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

One day three years ago, I was scrolling through my Goodreads homepage (it all comes back to Goodreads, doesn’t it?), I saw a glowing review for a brand new book called Making Faces by Amy Harmon. I looked over the blurb, thought it sounded interesting even though it wasn’t not what I usually read. I decided to try it. Thank God I did, and I truly mean that, because that book was such a masterpiece, I was floored. So I reviewed it, and I think I did a good job because I got a lot of responses something I was not used to. So I thought, can she do it again? I read A Different Blue, and yes, oh yes she could. I read everything she had written up to that point. The following year, she published Infinity + One and figuratively killed me. She is able to take this gift from God, this gift, and spin it into as close to perfection in writing as many will ever see. Then came The Law of Moses (that is a tear tearjerker they all pull tears, but if that one doesn’t do it to you probably aren’t alive) and The Song of David. All amazing.

And then I read that she’s coming out with a fantasy novel. A fantasy novel? Like Game of Thrones and Imagine Dragons (wait, that’s a band I like) and Rings and Gollems and Hobbits? But I don’t like fantasy. I never, ever read fantasy. I don’t go to fantasy movies. Yes, I took my son to all 3 LOTR/Hobbit movies and I got the best sleep of my life. But because Amy Harmon wrote it I would read it. Probably a simple fairy tale for children, and I actually waited 2 weeks to read it.

Big mistake. Because even if Amy Harmon wrote a simple fairy tale for children, it would probably be an instant classic. But this is not for children. Yes, in a way it reminds one of a fairy tale, but one for grown ups, along the lines of Once Upon a Time, but far more sophisticated. I can’t tell you about the plot. Anything I say would ruin it. If this is the only review you read before picking up this book, stop here. Go into it with a completely open mind, and just let this incredible world open up for you. Amy Harmon’s words create worlds, and when I reached the end of it, I was so sad. Because I loved this placce and I loved these characters, and if this were Oz, I wouldn’t want to go home.

I wanted to return, and about three quarters through the book, I did go back to the beginning. Because I’m gobbling up the book and suddenly Tiras, the male lead says to Lark, the female lead Where I am going, you cannot come. Now I’m Jewish, but I know the Christian bible rather well, and I know exactly when Jesus says that and what it means. And I just stopped and I thought: am I reading a parable? Is there another level to this book that I’ve missed? I thought of the prologue to the Gospel of John, about the Word, and the Word being with God and the Word being God. Lark, the narrator, is always saying that words come from the Creator and they possess immense power. So I went back and I re-read it. And sure enough the words that come from the Creator are powerful, so powerful that they literally give life. So was this a parable about the life of Jesus? Perhaps a bit. There certainly a character plays the role of a messiah. Definitely a parable about the gifts of God and the good we can do with them as well as the bad.

I don’t know if I’ll ever read another fantasy book unless Ms. Harmon writes it, of course. I think I would always compare everything I read with this book. But I am so thankful that she wrote this book. I’m thankful that God gave us words, and that Amy knows exactly what to do with them. Read this, and you too can soar like an eagle.

Hollywood, where are you? Stop wasting time on Nicholas Sparks when you have a library rich in everything a great movie needs. We love our Amy Harmons books, but we really need our Amy Harmon movies!

I love fantasy books, fantasy and romance are my main reason for reading. This was my first Amy Harmon book and I truly loved it.
If you’re a fantasy reader, I must warn you maybe it’s not as complicated or dense as other books, is a standalone, not a series, but the writing, oh the writing.

I find it hard these days to find a book with a truly beautiful romance that doesn’t have explicit sex scenes, I must be the minority here because I know people love erotica in their stories, but I don’t. I think a really good story doesn’t need that.

This author manages to create this land with a believable magic system, beautiful heartbreaking romance that develops and it’s not insta love as in other fantasy books and even though things are kind of predictable it still left me wondering how things were going to turn out. I won’t go into the story because you already have the book synopsis and other readers reviews.

I also love that finally I got a glimpse of life in a marriage, most books end when the hero and heroine finally get together but what happens after? I’m married so I have to say both characters are really well written, I understood both of them, their actions and their insecurities.

After this one I purchased 3 other books from Amy Harmon and I loved them too. I really hope she keeps writing fantasy. Her other books are really good but this one’s my favourite. I think she has a gift and the fantasy world really likes it.

