quoteablebooks - Tumblr blog

[quoteablebooks]

A warrior sprang from this world as improbably as the flowers that bloom in its arid wilderness. She was not a warrior at first, but something else she does not care to remember. (A sword does not recall the lump of metal it came from; it knows only the hand that wields it and the sun that kisses its blade and the life that bleeds at its fateful end.)

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle

[quoteablebooks]

[quoteablebooks]

Where Baz was soft light in a dusty library, made up of a muted assortment of cozy sweaters and shirts that fit awkwardly on his lanky frame, Kai was piercing starlight, with the king of presence that commanded attention even when he said nothing at all, the way the night sky drew such fascination from poets and artists.

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle

[quoteablebooks]

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Non-Fiction, Adult, Memoir

Rating: 5 out of 5

Content Warning: Death

Summary:

Sit. Walk. Write. These are the barest bones of Natalie Goldberg’s revolutionary writing and life practice, which she presents here in book form for the first time. A whole new slant on writing that she developed since the publication of her classic Writing Down the Bones, True Secret workshops have been limited until now to small, intensive groups at a remote center in the rural Southwest. In The True Secret of Writing, Goldberg makes this popular seminar available to any reader.

The True Secret is for everyone, like eating and sleeping. It allows you to discover something real about your life, to mine the rich awareness in your mind, and to ground and empower yourself. Goldberg guides you through your own personal or group retreat, illuminating the steps of sitting in silent open mind, walking anchored to the earth, and writing without criticism. Just as Goldberg cuts through her students’ resistance with her no-nonsense instruction—“Shut up and write”—the True Secret cuts to the core of realizing yourself and your world.

The capstone to forty years of teaching, The True Secret of Writing is Goldberg’s Zen boot camp, her legacy teaching. Stories of Natalie’s own search for truth and clarity and her students’ breakthroughs and insights give moving testament to how brilliantly her unique, tough-love method works. Beautiful homages to the work of other great teachers and observers of mind, life, and love provide further secrets and inspiration to which readers will return again and again.

In her inimitable way, Goldberg will inspire you to pick up the pen, get writing, and keep going. The True Secret of Writing will help you with your writing—and your life.

*Opinions*

I originally purchased this book for one of my creative writing classes in college (probably close to when the book was originally published) and then we never touched it for the class—typical college experience. As I am working on reading and either getting rid of or putting on my shelves all the books in my apartment and in my childhood bedroom, this book finally made it into my hands. I’m sure what I expected from this book, but it was not what I found between the pages of The True Secret of Writing. Even though I finished it a couple of days ago, I am still not entirely sure how I feel about it. 

Natalie Goldberg is a writing teacher, but also a practitioner of zen for many decades, and this novel combines those two aspects of her life in a way that cannot be untangled. If you are not fond of Zen ways of thinking or the thought of the present being the key to the future and past, do not pick up this book. There are a number of zen poems and teachings that are interlaced throughout the writing method that Goldberg suggests, in fact, mediation is a large part of her method. As someone who does yoga every day (thank you Yoga with Adriene) parts of this novel were a little too far into the zen teachings even for me. Yet, I can’t deny that while reading this novel, I found myself more centered and also noticing things in a different way. While I am not sure if I will ever attempt the sit, walk, write method, I can see the silent retreats that Goldberg hosts could be interesting and eye-opening weeks with other writers. 

Now, I have never published a book or taught a writing class, so I can’t critique that part of this book. However, if you are looking for a strict how-to book, you will be annoyed with the personal stories and writings that Goldberg included in this book. The last part of the book that talks about her biggest teachers is only personal stories that she lets you draw your own conclusions from them. This is the part of the book that I am not sure how I feel about. While I enjoyed Goldberg’s stories, it verged into being a memoir at parts and that is now what I thought I was reading. However, one of Goldberg’s tenants is being curious about how other people think and listen to them, which is what the reader has to do with these personal stories from Goldberg. I would say that this is definitely a book to be read slowly, in small parts, and give yourself time to think about each one. 

If you want to get back into writing or are in a serious writing block, I think that applying Goldberg’s method might be really helpful because it is all about establishing a consistent practice. As someone who writes almost daily, that isn’t something that I need assistance with, but taking time to just write, without censoring yourself or thinking too deeply about it, has its merits. To quote Adriene from Yoga with Adriene, I think that this is a take what works for you and leave what doesn’t type of book. Will I spend a whole week at a silent retreat in the middle of the winter, walking barefoot if told to so that I am with the present moment, no. However, I think I will hold onto this book for a little bit because I did find myself looking in the world in a different way after reading it. A 4 star read.  

