A young woman is both a bard—and a warrior—in this thrilling historical fantasy from the author of the Sevenwaters novels.Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and is a rare talent on the harp. But Liobhan’s burning ambition is to join the elite warrior band on Swan Island. She and her brother train there to … brother train there to compete for places, and find themselves joining a mission while still candidates. Their unusual blend of skills makes them ideal for this particular job, which requires going undercover as traveling minstrels. For Swan Island trains both warriors and spies.
Their mission: to find and retrieve a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone missing. If the instrument is not played at the upcoming coronation, the candidate will not be accepted and the kingdom will be thrown into disarray. Faced with plotting courtiers and tight-lipped druids, an insightful storyteller, and a boorish Crown Prince, Liobhan soon realizes an Otherworld power may be meddling in the affairs of the kingdom. When ambition clashes with conscience, Liobhan must make a bold decision—and the consequences may break her heart.
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What an enjoyable start to this series! I can’t wait to read more. Though this one was a bit light on the romance, there was enough intrigue in the plot to keep me reading and enough hints that things will probably be picking up in the romance department in the next book.
I really enjoyed Libohan and Dau’s stories and I’m super invested in seeing not only how they grow as individuals, but also how their relationship grows. I was a little slower to warm up to Brocc, but his story has taken some interesting twists and turns (that are reminding me a bit of Ciaran for those who have read the Sevenwaters series). I’m curious to see how exactly his story ends, though I don’t entirely trust Eirne.
As always, Juliet Marillier creates a rich world for her characters and I enjoyed the spy/warrior focus this book took. As is typical for Marillier, she doesn’t shy away from heavy and at times hard topics or situations, and there are some covered in this book. However, I did feel like they were handled well.
Also, part of me hopes we’ll see more of Juniper, her and Storm were two of my favorite secondary characters!
CW: Assault, Violence, Violent death of an animal (not shown, but discussed, though certainly not glorified in any way)
An exceptional fantasy, The Harp of Kings has both incredible pacing and marvelous complex characters. It begins one way, establishing the characters, their dynamics, and the world they are in and steadily evolves into a tale of politics, mysterious intrigue, and magic. At first, it seems as though the novel is going to be more historical rather than fantasy, but once the fae folk sneaks into the story, the plot thickens, bringing to life the tension and complex characters. It gives the story and character something fantastical to contend with as they embark on this undercover mission that challenges how they see themselves and brings up memories for all the characters to evolve them.
The story itself builds up the world and the plot simultaneously, creating an engaging story for the reader. It starts by introducing the reader to the characters and their dynamics with one another, establishing the tension between them to give the reader an idea of what they think of one another while also reflecting the perspective and personality of the characters. There is depth to the characters that allow them to be relatable while balancing off one another perfectly. The story also challenges the perceptions of the characters and trains them to be better people.
To watch the characters grow within the restrictions set upon them by their masters shows masterful writing. It works so well with the pacing of the novel. There are so many intricacies of the novel, so many elements that give the story depth. The fantasy element, while not present all the time, lingers on the pages and gives the story, it has the perfect balance of fiction and fantasy to breathe life into the novel and the characters. The development of the characters and plot is exceptional.
I simply adore Juliet Marillier’s story telling. This is a beautiful book and the characters are beautifully imagined and written.
I hope this is the first of many books in this series.
Title: The Harp of Kings
Author: Juliet Marillier
Genre: Dramatic Epic Fantasy
**RECEIVED ARC FOR HONEST REVIEW**
This was not my first read by this author and I have to say it wasn’t my favorite. It wasn’t horrible or overly bad it was just a struggle for me. I thought it may be because a review I read was all about how it was not female centric and they wanted more fantasy novels to be female centric. Here’s the thing: yes this is a fantasy novel but it is set in history in what is essentially Ireland. It is based during a time when women were not dominant except in certain aspects or in other parts of the culture that had yet to conform to more “modern” times. I live for a strong heroine but we have to remember the storyline and frankly the author did a great job pulling off the integration of history and fantasy. Our heroes and heroine are finding themselves and that is what this book is about. Learning who they truly are and being okay with being themselves.
But…the synopsis talks mainly of Liobhan who wants to be an assassin. I feel she connected less with herself than Brocc or Dau. I felt more empathy towards these guys than the main girl. Maybe this is the female centric criticism and why I really didn’t connect with the story. Plus, I would have liked a little romance. Overall decent characters and I love the history and myth. 3.5 stars but I bumped it to 4.
A novel by Juliet Marillier
In Liobhan’s world, three elements predominate; her music, her passion for mayhem, and her love for her brother Brocc. Together the two of them have taken training at Swan Island in hope of becoming part of that most famous warrior clan.
