Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher – Review

Published: August 25, 2026

Publisher: Bramble

Series: Swordheart #2

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 448 (Kindle)

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher returns to the charming fantasy world of Swordheart in this delightful and unexpected new romantic adventure.

Learned Edmund, a disillusioned scholar, is transporting yet another precious relic from one stuffy temple to a different stuffy temple. Another great adventure for the ages…

But when Edmund is set upon by bandits, in desperation, he breaks the cardinal rule and grabs for the relic, an ancient sword. To his surprise, instead of unsheathing a rusty, ancient weapon, an alarmingly handsome man appears, wielding daggers of blue steel and cutting the thieves down.

This man is the Dervish, an immortal warrior who’s been trapped for centuries in a sword of enchanted steel, and is angry as hell about it. He hates the curse that put him there, and he wants to hate Edmund, just as he has hated every wielder before him.

But the damned scholar is just so sweet and clever and kind. And while the Dervish may be able to protect Edmund from bandits, cultists, dragons, and strange inhuman diplomats, he may find it much harder to protect his own heart.

Daggerbound is the long awaited sequel to Swordheart, where I began my T. Kingfisher journey, and it’s nice to come full circle and return to this particular portion of the world of the White Rat.

This particular installment follows Learned Edmund, who you may remember from the Clocktaur War duology. Edmund is leaving the temple on one final journey before he disappears and becomes a scholar somewhere less… backward. Right as he begins his journey he’s set upon by bandits and he accidentally draws the sword he’s transporting, thus releasing the Dervish. Dervish is quite determined to let him die because he hates his immortal fate and all the wielders he’s had, on principle. Dervish does save him and they pick up a ragtag group during their travels to Archon’s Glory. Somewhat humorous misfortune plagues them the whole way there, and boy, does it take them awhile to get where they’re going.

While I do love both Learned Edmund and Dervish and their reluctantly budding feelings toward one another, my one true love here is Large Francis. First off, how could you not love a character named Large Francis? Second, Large Francis is a giant sentient pillbug that uses a weird gramophone-like device to communicate. She’s a scholar you see, and she’s on a diplomatic mission but got a little waylaid. As with all good White Rat stories, there’s a gnoll character too. Dog Violet gets rescued alongside Large Francis when Edmund and Dervish get captured by a group of bandits.

While this particular story has plenty of exciting bits, the first half is plagued by the interminable feeling of a journey on foot. And yes, the action bits are fun! But at this point Edmund and Dervish aren’t all that friendly, aside from their own conflicted thoughts for one another. Now, the last part of the book really picks up the pace and gets very exciting. We also get several characters from other books in this world making appearances and it was good fun.

This was not my favorite of the White Rat stories, as that award would go to either Swordheart or Paladin’s Faith, but I always love returning to this world. I also love the concept of the sword warriors like Dervish and can’t wait for the inevitable third installment that will follow Angharad. I did end up loving Edmund and Dervish, though they certainly took their time coming to terms with feelings, pasts, and possible futures!