[quoteablebooks]

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Fantasy Mystery

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Content Warning: Murder, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Ableism, Drug use, Classism, War

Summary:

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.

*Opinions*

Robert Jackson Bennett’s other series, The Founders trilogy, was so well received, that it made me interested when this book came out earlier this year. This is compared to a fantasy Sherlock Holmes and Watson (that is like the first line of the description on Goodreads) and while I think that is a fair comparison to make, that does not take into account the huge amount of world-building done in this novel that I think is the true highlight. At its heart, this is a murder mystery, but all the bones and muscles that surround it are what this a truly enjoyable read for me.

The narration follows Dinios Kol, an assistant investigator of the Iudex who has recently been assigned to the eccentric Immunis Ana Dolabra. As the Iudex division is tasked with finding justice when crimes happen within the Empire when the body of a dead Engineer is found at one of the most influential family’s homes with a contagion growing out of his body, Din and Ana are tasked with finding the murderer. Especially because the death happened on the lands of the Haza family and it is unclear if they may be involved or a target of this assassin. The investigation takes Din and Ana out of their smaller town and into the beating heart of the effort of the Empire to keep the Leviathans from making landfall. With the loom of another Leviathan attack, Din and Ana find that many more individuals have been killed with the same contagion, and clues that point to more than one murderer may be at play. Yet, corruption runs deep in the Empire and soon it becomes clear that Din and Ana will only be able to rely on one another. 

This novel reads like a police procedural and I don’t mean that in a bad way. As someone who grew up watching CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and those types of shows, there was a familiarity to the structure of this novel. We are introduced to the first victim, we get information that leads the team to believe that something else is going on, more victims are found and then it is a race to find the killer(s) before they strike again or strike a member of the team. Now, I am not saying that this book is predictable in any way, but Bennett did not reinvent the wheel with the plot structure. I don’t think that every novel needs to do something weird or different, there is comfort in knowing the way a story is going to go even if you are unsure of the steps it will take. As someone who did countless assignments to Law and Order in the background, there was a coziness to it even with all the death and gruesome events that took place.

I think the mystery itself is well crafted so that the reader can pick up on clues while reading so when Ana or Din come to a conclusion, you can follow the logical steps of their explanation to get there. A pitfall that a lot of writers fall into with a Sherlock-esque character is that their leaps in logic are not backed up with textual evidence so the reveal doesn’t feel earned, but just told to the reader. I also hate when the reader is not given the information needed to solve the mystery, it makes it feel as if the writer wants a big twist instead of a fulfilling conclusion. I don’t feel as if Bennett fell into this trap and whenever Ana explained her thought process, it was the aha! Moment it was meant to be. I also appreciated that Din was not just the assistant in her eyes, but also made a number of connections and discoveries himself without Ana’s assistance. He wasn’t just a vehicle for the story, he was a character. 

My favorite part of this novel, however, had to be the world that Bennett wrapped around his mystery. It was lush and dangerous and you are just dropped in to figure it all out. Everything that we are presented with, from the idea of the contagions to the leviathans, to the augmentations and grafts, to the Empire itself is fascinating and I would read a whole novel just about the history of this world. This novel does have a feeling of science fiction about it because it is obvious that science has a large part in this society, but then the Leviathans put it firmly in the realm of fantasy. Bennett’s descriptions are visceral and so well done that I felt like I was in the jungle, or the mud, or looking at a dead body right alongside Din. I cannot wait for other books to see this world expand further.

While in the acknowledgments of this novel, Bennett stated that Ana ended up being close to a Hannibal character, I think she was given enough humanity throughout so that the reader cared about her without her ever being soft. Much like other brilliant minds, she is eccentric and incorrigible and oftentimes rude, but she is also given enough moments when it comes to Din that you see her as a person as well. Then there are small moments where you see that she does care for Din and doesn’t want him to be injured during the investigation. I think having her being overstimulated easily so she had to have her eyes blindfolded, leaving Din to be her eyes, not only is a great plot device for him to be the active member of the investigation but also made her have a vulnerability aside from the inability to talk to people properly. 

