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maryellen's review
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit
rachelgreenreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really hope she makes this a trilogy as stated in the author’s note.
Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is basically Aladdin (in a way) except instead of a lamp, a powerful warrior is trapped in a sword and has to do the bidding of whoever wields him until either that wielder dies or sells the sword. Shenanigans ensue when instead of a warlord, a respectable widow unsheathes the sword and releases Sarkis from his silver prison. What follows is an adventure of travel (a lot of it, lots of walking and riding in a wagon pulled by a pretty footed ox) so if you don’t like a lot of travel in your books, you might not like this one. Along the way they meet a rat priest and a few other charismatic characters. The search to get Halla back her rightful inheritance so she doesn’t have to marry her clammy handed cousin was quite the time, just what I needed. This book made me smile and laugh a lot, the dialogue was so witty and fun!
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Murder, Physical abuse, War, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, and Death of parent
maiadawn's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Bullying and Torture
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Excrement, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Suicide, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Animal death, Grief, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Slavery, Child death, Alcoholism, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, War, Terminal illness, Torture, and Death of parent
misterwisp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I bought more books by the author as soon as I was done reading this. The writing is witty in a laugh out loud kind of way that reminded me of Terry Pratchett.
The desire for sequels does not mean this ends on a cliffhanger. It does not. Things get to a satisfying wrap up but there is more than enough room for the stories of the other two swords mentioned in the book. This still stands well on it's own though so don't do the thing where you don't support a series until it's fully done and then because not enough people supported it early on it never actually gets to be finished.
In all seriousness it's really good, and worth giving a try.
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder and Medical content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Grief, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
ashleycmms's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, War, Animal death, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
valpuri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Suicide, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Grief, and Vomit
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Minor: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, War, Blood, Confinement, Death, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Violence
theirgracegrace's review
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Minor: Xenophobia, War, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexism, Rape, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Body horror, and Incest