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wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
This was so fun. Cosy fantasy with a smidge of death and horror and a lot of swoony romance. It was so genuinely funny, too. I often find that humour in books falls flat for me but the banter in Swordheart had me laughing out loud. Sarkis and Halla were such great characters and worked together so beautifully (if I’m being honest I kind of want a Sarkis myself). I loved that they were both older and had the bodies to show for it.
The world that T. Kingfisher has created is so intriguing. The variety of different gods and religions and all of the lore and rules behind them, the truly inventive creatures, the incredibly disturbing Vagrant Hills. You could tell at times that the author also writes horror, because some of the scenes were so creepy they sent a chill down my spine.
One thing I really appreciated was a key aspect of Halla’s characterisation. She basically uses the misogyny of the world to her own advantage and deliberately plays stupid and acts like a bit of a vapid airhead so that people underestimate her and she can get away with things. Weaponised ignorance, basically. You don’t often see women in fantasy novels taking back some power in this way.
I really didn’t like the third-act conflict though. It felt very out of character for Halla to react in the way that she did, especially after everything she’d been through in the book. It read more like a deus ex machina in order to tie up the Bartholomew/Nolan plot. And I have some qualms about the ending, with Sarkis remaining immortal while Halla is mortal. There’s scope for it to be addressed in future books, I suppose, but it didn’t really feel like a proper HEA.
I want to end on a positive note, because I really did love this book, so I’ll just say that Zale was amazing and I would die for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, War, and Misogyny
ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, War, Animal death, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
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