Swallow, daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you won’t tell, you won’t call on heaven or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, daughter. Stay alive.
The day my mother was killed, she told my … killed, she told my father I wouldn’t speak again, and she told him if I died, he would die too. Then she predicted the king would sell his soul and lose his son to the sky.
My father has a claim to the throne, and he is waiting in the shadows for all of my mother’s words to come to pass. He wants desperately to be king, and I just want to be free.
But freedom will require escape, and I’m a prisoner of my mother’s curse and my father’s greed. I can’t speak or make a sound, and I can’t wield a sword or beguile a king. In a land purged of enchantment, love might be the only magic left, and who could ever love . . . a bird?
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Having read her more contemporary works, I was a bit hesitant going in because this seemed like a leap from her previous works—but I was pleasantly surprised!
It’s truly a breathtaking tale written with words that evoke vivd imagery with an undertone of a fairy tale and crossover with paranormal aspects like shapeshifting. Intrigue didn’t drag on, twists and turns done just right, and a love story to keep voracious romance readers like myself content. Overall, I highly enjoyed this and would absolutely recommend the read
I so rarely pick up an epic fantasy these days that isn’t part of a series that it was refreshing to read The Bird and the Sword , enjoy it, and not feel like I was going to be strung along for the next 6-10 years waiting for all of the threads to be tied up. I’ve read a couple of Amy Harmon’s contemporary fiction novels (A Different Blue and Making Faces ) and and liked them as well.
(Standalone) (Protagonist with Secret Ability) (Court Intrigue) (Tightly Plotted) (Characters Written with Empathy)
I adore Amy Harmon, and the fantasy genre is one of my favorites…but the combination of the two in The Bird and the Sword had its ups and downs for me. Breathtaking writing, engaging romance, characters with fascinating curses/gifts, world-building that I liked but didn’t quite love, and a plethora of rhymes that unfortunately started grating on my nerves. See? Ups and downs, but mostly ups I’ll admit. I liked The Bird and the Sword. I’ll read a sequel if one is written/released. I’m happy to recommend this fantasy novel to others. I’m a full-time supporter of the miracle that is Amy Harmon and that will never change. Check out Ms. Harmon’s first full-fantasy novel and see how you like it. Enjoy!
My favorite quote:
“Maybe the secret to happiness is simplicity.”
I think my heart just melted and is still in a little romantic puddle at my feet.
The writing is captivating and is so beautifully woven that it’s going to be a book I know I’ll revisit.
Even with their vulnerabilities, the way the author portrays their strengths – despite the barriers they face – made it impossible not to love the MCs.
As a reader – realising the characters are in love before they do is something that always draws me in and whilst I can’t say that the King treated Lark as a person rather than a pawn in the beginning, I can say that the slight nuances in how he communicated with her over time had me feeling all warm and fuzzy.
Saying more would spoil the book I think.
If you’re a fan of Grace Draven or love a good fantasy romance that emotionally ruins you – I reccomend this book!
Loved this very original book; the Queen and the Cure is amazing too!
I don’t really read fantasy. Ask Queen J. When I told her I was in the mood for fantasy, she marked it on the calendar. I’m telling you this so you understand the gravity of this review. I LOVED this book. I was enthralled. I was entranced. I was obsessed. I could not put this book down. Amy Harmon sucked me in with her beautiful writing and kept me with her imaginative and exciting kingdom. A fantastical novel than even non-fantasy lovers will enjoy.
This is such a gorgeous book. The world Harmon creates is delectable, especially for those who love WORDS. I’m not typically a big fantasy or PNR reader but this is just absolutely wonderful. Read it.
Just an okay fantasy but I did like the characters.
“He was beautiful and terrifying and he knew it.”
I will keep this SPOILER free and TRY to explain how this book made me feel. The Bird and the Sword had a very historical feeling combined with Fantasy and romance. It was the perfect combination in my eyes because I adore all three genres. I was hooked from the sentence on. Amy Harmon is such a phenomenal author that has written amazing books and this book can be added to the list. This book in my opinion was a homerun.
