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A review by robin1010
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I'm having a tough time figuring out how to review this book. I'd say overall, if the premise is interesting to you or you enjoy T. Kingfisher, its worth giving a shot, but its definitely not my favorite of her books.
My primary issue with it is how Halla is described and treated by the author, especially considering the author is a woman herself. There are a huge amount of mentions of Halla's breasts or wide hips, and of a male character noticing them while she remains either unaware of or derogatory of them. Its deeply off putting. I don't mind descriptions of a characters body, especially given this is a romance novel, but her breasts/hips are mentioned more often than every other physical characteristic she has combined, and that's not an exaggeration. This weird over-sexualisation of her body is combined with a complete naivete - despite clearly being aware of and having had sex before, there are multiple occasions where she is either completely flustered by or completely unaware of sexual situations. This is especially weird interspersed with commentary about how 'middle aged' and 'worldly' she is. Its just a weird choice to advertise a character as more experienced and then also bank on the exploitative sexualisation of a naive woman.
Sarkis wasn't great either. He repeatedly drones on and on about how lackluster the men of the land are and how they don't appreciate or treat women properly, all while repeatedly leering at Halla's tits and imagining having sex with her while she is assumingly unaware. There are a few occasions where the book shows him acting like a normal human being - ie, not telling Halla what she can and cannot wear because an outfit is too revealing, treating a prostitute with basic human decency - and its sort of treated with a gravitas that shows the author is trying to show him as particularly 'better'. On another occasion he, after commentating how it wouldn't be appropriate or entirely consensual because she is dependent on him to stay alive, kisses Halla without asking or even any sign of reciprocal interest on her part. Given that thus far we're supposed to think hes particularly gallant or whatever it just felt super out of place and a little gross.
ASIDE from the main characters though, this book was great. Zale was a fantastic character and I really enjoyed their entire arc and backstory. The lore and world building was so interesting and I liked it enough that I'll probably give the series this is a spin-off of a go. The various religious institutes combating one another was a great addition as well. The scenes set in the vanishing hills absolutely stood out from the rest of the book - the prose and the tension was so much better and really shows that T. Kingfisher's specialty is in horror.
Plot wise there were definitely bits that worked better than others. The main plot got a bit tiresome, especially given they went up and down the same goddamn road like 3 times. But smaller sections like having to hide the bodies of the two priests were really well done bits of humor and tension.
Overall, while I did enjoy some of it, it was overshadowed by the awkward, weird main characters and their awkward, weird interactions with one another.
My primary issue with it is how Halla is described and treated by the author, especially considering the author is a woman herself. There are a huge amount of mentions of Halla's breasts or wide hips, and of a male character noticing them while she remains either unaware of or derogatory of them. Its deeply off putting. I don't mind descriptions of a characters body, especially given this is a romance novel, but her breasts/hips are mentioned more often than every other physical characteristic she has combined, and that's not an exaggeration. This weird over-sexualisation of her body is combined with a complete naivete - despite clearly being aware of and having had sex before, there are multiple occasions where she is either completely flustered by or completely unaware of sexual situations. This is especially weird interspersed with commentary about how 'middle aged' and 'worldly' she is. Its just a weird choice to advertise a character as more experienced and then also bank on the exploitative sexualisation of a naive woman.
Sarkis wasn't great either. He repeatedly drones on and on about how lackluster the men of the land are and how they don't appreciate or treat women properly, all while repeatedly leering at Halla's tits and imagining having sex with her while she is assumingly unaware. There are a few occasions where the book shows him acting like a normal human being -
ASIDE from the main characters though, this book was great. Zale was a fantastic character and I really enjoyed their entire arc and backstory. The lore and world building was so interesting and I liked it enough that I'll probably give the series this is a spin-off of a go. The various religious institutes combating one another was a great addition as well. The scenes set in the vanishing hills absolutely stood out from the rest of the book -
Plot wise there were definitely bits that worked better than others.
Overall, while I did enjoy some of it, it was overshadowed by the awkward, weird main characters and their awkward, weird interactions with one another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Confinement, and Suicide attempt