Din grew on me throughout the novel. During the first fourth I did not like him or Ana all that much, but the mystery was interesting enough to keep me interested. However, by spending all the time close to Din and what he was thinking and experiencing, I started to care about him and worry when he was put into numerous dangerous situations. I also appreciated that both he and Ana have disabilities that they have to find workarounds to manage. The small bit of romance in this novel was so sweet and so well done, I appreciated its addition to the story, even though it was a small part of this whole novel. I don’t know if we’ll see them together again, but what we got was a perfect accent to the story. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this reading experience and gave this a 4.5 rounded down to a 4. I got this from the library but I am totally going to buy a copy and continue on in the series. I need to know more about this world if nothing else. 

[quoteablebooks]

By Tom Gauld

[quoteablebooks]

"The Empire is strong because it recognizes the value of all our people. Including you, Dinios Kol. And when the empire is weak, it is often because the powerful you have denied us the abundance of our people."

Ana Dolabra The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

[quoteablebooks]

Lilla Cabot Perry (1848-1933) "Reading" Oil on canvas Impressionism

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Content Warning: Death of parent, Violence, Racism, Slavery, Death, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy

Summary:

A brilliant new voice brings a brilliant new debut author Ehigbor Okosun’s first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology—full of magic and emotion and set in a highly atmospheric, complex world in which a young woman fights to survive a tyrannical society, having everything stripped away from her, and seeks vengeance for her mother’s murder and the spilled blood of her people. In the midst of a tyrannical regime and political invasion, Dèmi just wants to to avoid the suspicion of the nonmagical Ajes who occupy her ancestral homeland of Ife; to escape the King’s brutal genocide of her people—the darker skinned, magic wielding Oluso; and to live peacefully with her secretive mother while learning to control the terrifying blood magic that is her birthright. But when Dèmi’s misplaced trust costs her mother’s life, survival gives way to vengeance. She bides her time until the devious Lord Ekwensi grants her the perfect opportunity—kidnap the Aje prince, Jonas, and bargain with his life to save the remaining Oluso. With the help of her reckless childhood friend Colin, Dèmi succeeds, but discovers that she and Jonas share more than deadly secrets; every moment tangles them further into a forbidden, unmistakable attraction, much to Colin’s—and Dèmi’s—distress. The kidnapping is now a joint to return to the King, help get Lord Ekwensi on the council, and bolster the voice of the Oluso in a system designed to silence them. But the way is dangerous, Dèmi’s magic is growing yet uncertain, and it’s not clear if she can trust the two men at her side. A tale of rebellion and redemption, race and class, love and trust and betrayal,  Forged by Blood is epic fantasy at its finest, from an enthusiastic, emerging voice.

*Opinions*

This is going to be a long review with a number of spoilers so I wanted to make a disclaimer at the top. I did not like this novel and found myself frustrated with it a number of times, but I also don’t want to be mean to a debut author. If you do not like negative reviews turn back now. That put me in a bit of a bind because I want to be honest in my review but also don’t want to dissuade people from giving this a try. So I will say this, a number of the parts of the novel did not work for me, but this is all subjective and I recognize that there might be parts of the novel that I am not understanding. This novel also came to me in a book subscription box, so I went in knowing very little. If you were interested in this, look for other reviews of individuals who did like this book, especially from POC reviewers.

One of the most frustrating things about this novel is that there are glimmers of a story that I could have really enjoyed, but the characters dragged it all down for me. Forged in Blood follows Demi, an Oluso who is hunted for her magical abilities, and finds herself entwined with a plot to kidnap the Prince in hopes of giving leverage to provide more protection for the Oluso. However, as Demi ventures further into the world, she learns that a lot of the things she thought she knew as fact are more complicated than she could have ever imagined. Not only are the rules of her magic and world expanding, but she is also stuck between the affections of a childhood friend and the Prince that she has kidnapped, a Prince who is responsible for her mother’s death. As things turn deadly, Demi has to decide if she can trust anyone, including herself. 

