The Bird and the Sword

I loved the characters and the unique journey that the storyline took us from. I haven't read anything like it. Yet still, just a tiny smidge missing from it in order for it to be a five star. Nonetheless, this was a great read and something I'll definitely want to reread at some time.

"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 heav’n or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, Daughter. Stay alive." In the kingdom of Jeru there are Tellers, Changers, Spinners and Healers; and they are all hunted for been abnormal and witches. Lark lives unhappily in her home unable to mutter a word after been cursed by her mother. She lives locked away because of her father's fears, until one day she clashes with King Tiras, the son of the man who killed her mother. Tiras releases Lark from her father's claws, but decides to use her for his own sake. And romance blooms. This is a fantasy romance between two unlike characters. Lark, the mute who always goes unnoticed and Tiras, the handsome King who attracts everyone's attention. It is written in a very beautiful lyrical prose that catches your attention and perfectly complements the story. I really, really liked this book. It definitely reminded me of a fairy tale, Amy Harmon managed to create an incredible world in such a few pages. A very good book to introduce someone into fantasy stories! And it now has a sequel! Lovely story filled with magic, romance and fantasy.

Finally over my reading slump thanks to this ! Only problem I had with it was that it was slightly predictable?

A world where words have power. Quite literally. Lark is a teller but she can't speak because of a prophecy her mother made. Now she sits, her thoughts trapped in her throat, waiting to be home.

"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 heav’n or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, daughter. Stay alive." Now, This was a book! The world building was amazing, the writing style was GRIPPING and breathtaking, Lark was an interesting character for me and i really enjoyed being in her mind. I would've given this a solid five stars had i not had some problems with the love interest and the romance in general. (view spoiler)[ I liked the first part, when he was being cute and teaching her how to read as well as reading for her, but then she became more than a tool for him than...uh idk a lover? Whatever i may not making sense (hide spoiler)] Also, I'm late for school but look at me being a dedicated reader and knowing my priorities.

Do you like far off places? Daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise? Did you see what I did there? *chuckles to self* But honestly, Belle took the words right out of my mouth. The Bird and the Sword is all that and more. This is a Fantasy Romance book in its purest form. My first Amy Harmon book and I was not disappointed. First thing, plot. Although I'm sure many of us grew up with fairy tales and sweeping fantasies I was always taken by surprise by the direction of the story. I could never predict what would happen. Our main protagonist, Lark is a girl of noble birth who has the power of a teller (someone who can use words and phrases to create magic), but because of a tragic situation in her past she is left without the ability to speak or use her words. As for her writing style... it is gorgeous and lush and honestly very poetic. Words play a very big role in this book and is what ultimately causes much grief but also happiness. Now for the fangirling moment - gosh the characters were just so beautifully written!!! Lark was beautiful and delicate. I'm used to reading about super strong ass female characters that can take down someone with a sword, but Lark has a different strength to her. Something quiet and subtly strong. Something you shouldn't underestimate. I appreciated that. As for the King... *swoon.* He was so frustratingly cocky and gentle at the same time. I kept going back and forth between wanting to smack him and wanting to kiss him! Over all the book was beautiful and a fast favorite for me. My only wish was that there was another book!

This was so beautiful and unexpected. I’ve had other romance books from this author on my To-Read list for awhile now and hadn’t felt really compelled to read them yet. Then this book came along. I’ve been on a YA Fantasy kick, so when I saw a romance author had written a Standalone Epic Fantasy, I was curious. It was absolutely delightful. I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. This book starts out like a classic Old School Fairy Tale. I felt like I was with Princess Aurora in her tucked away cabin with her three fairy godmothers (no, this book is not a retelling of that story, but it felt so whimsical and charming, and gave me a that same feeling I get from that story!) “I brushed my fingertips against the rough bark and felt an answering greeting, though it was more a feeling than a word. The world was sleeping. The forest was sleeping too, though not as deeply. There was a world coming awake here, and I leaned against the tree that felt like a friend and let the peace wash over me.” The romance is still there and it still has a bit of New Adult feel to it, but the world building and descriptiveness that is so necessary for fantasy was spot on. “Suddenly yearning had a flavor. It tasted like a king, a beautiful, frightening, infuriating man who flew into my life and began to free my words. He pulled at my hair again, tugging me back from his lips as if he needed to impart something of great importance.” I’m not going to go into any further details about this book. I feel like this is a book that you need to go into without any clues or ideas and really just immerse yourself in the story as it moves along. It’s much more enjoyable that way, I promise you!