“You are easy to overlook. Slim and pale and so quiet. But now that I’ve studied your soft grey eyes and traced the fine bones of your face, now that I’ve kissed your pale pink mouth, I don’t want to look anywhere else. My gaze is continually drawn back to you.”
This book is told completely from Lark’s POV. She is a prisoner in her own home. Nobody knows what is going on in her mind and she is lonely. Then there is King Tiras he was just like Lark very mysterious. I loved seeing how they interacted and how that grew over time. Seeing them grow as individuals and together was very beautiful. There were a couple of twists in this book, some of them I predicted and others came as a surprise. It definitely added another magical layer to the story. There were a couple of chapters that had me sad and teary-eyed. I just didn’t know what would happen. The author kept me on the edge of my chair!
“I said once that you are like ice. And you are. Silver and perfect…glistening.”
I enjoyed everything about this book and wouldn’t change a thing except wishing it was LONGER! I just couldn’t get enough and I really hope this is not the last we have seen of this world and characters. There is one character that needs his story told and I really hope he will get his own book. Stand-alones are my favorite but I wish this book was part of a series because I need more! I tried to keep it as general as possible because the best way to enjoy this book is to go in blind.
So, I just want to say that my expectations for this book were extremely high as it was self published and a close runner up for the Goodreads Choice Awards, to me that means it’s basically like the Katnis Everdeen of books. And for the most part–it met my expectations. I’ve never read an Amy Harmon book before but she’s definitely come across my radar with her many hits. Anywho, even coming in with exponentially high expectations, this book rocked my world and took me on a ride.
The opening chapter is great in scene setting, we have a medieval type world with an oppressive king and country, a forbiddance of magic, and a magical child who is innocently out of control. The expected happens (at least for anyone whose read the blurb) and the tragic stage is truly set.
I’m a big fan of flawed characters who have been tempered in adversity, and Lark truly is. Her inability to talk and the complexity of her family dynamics create a very hard home situation with her–though she’s still headstrong, kind and ethical (but I didn’t find her too “Mary Sue”).
I very much relate to a person who has lost their voice, I’m not going to get too personal here but there was a one-year period when I was a child where I had a really hard time talking to people. It was like I was cooped up in my head. Losing your voice is losing your power, and in Lark’s case in more way than one, I found her resilience showed a beautiful and inspiring strength of character.
Enter Tiras, the love interest, king, and very much a political animal. I actually liked him quite a bit, he had his own demons, struggles, and intense personality. Unfortunately, what didn’t work for me was their romance. While I appreciated them both as individuals and wanted to love them as a relationship, I more felt that I was told that they fell in love than I fell in love with them. But I’m not going to focus on the negatives here because while this was unfortunate, I still loved every moment of this book despite not really feeling the romance.
The magic system was well constructed to the point of being visceral. I just love books that use words entwined with their magic. It’s definitely not the common magic system, and I felt the magic in a tangible way in the story. Well done!
I loved the twists, while most were not all that unexpected, they definitely had a feeling of rightness and of refreshing truth about the nature of bullies. I did not see the big twist in the end and I pride myself on ferreting these things out so I was very impressed!!
Overall, this was a fantastic book with characters in the throes of a beautiful and terrible world and magical system.
I loved this book. Lark watch her mother be killed when she was 5 for using magic and with her last breath she placed a spell on her to never speak again until the moment is right. From that moment on all she ever wanted was to belong and be loved. Her father keeps her locked up as best he can until one day she is caught by the king, the son of the man who killed her mother and taken away to the castle as a hostage. From there she begins a journey filled with mystery, danger, friendship, love and self discovery. I highly recommend this book, it’s difficult to put down.
I’ve read a handful of Amy Harmon’s titles and she has surprised me before, but this one caught me off-guard in the best possible way. I was not expecting to be transported so easily to a different world and pulled so deeply into such an epic tale. If you enjoyed Fable or Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, the Woven in Moonlight duology by Isabel Ibañez, or A Cloud of Outrageous Blue by Vesper Stamper, you are sure to fall in love with this title.
