~ I was given an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review, I'm not associated with the author or publisher in any way and the views expressed are completely unbiased and entirely my own. ~

'The Bird King' by G. Willow Wilson is a historical fantasy novel which takes place in 15th century Granada at the fall of it's last Muslim dynasty as they are conquered by the Spanish Inquisition.

It follows the journey of a young woman named Fatima, the beautiful, formidable, rebellious concubine of the last Sultan, and her absent-minded childhood friend Hassan, the royal cartographer, who is unassuming apart from the fact that he possesses an uncanny ability to create maps of places he's never been or that don't exist (unless he needs them to.)

Mistaken for a sorcerer by the Inquisition, who's purpose is to eliminate heresy and anything which contradicts the Catholic faith, we follow Hassan and Fatima at they formulate their escape.

The author has created a captivating story in which historical fiction and fantasy harmonise perfectly, driven equally by it's characters and plot.
Fatima in particular is a lively, powerful protagonist and her ambiguous existence at the royal court is beautifully depicted.

All in all this is a wonderfully accomplished novel which I cannot recommend enough.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

the bird king is set in muslim iberia, initially in granada, the last bastion of islam in the iberian peninsula which is slowly but surely being choked by the might of isabel and fernando, king and queen of a christian kingdom they are calling ‘spain’. the novel crisscrosses iberia and takes us into fantastical and unseen places. the author has a gift for describing locations, whether natural or man-made. burbling streams and soaring mountains, the heat of late summer and the chill of snow.

the themes
the feeling of islam and spirituality seeps into every line of the bird king. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is. it’s not preachy and proscriptive, it doesn’t state the ways to be good muslim or judge those who aren’t good muslims (or for drinking or not praying), it simply is. I’m muslim myself and I have a particular fondness for muslim authors that include our religion and represent it so lovingly with nuance (see the line below!!)

“Your left-hand angels will wear out their wrists scribbling all of this in the book of your sins!”
- vikram, on hassan and fatima’s stupid antics

little things from my childhood like the left hand angels my parents warned me about, jinn and spirits and prayer. the language and terminology was so familiar to me and reading the bird king felt like exploring new territory and also coming home at last. the musings on faith and belief were also intelligent and insightful.

“The people who want to burn you alive will find a reason to do it, whether you pretend to agree with them or not.”
- lady aisha, on the continued suspicion of muslims and jews who converted to christianity

the characters
fatima is our lovely, strong-willed circassian concubine who has never seen the outside of the harem. she is deeply in love with hassan, a uniquely platonic love as she knows hassan is gay. they meet each other as children and she continues takes refuge in his quarters to escape the bustle of the harem. when a delegate from the king and queen of spain arrives at granada, chaos breaks loose when they accuse hassan of witchcraft for his unique gift. from there, hassan and fatima are pursued.

She could not envision a God who demanded such particularity of belief, whose mercy and forgiveness were confined to such a precise segment of humankind.

I love fatima for her resilience; harem born and raised, she’s never stepped foot outside of the harem until her best friend’s life is threatened. then she makes a choice: safety with the familiar, or the unknown and dangerous. and though she wavers and struggles, she perseveres. fatima chooses the unfamiliar at almost every turn. her courage, her determination even if it’s moored in a kind of selfishness, is admirable.

the conference of birds is the poems that links hassan and fatima together, a thread that runs underneath the story until it’s s revealed in all its glory: the island of qaf and the mythical bird king that hassan and fatima are pursuing. the bird king is a simurgh, a type of firebird (I thought of a phoenix immediately!) what the real bird king is, however, comes as a beautiful surprise.

hassan is absolutely delightful. a bit of a coward at first, soft hearted and doubtful but wow does be grow into himself by the ending!! being gay, or a ‘sodomite’ as he calls himself, doesn’t define him: he’s a mapmaker, a moor, part breton, fatima’s friend. he’s really comes into himself, finds love and comfort and a place to express himself. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get chapters from his point of view, as he’s not as beautifully characterised and expresses as fatima, who after all is our mc. we do get some nice insights about hassan from fatima’s point of view.

