I have liked several of Kingfisher’s books, but the last two or three have been a bit of a let-down. She seems to be stuck in a rut, rewriting the same story about a dumpy middle-aged woman rutting furiously with a large animated sword. This worked well enough in the clocktower books, because it was only one thread among several. Swordheart was kept alive by the comedy. But now it’s just a drag.