The first two chapters of this novel really felt like an info dump, which I would have probably been able to ignore if it was not for the fact that the reason Demi was telling someone all this information made no sense. On one hand, I understand that she is an eight-year-old child who has never had a friend before and anyone not looking at her in fear would be a nice change. However, if I had seen multiple people killed or taken away from the guard for being accused of using magic, I would not be showing it off to a boy that I just met whose guardian had already treated myself and my mother with suspicion and threatened to have us killed. Demi tells us multiple times that her mother wants her to keep her magic secret, yet she does a whole show and tells him the minute her mother leaves. Given the way Edith is portrayed, I can’t say that everything that happens after is Demi’s fault, she would probably have gotten the guard anyway, but it was aggravating to watch her make the wrong choice multiple times in a short period and then be surprised when there were poor outcomes. Especially given that Demi herself tells the reader that very few people have ever been kind to her, why did she expect this random boy to be different? Again, I get that she is a child but it made no sense. 

The way that information was provided in general was odd. There was no hint as to why Demi’s 18th birthday was important so when she said “I am going to be killed” I blinked at the page for a couple minutes. That would be on someone’s mind a lot leading up to their birthday and to have that kept from the reader felt as if it was something the author threw in a later draft and then didn’t work into the story leading up to that. Especially because these large stakes are given and then removed within a couple of pages. Not only that, when it is relieved that Demi thought she was going to die at 18, all her decisions up to that point made no sense because they were the actions of an individual who thought she was going to live. While I loved all the history, mythology, and everything around the Aziza, they seemed like an afterthought throughout the rest of the novel. Perhaps they will have more of a presence in the second book in the duology, but here they just felt like a stop on the road to give Demi more time with Colin and Jonas. 

The biggest issue I had with this novel is that we are told from the very beginning of the story that the use of magic will result in death, yet every single Oluoso in this novel uses their magic in the open without any hesitation. First, it is just Demi and Colin, which I would forgive as they are young, but then every other Oluoso also does it in full view of the enemy and then just go about their day as if there aren’t going to be repercussions. Demi thinks constantly that she wants to protect Will and Nana, yet calls them into a battle with a garrison full of soldiers and the woman who killed her mother without any thought to their safety or being tracked down and killed. It just…it made no sense. 

Even with all my annoyance with the plot, there are glimmers of a great story buried in everything that I didn’t like. The history of the Oluoso and how they have all taken their oppression differently. No one in this novel that has power is “good” which is truthful to how those with grand designs, for better or worse, operate. There a number of different cultures mentioned that have been taken into the kingdom that I want to learn more about. The myths and magic are also beautifully done. It was obvious that Okosun had thought about it for a long time. I love a good quest story and I don’t mind a romantic subplot, even a love triangle if done well, but it all was so disjointed that it was more aggravating than enjoyable. 

As I mentioned at the top of the review, the characters were really what dragged this story down for me. Demi was so hypocritical, rash, and contradictory that it was hard to root for her. Demi would think something and then the very next instant would do something that completely contradicted what she stated previously. Now I understand that sometimes characters do not have a clear picture of who they are as a person, but it was very grating to me. Especially for an adult novel and not a YA novel. I am not saying that a heroine needs to be perfect, but her character was consistent enough for me to get a clear picture of who she was other than rash. An example that really stuck out to me was when she described Colin as fearless and compulsive while she was always watching from the sideline. At this point in the series, Demi has freed two children using magic without a plan, making it so that she had to kidnap Jonas in the first place, which resulted in other people dying. She had even been called reckless by other characters on the page, so what do you mean you are always sitting on the sidelines? Also, her inability to hear others when they told her to leave others behind or take time to develop a plan was aggravating. She stands around arguing and gets hurt, and others are killed or captured because she only acts and doesn’t think. It also felt out of character for a character who professes again and again that she doesn’t love or trust anyone, yet she will risk everything to save a few people. To see Demi make the same mistakes again and again and then blame everyone else when it went wrong was extremely frustrating. While there is some development of her character at the very end, I was already so done it didn’t matter. 

Another issue was that none of the emotions that Demi feels seem anchored to the events around her. Now, I guessed that the reason for why that is with Jonas the minute that mates were mentioned I knew what was going to happen in that relationship. As with any enemies-to-lovers romance, there is one person who isn’t listening and another who is telling them again and again that they aren’t their enemy. The time that grated on me the most was her insistence that Jonas wanted to kill her at every turn and fight him when it was not the appropriate time to do so. I understand she cannot trust him even though the reader can see that he never betrayed her, but she always reacts at the worst possible time and fucking runs to the wrong conclusion as fast as possible. After the second or third time, it just got old and annoying. At one point her hands are bound and Jonas shows up with Colin to help her escape, she takes precious seconds to accuse him of setting them up and attacking him, as if Colin would let him live if he had. Not to mention there is numerous guards attempting to kill you and you want to go have Jonas right now when he is helping you? It was infuriating. Another is when she has multiple broken ribs and can barely walk, but is down to have sex until her partner accidentally hits one of her injuries. I can NOT. 

