Another great visit to the White Rat world. Halla and Sarkis are great together — they mostly survive by arguing and being mildly exasperated with each other, which honestly feels very realistic. Halla is definitely something else 😂 she reacts to magic, sword-bound warriors and repeated attempts on her life the same way she’d handle a complicated household problem… with stubborn practicality…oh and a toooon of questions. I adored Sarkis, my god this man has a lot of patience. The romance is sweet without getting cheesy, the banter is top tier. The side characters are great too. I liked Zale the priest, and the gnole. I just love Brindle. Funny, cozy, and very comforting. Kingfisher really just writes tired adults dealing with magical nonsense — and I love it. Some books have heroes. This one has competent complaining — and that’s better. -> “I will not go back to the Weeping Lands,” he said. “As long as I do not, then in my heart, they are all still there, still alive, unchanged. If I return, I will see what hundreds of years have wrought, and my heart will know that they are dead.” -> There had been no chance of victory, only courage. -> “At any rate,” he said, “if anyone asks, I trust you’ll simply do that thing you do.” “What thing?” “You know.” He waved his hand irritably. “Begin asking unexpected questions until everyone in the conversation starts doubting their senses. It’s a talent. Like some strange form of diplomacy that goes so far in the wrong direction that it comes out the other side.” -> He was a warm, solid wall behind her and somehow his presence felt like home, too. -> Zale smiled. “The world tries to break everyone,” they said gently. “But sometimes when it fails, it fails spectacularly.

I enjoyed this. Cozy fantasy is a hit or miss for me, but as I am starting to understand T. Kingfisher is not.

i absolutely adore hella and her new little family<3 low stakes and very cozy

Characters: 5/5 Plot: 3/5, mainly because the book was too long for the plot. Humour: 5/5 Audiobook narrator: 6/5. Seriously, that Scottish accent on the hero was just