This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. It needs to be discovered by more people, as it is absolutely brilliant.Review copy was received from Publisher. If you like romance fantasy, comedic fantasy and/or adventure fantasy, or if you just want to read something light, fast-paced but also full of heart, please give Swordheart a try. The book is set in the world of the Clocktaur War series (which I discovered isn’t steampunk, to my surprise) and opens wide a door to possible sequels, but can be read as a standalone. Their companions are no less interesting and add to the perfect characters dynamic. They both learn a lot about themselves during the journey and make a fantastic and hilarious couple. I enjoyed watching Halla soften his edges. Sarkis is a brooding warrior, full of remorse and embarked on a strange mission. I absolutely loved her and her questions and her rambling monologues. She was under-appreciated and underestimated her whole life, but as a heroine on a quest, she kicks ass in so many different ways.

It never lets you forget you’re in a fantasy world, with roaming hills and mysterious creatures, paladins and strange religious orders (also the whole person-living-inside-a-sword-for-all-eternity detail).Īnd the characters! Halla is amazing. The story is delightful and often absurd (I had a few “wait, should I be laughing at these murders” moments), with twists and hiccups at every turn. Kingfisher deftly plays with the codes and tropes of these subgenres. And finally, the entire story can easily be put in the comedic fantasy category because it was often laugh-out-loud funny.

Then you have your romance plot, where Halla and Sarkis, her sword-spirit/bodyguard, slowly fall in lust and love for each other. Nothing is basic or normal in this book…) adventure fantasy, where the heroine, Halla, wants to get her inheritance back from her greedy and grasping in-laws. You have your “basic” (in a manner of speaking. It’s an unlikely mix of subgenre that works so well. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle’s estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives.

Swordheart t kingfisher