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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I love this book from Amy Harmon. This is my second reading of the book. Not overkill on the romance and not overkill on the fantasy. I love the connection made between biblical truths and the world-building. That might be a stretch. She references scriptures from the bible. That's all.
Have you ever just started a book and known you were going to love it? That is this book, beautiful right from the start all the way to the finish. Beautiful and romantic and powerful. The power of words. ❤️ so much. Amazing author!
Aw, damn.
That started off with such promise. Curses, secrets, murder--all surrounding a wee little girl and her forbidden powers. Things come back into focus many years later when the wee girl is now a young lady; though she has no voice due to her own mother's last words, a curse, she is attuned to the voice of the forest around her and all the creatures found within it. When she discovers a wounded eagle in her wood, she feels compelled to ease its suffering as much she can. Thus our story kicks off, complete with a prince, war, and intrigue.
Too bad about halfway through the supposed "romance" began to ooze through. Like, what girl doesn't want to hear this from her prince charming?
Why do I have to be taught?
‘‘Because you just said you know nothing about being a queen. Because I am king. And because it is your duty to please me.’’
Ugh, barf! Not only that, but this romantic interlude comes after a heated battle in which our heroine kicks major ass. She is deeply troubled by the fact that she is basically being used as a weapon; our prince doesn't care, and with a few of these romantic lines tosses her way--well, hey! I guess I'll just forget all about my moral dilemma, I mean I get to be queen so it's fine, right?
I was willing to overlook some of the minor plot quirks up till this point, but I just couldn't do it after that. I like characters to have a bit more spine than that--insta-love doesn't change all the bad bits that she was feeling before that. And any girl who doesn't run from a guy dripping with antiquated sexism, well... more power to ya, but not my cuppa tea!
That started off with such promise. Curses, secrets, murder--all surrounding a wee little girl and her forbidden powers. Things come back into focus many years later when the wee girl is now a young lady; though she has no voice due to her own mother's last words, a curse, she is attuned to the voice of the forest around her and all the creatures found within it. When she discovers a wounded eagle in her wood, she feels compelled to ease its suffering as much she can. Thus our story kicks off, complete with a prince, war, and intrigue.
Too bad about halfway through the supposed "romance" began to ooze through. Like, what girl doesn't want to hear this from her prince charming?
Why do I have to be taught?
‘‘Because you just said you know nothing about being a queen. Because I am king. And because it is your duty to please me.’’
Ugh, barf! Not only that, but this romantic interlude comes after a heated battle in which our heroine kicks major ass. She is deeply troubled by the fact that she is basically being used as a weapon; our prince doesn't care, and with a few of these romantic lines tosses her way--well, hey! I guess I'll just forget all about my moral dilemma, I mean I get to be queen so it's fine, right?
I was willing to overlook some of the minor plot quirks up till this point, but I just couldn't do it after that. I like characters to have a bit more spine than that--insta-love doesn't change all the bad bits that she was feeling before that. And any girl who doesn't run from a guy dripping with antiquated sexism, well... more power to ya, but not my cuppa tea!
The Bird and the Sword follows the life and personal growth of Lark, a young lady cursed with muteness as a child to halt her burgeoning magic powers in a kingdom that reviles magic. Because her father is traitorous to the crown, Lark ends up being taken hostage by the king to remain in his care indefinitely. During this time, Lark not only comes into her own magically – in spite of her muteness – with the aid of the king, she too helps him with his greatest personal challenge, which further helps both herself and the entire kingdom in the process.
This book is almost like fairy tale in both its execution and its tone. While its worldbuilding is simplistic – a standard medieval setting painted in only the broadest of strokes – the story contained an interesting verbal system of magic with its four core abilities that provided unique challenges and opportunities for the mute main character.
As a character, Lark is a somewhat fey, lovely, healer type, but she also possesses a determination and sense of duty that makes her likeable and relatable. This book contains romance, however the romantic chase and (success) isn't the whole point of the story. Rather, it's resolved fairly early to instead focus on King Tiras and his problem, which was easy to initially guess but had a resolution that was difficult to predict.
In addition, the book featured a growing war with a hoard supernatural enemies, succession politics, a dissatisfied royal council – at times for its own grasping self-interest, at times out of genuine concern for the kingdom – ongoing calls for the destruction of all wielders of magic, a surprising twist at the climax, beautifully figurative writing that sent up mental images like fireworks, and a tidy ending that fit every introduced concept together like a puzzle. All of this made The Bird and the Sword a charming fantasy story that at the same time had some very real things to say about the oppressive treatment often faced by those who are different.
This book is almost like fairy tale in both its execution and its tone. While its worldbuilding is simplistic – a standard medieval setting painted in only the broadest of strokes – the story contained an interesting verbal system of magic with its four core abilities that provided unique challenges and opportunities for the mute main character.
As a character, Lark is a somewhat fey, lovely, healer type, but she also possesses a determination and sense of duty that makes her likeable and relatable. This book contains romance, however the romantic chase and (success) isn't the whole point of the story. Rather, it's resolved fairly early to instead focus on King Tiras and his problem, which was easy to initially guess but had a resolution that was difficult to predict.