'For a moment she was jealous of Hassan, not for his talents, but for the way the silent, visceral elements of the world seemed to love him and conspire on his behalf, to the exclusion of others.'

the line about the unseen clearing a path for hassan was gorgeous!

the jinn were also a lovely surprise. I adored vikram – no surprise there- and azalel. o vikram, my darling monstrous jinn. he was a handsome, naked jinn with a handsome face, long dark hair and claws!! I’m sold!!!! he’s wry and witty and old as dirt. i love him so much i can’t even talk about him, so let me throw a bunch of quotes at you instead:

“You’re attracted to him,” she hissed accusingly. “I can’t help it!” whispered Hassan. “He’s very well-formed for a jinn and he isn’t wearing a thread of clothing.”
- hassan and fatima are a Mood.

“As you said yourself, I’m a monster,” he told her, his mouth twitching upward wryly. “But I’m not that sort of monster.”
- WE LOVE A MONSTER WITH A MORAL CODE!!

“Yes, you were taught to waste your anger. It’s convenient for girls to be angry about nothing. Girls who are angry about something are dangerous. If you want to live, you must learn to use your anger for your own benefit, not the benefit of those who would turn it against you.”

I’m so sad we didn’t have more time with him.

and azalel!!! our morally grey cat jinn who would very much love to own fatima!! (major sapphic vibes) she has a lot of insight to give to fatima, in between trying to rescue her (ahem, kidnap her to the empty quarter).

“When you’ve been alive a very, very long time, you learn to forget certain things. There’s a great deal in this world that one is better off not knowing.”

now, as for luz. our delightful villain. an inquisitor in disguise, sent by the queen of spain herself to root out heretics and liars. I LOVE villainous women, especially women that are charming and soft seeming with a monstrous side. she’s terrible and delusional and tortures people for information! yet there was something so achingly human about her that it hurt. fatima is fascinated and repulsed by her in turns. there’s so many layers to luz, I would love to unravel them: her devotion to god and the catholic church, to her queen, her righteousness. at first I hated her. then I began to understand her, just a little, and so did fatima.

'She wanted to speak but could find nothing to say that Luz did not already know. The intimacy between hunter and prey had rendered speech unnecessary.'

ugh the sapphic tension could kill me.

'The sight of her braided hair, the snowy crest of her collarbone above the bodice of her black gown, filled Fatima with a feeling she couldn’t name and didn’t like, something that wandered between fury and regret.'

fatima is always aware of the way men look at her, and though she hasn’t weaponised it she does use it as a tool. there was also commentary about the anger of women, and how it’s often deflected or curtailed for the sake of keeping women weak. to harness anger, to turn into a tool, is a skill that men are rewarded for and women are punished. women should be allowed to scream, to rage, to be as messy and emotional as men. i loved the little bits and pieces of feminism, of women’s right to decide who they are and not be defined by men. and this piece of dialogue right here:

“Whore,” he spat at her.
“If I’m a whore for resisting you,” she said through her teeth, “what would I have been for giving in?”
“Whore,” he said again.

g. willow wilson doesn’t sugarcoat the concubine aspect of fatima; she isn’t a hurrem, laughing coquettishly and birthing kings. fatima’s not in love with the sultan, she is his slave and his concubine. sleeping with him is a job, which she occasionally enjoys. it’s very practical and down to earth. there were no grand romances or declarations either. fatima’s romantic and carnal moments, as well as hassan’s, occur mostly off-page or in the background, weaving through the grander tapestry of the story.

the writing
and GOD do I love g. willow wilson’s prose!!! her construction of sentences is a sheer delight, I find myself re-reading passages just for the pleasure of it. I’m literally taking notes on how to improve my own writing. however I did have a little quibble: at the later end of the book, perhaps the last quarter, the fanciful prose declines. it’s less fantastical and more realistic, which I think might have been done purposefully. It was still good, but less enjoyable to read than before (tbh it was probably the lack of vikram)

the ending
I don’t want to spoil too much, but I love how it sends. the island of qaf is for the outcasts and runaways and dregs of society made a place for themselves to belong. people of all colours and creeds and religions, ft jinn, banding together to fight for the right to live in peace! I have so much love for the bird king, I could scream it from rooftops.

