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ithilien11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Murder
albernikolauras's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
katewheels13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Murder
quitecarefully's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Suicide attempt
danajoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Whilst Swordheart is a standalone it exists in the same world as the Clocktaur War and Saints of Steel books, making up the World of the White Rat. I've only read Paladin's Grace but even so it was exciting to see the overlap.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
bluejayreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Sexism, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Excrement, and Religious bigotry
Animal injury/suffering, forced marriage (attempt)ritabriar'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? Yes
5.0
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
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.
Graphic: Sexual content and Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore, Infertility, Terminal illness, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and War
The first thing that happens is that Halla's relatives lock her in her own room. Shevagrantheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
sabrielsbell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
amy_in_the_city'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? No
4.0
Sarkis kept alluding to some big secret he needed to tell Halla, and I was really expecting it to be something major and a plot twist. When it was finally revealed, my reaction was "Is that the big secret? That's it?" I thought Halla overreacted to that reveal as the secret had nothing to do with her at all and no effect on her life. It felt very contrived just to add in some conflict between the couple.
I liked how inclusive this world seemed to be of various LGBTQ+ identities, with one very notable exception. Same sex couples appeared to be widely accepted and to have the same rights as straight couples. The nonbinary character was never misgendered or questioned about their gender, even by the villains. This culture of acceptance integrated into the worldbuilding was what made it so shocking to me when towards the end of the book, there were several moments where the characters seemed very unaccepting of, and even hostile towards, asexual people. Halla had an unsatisfying sex life with her late husband and described him as having been uninterested in sex in general. Sarkis vilified the late husband for this and even said he wished he could hurt him. Eventually, they seemed to settle on seeing the late husband and his asexuality as a burden. There's a lot of language that suggests ace people are broken, like saying he'd have to be "half-dead not to be interested in you" or Sarkis saying his religion has no use for someone who can't please their partner. This all felt really uncalled for. It put a damper on my enjoyment of the book and left a bad taste. It's a shame because this had been such a cozy and fun book for me, but it ended with me feeling attacked.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Sexism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War