A review by malglories
The Bird and the Sword, by Amy Harmon
2.0
Sadly disappointed by this one. Everyone seems to love it, but truthfully? I don't understand why.
The plot is too simple, moves too quickly, when it could have been so much more complex. It skips over weeks and months that could have been used to build world, subplots, and characters. Which really needed to be built. There is absolutely no worldbuilding. I have no sense of era, no sense of culture, no sense of the castle, no sense of what these people wear...
Lark is just boring and nondescript - no personality whatsoever. What personality she does have, it's the classic "good girl" set, with no character flaws. Similarly, Tiras is molded to fit whatever scene Harmon wanted to write, and honestly, he's kind of a possessive, self-righteous dick.
The concept is so cool, but it was executed with little skill.
The plot is too simple, moves too quickly, when it could have been so much more complex. It skips over weeks and months that could have been used to build world, subplots, and characters. Which really needed to be built. There is absolutely no worldbuilding. I have no sense of era, no sense of culture, no sense of the castle, no sense of what these people wear...
Lark is just boring and nondescript - no personality whatsoever. What personality she does have, it's the classic "good girl" set, with no character flaws. Similarly, Tiras is molded to fit whatever scene Harmon wanted to write, and honestly, he's kind of a possessive, self-righteous dick.
The concept is so cool, but it was executed with little skill.