From the New York Times bestselling author comes a breathtaking fantasy of a cursed kingdom, warring clans, and unexpected salvation.
Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful and jealous chieftain, is haunted by the curse once leveled by his dying mother. Bartered, abandoned, and rarely loved, she plagued the land with her words: From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok.
… no daughters in Saylok.
Raised among the Keepers at Temple Hill, Bayr is gifted with inhuman strength. But he’s also blessed with an all-too-human heart that beats with one purpose: to protect Alba, the first girl child born in nearly two decades and the salvation for a country at risk.
Now the fate of Saylok lies with Alba and Bayr, whose bond grows deeper with every whisper of coming chaos. Charged with battling the enemies of their people, both within and without, Bayr is fueled further by the love of a girl who has defied the scourge of Saylok.
What Bayr and Alba don’t know is that they each threaten the king, a greedy man who built his throne on lies, murder, and betrayal. There is only one way to defend their land from the corruption that has overtaken it. By breaking the curse, they could defeat the king…but they could also destroy themselves.
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In Saylok daughters became mothers and sons became warriors. This is not a world where a man or woman gets much choice in their happiness. They were born into war and each day was a battle. The people of Dolphys were warriors.
Bayr of Saylok was their salvation and gifted with inhuman strength, but he was haunted by the curse given to him by his mother. Bayr’s purpose was to protect Alba. They pinned their hopes on one small girl child and placed responsibility on an orphaned temple boy.
The people of Dolphys lived in the blessed land of Saylok with six different clans. The story follows the lives of Bayr and Alba, Dagmar and Ghost, and King Banruud and Queen Alannah.
Overall:
Based upon religious beliefs and mythology in a medieval time period Amy used her imagination to create a fantastical world of keepers and warriors.
The first female birth wasn’t quite what I expected after a twenty year dry spell. I was picturing something more sinister.
My interest was an uphill battle. It was a slow building story with unexpected plot twists, yet not enough excitement to provide the energy to climb that big hill. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t seem to get myself invested in these characters. Too many times I found myself drifting away from the story unable to focus or concentrate.
I really wanted to like this more since it was written by the amazing and talented Amy Harmon, but my heart wasn’t invested in these characters. I tried so hard to understand the purpose of this curse placed upon them.
I would’ve liked a better backstory on Desdemona’s character and her relationship with Banruud. I had a difficult time understanding the love she had for him considering his behavior throughout the story. As a reader we were limited to one side of his behavior.
I liked how Amy incorporated women into the temple altering customs and traditions.
The attention to detail was splendid, yet exceedingly overdone.
My thoughts are swirling all around as I sit here trying to write this review. First and foremost I loved this story. Amy has the most amazing way of crafting a story and pulling the reader headfirst into this world she creates every time she picks up her pen.
Having read her other fantasy books, The Bird and the Sword and The Queen and the Cure, I already knew she would be taking me on a journey that would be unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The characters, the scenery, the life and culture, the beliefs and customs, all it was crafted so intricately that I lost myself in the pages of this book.
There were several characters that I absolutely fell in love with in this book and several that I despised, but that is the way of the world no matter if the story is told from a long ago past or current day. The life the characters lived in this time and place were often very unforgiving and I found myself wanting to wrap them up and keep them safe. As is often the case when reading Amy’s books, even when she is breaking your heart she does so in a way that helps you understand that this is exactly how this story has to be told and even through my tears I found myself smiling for all the things that made it such a beautifully woven tale.
I honestly would love to sit down with Amy and ask her how she comes up with these stories, not just the basic plot but ALL that comes with it like the scenery and the emotions and the pyschology of it. She writes some of the most complete tales I have ever read.
I have purposely been vague about the actual story and what occurs, and that is because you need to start this story with no preconceived notions or spoilers that could influence your opinion one way or another. Just go in blind and experience Amy’s magic roll across the pages.
Another amazing story! I so hope and pray that we will get more books from Amy and the land of Saylock!
Wonderful. This was a bit different genre for me and I totally enjoyed it. I loved the fantasy aspect and the writing was top notch. I did have trouble remember all the names and who they were. The nature of the world had them start with the same letter/sound for the same clans, which was cool. But it made it difficult for my Swiss cheese brain!
A new epic fantasy novel by Amy Harmon that bewitched me with its myths and lore, it’s character depth and development and it’s masterful eye to details that enraptured me with every page and year that went by. I loved all these flamed and wonderful characters that bleed pain and suffering, heartbreak and longing, childish love that transcends and the love a parent feels whether born of the person or chosen by fate. It was incredibly sad, yet beautiful at the same time. I cried and cried. The author created a world that I am loathe to let go of and I would be remiss to say that I would treasure the chance to greet this world again in the future. Definitely one of my top 10 reads of this year so far and I don’t see that changing. Hats off to the author, I may not have read her before, but I will definitely be checking out everything I can get my hands on!
