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Legend says that at the creation of the world there were four people with four distinct magical abilities. Defined by their magic, they were referred to either as Spinners, Changers, Tellers or Healers. These abilities were inherited by their children, and over time, the magic changed and grew as the generations mixed.
In a world that has come to hate magic and persecutes people who wield the gifts, Lark is a Teller. Once, she had only to speak and magic would make her words come true, but she can no longer talk. She hasn’t made a sound since her mother died — taking the blame for Lark’s own mistake — many years ago. With her dying breath, she commanded Lark to swallow her words, cursing her to remain silent. And Lark wasn’t the only one cursed that day.
Years later, when Lark has a chance encounter with the king — the son of the man who murdered her mother — she finds herself swept away to the palace, the captive and pawn of a rude and arrogant ruler. If anyone finds out that Lark is a Teller — albeit a silent one — she will be killed without hesitation, as her mother was.
But the king has need of her, and even if she could escape, would she want to?
The Bird and the Sword is a beautiful tale with the old-world feel of a classic fantasy. While at times Lark made some pretty stupid decisions that made little sense except to move the story forward, I did like the concept of a silent character and the emphasis that words are power. It’s a pretty heavy message for a romance-centered fantasy.
Despite the romance playing such a large role, I wasn’t a big fan of it. Some might consider it steamy, but I didn’t find it appealing at all. I don’t mind romance showing a cruelty-to-kindness, Beauty-and-the-Beast-like transformation, but when the transformation did occur, I didn’t believe it. Overall, there was far too much anguish, angst and emotional abuse.
The Bird and the Sword is still a charming well-written fantasy book with a beautiful twist on its magic. It has all the aspects of a classic fairy tale — curses, evil sorcerers, a monstrous prince, books, a captive maiden. In a way, it echoes the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale in more than just the romance. As such, it might be a hit with romance readers — even those unfamiliar with the fantasy genre.
(For another Beauty and the Beast story, try A Curse So Dark and Lonely.)
Rated: Moderate. There are around 8 uses of mild language. Violence is high. Lark’s mother is killed for her magic. The event is told from her POV and then relived by Lark throughout the story. Poetic details make the situation unclear, but you know what happens and it feels horrific. Death and gore are also featured in several battles with humanoid, animalistic creatures. Sexual content is also relatively high. Steamy scenes (between a husband and wife) feature some poetic descriptions — including the wedding night, where characters undress and there is some skin-on-skin contact before the scene eventually fades to black. Characters kiss, sometimes with tongue, and sometimes it is descriptive. A man is knocked out and his clothes stolen. A few characters transform from animal back to human, and the human is described as naked (though there is usually very little further description). There is talk that because of a character’s rumpled appearance she was with a man (even though she wasn’t). Amid the romance is an emotionally abusive relationship which even the story emphasizes is based on need before love.
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