kingfisher’s particular brand of dark and light, then you need to pick this up. I can’t see a No.2 at the moment but hopefully one is in the pipeline, everything is crossed – no pressure on the author then!

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Was this review helpful?

T. Kingfisher’s Swordheart is exactly the kind of book you pick up when the world feels like too much. Had a bad day at work? Read this. This book is hilarious, heartfelt, and healing in the most unexpected ways.

Halla, our delightfully curious and wildly underestimated protagonist, copes with danger and grief the only way she knows how—by talking. A lot. And honestly, I love her.

If you’re craving a cozy, quirky, story with a slow-burn romance and top-tier banter, Swordheart is the sword-slinging comfort read you didn’t know you needed.

Was this review helpful?

A downtrodden widow inherits a sword - but when she unsheathes it a protective genie (although he maintains he's not a genie) emerges, and hijinks ensue.

The trials and tribulations of Halla, Sarkis and Zale are highly entertaining, although Brindle (a gnoll) steals the show. His grumpy-old-man mumbles combined with his linguistic idiosyncrasies were oddly loveable.

The amount of attacks they experienced on their journey may have been a little ridiculous but each allowed for character and relationship development in a believable way. Great to see non-binary representation in a non-revolutionary way - just accepted and cherished.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this! T Kingfisher does a marvellous job of spinning a beautiful tale. It had plenty of humour, heart and horror (when appropriate). I enjoyed the fact that these main characters weren’t all freshly adult and that the morals were sometimes questionably grey. I fell in love with the odd crew that assembled to help Halla on her journey, alongside Sarkis the ‘man of the sword’. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a cozy fantasy, a bit of romance and a witty read!

Massive thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for a free Ebook in exchange of an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for a free Ebook in exchange of an honest review.
This was really fun, I loved the characters, the plot was good thought a bit dragged in my opinion, and I really enjoyed the humor. Halla was an interesting and deep character and I loved seen her evolve beyond what she is presented at the beginning. Overall it was a great deal better than the other book I´ve read by the author and I truly recommend it :)

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley and to the author for the ARC.

Swordheart is one of the cosiest romantasies we didn’t know we needed. From the start it is brimming with wit so sharp it could rival a pompous Brit (IYKYK). The beginning had me hooked straight away, and if you get the chance to listen to the audiobook, absolutely do—it’s worth it for Sarkis’ Scottish accent alone, which makes the banter between him and Halla even more delightful.

The adventure itself is fairly simple but peppered with twists that had me audibly exclaiming, “Oh my Lord, what’s happening now?” It’s that kind of story, surprising, funny, and oddly touching in all the right places.

The pacing never rushes, instead it takes its time, inviting you to settle in and enjoy the slow unfolding world of the characters and all their quirks. The worldbuilding leans more functional than fantastical, and while the stakes never quite grab you by the collar, that’s not really the point. This isn’t a story about danger, it’s a tale about comfort, companionship, with a splash of found family and a rather grumpy cursed sword learning how to be part of something again.

By the end, I was so charmed that I know I have to pick up The Saint of Steel series next. T. Kingfisher’s world is one I’m more than happy to return to.

Overall 3.75

Was this review helpful?

Once again T. Kingfisher delivers an increadible book! Full of humour and impossible to put down. Loved it and I cannot wait for the next book :D

Was this review helpful?

This was my second Kingfisher novel and my first romantasy by her and it was a lot of fun! I loved the older, very quirky characters, a woman who knows what she wants (kinda), a grumpy mc who is still understanding. There was some quirky magic involved and the couple was set on a weird quest with many mundane but somehow fun obstacles. I loved the banter and the inclusion of both non-binary and neuro-diverse characters, which was very well done and fit the story and the world.

I had a lot of fun reading this and will definitely continue this series and other books set in this world! Also, Brindle 🥺🦡🤌🏻

Thanks to Little Brown and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Was this review helpful?