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A review by 8bitbrainstem
The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon
4.0
4.5 stars. A fantastical Norse-inspired tale that sets the bar for similarly styled novels in mythology, setting, and intrigue. Reading The First Girl Child was like enjoying an episode of Vikings, but with more scheming and more likable characters. This is absolutely a must read for fans of historical fiction, mythology-based fantasy, or anyone with a penchant for Viking stories.
The events of the novel takes place on the the island of Saylok, named for one of Odin’s sons. Saylok is divided and ruled by six clans who trace their origins back to the six children of Saylok himself. Each chieftain pledges loyalty to the king, who along with the Keepers of Temple Hill, defend the kingdom from threats, both external and internal. When it is time to choose a new king, each of the clans in turn will have the next leader of the island determined from their numbers. With no familial lines of succession for rule there is often a high incidence of scheming and bloodshed during these rises to power. The Keepers, men sworn to protect the secrets of the runes of power, have a significant influence on the final choice, though usually the right of power falls to the clan’s chieftain.
The story starts by following Dagmar and Desdemona, siblings who both have the power of rune blood, and can wield the magic of the island to great effect. Desdemona, despite being one of the island’s fiercest shield maidens, is scorned by the man she loves in favor of the daughter of the current royal family. She gives birth to his bastard son, Bayr, though at a high personal cost. Fed up with how horrible women of Saylok are treated, Desdemona uses her final breath to invoke a curse on all the men of Saylok and on Banruud, the power hungry and cunning chieftain who denies her, by name.
“We are abused. We are used. We are battered and abandoned. But rarely are we loved. So be it. From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok for any of you to love. Salvation will come through my son, and only through him.”
From that day on, not a single daughter is born to the people of Saylok. And in a world where women are becoming scarcer, they become a commodity, hoarded away like treasure. Amidst this crisis is born Alba, the only girl child in nearly two decades. Given his infamous strength for a child of his age, Bayr is charged with the protection and welfare of Alba. The majority of the story then follows these two characters as they grow more and more entwined and enamored with each passing year, neither aware of the destiny surrounding them.
This is primarily a character-driven plot, which may not appeal to readers looking for an action heavy Viking story. If your tastes turn more towards deep character building, detailed explorations of relationships, political scheming, and personal sacrifice then this story will deliver on all of that and more. The political and cultural world building is done to great effect and plays a large role in setting the tone of the story as well as advancing the plot. Given that this is a multi perspective story, the readers also have access to the true nature of ties between characters and gives us access to the truth beneath the lies and misdirects that are used for political gain. Finally, with a richly diverse set of secondary characters to follow the author weaves in layers of story arcs and relationships that serve to enhance the main plot of the story.
Overall, I found the First Girl Child to be highly engaging and immensely satisfying.
The events of the novel takes place on the the island of Saylok, named for one of Odin’s sons. Saylok is divided and ruled by six clans who trace their origins back to the six children of Saylok himself. Each chieftain pledges loyalty to the king, who along with the Keepers of Temple Hill, defend the kingdom from threats, both external and internal. When it is time to choose a new king, each of the clans in turn will have the next leader of the island determined from their numbers. With no familial lines of succession for rule there is often a high incidence of scheming and bloodshed during these rises to power. The Keepers, men sworn to protect the secrets of the runes of power, have a significant influence on the final choice, though usually the right of power falls to the clan’s chieftain.
The story starts by following Dagmar and Desdemona, siblings who both have the power of rune blood, and can wield the magic of the island to great effect. Desdemona, despite being one of the island’s fiercest shield maidens, is scorned by the man she loves in favor of the daughter of the current royal family. She gives birth to his bastard son, Bayr, though at a high personal cost. Fed up with how horrible women of Saylok are treated, Desdemona uses her final breath to invoke a curse on all the men of Saylok and on Banruud, the power hungry and cunning chieftain who denies her, by name.
“We are abused. We are used. We are battered and abandoned. But rarely are we loved. So be it. From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok for any of you to love. Salvation will come through my son, and only through him.”
From that day on, not a single daughter is born to the people of Saylok. And in a world where women are becoming scarcer, they become a commodity, hoarded away like treasure. Amidst this crisis is born Alba, the only girl child in nearly two decades. Given his infamous strength for a child of his age, Bayr is charged with the protection and welfare of Alba. The majority of the story then follows these two characters as they grow more and more entwined and enamored with each passing year, neither aware of the destiny surrounding them.
This is primarily a character-driven plot, which may not appeal to readers looking for an action heavy Viking story. If your tastes turn more towards deep character building, detailed explorations of relationships, political scheming, and personal sacrifice then this story will deliver on all of that and more. The political and cultural world building is done to great effect and plays a large role in setting the tone of the story as well as advancing the plot. Given that this is a multi perspective story, the readers also have access to the true nature of ties between characters and gives us access to the truth beneath the lies and misdirects that are used for political gain. Finally, with a richly diverse set of secondary characters to follow the author weaves in layers of story arcs and relationships that serve to enhance the main plot of the story.
Overall, I found the First Girl Child to be highly engaging and immensely satisfying.