Title: Daggerbound
Series: Swordheart, #2
Author: T. Kingfisher
Publisher: Bramble
Publication date: August 25, 2026
Length: 436 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Rating:
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.
T. Kingfisher’s fantasy novels are always a delight, and this sequel to Swordheart is every bit as wonderful as I’d expected it to be! Swordheart told the story of Sarkis, a man condemned to immortality while bound to a sword and whoever wields it. Here in Daggerbound, we pick up the story with the Dervish, one of Sarkis’s two fellow soldiers sentenced to the same fate.
As the story opens, Learned Edmund, a scholar and dedicate of the Many-Armed God, is leaving his temple to transport books and an ancient sword to recipients in a distant city. His temple doesn’t know, however, that he’s taking this opportunity to leave his religious order behind, having grown disillusioned from years of pushing for progress and change. Edmund’s journey does not go well — set upon by bandits, he accidentally unsheathes the sword, and is astonished by the appearance of what he at first takes to be an angel — a ridiculously handsome man with silver markings who appears out of nowhere in a flash of silver and proceeds to dispatch the men assaulting Edmund.
The man is no angel — it’s the Dervish, a man bound to the sword and forced to serve whoever wields it, compelled by the sword’s magic to defend his wielder, if need be at the cost of his own life. Of course, being immortal, he can only be temporarily dead, and some time spent back inside the sword heals him up again.
The Dervish is gorgeous, fierce, and angry, and is tormented by memories of the anguish he suffered at the hands of a particularly sadistic former wielder. He’s understandably irritated to find himself bound to yet another wielder, but quickly comes to see that Edmund is very different from those he’s served before. Edmund is a scholar, who only wishes to learn and apply his knowledge to helping others. He’s not interested in personal power or glory, and doesn’t wish to manipulate Dervish, and in fact agrees to help him figure out if there’s a way to break the curse and free him from his immortal, sword-bound existence.
As the pair travel onward, they acquire some highly unusual companions, find themselves in a variety of dangerous situations, and must fight their way out of more than one trap. The more time they spend together, the more evident it becomes that there’s something beyond a wielder/sword dynamic going on here — despite Dervish constantly reminding himself that Edmund is not his type.
Dervish is a fantastic character. His blend of hardened toughness and self-assuredness make him a formidable opponent for anyone who even looks like they might threated Edmund, and his ego — especially about his astonishing good looks — is never not hilarious. And yet, the terrible memories from his former wielder rise to the surface at unpredictable moments, revealing his unhealed psychic wounds and leaving him emotionally vulnerable.
Dervish and Edmund have a fabulous dynamic — opposites in so many ways, they find a deep appreciation for one another, and come to realize just how much they care and are willing to risk to keep the other person safe.
Other characters are also quite memorable (I won’t go into specifics — it’s so much fun to discover them on your own!), and having key characters from Swordheart join the adventure later in the book feels like meeting up with old friends.
Daggerbound is a wonderful follow-up to Swordheart. I loved being back in the world of this series, and enjoyed every twist and turn, every dangerous escapade and every tender moment. Daggerbound‘s love story is humorous, charming, and quite beautiful, and the characters are terrific, together and on their own.
I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book in the series. Book #3, which will focus on the third person cursed alongside Sarkis and Dervish, is scheduled for release in August 2027 — much too far away from now!
Daggerbound succeeds as a sequel to Swordheart and as a terrific fantasy adventure story. Another outstanding book from an incredibly talented author. Highly recommended.
A note on the audiobook edition:
Narrator: Jesse Vilinsky
Released: 2026
Audio length: 16 hours 9 minutes
I enjoyed the audio version of Swordheart so much that I opted to go the same route with Daggerbound, and I’m so glad that I did. Once again, narrator Jesse Vilinsky knocks it out of the park with her excellent character voices and expressive storytelling.
Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
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