The Queen and the Cure by Amy Harmon

The Queen and the Cure (The Bird and the Sword Chronicles, #2)

by Amy Harmon

There will be a battle, and you will need to protect your heart.

Kjell of Jeru had always known who he was. He'd never envied his brother or wanted to be king. He was the bastard son of the late King Zoltev and a servant girl, and the ignominy of his birth had never bothered him.

But there is more to a man than his parentage. More to a man than his blade, his size, or his skills, and all that Kjell once knew has shifted and changed. He is no longer simply Kjell of Jeru, a warrior defending the crown. Now he is a healer, one of the Gifted, and a man completely at odds with his power.

Called upon to rid the country of the last vestiges of the Volgar, Kjell stumbles upon a woman who has troubling glimpses of the future and no memory of the past. Armed with his unwanted gift and haunted by regret, Kjell becomes a reluctant savior, beset by old enemies and new expectations. With the woman by his side, Kjell embarks upon a journey where the greatest test may be finding the man she believes him to be.

Reviewed by sstaley on

5 of 5 stars

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I really liked the first book in the series, but I truly loved this second book even more. The characters were written so much deeper and were harder to figure out, but the payoff in the end was great. Kjell is closed off and has good reason because of his harsh upbringing. I didn't like him in the first book and he crept his way into my heart during the second book. As you read the novel you can't help but fall for this reluctant hero just as the heroine Sasha does. Their love story is heart-wrenching as both of their hidden backgrounds come into play. Just as Lark and King Tiras in The Bird and the Sword had to learn to accept their "Gifts", so do Sasha and Kjell in The Queen and the Cure. The Gifted are the spinners, tellers, seers, changers and healers. They both also have to learn to accept who they truly are and the responsibilities that come with their titles. This novel felt more intimate as you get to know the characters on a personal level. There are a few scenes of a sexual nature that are more appropriate for the 18+ crowd but nothing that would be seen as pornographic.

I love the way that Amy Harmon writes. Her words are so beautiful and lyrical. Here is how the novel opens...

“Light glanced off of the empty throne and streaked across the wide room, peeking around corners and climbing the walls. Silence was the only occupant. Something fluttered overhead, breaking the stillness. Vines with leaves so emerald they appeared black in the shadows, wrapped their way around the rocks and past the windows, filtering the light and casting the interior in a wash of green. The castle was holding her breath. She’s been holding her breath for so long”.

That just makes me sigh!

So if you are looking for a tale filled with adventure, romance, deep characterization, fantasy and an over-all good story, then The Queen and the Cure is one you should pick up. I highly recommend you read the first book in the series, though this could be a stand alone, but it will mean so much more in following Kjell's journey to know where he started from.

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Reading updates

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