The Bird And The Sword

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

By Amy Harmon

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Synopsis

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 only 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 little bird?

Excerpt

He waited for me to continue, but I was holding myself tightly, refusing to think at all, so I wouldn’t share more than I wanted to.

“They would have killed us. All of us. You saved so many.”

“I killed so many.” My voice snapped back at him, lashing out like a snake. He left his bed and came toward me. I turned and braced myself for his touch, but he stopped before he reached me.

            “Yes. You did. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” His tone was frank. Admiring. I wanted to scream. My fingers curled into fists at my sides.

“I am not a sword.”

“What?” he asked, surprise coloring the word.

“I am not a sword!”

            I squeezed my eyes shut against the hot tears that rose immediately. I didn’t want to share any of this with him. But my thoughts were unruly, and he was listening intently.

“I am not a weapon. I don’t want to be a weapon!”

“You are what you are. I am what I am. It matters little what we want.”

“I am not a weapon.” The words were a cry, mournful and resistant. I felt him draw closer, but still he didn’t touch me, and for that I was grateful. If he touched me I would break down.

“I never wanted to be king. But it is what I am. It matters little what we want,” he repeated. I turned and stared up into his face, filled with an anguish that wouldn’t abate.

“You’re wrong. It is the thing that matters most.”

“Why?” he murmured, his eyes intense.

“Because without desire, there is only duty.” My lips trembled, and I bit down on them, bidding them to be still.

He pressed a thumb against my mouth, freeing my lower lip from the grip of my teeth. “Do you desire me?”

I jerked, resisting the coiled need that suddenly sprang from my belly and filled my chest. His eyes flared and his breath caught, and I wondered what I’d given away. I could only guess. I stepped around him, but he caught me up, lifting me off the ground, one arm beneath my hips, one braced around my back. He walked back to the thick furs where he slept and laid me down on them.

“This is not my duty. Or my desire.”

“It is both,” he responded, his arrogance setting my teeth on edge.

Michel’s Review

Amy Harmon never ceases to amaze me.  She has such a phenomenal gift of turning words into a beautiful story that becomes more than just a story.  It becomes an profound experience with the underlying messages that tap into every aspect of humanity.  The experience leaves the reader wanting to become a better person.  It leaves them grateful for the good they have in life and at the same time wanting to improve their weaknesses.  Amy Harmon delivers a beautiful story of love, kinship, decency, and strong values that we all want in our lives.

Amy Harmon stepped out of her comfort zone and created a beautiful fantasy romance.  She built a world that was beyond description and breathed life into all of the characters on the pages.  I became so engrossed in The Bird And The Sword.  I could not put this book down.

Honestly I can’t find the words to describe the beauty of the story.  In many ways that is what the story revolves around, not being able to find the words to express the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs we all possess.  It’s not just expressing the words, it’s about how these words can help or harm.  They can destroy or uplift. In the end it’s the meaning behind the words that matters most.

Amy created a magical world in troubled times.  A world infested with fear and corruption.  A world that was falling apart at the seams because they forgot the beauty of life and all the good that came along with it.  One silent girl was able to change that world.  One strong king listened to the unspoken words and embraced their meaning.  Together the girl and the king strove to conquer the evil that would destroy everything they held dear.  Together they discovered the power of expressing love.

I don’t usually read a lot of fantasy romance.  When I picked up this book I immediately became immersed in the Land of Jeru.  I could vividly picture the Jeru kingdom.  As the story progressed I felt the magic, the deception, and the fear. While King Tiras battled for his kingdom and battled his own personal circumstances I felt his hopelessness and despair.  As Lark began to embrace the knowledge of the written word and learned to communicate I felt her elation and joy.  I also felt her sense of fear because of the power the knowledge of words gave her.  Lark and King Tiras had to learn to embrace and harness their gifts in life.  They had to learn to use their gifts wisely, not only for each other but for the good of the kingdom.  Most of all, they learned acceptance and began to change their world.

The Bird And The Sword was a beautiful story of life, love, and acceptance.  I highly recommend this book to any reader, no matter what genre they prefer.  It is a story that will stand out in any genre.  It is magical and timeless.

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Author Bio:

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in twelve countries, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written ten novels – the USA Today Bestsellers, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as The Law of Moses, The Song of David, Infinity + One, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her newest release, The Bird and The Sword will be released in the spring of 2016. She will release From Sand and Ash in October of 2016, via Lake Union Publishing.

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