Reviews with content warning for Torture - Swordheart

Fun, fast read. Serious grumpy/sunshine vibes from start to finish. The characters were great, I loved Halla's crazy rants that confused nearly everyone within earshot. I also found Sarkis's simple solution of wanting to run people through who were causing trouble for them to be endearing (yes, I know, it sounds crazy.) I enjoyed the world building and I found several of the places they went and the characters they met to be unique and fascinating. I truly think T. Kingfisher is a new favorite author for me and this is a new favorite read.

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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? Yes

5.0

Halla is a widow who has inherited her uncle's fortune, whereupon her aunt and brother-in-law have locked her in her room until she agrees to marry him. He has an odious personality and clammy hands, and seemingly no understanding that locking a woman in a room until she agrees to marry you is a very terrible start to any kind of relationship. When she decides that death is better than her upcoming fate, she tries to kill herself with a sword that turns out to have Sarkis, an immortal swordsman, trapped inside. Together they escape and attempt to get help for Halla's legal troubles and grasping relatives.

SWORDHEART is one of the funniest books I’ve read recently, and the main contenders for that honor are other White Rat books by this same author. It’s vibrant without requiring the characters to constantly be witty, the whole thing is a delight. It’s a fluffy romance in desperate circumstances, buoyed by Halla’s never-stymied open nature and endless optimism, and tempered by Sarkis’s practicality. Halla uses prattle, questions, and observations as a multi-purpose tactic on a near-constant basis. Sarkis is trapped in a sword and is unfamiliar with current customs of Halla’s home, creating a natural ebb and flow of competency and possession of relevant information at any one moment. Zale is a welcome addition to their party, a temple lawyer acquired to help with Halla’s legal tangle, and Brindle rounds out their party by taking care of the ox and cart.

SWORDHEART is not technically a sequel, it is a stand-alone book. However, it takes place in the world of the White Rat approximately five years after the events of CLOCKWORK BOYS and THE WONDER ENGINE. It contains details that blur the line between callback and spoiler, I think they’re suitably opaque as to keep from giving away major plot points of that duology, but I do recommend reading this after the duology for the best overall experience. The worldbuilding seemed complete enough to stand on its own, someone reading just SWORDHEART would know everything they need to. It is focused on different aspects than in the earlier duology, complementing the prior information without feeling redundant. Because Sarkis is from another land it also helps to establish the patchwork of kingdoms and territories in this part of the world.

I had a fantastic time reading this and I'm looking forward to more books set in this world.

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wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

This book takes place five years after The Clocktaur War series and follows Halla, who can talk her way out of most of the dangerous situations that occurs, Sarkis, the grumpy sword/man, Zale, the non-binary priest/lawyer/clerk, and Brindle, the job-gnole that takes care of the ox.

I had a lot of fun reading this book and I look forward to everything else that occurs in this world.

Repetitions of "decadent south" and "respectable widow" were pervasive enough to essentially reach meme status for me in the it-is-so-bad-and-or-ridiculous-it-is-good-again way.

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theirgracegrace's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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