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The Bird and the Sword had such an unexpectedly beautiful prose, with such lyrical writing. I was completely swept away by how whimsically this tale was told. Amy Harmon has such talent, and I went into this expecting nothing, but I ending up being blown away by this fantasy novel. Seriously, this is not hyped nearly enough.

Also, on a completely personal side note, this book’s main protagonist has an abbreviated version of my favorite name of all time, Larkin. So, besides the enthralling writing, I was completely fangirling over the use of the name Lark, too, because I’ve never read a story using it before.

Okay, so this book starts out with Lark being very young and still learning the dangers of her magical gift. In this world, Gifted people are sentenced to death, so it is very imperative to hide your magical powers if you are born with any.

The Four Types of Gifted Magic:
➽ Spinners – Have the ability to turn things into other things.
➽ Changers– Can shape shift into other animals.
➽ Healers – Are able to heal bodies and cure wounds.
➽ Tellers – Use magic words that compel people and things to do things. This magic is very much like casting spells, and very powerful.

“My mother made words. She was a Teller, and her words were magic. She spoke and the words became life. Reality. Truth. My father knew it, and he was afraid. Words can be terrible when the truth is unwelcome.”

Lark is a Teller like her mother, and her mother pays the ultimate price for her carelessness to hide her powers. Her mother is killed by the King of Jeru, but not before she tells the King, Lark’s father, and Lark herself, a few prophetic things. Her mother’s premonition-like rhymes also makes Lark lose her ability to speak.

We are then thrust into the future, where our dear Lark is still unable to communicate besides head nods. She does have an amazing Troll companion named Boojohni that I completely fell in love with. They sort of form their own way to speak, and he has become Lark’s only friend over the years.

Then one day, while out in the forest, Lark stumbles upon a fatally injured bird. Even though she only has the voice inside in head, she tries to use her Teller powers to compel the bird’s body into healing itself. The next thing she knows, she is waking up in the forest and then is running home because the new King is arriving to meet with her father.

Lark’s father, Corvyn, is a Lord and hasn’t sent any men to help fight against the Volgar. The Volgar are winged evil monsters that are lead by the Volgar Liege. Their numbers are constantly growing, and they are taking over more and more land. The new King, Tiras, son of the old King that killed Lark’s mother, captures Lark and plans to use her as hostage. Tiras tells Corvyn that he can have his daughter back, once he sends his share of men to help defeat the Volgar.

And the story quickly, and very addictively, starts from there.

“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.”

The characters are so very wonderful, and Lark is such a strong female character that learns her worth and won’t settle for less than what she deserves. The story is fast paced and full of intrigue and mystery, while proving over and over that words are the most powerful weapon we will ever truly wield. The magic system is easy to understand, but still really enchanting. The romance in this book is seriously top notch, and if you guys are anything like me and some of your favorite parts of A Court of Mist and Fury were the ones where Feyre is taught to read, then you are going to freakin’ love some of the scenes in this book. Seriously, be still, my heart, because I’m still not over how heartwarming and perfect those scenes were.

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

The Bird and the Sword is the perfect mix of fantasy and romance. If you are like me, and enjoy both of those genres, then you have to pick this book up. I loved this and I absolutely cannot wait to read The Queen and the Cure.