The Bird and the Sword is a beautiful fairytale full of magic, secrets, curses, and romance. Lark, even though she seeks to hide, is headstrong and doesnt take to being dominated by men. Even without being able to speak, she makes her opinions known. It is that push and pull that is so wonderful in this tale. Everyone in her entire life dominated over her in one way or another, from her mother who cursed her, to her father who kept her locked away in his keep (who she still managed to defy by sneaking out into the neighboring forest), to the king who kidnaps her as his pawn against her father. The story is very loosely a take on the Beauty and the Beast tale as Lark finds herself kept prisoner in the castle as a key to unlock a curse over the king, while she finds herself quickly sympathizing with the king and falling down the slippery slope of blossoming attraction. Tiras himself, is the stoic, warm, handsome, regal, take-charge alpha book-boyfriend as he juggles his life between duty and an impossible situation, with always his fathers tyrannical reputation looming over him, and the power-hungry lords of the lands within his kingdom just waiting for something to happen to him, while trying to do things for the good of his kingdom. There are plenty of twists and surprises to this story that I certainly wont give away with this review only to say that I spent quite a few late hours not being able to set it down and go to sleep at a proper time, and that I did reach for the box of tissues at quite a few scenes, and it does have a wonderful ending and made me sad to part with the characters at the end.

Kjell is right. You are a dangerous little bird. But I think I will keep you.

Ive never read a fantasy romance, and its not something I thought Id be drawn to. But when my favourite author writes one, of course Im going to read it! And Im so glad I did.

From the very beginning, Amy Harmon set an authentic scene. I could picture the details in my head; it had a Game of Thrones vibe (only in the aspect of the time period and landscape, not all the other crazy stuff!) and I was hooked immediately.

Ive only every branched out into PNR so Im not all that clear on what defines the fantasy genre but I loved every detail we were given. Each character played an integral part and ultimately held a piece of the puzzle. It was executed impeccably.

One of my favourite things about Amys writing is the way in which the characters fall in love. Its never forced upon us as the reader, its never told but instead always shown. Its in their actions, their nuances and their words that are left unsaid. It has a greater impact on me, rather than being overwhelmed, its slow building then hits me full force. I have no doubt I love the couple more for it.

I have loved you every moment of every day, and I will love you until I cease to be.

Amy excels at creating characters we love, but I must say, Amys heroines always seem to shine for me and Lark was no different. I loved her tenacity and the fact she always stayed true to herself no matter the consequences. These are the type of female characters youd want your daughters to read about and admire!

The hero of the story cant go unmentioned. Considering my feelings towards him at the beginning of the story were ice cold and by the end they were molten hot only attests to the character develop and the journey he went on. His strength by the end (both physically and mentally) had me going PHWOARRRR!

Mine.
I didnt know if the word came from his kiss or from his thoughts, or maybe the word was mine alone, but I took it and swallowed it whole, planting it deep inside my belly where desire, need, and longing grew and flowered.

After I finished this book, I couldnt stop smiling. It was intricate, it was clever and it was like nothing I had read before. I love when a book stays with me and I cant wait for more from this world.

And as a lover of epilogues, Amy, I thank you sincerely as it was just what I needed.

I’ve read this twice now – it came back, knocking at my brain about a month after I’d first read it. This is a decent story set in classic fantasyland – horses, swords, kings who actually rule, dastardly barons and dukes, and of course,magic. Maigc use is proscribed, and magic users (there are several very specific ‘types” of user here) are hunted and killed, so if you’ve got it you hide it.
Lark is small, unremarkable and mute – deprived of the spoken word by her mother’s dying words, and of the written word by her father who’s determined to keep her magic crushed and thwarted. The book is, I think, all from Lark’s viewpoint – her thoughts, opinions, fears – so the whole book is filtered through her eyes.
Tiras is the king who takes Lark as a hostage to her father’s co-operation – and for other reasons that become clear as the book prgresses. He is, in the way of this genre, young, handsome, powerful and hale, no doubt with a full set of gleaming white teeth and no body odour (my inner realist is raising her head…)
Trying to come up with a word to describe the book, I keep coming back to ‘quiet’, which seems silly as there’s battles and nastiness aplenty, but a fair chunk is Lark on her own, stuck inside her head, learning to manage in her changed world.
If the end is all a bit tidy then so what? This is a feel-good, stand-alone story that’s a pleasure to read.

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