Di Maitland's Reviews > The Bird and the Sword

One daughter was given the word spin, for she could spin all manner of things into gold. The grass, the leaves, a strand of hair. One son was given the word change, which gifted him the ability to transform himself into the beasts of the forest or the creatures of the air. The word heal was given to another son, to cure the illness and injury among his brothers and sisters. One daughter was given the word tell, and she could predict what was to come. Some said she could eve shape the future with the power of her words.

This was SUCH a sweet story. Huge comfort reading. I feel warm and cosy inside now having finished it.

The story follows Lark, daughter of Lord Corvyn and a Teller like her mother, able to to make her words become reality. But Lark hasn't spoken since the day her mother died and swore her to silence.

"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."

One day the King comes a'riding. Tiras takes Lark hostage in order to ensure Corvyn's contribution to the war effort. But what he doesn't know is that Corvyn's fate is tied in with his daughter's, and if she dies, so does he. Corvyn wants her back, but Lark discovers that life as a captive under Tiras is far better than any under her father, and she decides to stay, to help, and maybe even to love.

Lark, waif-like and quiet as she first appears, has a backbone of steel which is satisfying the see. Her budding relationship with Tiras is beyond sweet. Slowly they learn to trust and to accept one another, and to rely on them when the whole work seems to turn against them. Fortunately Harmon steers clear of the usual, oh but I can't marry you, I'm a King. Tiras will marry whoever the hell he wants, and he wants Lark. He's soft and kind and gentle with her, but also loves the fire she holds inside and the challenge she poses.

Harmon's system of magic is both simple and yet infinitely complex in its iterations. And, with a power that depends on words, words and language form an important part of the story. Harmon beautifully sculpts them in to spells, but also examines them in a way that seems alien to those of us who are taught to read and write from a very young age. It gave me a new insight into the way I experience language and the things I take for granted using it.

Highly recommend to all, and it's on Kindle Unlimited to boot.