The relationship between Jonas and Demi also was flat. The whole relationship is built through the mating bond and not between them on the page. Demi and Jonas have maybe two uncontentious conversations in the whole 400-page novel, but we are supposed to believe the feelings between them at the end. They also were intimate at the most inappropriate times, kissing in the middle of a crowded ballroom when the whole point was to keep her hidden in plain sight before helping her escape. I didn’t believe in their relationship, or her and Colin for that matter, so I didn’t care about any of that. In fact, I wouldn’t have cared if any of these characters died. 

I could continue, but I think you get the general idea. This is a 1.5-star read rounded up to a 2. 

[quoteablebooks]

recent moments 💖

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Content Warning: Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Confinement

Summary:

Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.

Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean...

Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

*Opinions*

Tl:dr - Absolutely delightful and compulsively readable rom-com 

This is another social media influence and I needed a bit of a palate cleanser after a couple of fantasy novels back to back. I then proceeded to read this entire novel in two days and had a wonderful time with it. If you want a romance with a strong plot, this is not the book for you, but if you want a story that reads like a 90s sitcom romance, complete with scenes that feel as if they should have a laugh track in the background, I would recommend this novel highly. As I said above, it was extremely delightful. 

As one might guess from the title My Roommate is a Vampire, the plot of this novel revolves around Cassie Greenburg responding to a too-good-to-be-true ad for a roommate on Craig’s list and moving in with a centuries-old vampire, though she is unaware of that at the time. Part of the charm of this novel is that the reader is well aware that Fredrick is a vampire, so watching Cassie navigate his interesting personality quirks is more endearing than the reader screaming at her to see all the signs. I also appreciate that Levine also had the big vampire reveal about 35% into the novel. After that, it is a series of rather comical scenes of Cassie attempting to teach Fredrick about the 100 years of etiquette that he missed while he was asleep. Again, the plot in this is very light and it is more watching Cassie and Fredrick dance around each other while denying what they feel for one another. The ending was highly ridiculous, but somehow fit the overall tone of the novel so it didn’t bother me too badly. 

Cassie is a rather relatable character in a romance, which I appreciate. She is in her late 20s, early 30s creative that is cobbling together part-time jobs in an attempt to survive while working on her art. She takes public transportation, collects trash for her multimedia art, and lets her attraction to Fredrick cloud her judgment on a couple of occasions. While her bad past with a couple of other relationships is hinted at, whatever happened in those relationships is never elaborated on in this novel. I like how her story ended, but it was a little too butterflies and rainbows that I would usually enjoy. However, this whole book was just so lovely that it was the perfect ending. 

We get to know very little about Fredrick other than the text messages and journal entries that are at the beginning of the chapters. He was a bit more of a caricature than an actual character except when he is being exceptionally sincere with Cassie. He is so interested in learning about her art and praising her for things that she doesn’t see in herself that it is swoon-worthy. Now, I heard rumors that this might have started as a Reylo fic, but truly I didn’t see it in the relationship. I did not picture Adam Driver when reading Fredrick’s description other than the focus on how large his hands are, which seems to be a physical attribute that Reylo writers seem to focus on. Well, that and how large his chest was, but that can be any male love interest. 

The romance between the two of them was rather sweet, though not super deep. The first time they kissed and the makeout session in the bathroom had me kicking my feet in excitement. Again, as this is a lighter romance, the discussion of immortality and its complications were glossed over. Also, there is no lore given for vampires and only a vague mention of some of the rules around them. Still, there was something charming about Cassie’s unending patience and Fredricks's earnest love of her that I couldn’t stop reading. The way that Fredrick’s need for blood and the sex scenes were handled was also done well. 

Overall, this is a fun and light read that is light on plot but still a compelling read. Levine hints in the novel that there might be a companion with Reginald and his human accountant, but I am not sure I care enough about Reginald to check it out. This is a 3.5 read rounded down to a 3 because while I really enjoyed it at the moment I read it, I doubt a lot of it will stick with me and this is probably not a story I would read again. Still, I highly recommend this if you like romances and enjoy a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. 

[quoteablebooks]

Welcome to the age of enthusiasm.