I really enjoyed this story. I wasn’t completely sure if I was getting an epic fantasy or a romance when I downloaded it so imagine my smile when I realized it was both. The fantasy part of the story was sometimes a bit hard to follow with how everything worked and I felt like the main character did a lot of wavering in what she wanted but since it was book one in a grand world building adventure and since the character in question was so young I’m letting both of those things slide. The story itself made up for the small irregularities in characterization with wild adventure and heart pounding danger and of course the love story that had me alternately crying and smiling. I can’t wait to read the second book and see what happens with the brother we met in this story.
5 Stars. “Daughter, daughter, Jeru’s daughter, wait for him, his heart is true. Daughter, daughter, Jeru’s daughter, til the hour he comes for you.” . . . Beautiful story. Incredible, lyrical writing. Characters that lived, breathed & charmed—especially the heroine Lark. Magical, emotional story line. Lush romance. Such a talented author! Plus a perfect narrator. Once I started this story, I was compelled to put other things aside & finish it. So glad I did!
“Swallow, daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you won’t tell, you won’t call on heaven or hell. You will learn and you will thrive.
Silence, daughter. Stay alive.”,
This book …. WOW! I LOVED it!! It is a magical, fantastical escape from reality and yet with enough real emotion to pierce you and bring it to life. My attention was riveted at the gorgeous epigraph:
“For the word is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. Piercing, even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow. It is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.”
……and I was held, a willing captive, until the last words of the entirely perfect ending. This is a lush and lyrically written fantasy/romance novel that delivered with the best of both genres. Amy Harmon writes with such depth. She details the characters emotions so poignantly and exquisitely that there are moments when the words simply stab you and leave you breathless:
“You were not supposed to love me. I did not set out to make you love me. And I was not supposed to love you. But… I have loved you every moment of every day, and I will love you until I cease to be. Bird, man, or king, I love you, and I will always love you.”
There is just so much to love about this book; the beautiful and poetic prose, those wonderfully developed characters that make you love them even when you hate them a little bit at times, the perfect blend of fantasy and romance, and that glorious epilogue that brings everything to a stunningly blissful end. Bravo Amy Harmon, bravo.
The Bird and the Sword got me out of a major book slump. It’s sweet and sharp, and the characters grow to know and love one another in the most realistic yet surprising way. It’s one of those books I want to keep reading the rest of my life.
There hasn’t been an Amy Harmon book I haven’t liked. This is the first in a two book series, both were excellent fantasies with great characters, descriptive images, lots of imagination to be had!
This book is one of my absolute favorites, and I love to read! Truly original plot and very wonderful characters and world building. I plan on reading this again!
What a Wonderful Woven Tale of life! Enchanting from the first page to the last! Hooked… !
I would give the writing 10 stars. This book was written in first person and it takes an amazing writer to make a book interesting, deep, flowing and exciting through one persons eyes, especially if that person can’t talk. I was a little worried we were going to spend the whole book inside her head, I was blown away by this book. I couldn’t put it down and was up late into the night finishing it. I loved Lark she was an amazing complex beautiful character and I was hooked in the first pages. The story and the land were done well. You got a feel of this world without world building and details that bog a book down. The love story was powerful and beautiful and so well done. This is an adult book, it makes me sad I found it in the Young adult section, the main characters are adults.
Spoilers:
Violence: There is fighting and war with monsters. The monsters are flesh eating flying creatures. There is deaths by swords and mention of deaths by being drug by horses, hands cutting off. A race of people are hunted because of powers they have. The violence is not described in detail and is not too vivid, there is two battle scenes that have the most violence.
Swearing: none
Sexual content: This book has a PG13 feel. There is a marriage and a sex scene that is lightly detailed, but it is more about what is going on inside them then outside. It’s on the steamy side and not ok for younger readers. There is a couple more mentions of intimacy between them.
REREAD- 5-1-17
I had to reread this to prepare for the second book that is coming out this month. I am very excited about it. I still love this book so much. The fantasy element is just a little much toward the end I think it is because this author has never done a novel other then reality. So fun to read again:}
REREAD__9/19 Just because it is so good and I love it so much:} One of my top fav books.