Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

7 reviews

ritabriar's review against another edition

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

The main characters are delightful, kind, and a bit snarky. I adore Halla's ability to weaponize questions and the way Sarkis respects her quickly, especially once he gets to know her. (Things do get spicy, though it's not the main focus.) Zale and Brindle are also stars of the book, in spite of their official status as support characters.

These main characters contrast with the various villains, who suffer from a severe inability to take interest in the perspective of others, each in a slightly different way.

The plot is both character- and setting-driven, in the manner of a campaign run by an excellent game master: some things happen not because the characters make them happen, but because things like this just happen here, and they might as well happen now. (To be clear, these events serve the plot or character arcs and I love them.) I'm thinking of the Vagrant Hills, especially, which are

a piece of geography that grabs travelers if they feel like it.

The Motherhood priests probably also qualify. 

As you'd expect in a book starring a magic sword, the setting has plenty of magic, which follows definite rules (though the characters don't know all of the rules and sometimes have to figure things out as they go). There are horrific mechanics to some of the magic and magical creatures, though I would not say this is a horror book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping and Sexual content

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Body horror, and Misogyny

Minor: Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Gore, Stalking, Suicide attempt, War, and Infertility

The first thing that happens is that Halla's relatives lock her in her own room. She

escapes immediately, but does get briefly

captured again several times by various parties.

Halla's aunt tries to get her to believe that she should go along with their plans to steal her inheritance, using various nasty tactics. The couple doesn't want children, and eventually figure out that one of them probably can't have them.

miss_berry315's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The audiobook is seriously one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. The voice actor is phenomenal and does a great job of conveying emotions and differentiating between character's voices. I would recommend this book in any form to most people, but am always hyping up the audiobook specifically. 
The romance was a slow burn that builds tension, but doesn't take so horribly long that you're shaking your book begging these two grown adults to just kiss already. The two MCs have amazing banter and work their way to romance naturally. 
This book had an interesting plot (a man lives in a sword?? love it!), great side characters, and low-medium stakes. The majority of the book is spent travelling, and I felt like the last quarter of the book was a little bit rushed, but not enough to ruin the story at all! 

This is one of those low-medium stakes stories that a lot of people like to put into the 'cozy fantasy' category, but I have a hard time calling a story 'cozy' if any of the characters are put in perilous situations. 
Read the content warnings on this one for sure to keep yourself safe! 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Violence, and Confinement

Minor: Gaslighting and Sexual assault

The sexual assault cw is mostly regarding the beginning of the book where it is stated and heavily implied that

they will force Halla to get married and force her to get pregnant in order to keep the contents of the will in the family. These things *do not actually happen* and are not spoken about in detail. The man that would be marrying her is not the one coming up with the idea, it is implied that he is semi-forced into the situation as well, though he is compliant as he too wants the money etc.

The suicidal thoughts are at the very beginning of the novel, and are the way the two MCs get introduced to each other. The thoughts/planning are coming from a place of desperation as Halla is

locked in her room with no way to get out and is being threatened with the forced marriage/pregnancy to her non-blood cousin. She feels that though she doesn't *want* to die, it would be better than the alternative. She draws the sword and meets Sarkis. This though process is not mentioned at any other point in the book, and no real attempt is made.

sunshine_kait's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Infertility, Vomit, Death, and Gaslighting

ollie_again's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Confinement

Minor: War

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

purrson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved this! A main character is non-binary, the story is set in a diverse, queer-friendly universe. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement and Death

Minor: Gaslighting

Toxic family members

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

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.

---

Content Warnings

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