[quoteablebooks]

books made of magic, fairytales, poems and love

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 4 out of 5

Content Warning: Violence, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Confinement, Suicide, War, Vomit, Torture

Summary:

Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle's estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. 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.

*Opinions*

Last year I read my first T. Kingfisher book and found that I really enjoyed the mixture of fantasy, romance, whimsy, and plots that are put into her stories. I then started the process of working through their backlist of fantasy novels as I am not sure I am ready to attempt their horror novels since I’m a scaredy cat. Swordheart was the next novel in my reading journey and I fell in love with Halla and her relentless questions and Sarkis with his relentless annoyance for everyone and everything around him. There is a wistfulness and a lightness to Kingfisher’s writing that make the novels feel like animated movies, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t real stakes or dangers. At one point I was so stressed I had to flip forward a couple of chapters to make sure some things worked out in our characters' favor. While I did feel as if the middle of the novel dragged a little bit, I enjoyed being in this world, which is the same one that is featured in The Saint of Steel and The Clocktaur Wars novels. 

Swordheart follows the respectable widow Halla and her enchanted sword guardsman Sarkis as she escapes her in-laws who are attempting to make her marry one of them so that she doesn’t get an inheritance left to her. One of those items was the enchanted sword that Sarkis inhabits and has for many years. As he has to protect the weilder of the sword, he helps Halla flee the house she has been kept captive in and they head off to ask for help from the Temple of the Rat so that she can secure her inheritance. On the road, they run into a number of barriers, but they also make friends to help Halla hopefully get her inheritance and not have to get married against her will to a man with clammy hands. 

The beginning of this novel starts with a bang and one of my favorite opening sentences “Halla of Rutger’s Howw had just inherited a great deal of money and was therefore spending her evening trying to figure out how to kill herself.” If that doesn’t pull the reader in, I don’t know what will. There are a number of action-packed sequences throughout the novel, but also quiet moments between the characters that let their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses shine. Still, in the middle of the novel felt as if it dragged a little too long and while I really liked the time in the Vagrant Hills from a world-building perspective, I don’t know if it added much to the plot of the story. This was the first time that I felt a dragging in a Kingfisher novel, but it did make it so it took a couple more days to finish this novel than it normally would. 

Halla is a widow turned caretaker for a cantankerous old man who is thrown into a ridiculous situation and has to adapt before she is shoved into another unpleasant marriage. What I really like is that throughout the novel, while Halla does learn new skills on the road, she stays a normal woman and doesn’t lose the strengths and weaknesses she started with. While her continuous questions get her into trouble, they also get the group out of trouble multiple times. With the wave of strong female characters that we are still in when it comes to fantasy novels, it is nice to see a heroine who will not do backflips, but she is not seen as incapable or useless. She also has no problem doing what she has to do to protect the people she loves. Sarkis has a little less character development and instead is battling with his past and the events that lead him to be trapped inside an enchanted sword. It is also him learning to be a man again after so many years of being nothing but a weapon for others, but his character is far more static. 

The relationship between Halla and Sarkis is sweet and humorous. As this is the fourth Kingfisher novel that I read, I can say that all of her fantasy romances follow the same pattern. It is very comforting, but I wouldn’t recommend reading a lot of them back to back or it could become tiresome. Still, Sarkis softened to Halla’s goodness and desire to see the best in people and Halla allowing herself to want things was sweet to watch. Their banter was also extremely hilarious, especially when priest Zale was added to the mix. They aren’t going to be my favorite fantasy couple, but I am interested in seeing if they show up in other novels in this world given that there are supposed to be other Swordheart novels as well as The Saints of Steel books being set in the same world. I think they will be excellent side characters in someone else’s story as well.  

I love the world that Kingfisher has created in this world that has spanned a number of books. I loved returning to the Vagrant Hills and having mentions of characters and creatures that were present in the Clocktaur Wars series were nice little easter eggs. The gnoles are lovely individuals and they are always close to my favorite characters in every novel. The mythology around the enchanted swords was also interesting and twisted. The world in Kingfisher’s fantasy books always feels so much bigger than the story that we are following, which is what I want from any book in the genre.  

Overall I enjoyed this book, but it was a little too long, which bumped it down to a four-star read. I think I am going to take a break from Kingfisher, but it is nice to have an author to go to for kinder fantasy when I need a palate cleanser. 

[quoteablebooks]

Beautiful vintage book spines