This is a first book by this author for me and fantasy is not something that I would generally pick up to read, but I am happy that I took the plunge as I have gained a new brilliant author to follow and enjoy, and a new genre to experience more of. I will not speak of the innards of the book as the synopsis is clear to what the story is about. What I will say is that the characters and storyline will consume you and entertain your senses. It’s a artistic tale entwined with fantasy, mythological folklore and topped with a sprinkle of theology.
₮Ɇ ₣ł₴₮ ₲ł ₵łĐ is a tale that takes its time in developing its characters and setting, and in developing the story. You will want to take your time with this read and savor every word. You can’t help but to be drawn into its magic and charisma as it weaves its way into your mind.
The simplicity of it enchanting, and yet the complexity of it otherworldly. Amy Harmon’s prose is so descriptive and picturesque that I lived in the land of Saylok while reading this mystical piece of fiction and find myself visiting the story and the characters long after I have finished.
~ι ωαѕ ιηνιтє∂ ιηтσ тнє ραgєѕ αη∂ ¢συℓ∂ ησт σηℓу ιмαgιηє тнє αтмσѕρнєяє, вυт αℓℓ σƒ му ѕєηѕєѕ ωєяє ¢σℓℓє¢тινєℓу єηтι¢є∂ ƒяσм тнє νєяу ƒιяѕт ραgє тσ тнє ℓαѕт.~
The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon is just a reminder that Amy has and can write anything and the results will be outstanding.
This book hooked me right from the beginning. Fantasy is not my go to genre, but when I read Amy’s first fantasy, The Bird and the Sword, I realized what I had been missing.
The First Girl Child will take you on a mythical Norse journey where Odin is primarily worshipped and feared by the people of Saylok. The balance of Saylok’s power resides with The Keepers of the Temple and the clan chieftains.
At the onset, Saylok is cursed. “From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylock.”
Deceit and murderous greed leads to the advancement of one of the chieftains as king. As the curse continues to plague the land the clans suffer and battle to save their land while plundering others outside of their community.
A fearless boy named Bayr, known for his incredible strength, is charged with protecting the princess, the only female born to Saylok since the curse was cast.
This is all I’m going to be able to say about the story without spoilers.
This is a complex story, I wouldn’t label a “beach read”. Lots of characters (several that are pivotal, and two that are endearing to the story) and information are imbedded in this novel that is sure to stay with you for a long time to come.
The writing is phenomenal as is the tale of Saylok.
This book is just intriguing, the characters are amazing, the world built is perfect. The land of Saylok was so well described. This fantasy world you find Bayr and Alba. A couple like no other, you will find yourself reading through the years, all the mythology, Viking history, magic and so much more. It starts a bit slow but it needs to be that way, it builds an amazing new world.
Amy Harmon is one of my very favorite storytellers. This historical fantasy creates a world you feel like you could touch and see. Where the character development fell a little flat for me, I still loved each one. Desdemona with her anguish and pain, Bayr’s conflicted loyalties and struggle to find his place, Dagmar’s need to honor his sister’s sacrifice as well as heal his land and protect his religion, Alba’s undying love and devotion, Banruud with his quest for power and ruthlessness, and most of all Ghost (can’t say much because it’s too ‘spoilery’) all pull you in and leave you waiting to see what could possibly happen next. This reads like a complex bedtime story. Even though none of the characters change or grow all that much, the tale is what really drives this book. It has it all – love in many different forms, treachery, greed, loyalty, honor, faith.
If you took every genre Amy Harmon has written and you put them together you have the brilliance that is The First Girl Child. This book is easily one of my favorites by her. Amy is a go to author for me and I just don’t see that ever changing. Her writing is unparalleled for me, no matter what genre she decided to release a book in.
Like for many, the story was a bit slow in parts for me but Amy’s writing is so good that it kept me hooked and I knew just by getting to the next page that everything would pick up again. I was not wrong in that assumption. This is a very character driven story and Amy does a great job of world building around that. The different points of view truly were the concrete that kept this story solid. As the reader, we know all the secrets and are kept on the edge of our seats wondering when all would come crashing down. And come crashing down they did. From Ghost to the Highest Keeper, each character has a purpose in this book. In all honestly, I want to dive into each character for you but I want everyone that reads this book to come to their own conclusions and love (or hate) for them.
If you love historical fiction books with a little bit of magic and romance this book is for you. Amy has hinted at possibly continuing the stories in Saylok and I can tell you right now I will be first in line to read. The stories that could come out of this world could be endless but I have to admit, the daughters are where my heart lies. I’d love to follow them on the paths they decide to take. But know matter where she decided to take us or not take us, this one will go down as one I come back to.
I love, love, love anything by Amy Harmon. Saying that, fantasy books are not my favorite, but Amy Harmon wrote it, so I read it. I was blown away by the detail in this book how everything fit together. It take someone special to get me interest in a fantasy book, but that is just what Mrs. Harmon does. There is, of course, the love story(actually, there are two! yay), that keeps me reading and makes the book so much more enjoyable. But this book would still be a must read for me, even without that.
I loved all the different aspects of this book and it was very enjoyable. It is definitely a must read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.