In addition, the book featured a growing war with a hoard supernatural enemies, succession politics, a dissatisfied royal council – at times for its own grasping self-interest, at times out of genuine concern for the kingdom – ongoing calls for the destruction of all wielders of magic, a surprising twist at the climax, beautifully figurative writing that sent up mental images like fireworks, and a tidy ending that fit every introduced concept together like a puzzle. All of this made The Bird and the Sword a charming fantasy story that at the same time had some very real things to say about the oppressive treatment often faced by those who are different.
Amy is one of those rare, gifted authors who is a storyteller. Her words weave thru your head and create pictures to make you feel as though you are living the story. My heart broken for Lark many times, but she is anything but a weak female character. Tiras, although at first maybe portrayed to be a jerk, is actually the furthest thing possible. This book is a must read for everyone. Five stars are not enough.
This was a fantastic fairy tale. Beautiful writing and story. Very NA though, with a Zero cock count, but you didn't need it; the story was that good.
Re-read 06/2023: Still good, although the ending felt a little rushed.
Original Review
A cursed young woman finds love in a warring kingdom in this new adult romance.
While I’ve owned this book for several months, the synopsis never really grabbed my attention. It fell into my “someday” pile rather than my “right now” pile of books. Someday finally arrived! This book fit perfectly into my fantasy romance kick this summer.
The story revolves around Lark, a woman unable to talk due to the curse placed on her. Her eagerness to communicate with others is heart warming, especially her desire to learn new words despite her disability. Her romance with Tiras is built steadily with attraction, friendship, and sweet romance. The other characters all provide a wonderful foil to her and Tiras.
While the setting is well constructed, the plot seems overly convoluted. Many fantasy elements are used to move the plot forward, but some elements work better than others. Despite the occasional jarring moment, it’s a fun, well-written fantasy romance. I’ll certainly be checking out the author’s other books.
tl;dr A strong heroine, sweet romance, and interesting setting make this a fun read.
Original Review
A cursed young woman finds love in a warring kingdom in this new adult romance.
While I’ve owned this book for several months, the synopsis never really grabbed my attention. It fell into my “someday” pile rather than my “right now” pile of books. Someday finally arrived! This book fit perfectly into my fantasy romance kick this summer.
The story revolves around Lark, a woman unable to talk due to the curse placed on her. Her eagerness to communicate with others is heart warming, especially her desire to learn new words despite her disability. Her romance with Tiras is built steadily with attraction, friendship, and sweet romance. The other characters all provide a wonderful foil to her and Tiras.
While the setting is well constructed, the plot seems overly convoluted. Many fantasy elements are used to move the plot forward, but some elements work better than others. Despite the occasional jarring moment, it’s a fun, well-written fantasy romance. I’ll certainly be checking out the author’s other books.
tl;dr A strong heroine, sweet romance, and interesting setting make this a fun read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
RATINGS
Overall: 4.9/5
Characters: 4.8/5
Plot: 4/5
Chemistry: 3.8/5
Spice: 0.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
MAIN CHARACTERS - Lark & Tiras
SYNOPSIS - A young girl with the ability to give power with her words loses her voice after her mother is killed by the king for having magical abilities which are forbidden in their kingdom. As she grows up and becomes a woman, she is taken hostage by Tiras, the former king's son, to Jura as a means of ensuring her father sends troops to the war effort. But Tiras's motives may not simply be political despite being burdened with a crown he never wanted and an obligation to protect their kingdom at any cost. Lark's role may have originally been a simple pawn, but now that she's enveloped into their world and secrets, she finds herself playing a much bigger part in protecting the realm.
REVIEW - This was a re-read for me and I loved it as much as I did the first time. I tend to enjoy silent MCs because they have to shine in a new way to be understood and heard. Lark is written beautifully in her passion as well as her loneliness. Tiras's tragic situation felt palpable and heartbreaking. The plot wrapped up a little rushed at the end but I didn't feel too badly about it instead enjoying the path getting there with each interaction between the two.
WOULD I RECOMMEND - Definitely.
Overall: 4.9/5
Characters: 4.8/5
Plot: 4/5
Chemistry: 3.8/5
Spice: 0.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
MAIN CHARACTERS - Lark & Tiras
SYNOPSIS - A young girl with the ability to give power with her words loses her voice after her mother is killed by the king for having magical abilities which are forbidden in their kingdom. As she grows up and becomes a woman, she is taken hostage by Tiras, the former king's son, to Jura as a means of ensuring her father sends troops to the war effort. But Tiras's motives may not simply be political despite being burdened with a crown he never wanted and an obligation to protect their kingdom at any cost. Lark's role may have originally been a simple pawn, but now that she's enveloped into their world and secrets, she finds herself playing a much bigger part in protecting the realm.
REVIEW - This was a re-read for me and I loved it as much as I did the first time. I tend to enjoy silent MCs because they have to shine in a new way to be understood and heard. Lark is written beautifully in her passion as well as her loneliness. Tiras's tragic situation felt palpable and heartbreaking. The plot wrapped up a little rushed at the end but I didn't feel too badly about it instead enjoying the path getting there with each interaction between the two.
WOULD I RECOMMEND - Definitely.
It was nice
There was nothing wrong with it
But if I wouldn't have finished it I wouldn't have minded
There was nothing wrong with it
But if I wouldn't have finished it I wouldn't have minded