It's rare in my ancient age that I read something that feels so immersive that when I finish it I feel like I woke up from an elaborate dream, but that's exactly what I felt after reading this. The Bird King is the sort of book in which a reader can get lost in, and it feels really great. The characters are great, the plot is interesting, and the imagery is nice and vivid. While I liked it overall, this book is not without some problems. (This is a book that can easily stand up to the toughest of criticism, so I won't be pulling any punches.)

The biggest problem with this book was that of style. It's inconsistent and not always as engaging as it should be. It's as if the writer has conflated the need to create interest in style with the need to create interest in plot. The pacing and the story are both great, but <i>how</i> the story is told needs a lot of work.

That said, there's something comfortable about conventional, vanilla writing. If you look through my reviews, you'll see that some (but sadly not all) of the books I really like are poorly written and even more poorly edited. But The Bird King is a book from which I had expected more. As a concept, it is elevated far above blasé genre fiction. In execution, however, it is average. That's where my disappointment lies.

And, okay: I got a little lost (and not in the good way as described above) in chapters 2 and 3. There's also an awkward construction in chapter 21 that feels incongruous to the rest of the book, which was a little disappointing and distracting at the time I read it. Though in retrospect I realize that no reasonable person would have the reaction I had at that part (so why am I even mentioning it?).

There are serious problems with the formatting of the e-book that I received, but I'm going to ignore that for purposes of this review because it likely has to do with the fact that it was an advance reading copy and not the retail version to be released in March (which, I'm sure, will be flawless in this regard by then).

Despite my gripes, I liked the book. You should absolutely read it when it comes out.

The writing is beautiful and the plot is absolutely captivating. I loved Fatima and found her relationship with Hassan moving and fascinating.

Wilson's newest book was worth the wait. Thoughtful, moving, and inspiring, I rushed through it as fast as I could, only to reread every other sentence to savor the writing.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

A historical fantasy that weaves a story of love, friendship and the fight for freedom.

Set in 15th century Europe – specifically the Emirate of Granada (modern day Southern Spain/Gibraltar/Northern Morocco) - The Bird King follows the story of Fatima, one of the Sultan’s concubines and her mapmaker friend Hassan. At the fall of the Muslim Caliphate to the Crown of Castile, Hassan’s life becomes in danger as his harboured secret – being able to draw maps of places he has never seen or been to – is seen as an act of sorcery by the representatives of the now Christian Spanish Monarchy.

In order to save her friend Fatima sets out to help Hassan escape – forcing her to leave her life of shelter and luxury but also servitude. Fed by a story from their childhood, a poem about the Bird King, the two embark on a journey with the aid of a Jinn to escape and reach freedom.

The book sits on the line between being a historical fiction and a fantasy novel with the majority of the book containing hints of fantastical and magical elements before plunging headfirst into fantasy towards the end.

The fast moving plot is eased off across many pages of Wilson’s beautiful and poetic writing; rich with cultural, geographical and historical knowledge of the era to set the scene which I loved. The distinct and often witty personalities of the various characters you meet throughout, each bring something new to the story. The friendship between Fatima and Hassan is wonderful.

Personally I did feel like the last 20% of the book was a bit rushed and confusing and sort of disturbed the pace of the book as a whole, nonetheless it was an enjoyable read.
Final Rating - 3.5/5 Stars

Á wonderful and well-written historical fantasy novel. The story is enchanting and absolutely magical.

Fatima and Hassan are both trapped in their lives in different ways: she is a concubine born into a luxurious sort of slavery, a favored companion to the king, while Hassan must hide his homosexuality as a mapmaker with inexplicable magic powers. When the Inquisition comes to negotiate the surrender of a weakened Granada, one term is clear: Hassan must be given over to the charming but suspicious and cruel Christian woman. Rather than let her friend die, Fatima vows to escape her life of privileged servitude and breaks free with the help of a jinn. From here, it's a journey of magical realism as they head for a place they only know from myth: the island of the King of Birds.

