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sonatica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
While there were some aspects of the book and romance between the main characters that weren't for me, I genuinely enjoyed it! The narrator of the audiobook does a great job with the character voices though, that really stood out to me - especially Sarkis! Du be warned though, if you do listen to the audiobook version, that this book has a few 'spicy' scenes in it. Those generally catch me off guard in audiobooks, so I thought it might be helpful to others if they knew beforehand.
Spoilers for the end of the book ahead:
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Cursing, Death, Confinement, and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse, War, and Murder
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Murder, Vomit, Confinement, Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Slavery, Alcohol, Self harm, and Torture
katequiet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Violence, Self harm, Suicide, and Physical abuse
maryellen'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: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit
saltycoffee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Kidnapping, Classism, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
nebraskanwriter's review
- 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
skl_hcn'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
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse
evarinya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Animal death, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
booksthatburn'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? 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
theirgracegrace'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? 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