CBR18 BINGO: Steal
CW for suicidality
It’s official. After reading two books by Kingfisher, getting mad that I had to go to bed because I didn’t want to put them down, and ultimately really enjoying both of them, I am now a Kingfisher fan and will be reading as much of her work as I can (most likely excluding some of the horror).
At the beginning of Swordheart, Halla is considering taking drastic action after being locked in her room for 3 days. She inherited her great uncle’s (by marriage) estate and her horrible former in-laws are trying to force her to marry one of them so they can get their hands on the money. She’s also worried that they may drug her to obtain her compliance. As she draws a sword to enact said drastic plan, a man appears. He’s Sarkis, and he’s enchanted to protect the wielder of his blade. He helps her escape and they head to the Temple of the White Rat to get legal help.
I loved Halla immediately. She’s funny and cleverer than she seems at first. I know some people found her annoying, but I never did. I liked Sarkis, but his character was a bit thin compared to the others, consisting mostly of murderousness and “Halla has excellent breasts.” The two other characters who end up joining them for part of the trip are equally enjoyable, and I would pay for a spin-off of Halla and Zale traveling around together asking questions about how everything works. There is so much humor in this book that really worked for me. I also got a taste of how Kingfisher might write horror because there was a really creepy scene at one point that absolutely induced a lot of dread.
I didn’t like this one quite as much as Nettle & Bone, but I still had a great time with it and immediately pre-ordered the sequel (due out later this month). Now to decide which one of her books is next for me . . .