I've enjoyed G. Willow Wilson's run writing Wonder Woman, and I'm so delighted to have discovered her prose as well. This historical fiction is well-researched and lushly detailed without hitting you over the head with textbook information. It provided a different side of the Spanish Inquisition than what I have experienced with Western culture, and I found the tale utterly enchanting.

This one was unfortunately not for me, I was really into it for the first 30% or so, while we still are in Granada and things sounded almost more like historical fiction with a touch of magic.
However it then went into Fabulism territory and I really wasn’t here for that. I just really don’t enjoy reading Fabulism/Magical realism, there’s something about it that really annoy me, I can’t really explain. I guess I need my fantasy to have some kind of rules and logic, and it’s not what you get with Fabulism. A lot of things don’t make sense, are never explained, happen suddenly but with a MC not being surprised at all even though this is all new to them too.
So yeah, that’s something that doesn’t work for me, but if you like Magical realism or Fabulism then you might really like this book, because that’s my main gripe with it, I wasn’t aware that’s what it was (my bad I guess, but I read it as an ARC 2 months in advance so there wasn’t that many reviews yet)

Let’s dive into the book itself :

I really liked our main character, Fatima, but as a whole I really thought the characters were not developed enough. I barely understood the other main character Hassan, and even by the end his actions and what he said sometimes made no sense to me, mostly because I didn’t know him, even after 400+ pages… And don’t even get me started on the other few characters, I could not tell you their way of thinking at all and I couldn’t pinpoint their personalities really. This is definitely not a book with character development… Unfortunately because I think it would have been much more interesting if it had been.

Some things about the interactions between the characters still don’t make sense to me also. For instance two characters are mad at each others for a big part of the book and I do not understand why. The original reason seemed pretty trivial especially as they had such a strong and old friendship ? and it just never get resolved and I still don’t know why no one says anything especially as the reasons don’t make sense ?? I was, and am still, SO confused. Feels to me as if it was just put there so the author could talk about love and friendships later on.
Another example : at one point Fatima is scared because they might be killed and so… Hassan tells her he is now dating that other guy, so that should help her be less afraid… like, he literally says that and I ??? Like, how are those things related in ANY way?

There were a lot of decisions and things happening that never made sense to me. A non spoilery one to give you an idea : One of the character gets a horse and that horse actually helps him get out of a difficult situation. But he decides to call the horse Stupid, but for no reason at all, like, this horse doesn’t sound stupid and even if he was a little… I mean, just give that horse a normal name ? It’s so weird too because that horse is then called multiple times through the story and it’s so out of place to have him be called Stupid, when that’s really not the tone of the book. If we had been in a kind of comedy like My lady Jane or a Terry Pratchett then I guess why not, but that’s really not it.

Some things are never explained : a couple of times we get dialogues like “they looked at each others and they knew” or “Fatima knew what it meant” …. But the reader doesn’t know ! It’s so frustrating to read lines like that and be like “?! But, please tell us ??”. Like, ok now I know the characters know something but it would be good if at some point I would know too and… I finished the book and I don’t.

The main thing that confused me, and that’s really all about the Fabulism part and so you might not see a problem with it but… As you probably already know the story is all about Fatima and Hassan trying to escape the inquisition. And they have heard many years ago the beginning of a tale about the Bird king… so they decide to find it. But ok first… Really ? It’s a tale from an old book, why do you put your life on the line for it ? But then many things happen, Hassan doesn’t believe in it so much but Fatima always does and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. There’s no ground for it, there’s no reason you should put all your hopes on a fairytale you haven’t even heard the end of. The whole world isn’t magic, she only knows that Hassan have some magic in him but that’s it, it’s not a fantasy world, it’s our world with a hint of magic. So why is she so sure ? I need more, I need to understand why characters do things and not just read about them doing the things. This way it seems to me the author is just making characters do what she needs them to do because that’s where she wants the story to go, but there’s never any ground for it, and no reason behind the decisions of the characters.

