Good afternoon, bibliophiles! I hope you’re all having a lovely Saturday! I know I am! I’m bringing you my latest review and then I’m off to enjoy a thoroughly bookish weekend! Today is an Outlander marathon and bookstore run with some girlfriends, and tomorrow I’m finally seeing Me Before You and then relaxing with some Game of Thrones! It’ll be an eventful, yet emotional few days. Wish me luck!

Anyway, I really want to bring this review to all of you because I absolutely adored this book from beginning to end! The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon kept popping up on my Kindle as a suggestion of something I may enjoy. It looked intriguing, so I downloaded it right away. After seeing some of my bookish friends had raved about it, I decided to be presumptuous and order a paperback copy before I began my reading. I had a feeling I would want it sitting on my shelves when I was done. By time I actually opened the book, I realized I hadn’t actually read a synopsis before beginning. Instead of stopping what I was doing to do just that, I chose to dive in blindly, and I was NOT sorry!

In my wildest dreams, I would’ve never thought this story was quite so enchanting or had such an imaginative plot! I absolutely adored the magic of this story. The mythical tale of tellers, changers, kings, and creatures was almost more than I could wrap my brain around, but it was so beautiful. It had some elements among the pages that reminded me of a Disney story, but also some of the darker mystery that I found among the Harry Potter series.

Lark is a girl quite unlike any other, and we understand that right from the prologue. After a traumatic childhood event, she finds herself kidnapped by King Tiras of Jeru at the tender age of twenty. He’s a stern ruler, and due to a vague past, she finds herself a bit intimidated by him, but not fully fearful. She knows there’s more to him than what he portrays, and she intends to find out what it is he’s hiding.

Although her abduction starts out as a wager in war and the ruling of the kingdom safe from counsel advisors and invading killer creatures, Lark and Tiras find themselves entangled in something more. Ever since she was young, she was rendered mute, but the king has the power to read her thoughts. With time and patience, the two form an unlikely alliance when he teaches her to read and write. They communicate silently, but they find the most comfort with one another. Their story becomes a creature all its own, and something you’d pull out of a fairytale.

In a time of death and destruction in Jeru, Lark is everything King Tiras never knew he wanted. Just as they seem to find each other, they seem to be ripped from one another. War has come to their home, and now they must fight, but what does that mean for their future?

This story was a bit different than other fantasies I’ve read, but I loved every stunning minute of it and never wanted t to end!

My Final Rating: five out of five stars