The Queen and the Cure
(The Bird and the Sword Chronicles, #2)

Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author Amy Harmon

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Blurb

There will be a battle, and you will need to protect your heart.

Kjell of Jeru had always known who he was. He’d never envied his brother or wanted to be king. He was the bastard son of the late King Zoltev and a servant girl, and the ignominy of his birth had never bothered him. 

But there is more to a man than his parentage. More to a man than his blade, his size, or his skills, and all that Kjell once knew has shifted and changed. He is no longer simply Kjell of Jeru, a warrior defending the crown. Now he is a healer, one of the Gifted, and a man completely at odds with his power.

Called upon to rid the country of the last vestiges of the Volgar, Kjell stumbles upon a woman who has troubling glimpses of the future and no memory of the past. Armed with his unwanted gift and haunted by regret, Kjell becomes a reluctant savior, beset by old enemies and new expectations. With the woman by his side, Kjell embarks upon a journey where the greatest test may be finding the man she believes him to be. 

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Review

5+ EXTRAORDINARY stars!!!

I have so much love for this book. So much love. Amy Harmon transports us back into the magical fantasy world she created for The Bird and the Sword Chronicles. Her words flow effortlessly across the pages as they draw you completely into this addictive story. A gorgeous blend of fantasy and romance with adventure and excitement makes this unique tale remarkable and unputdownable!

The origins story tells of the Creator giving life to two sons and two daughters. Each child was given a unique word, “a powerful word, which called down a specialty ability, a precious gift to guide them in their journey through their world.” And so the Changer, the Healer, the Spinner, and the Teller were born. For a while they lived in harmony and as each generation gave birth to a new generation, numerous gifts were created. As years went by people started fearing the gifted. Love turned to hate and the gifted were soon targeted. Those who survived did so in hiding, never to reveal their gifts again.

Then, King Tiras (from The Bird and the Sword), not a ruthless ruler like his father, changed the rules in Jeru City. No longer were the gifted forced into hiding but rather they were free. Kjell is a known healer from the City of Jeru, and though he doesn’t deny his gift anymore, he doesn’t overtly use it either. He’s half-brother to King Tiras and Captain of the King’s Guard. While on a quest, he travels to Solemn, a small town where few are gifted. Most people have never seen a gifted, only having heard stories of the unusual powers. And then there is Sasha who “was something else entirely.” The moment Kjell and Sasha meet, there is an undeniable connection and they set in motion a series of events that change everything.

This story is complete fantasy, but the way the story is written makes it feel real. Like all the magic in this book is possible exactly the way Amy Harmon describes it. It’s beautiful and draws indescribable feelings as she delivers the story perfectly with her stunning prose and imagination.  The vivid imagery, unending emotion, and beautiful romance in this action-filled tale made me feel as though I was living it.

The characters are incredibly complex. I adored Sasha. She is as mysterious as her past. She is beautiful and regal, and you can feel her caring nature, beautiful soul, and loving heart. Sasha is wonderful for Kjell, believing in him and who he is, and I loved her place by his side.When she is faced with difficult decisions, her actions show her innate goodness, strength, and responsibility, even if they break her heart in the process.  And when her heart broke, my heart broke.

I was ecstatic to learn that Kjell was getting his own book because he was such a great character in the first book of the series, and I absolutely love him even more than I thought possible. He has so many layers and each time one was pulled away, I fell a little more in love with him. Though he did not believe he was capable of love, I could feel the love in his thoughts and frustrations. He is closed off but how he opens up to Sasha was beautiful. I loved watching him come to terms with his gift and the unconditional support Sasha provided. When a ghost from the past wreaks havoc around him, he finds himself handling things the only way he knows how and I understood what he was feeling and my heart hurt for him and the decisions he had to make. He is flawed and vulnerable but his loyalty and respect shows the strength of his character and the love in his heart. His sweet, beautiful heart that touches your soul and makes you swoon.

“I fell in love with you in pieces. Layer by layer, day by day, inch by inch.”

The slow-burn romance between Sasha and Kjell progresses naturally and beautifully. They form a bond unlike any other they have felt before. They provide a kind of healing that each needed but never knew until they received it.

There were no secrets, no sorrows, nothing hidden, nothing lost. They saw not what would be or what had been, but only what was.
She saw him.
He saw her.
And they saw nothing else.

Their absolute understanding strengthens their connection and I loved watching as friendship, trust, and finally love fills their hearts.

I found myself completely invested in the story and I was in stunned as things were revealed because of the amazing depth of this story. It is exciting, magical, suspenseful, and angsty. There are twists and turns throughout and each one impacted their lives exponentially. I was enamored with Kjell and Sasha and as their journey brings soul shattering pain, tears stained my cheeks as my heart broke into a million pieces.

I was filled with anguish as each turn of the page brought me closer to the end. I kept thinking to myself that there isn’t enough time to wrap up everything the way I wanted. I was nervous, scared, distressed, and broken hearted but I had faith. I had so much faith and in the end every painful moment is worth it because Amy Harmon pieced my heart back together and it was fuller than before with the beauty of this love story. As the last page was turned I found myself wanting to flip back to page one and relive this story over and over again.

An absolutely stunning, extraordinary tale that will remain with me for years to come. It understandably occupies my top favorite list and I hope Amy Harmon adds to the series because it is easily one of the best fantasy series I have every read!

“I saw you,” she whispered…
“I saw you,” he said against her lips. “And I never looked away.”

*ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

 

 

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The Bird and the Sword Chronicles

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About the Author

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in fifteen different languages, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written eleven novels — the USA Today Bestsellers, The Bird and The Sword, Making Faces and Running Barefoot and the Purgatory series, as well as From Sand and Ash, The Law of Moses, The Song of David, Infinity + One, and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her recent release, The Bird and the Sword, is a Goodreads Best Fantasy of 2016 finalist. 

 

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