Finally, there were the Jinn characters that just popped up whenever it was convenient for the MCs to get saved… It’s, again, a problem I have with Magical realism as a whole but… I need more explanation. I still don’t even know what they look like. Does Vikram look like a human ? Like a dog ? I don’t get it. And that Cat-lady Jinn that pops up to save a character and then just disappear again and is never even mentioned again… What was up with that ? How can they come into Fatima’s dream like that and why isn’t she more surprised ?? So. Many. Questions.

And then there’s all the other inconsistencies : they are never sea sick even though it’s their first time on a boat (I mean it could happen but it’s weird that it’s not mentioned at all), they are never described as hungry even though they never eat and we know they don’t have any food for at least a day if not 2, a character gets tortured with some kind of blades under his fingernails but then it’s never mentioned again : that character seem to be using their hands just fine during the hours and days after it happened….

So, to sum up, it wasn’t an enjoyable read, even though I really wanted to love this story… I was so happy when I got approved for an arc ! But yeah, really not a kind of story for me and I’ll be more careful in the future. I did like Fatima, and all the part of the story that were grounded in reality and that sounded more like an historical novel. As for everything else, it really wasn’t my kind of read and I do think we need more explanations for a lot of things because as you can see from this review, I’m left pretty confused and with a lot of questions…

Note to maybe edit something in the ARC : there’s no tides in the Mediterranean sea (or it’s not actually visible to the eye because it’s so small). So a couple of scenes here don’t work.

This book was enchanting. Well written, magical, historical, and great character development. I look forward to reading more by Wilson!

A Circassian concubine in Alhambra, at the time of the last sultan, learnes of a threat to her gay friend and decides that they must run away in order to save him.
The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the story is a mix between historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism. The first part, taking place in Alhambra and the desert, I found very good and greatly enjoyed it, but the second part I didn’t like that much, maybe because it felt rushed and possibly also because of too much magical realism.

The Bird King is absolutely magical, stunning, and thrilling. For me, it was the kind of book that I really wasn't sure about at first. It's slow to start and build, and then when I was through the setup and into the actual plot, I was hooked and couldn't stop reading. It tackles tough issues while also being an elegantly written adventure with characters you aren't likely to forget.

What Wilson does is make this a book about everything; while it hits on issues that are important to me (feminism, for one), the story isn't quite *about* those issues. Rather, the story is an adventurous, magical realism, fantasy type of story, but there are beautiful lines in here that made my heart sing when I read them. These are very small moments within the story itself, but they are what really made me fall in love with the characters and the world that Wilson creates within these pages, because it is a world that is fully realized and wholly complex.

Fatima is the main character and is the very embodiment of what I think of when I think of strong, female characters. She's naive in some ways, delicate in others, but so very strong and determined to succeed in her mission to save her friend and get him away from the people who want to harm him. I love how it's her determination and love for her friend that helps her change and grow into the person she was always capable of being.

Mostly, I love how myth and history weave together to bring this story into play. It made me want to learn so much more about the time period in which it's set and the culture of the main characters' worlds. I was thinking about the story for a long time after I finished and still can't quite get it out of my mind. It's easily one my favorite reads of 2018 and I would not be surprised if it's a favorite release for this year. It's just so smartly done, I can't say enough good things about it.

The book began with such a beautiful promising story which unfortunately deteriorated through the wild journey. I wish I could say I liked the wild journey and the interesting concept of djinns more than concubine's narration of palace lives and her escape through magic doorways but I didn't. The chase felt pointless and exhausting. There were some really great moments and some that confused me to no ends.

Things I liked -

The atmospheric setting of palace life, Fatima's rebellious character, Hassan unexplained talent, their love of another. The musing and questions, the characters ask about beliefs and how humans get to set the fate of another life through their own beliefs & the raging war that never seem to end.

"They were probably women," muttered Fatima, fanning her face with the sleeve of her robe. "If they were men, we would remember their names.”

Things that bothered me -

I couldn't grasp what the author meant by Fatima being the Bird King, then saying that everybody was one. Hassan seems to be attracted to every male present, he acted horny in the presence of all males even the half dog-human Vikram. He seemed to have no standards for himself.
The magic system was confusing and convenient and then confusing again. The time was never explained, and the ending was rushed unfairly.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is the fourth non-Western speculative fiction novel I read in a row - The Bird King, though, is somewhat set apart from the others, as it weaves just a pinch of magic into the historical events leading to the fall of Muslim Iberia. It's a highly unusual story for sure! And I started reading it without the faintest idea where it would lead me.

