Daggerbound – Review

Daggerbound continues to deepen the story of the warriors bound as living swords and the wielders who come to know them.

Having just recently discovered the wonderful love story that was Swordheart, I didn’t hesitate to dive into Daggerbound to see how the story would continue. Whereas the first tale focused on Sarkis, the former leader of a band of mercenaries, this new tale centers around the Dervish, one of Sarkis’s top lieutenants and the adventure he finds himself on when his own sword is unexpectedly drawn by Edmund, a scholar and priest of the Many-Armed God.

This isn’t the first story by T. Kingfisher to feature Edmund, as he previously appeared in the Clocktaur Wars duology, consisting of Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine. There are a handful of references to characters that appeared in these earlier stories, but I don’t believe you need to read them to follow what happens in Daggerbound.

It needs to be said that reading Swordheart in no way prepared me for the story of Daggerbound. The plot between the Dervish and Edmund is about as opposite from Halla and Sarkis as one can get. And yet, I think I prefer it this way. If Daggerbound were a clone of Swordheart, then it would’ve been boring. It stands to reason that different people would have different experiences after being encased in a magical sword and I appreciate that the author fully leans into this.

All of which is to say that the blossoming romance between the Dervish and Edmund is completely adorable. It’s hard to imagine two men who are more different in background and upbringing; the one is a trained mercenary, the other is a naive scholar. And yet, it’s those very differences that brings the two men together. The Dervish in particular is a wreck in more ways than one. It quickly becomes clear that he needs genuine affection, something untainted by the cynicism and pain that has dominated the Dervish’s life since being bound to a magical sword. Edmund has this in abundance and it is touching to see the Dervish slowly being brought out of his pain by Edmund’s overwhelming sincerity in everything he does.

Another thing I really like about Daggerbound is how it continues to build on the world building begun in the previous volume. We learn more about the gnoles that live alongside the humans with their own society, and they continue to be one of my favorite parts of this world. I especially enjoy how T. Kingfisher writes the gnoles to have this incredibly dry sense of humor that can pop up at the most opportune of moments.

Another excellent part of the story is how we’re continuing to learn more about the mysterious cult of the Sainted Smith, she who made Sarkis and the Dervish magic swords in the first place. While their ultimate objectives are still being kept secret for the time being, the fact they want the magic swords so badly doesn’t bode well for anyone, least of all the occupants of those swords. What makes them particularly chilling as story villains is that members of the cult could literally be anywhere. It will be interesting to see how their part of the story continues in the next installment, and given we have yet to meet the oft-mentioned Angharad, I’m certain there will be a next installment.

What I think I loved most of all though, was how Daggerbound talks about trauma and the ways to deal with it. The author provides several examples of unhealthy coping mechanisms: pretending it didn’t happen, refusing to talk about it, deciding present accomplishments don’t matter because of past issues, etc. And then came a bombshell moment when one of the main characters stated that sometimes things can’t be fixed, you just have to move on as you are (or words to that effect). And that stuck with me as one who went through a lot of mental trauma and struggled for years with how to deal with it. Hearing characters state, quite bluntly, that it’s okay to be broken and life can still go on, that really means a lot.

If you haven’t checked out T. Kingfisher before, this is an excellent time to start. I highly recommend picking up Daggerbound as quickly as possible.