The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon

The Bird and the Sword (The Bird and the Sword Chronicles, #1)

by Amy Harmon

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 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?

Reviewed by Leigha on

4 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 3 July, 2017: Finished reading
  • 3 July, 2017: Reviewed