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A review by svjak
The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. So much so that I didn't realize how slow paced it was until I had finished it, AND I read it in one sitting.
It's definitely story and plot heavy. We jump around a bit with different characters and it's a little bit like sitting in the back of one character's consciousness while they're going through their life. It had a sort of hazy, dreamy atmospheric quality to it that I haven't experienced in any other book and I really liked that.
Harmon writes in a way that the characters seem intimately familiar, even just a few pages in. It makes it very easy to connect with the characters and take interest in their lives.
The one thing that's keeping me from a 5 star review on this one is that there were times that the storytelling felt a little weak. There were a lot of time jumps and some of the narrative choices didn't quite feel cohesive. I can remember having a vague sense of confusion throughout the whole book, which may have lent to that dreamy/hazy atmosphere, but it also made it very easy to disengage.
I loved all of the characters in this book. One thing that Harmon did a phenomenal job with is writing the intricacies of relationships. I loved the way Bayr looked after Alba, and the friendship he had with Dagmar. So much of this book is character-driven and Harmon's execution of friendships, familial ties, and childhood curiosity is what really makes this book shine.
I honestly just wish we'd had more time with Bayr and his sister, because she was my favorite character of them all.
It's definitely story and plot heavy. We jump around a bit with different characters and it's a little bit like sitting in the back of one character's consciousness while they're going through their life. It had a sort of hazy, dreamy atmospheric quality to it that I haven't experienced in any other book and I really liked that.
Harmon writes in a way that the characters seem intimately familiar, even just a few pages in. It makes it very easy to connect with the characters and take interest in their lives.
The one thing that's keeping me from a 5 star review on this one is that there were times that the storytelling felt a little weak. There were a lot of time jumps and some of the narrative choices didn't quite feel cohesive. I can remember having a vague sense of confusion throughout the whole book, which may have lent to that dreamy/hazy atmosphere, but it also made it very easy to disengage.
I loved all of the characters in this book. One thing that Harmon did a phenomenal job with is writing the intricacies of relationships. I loved the way Bayr looked after Alba, and the friendship he had with Dagmar. So much of this book is character-driven and Harmon's execution of friendships, familial ties, and childhood curiosity is what really makes this book shine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infertility, Rape, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War