Amy 
fantasy, young adult
Lark, unable to speak since a young age, was stuck at home
with her father. Her mother had been a
Teller—able to make predictions--and was killed by the King when Lark was young
because “gifted” people were not allowed to live. Since then, Lark had been
trying to grow and thrive in her stilted existence. However, once she crossed
paths with the new, young King everything changed.
Amy Harmon even writes fantasy! And she does it extremely well! My new favorite
author has such a large writing repertoire and it makes me so happy. Every book
of hers that I’ve read is completely different from the others. And I’m
thrilled there are still so many for me to read! I loved this novel!
The Bird and the Sword had the same elements as many other
fantasy novels set in kingdoms: an undervalued daughter from a disgruntled
home, people with special powers being murdered, a young, handsome king with
secrets, a prediction/curse, the heroine having unexpected superpowers, etc. However, the story that Harmon wove had me
interested from the very beginning with imaginative scenarios and loveable
characters. I adored Lark. She’d been
sheltered but she was no pushover. She was smart and industrious. I loved her
story and was fully engrossed. It was a very fun ride. The only aspect of the story that bugged me
was when Lark noticed suspicious things that were never questioned or
addressed. This happened a couple times. This was disappointing because it was
out of character for such a smart girl and felt forced by the author so that
future problems could play out in the novel. Otherwise, it was practically
perfect in every way. I look forward to reading the sequel!
The narrator, Trina Nishimura, did a great job. She had a large repertoire of voices
including male voices. Her voice acting was just about ideal for this story. I
give her an A+.
The Queen and the Cure (The Bird and the Sword Chronicles #2)
Amy 
fantasy
Kjell, whose healing ability is still new, is the brother of
the King of Jeru. While out vanquishing
the freakish flying creatures who have plagued the country, he comes
upon a slave girl named Sasha who is barely clinging to life. He manages to heal her and is then unable to
convince her to not join him on his journey.
The Queen and the Cure was a sequel that wasn’t as good as
the first novel in the series but was still enjoyable. I actually had several
issues with sections of the story which were, surprisingly for Amy Harmon,
written unclearly and/or felt like they’d been inserted after the fact. It
bugged me that the main characters in this novel played the same “either/or”
game to get to know each other as the main characters in her novel Making
Faces. Also the title gave away too much from the beginning. Still, Harmon
continues to impress me with her romantic stories which are so different from
each other. I was glad to see that this sequel focused on different characters
from The Bird and the Sword but still included critical characters for added
enjoyment and continuity. This story stands on its own but there is benefit
from reading The Bird and the Sword first so that the reader can more fully
understand all the characters and their motivations.
STEVE WEST!!!!! I
hadn’t known my favorite narrator was reading this novel!!! The moment I
started to hear his voice and recognize it, I held my breath and hoped I would
hear him introduce himself and HE DID! I
seriously laughed out loud because I was so excited! I was going to REALLY enjoy listening to my
favorite voice for hours and hours! Even though his repertoire of voices isn’t
as diverse as many of my other favorite narrators, the quality, timbre, and
tone of his voice is my absolute favorite.
Plus, his British accent is so pleasing to my ear. Of course, he gets
another A+ from me, his adoring fan.
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