But fate has a part to play here. Just as they are nearing completion of their battle drills Liobhan, Brocc and the sour-faced Dau are tapped to join a secret mission. The Swan Island Warriors have been hired by the Regent of Breifne to find the fey enchanted Harp of Kings which has mysteriously vanished. Further, they must do so without the common folk learning that it is missing. Led by their chief trainer, Archu, Liobhan, and Brocc will travel to Breifne disguised as musicians. Separately, Dau and another Swan Island veteran will ride there posing as a farrier and his mute assistant. It is a long and dangerous journey. Before them, a haunted wood, encounters with fey folk, a mystery wrapped in magic and a Crown Prince not worthy of the name. Can they unravel the mystery of the harp’s disappearance before summers eve? The days to do so are few.
Author Juliet Marillier, in “The Harp of Kings,” has given us a winning story of war, mystery, magic, music, melancholy and romance. Particularly noteworthy was the interplay between Eirne, Queen of the Fey Folk and Brocc, which had a bit of magic to it. Less stellar was the growing, like mold on a muffin, attraction between Liobhan and Dau. Both were more interesting as competitors. I sincerely think that the story could be significantly improved if Liobhan humbled the stiff at least once. That said, I recommend this novel to anyone who loves YA tales with a bit of Irish magic.
My thanks to ACE, Berkley, Penguin Random House LLC, and NetGalley for the uncorrected ebook file upon which I based this review.
Before I start, I would like to thank Ace publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel in exchange for a review in my own words and of my own volition.
Being Irish gave me the desire to read this and I’m very glad I did. Meeting Liobhan, Brocc and Dau was a new experience for me since I’ve never read any of Juliet Marillier’s books. She builds very convincing characters that are easy to like, or dislike, and that is one of the first things that will make a difference to me. We got to watch each character grow in ways unexpected, and were allowed to know their backstories which gave them extra depth. I came out liking Dau more than I expected to, which was very well done.
Second is the world building. I felt like I was in old Ireland, and that’s somewhere I would have loved to have been alive to visit.
And third is I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple POV of the book. I liked hearing it all from each of their views. Made for a much richer story.
With bards and warriors and missing swords, this novel has it all. Knowing this is just book one is also exciting because that means there will be more.. And after reading this, I now know I need to go back and read her previous series. She has a style I enjoy, and I really want to know more about this world and its people.
So, thank you Ace Publishing and NetGalley. I may never have looked at this book without you, and now I’m very grateful that I have.
Engrossing tale of 3 young warriors-in-training, sent on a special mission to recover a special harp used during a king’s coronation. Full of adventure, an element of fantasy, and a tender look at how a good person can survive persecution and neglect by their own family and grow up into strong, caring people.
We watch the story unfold from the perspective of each of the three young people, adding a richness to the story. I appreciated how layer by layer the author uncovered the deeper person of each of the warriors, giving a wonderful depth of character to each of the three. The story ends at a convenient point, the recovery of the harp and the return home, leaving room for new books to develop from that point on for each of the characters. I look forward to reading further books about the interesting characters we met in this book.
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley. My review is voluntary.
First, I would like to thank Ace publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
But, I bought a print version to read anyway. This is THE Juliet Marillier we are talking about! I own everything she has ever published, and this novel now proudly joins the others in my collection.
This novel is the first in the Warrior Bards series. If you have not yet read Marillier’s Blackthorn and Grim series, ANY review of these books will be a bit of a spoiler for you. (However, this review does NOT contain any spoilers of this particular novel. If you do not plan to read the Blackthorn and Grim series, feel safe to proceed.)
**4.5/5 stars**
About 20 years after Blackthorn and Grim’s adventures in the previous series, we meet their daughter and son Liobhan and Brocc. Both have joined the elite warrior training program at Swan Island and are competing for the chance to remain on the island as a permanent part of the team. They are at the top of their class and have steep competition from classmate Dau. Despite being trainees, the particular skills of Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau earn them a place on a real mission. Liobhan and Brocc, both accomplished musicians, will act as traveling bards, while Dau must play the role of a mute stablehand. Together, they must discover what has happened to the revered Harp of Kings before the coronation of the prince.
As always, Marillier writes powerful female characters. Liobhan, taking after her father in stature, is a strong woman who can easily win at hand to hand combat against any man, but in her role for the mission, she must suppress these qualities. Although this is not marketed as a Young Adult novel, it would be a fantastic and empowering read (and appropriate in content) for a teenage girl or young woman (unlike the Blackthorn and Grim series, which contains violent scenes and references).
Even when you think you have the ending of a Marillier novel figured out, she will always surprise you. This book is no different. She has woven yet another beautiful web of fantasy and mystery and adventure. The development of the three main characters is exceptional. I don’t know how I will cope while waiting for the next installment in this series!
#netgalley #theharpofkings
This big-hearted novel completely transported me to the wonder and enchantment of ancient Ireland — and its resonance lingered long after the final page.
This is a clever book with interesting main characters whose points of view are different from each other in a way that never lets you forget whose POV chapter you’re on.