The Bird and the Sword

By: Amy Harmon

Narrated by: Trina Nishimura

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 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 bird?

©2016 Amy Harmon (P)2016 Audiobooks.com Publishing

What an Audio Book Should Be

I am an unabashed Amy Harmon fan. She cannot write a bad story. So, when I learned of her foray into fantasy, I was a bit taken aback. But, hey! It's Amy so it's going to be good. So, I READ the book first and loved it. HOWSOMEVER, this production of The Bird and the Sword is nothing short of breath-taking. Trina Nishimura makes this book so real, so powerful and so moving, I had to find a quiet and peaceful place to listen to be able to absorb, feel and react. The combination of Ms. Harmon's exquisite writer's voice, the creativity behind developing a WHOLE universe, and her incredible 'gift' of story-telling is frankly phenomenal. Of course, this whole story is a lesson we are so in need of now...of recognizing people for who they are and what they bring to our lives. When you layer on the crystalline and finely tuned voice of Ms. Nishimura with her compelling 'gift' of making EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER come to life and you have a book that is listen-worthy to the max. Do NOT miss listening to this wonderful book and if truth be told, it's best listened to AFTER you've read it. The depth that comes to life is truly magical.

The Perfect Fantasy Novel

5 ★ Audiobook⎮From start to finish, The Bird and the Sword was the perfect Fantasy novel. With poetic writing and strong character development, Harmon left me in awe. This novel had a strong sense of direction throughout. Instead of employing cheap tropes and other overused literary tactics to falsely enamor the reader, Harmon let her uniquely lyrical writing style carry the story.

To say that this audiobook was a joy to hear what would be a severe understatement. The Fantasy genre has a tendency to become unnecessarily complex. Authors frequently feel that they have to conduct purposeful world building, which can feel forced. Harmon’s world developed through her characters, not around them. They weren’t just in the world, but also of it. The Bird and the Sword was beautiful in its simplicity.

Lark, the protagonist, proved that heroines can be heroes and heroes can be weak. A story’s hero isn’t always the loudest voice in the room, the physically strongest, or “the chosen one”. Sometimes the hero of a story is someone who said the wrong thing at the wrong time and set the wheels of fate in motion.

Forgive me for waxing poetic, but The Bird and the Sword is quite possibly the most beautiful story I’ve heard all year. Lark will forever be one of my most beloved characters. This was one of the few times I can definitively say that I am 100% satisfied as a reader. Harmon tied everything up so neatly, eloquently connecting all loose strands, and the ending left me speechless.

There is no question in my mind as to how or why The Bird and the Sword is so highly rated on Goodreads. Even from the very beginning, I knew I was listening to something magnificent. Unbelievably, that magnificence never wavered. If you’re in search of a breathtaking Fantasy, look no further than The Bird and the Sword.

Narration review: The Bird and the Sword partially owes Trina Nishimura for its powerful impact. Nishimura delivered a performance perfectly-suited for Amy Harmon’s work. Her narration elegantly complemented the musicality of Harmon’s writing. Furthermore, her voice had a hushed reverence throughout the entire audiobook which held my attention like a sacred prayer. Nishimura deserves much commendation for this performance. ♣︎

Amazing! Simply beautiful!

Beat audible book I've listen to yet! The story was refreshing and so wonderful written.

UGH I LOVE THIS AUDIOBOOK SOOOO MUCH!!!!

Would you listen to The Bird and the Sword again? Why?

Yes. I've already listened to it twice! When the second in the series comes out, I'll probably re-listen to this one again.

What did you like best about this story?

I can't decide whether I liked the characters, the magic system, or the great narration more!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Literally All. Of. It. Amy Harmon is amazing! This was my first book of hers and now I'm listening and reading to more and more of them.

So dern Good!!

Amy Harmon is a wordsmith!! She constructs world's I would wish to visit, with a few words!! “I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Loved the story and the Narrator!

I am a huge Amy Harmon fan, and this was a re-read for me. I loved the story even more the second time around. Then to add a whole bunch of icing on the cake was this Narrator's performance! She performed with so much feeling and perfect inflections that it truly transported me. Cannot recommend both this book and the narration highly enough!

Totally Captivating

Right from the beginning, I was taken in by the story! The characters were so real, nothing was predictable. Beautiful heartbreak and triumph over and over again!

Beautiful Cover, Beautiful Story, Unexpected

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but with some reservations. I DO NOT normally buy books about witches or shapeshifters, but was apparently enchanted by the beautiful cover and didn't read the reviews. The story takes place in a fantasy world in which some people are regular humans, and some people have one of four "gifts": telling (prophesy and telekinesis), healing, spinning (think Rumpelstiltskin), and changing (shapeshifting). The main character in the story is a teller (not to be confused with fortune-teller). She is called a witch by some, but she's actually not a witch in the sense of the present-day religion. Semantics, maybe, but for me, I'm okay with fantasy magic. So -- great book, but I think readers need to be aware of the subject matter.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lark, the heroine of the story. I liked her vulnerability, her passion, her courage.

What about Trina Nishimura’s performance did you like?

I read once that Miley Cyrus is a great voice actor (in the Disney movie Bolt) because she has an unusual, kind of raspy voice. Trina Nishimura has a similar voice, feminine but a little gravelly, but not like a cigarette smoker. It lends itself to convincing male and female characters. This book, I believe, is one of my favorite as far as narration. Trina's voice acting is sublime, and the book was made better for it, I think. Although the story itself was moving and well-plotted, if the narration hadn't pulled me in immediately, I might have initially been turned off by the subject matter.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Lark, a mute, wonders if she has the ability to compel others and wants a kiss but refuses to ask for one.

Any additional comments?

This story is incredibly romantic. It's the first book I've listened to by Amy Harmon, but it will not be the last. I plan to buy The Queen and the Cure next. I think the shapeshifting in the book was well done. I do not like the type of books where the shapeshifting itself is what makes a character attractive or sexy, if that makes sense. I do not like werewolf books, for example, or books where a bear-man is looking for a mate. I've never read Twilight. In The Bird and the Sword, the characters are not attracted to each other because they can change forms.

It was a clean read, for the most part. Sex is mentioned, but not in a graphic way. I'd recommend to young adults who do not need graphic sex to enjoy a story but do not mind brief references to it.

Loved Every Minute

I saw some of the plot twists coming but I still wasn't expecting the ending. Great story and narration!!

very poetic

it was good. not a lot of adventure. its more like listening to a long poem than a novel. not the best structure of a story either. but her power of words and her literary capabilities are undeniable and irresistable.