Strongwilled protagonist Fatima is absolutely captivating to read about, as she does everything to save her best friend Hassan from the Spanish Inquisition, their pursuers hunting him down because of his talent of "creating" places - paths, corridors, tunnels, shortcuts - by drawing them on maps. But Fatima also fights for herself and her own rights. The besieged Alhambra constitutes the starting point for this adventure, and that's... an amazing idea. As was the jinn lore. In fact, The Bird King brims over with beautiful ideas and concepts, enriched by Wilson's lovely writing.

But (and this is actually a big "but" for me) I was thrown out of the story by the many climaxes it reached. And... it's hard to explain why, but that just wasn't satisfying. There is conflict - emotional, religious, political, ethical, every conflict imaginable - but in the end it adds up to a philosophical dispute of sorts, and I just wasn't into it. Perhaps it just isn't fantasy enough for me? Perhaps it's too surreal? Because in any case, I can't argue that it's not a good book. I would in fact recommend it without reservation. But the last third of it simply wasn't my kind of novel.

I adored this book. The setting was exceptional, the characters were beautiful, the writing style was atmospheric.

Fatima and Hassan's friendship/relationship is probably one of the best m/f friendships I've ever read. I loved it so much.

I also loved the villains. It's so relevant for this day and age and political setting in the U.S. It was heartbreaking the struggle that they're going through with the Inquisition. What I didn't like about Luz was her "reason" for being so evil. There ARE evil people who feel as she does and it's not due to anything supernatural.

Otherwise, it's a fabulous book, highly recommend.

First of all, the cover is lovely. It's an eye catcher for certain. The story is also lovely. Granted, it's slow at times, but the words within themselves are simply beautiful written. The premise, Muslim during the Spanish Inquisition, is one that is unique. The setting lends itself to a magical feel. Fatima was engaging and kind of different, which I liked. The story is very good, but don't try to rush through this one.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed slipping into this little fantasy world.

I was drawn to this one because I have enjoyed some of Wilson's previous books. This one sounded intriguing, both for the historical aspect and the fantastical element. It took me a little while, but it wasn't long before I was truly hooked.  I feel like I learned so much from this book. I don't know much about medieval Spain. This has got the beginning of the Inquisition, and the threat to both our main characters is truly terrifying.

The strongest part of the book is definitely the characters. Both Fatima and Hassan were clearly drawn, fully dimensional characters with believable motives and flaws. I loved their relationship. Then there was the jinn. I liked that he was so untrustworthy, and yet so appealing. 

If there was one thing that made this a little bit hard to stick with I think it was the pacing. It seemed a little uneven. But I would recommend it for those who want to try a mix of historical fiction and magical realism.

As soon as I started reading this I knew I would love it!

This tells the story of the last concubine Fatima and her dear friend Hassan. Although they live in the palace together, they lead very different lives. Hassan has the ability to edit and create maps of lands he has not seen. I was so intrigued by this premise and Wilson's lyrical writing I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I was reading this on the train and I almost missed my stop- THAT'S HOW AMAZING IT WAS.

I loved the plot and don't want to give too much away, but the fantastical elements of this story made me give it a 5 stars!

I was really excited to see that G. Willow Wilson has a new book coming out in 2019. And The Bird King delivered! The story follows the favorite concubine of the last sultan of Granada and her best friend, the royal cartographer with a magical gift with maps. When the Inquisition comes calling, the two run away to find the island of the Bird King.

There is a lot going on in this book, and I read most of it in one giant gulp. The language is gorgeous, and the world building fantastic. Wilson spends a lot of time building the world of the sultan's court, and it's lushness and opulence -- only to rip it away as the two friends go on the run and are forced to contend with hunger and hardship.

This was an incredibly compelling read. Things got a bit weird and rushed towards the end of the book, and I honestly wish that Wilson had slowed the pace down a bit there. But overall, a really good read.