THIS BOOK WAS SO UNEXPECTEDLY AMAZING!!! I found this book very unexpectedly while looking for books to read this month, and I AM SO GLAD I DID! I loved this book so much. I don’t know what it was but it just sucked me right in. Firstly, I really loved the plot of this book. It had me hooked from the very beginning. I also think the pacing of this book was good and the story flowed together really well. I really loved all the elements this book had and I just couldn’t put this down!! I really loved the twists and turns in this story as well. I think this book was really well written!! Now I absolutely LOVED THESE CHARACTERS!!! I do think Kjell was my favorite character in this book, he just stole my heart! (I am also so excited that the second book in this series follows him! I’m so ready to have my heart torn into pieces seeing his journey to self acceptance!!). He had a mystery to him that made me want to know everything about his character and his past. (I also did get Dorian & Chaol - from throne of glass- vibes from his relationship with Tiras, and I LOVED THAT!!) I also did really enjoy the relationship between Lark and Tiras. As a whole, their love story did steal my heart. However, I do feel that there were moments where their relationship did seem to have toxic and abusive tendencies, but despite that, I still fell in love with them. Overall, the Bird and the Sword is a definite 5 star read for me!! I absolutely loved it so much and I’m so ready to continue on with these characters in the sequel!!!

'I had felt his desire to claim, even as he kissed me softly and swallowed my hurt, soothing it with gentle hands and tender words. The words had risen from his skin even when he wasn’t speaking, and I had called them to me, collecting them like falling leaves, pressing them between the heavy pages of my memory so I could keep them.' Fragment from The Bird and the Sword Amy Harmon - Good book, no words, she swallowed them all.

i just expected more and was really kinda bored the whole time

Read my FULL review here on Hardcover Haven 4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5/5 stars) had i known this book was 1) a high fantasy romance ; 2) a new adult book; and 3) self published i probably wouldn't have picked it up...now, having read and finished this book...i realize that i would have been well deserving of a swift kick to the noggin had i passed this gem up for those reasons!

I can't remember the last time I read a book in less than a week. I haven't read much this year, and it's been so long since I've loved a book so much that I couldn't put it down. I don't really know why I loved this book so much, but I did. If I'm being critical, this book actually lacked in a lot of areas: the world, which seemed very interesting, could have developed more, the ending was somewhat anticlimactic, and I wish there had been more character development. But despite all of that I still absolutely loved The Bird and the Sword. Boojohni was definitely my favourite character, even though he didn't have a huge role. I liked Lark a lot, how she stands up for herself even without the ability to speak, and how she won't take shit from people or let herself be controlled by men. The ending left room for a possible sequel, so I'm hoping there will be one day (I'd love to see (view spoiler)[ Lady Firi (hide spoiler)] make a comeback and fuck everything up

Honestly, I am in love. I have no idea why this book even has bad reviews because I was enchanted. Finally, there was a woman lead character who was 20!!! I’m tired of seeing 15 years old girls being brave and cool. And you know what? She wasn’t cool and brave at all! Finally! The king himself is 30, too, so I couldn’t be more satisfied that they are not too young like many other main characters in books. This was magical, original and beautiful. I’ve never read anything like this! So enchanting. A girl who uses words as her magic? This world just literally got me. Definitely one of my most favorite books of 2019.

Fun story, intriguing world, solid writing, characters I was drawn to. I'm a huge fan of any time that first person is used and not in a gimmicky way. This particular story didn't feel like it could have been told in any other manner. I'm a fan of this one and definitely excited for the next book.

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. One. Of. The. Best. More thoughts to come!