A review by stargoddess
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

adventurous

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

It’s odd for a romance that the characters that will stick with me the most are not the two leads, but rather the side characters. Nevertheless, Zane and Brindle have my whole heart. I want to follow the Rat God and hear gnoll wisdom forever. As for core story, I thought the premise was interesting, but in general the pacing felt off. The first half dragged, the story felt like it was basically over at the 3/4 mark, and then suddenly a bunch of additional twists were thrown in so that the last 10% was so stuffed I felt like there wasn’t going to be time to get it all done. I enjoyed the audiobook narrator greatly and she did a lot to keep me engaged where if I had been reading on the page my attention might have wandered. Overall I think this is a enjoyable read for lovers of high fantasy but not the best representation of the genre.