The First Girl Child By Amy Harmon [Review]

RELEASE DATE: August 20th 2019 
AUTHOR: Amy Harmon
GENRE:     Adult,  Fantasy, Romance.
PUBLISHER: 47North
SUMMARY:

Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful and jealous chieftain, is haunted by the curse once leveled by his dying mother. Bartered, abandoned, and rarely loved, she plagued the land with her words: From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok.

Raised among the Keepers at Temple Hill, Bayr is gifted with inhuman strength. But he’s also blessed with an all-too-human heart that beats with one purpose: to protect Alba, the first girl child born in nearly two decades and the salvation for a country at risk.

Now the fate of Saylok lies with Alba and Bayr, whose bond grows deeper with every whisper of coming chaos. Charged with battling the enemies of their people, both within and without, Bayr is fueled further by the love of a girl who has defied the scourge of Saylok.

What Bayr and Alba don’t know is that they each threaten the king, a greedy man who built his throne on lies, murder, and betrayal. There is only one way to defend their land from the corruption that has overtaken it. By breaking the curse, they could defeat the king…but they could also destroy themselves.

 

“In the beginning, they’d rejoiced. Sons were always preferable. Sons were the lifeblood. The protectors. The warriors. The farmers. How foolish they’d all been.”

I’m a great fan of Amy Harmon’s books. After the bird and the sword, I was really looking forward to her next historical fantasy The First Girl Child which was based on Norse Mythology. The whole concept of this book was fascinating but honestly It didn’t captivate me as much as the Bird and the Sword. I’m not saying that I didn’t love it because It was really a beautiful read but the pace was a little bit slow for my taste.  Otherwise I loved the characters, the setting, the concept, the rune magic, and the mythology.

 Bayr Of Saylok is a born warrior who’s gifted with inhuman strength. Since he was a kid, he was enamored by Princess Alba, the first girl child. He grew up to be her protector and her close friend. If there’s a danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice his life for her. I admired the friendship between Bayr and Alba. Their relationship slowly grew from friendship to something more. Alba is a very strong female character. Since she came of age she knew Bayr is going to be her husband even though they’re from different worlds. I really loved her strong determination. Coming to the other main characters, I loved both Ghost and Dagmar. Dagmar is Bayr’s uncle who decided to become a keeper at temple hill. He raised Bayr since he was a baby. Ghost is a slave who’s rescued by Dagmar. She’s my favorite character in this book. I enjoyed the forbidden relationship between Ghost and Dagmar. I was rooting for these two even more than Bayr and Alba. I also liked the Daughters of the other clans. I wish the author focused a bit more on them too.

The plot was filled with politics, family drama, myths, adventure, and romance. There’s some action in this book but it’s not as much as I expected. The first half of the book was focused on character building, and the world. The real plot begins in the second half. The twists were somewhat predictable for me but that tragic scene at the end really broke my heart. I didn’t see that coming. The author’s writing was captivating, as always. I’m glad we got multiple(third person) POV in this book. The world was very much inspired by Norse mythology. The story takes place in Saylok, named after the son of Odin’s secret child. I liked the aspect of The Keepers of Saylok. They were charged with the protection of the forbidden runes and the succession of kings. Amy always has a great imagination and she has done a great job in building this world.

Overall, I liked it a lot, although it’s not my favorite. It has great characters, captivating writing, fascinating setting, and a wonderful story-line. Currently, it’s a standalone read but If the author ever decides to write another book from this world, I would definitely read  it.

Recommend it?
Yes

I highly recommend this if you’re into adult fantasy books inspired by Norse Mythology.

MY RATING:

[4/5 Stars]

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