My Thoughts:
I love Amy Harmon's books. Over the past few years, she's become an insta-buy author for me. As soon as she releases a new book, I but it. I don't care what it's about because I know as long as she's writing it, it's going to be good. As soon as the audiobook became available, I knew I had to binge listen to The First Girl Child, one of her newer releases. Unfortunately, it's one of the only Amy Harmon books that I didn't like.

At first, The First Girl Child really drew me in. I greatly enjoyed the prologue, and the first few chapters. After a while though, the book became incredibly boring. It felt like nothing significant was happening. At one point, I found myself losing focus. I had to rewind a few times while listening because I was so bored that I found my thoughts drifting elsewhere, and wasn't paying attention to what was going on in the story line.

I do have to admit that towards the end of the book, things did start to get interesting again. From about the hour and a half left in the book mark on until the end, I found myself becoming intrigued again, and really getting back into the story line. I needed to know how things ended. It wasn't enough to make me love Bayr's story, but it did help increase my enjoyment.

Unfortunately, The First Girl Child just wasn't for me. I found about eighty percent of the book to be boring, so much so that I found myself day dreaming while listening. It just felt like nothing was happening, and the story couldn't hold my interest. Even though I didn't enjoy this book, I will definitely continue to read Amy Harmon's future releases. I've enjoyed almost all of the other books she has written.


I give The First Girl Child: 2.5/5.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me and I didn't finish it.

My Rating : 5🌟
.
Kindle/ Netgalley/ April2020
.
Thank you so much Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced bin any way.
.
This book follows multiple characters, Dagmar, Bayr, Ghost & Alba, over a period of few years where they try to navigate life with everyone else after a curse.
.
First, I loved the multiple point of views that this story presented and absolutely loved reading the thoughts of every main character. The way this book started was really good and how it kept it's pace was amazing. The relationship portrayed was really good to read even when they were unlikable!. The characters all had their own purposes and it never felt too suffocating. The character arc was amazing and how they grow into their roles was fascinating to read about.
.
Second, I loved the concept the author took. It's not every day you read a book that deals with female anger and resentment and how they affects everyone and everything. It gave a really good message and the way it was delivered was absolutely stunning to read. I really enjoyed the storyline and especially the characters! My absolute favourite were Bayr and Alba, but I really enjoyed the mysterious Master Ivo's character as well ! Next to that was Ghost and Dagmar. They definitely gave me a lot of things to mull over and be grateful for what I have in my life. It really felt emotional and any book that kindles an emotional response like this gets a 5 star! There were few scenes where it looked like it dragged and felt unnecessary, but it's not noticeable with the plot going. That ending absolutely gutted me and I haven't recovered from it still !!
.
Overall, I loved this also because it was a stand-alone fantasy with amazing story, characters, relationships and a very emotionally wrecking ending !! I definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of fantasy. Read it, you won't be disappointed !

I picked this book up at a moment when I wasn't able to get into it. It was a timing issue, and the writing is good, so I will come back to it and update with a full review.

A world based loosely on Norse mythology as mentioned in the author's note at the end of the book, this story follows characters set in the land known as Saylok and the people are god worshipers. There are 7 clans for the land surrounding Saylok. The center of Saylok is Temple Hill, where the King lives, as well as the Keepers. The Keepers maintain order and a spiritual balance so that no one person or clan has all power. They protect the runes, which fallen into the wrong hands, could be wielded for evil. Temple Hill is where most of the story takes place.

The first 70% of the story follows the children known as Bayr and Alba from their birth and the circumstances surrounding them. I usually prefer books where the love story is the major focal point. I was warned this story did not focus primarily on romance. However, I found myself to still be engaged and wanting to know more each time I set it down. The last 30% of the book Bayr and Alba are young adults and are fighting against years of lies and deceit from the people who are closest to them.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. There's action, there's intrigue, there's love, there's sadness, there's sacrifice. It had all the makings of a great story that I've come to expect from Amy Harmon. It wasn't my favorite among the books of hers that I've read, but it was a solid story with a solid plot.

Top Favorite Quotes:
"And strength without wisdom is dangerous."

"Because the beauty of the fall was worth the pain of landing."

"It is your weakness. But weakness can make a man wise. You will listen more. You will think before you speak. You will never believe yourself all-powerful and all-knowing. You will never say what you do not mean."

I've come to believe that home is not a place. Home is inside of us. Home is the people we love. Home is what we strive for.

"There is no love without fear. They walk hand in hand," she said with a small smile. "That is why it hurts so much."

"And in the end, we can only sacrifice ourselves. To sacrifice others is no sacrifice at all."

Language Rating: 1
Mature Content Rating: 1.5
Final Rating: 4 stars

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

It took me so long to get through this book. Not because it was bad per se, just because it was forgettable. Not my usually genre. Turns out, theres a reason for that.

Profound. Vivid. Lovely. Those are the simple words to describe this story. Amy Harmon has really excelled in branching out into other genres, and personally, I'm loving it more and more every time I get exposed. I’ve rarely enjoyed fantasy or historical genres until finding Any Harmon. Hers never fall short.

The First Girl Child is Amy's latest fantasy and it is unparalleled. It is such a unique story. I always wonder how authors come up with new stories and new ideas and a new story line that hasn't been done and overdone, but Amy has an absolute art for it. I can't even begin to imagine the thoughts that run through her head.

I don't think I have ever written an Amy Harmon review without mentioning her characters. The First Girl Child is no exception. The story has a lot of characters, and you will feel like you know every single one of them. You will love them. You will hate them. You will have some that fall somewhere in between. But you won't be disappointed.

Saylok is a beautiful place. Entirely made up. Entirely visible in my head because of the sheer talent of the imagery written in this book. I was taken on quite the journey, and I wouldn't object to visiting Saylok again.

If you are in the mood to check out a new genre or you love fantasy, The First Girl Child is definitely a top pick. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed when they read this story. It's action packed and filled with characters that will stick with you for a long time.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

3.5 Stars

An interesting concept and of course, since this is Amy Harmon, excellent storytelling. I enjoyed delving into the fantasy story she weaved and while at times the pacing was a bit on the slower side, I generally enjoyed this one.

I've only read one other Amy Harmon book and I see a trend.
The First Girl Child is a fantasy book about a kingdom similar to the old Norse kingdoms. Select individuals are born with "rune blood' and are tasked as potential supplicants to protect the secret/sacred runes.At some point a woman, who is pregnant, is attacked by her baby daddy's clan and she curses the whole kingdom to have no girls and the babby daddy would never have another child.
The book follows her son, Bayr, as he grows under the care of his uncle at the the rune temple.
A few years later an "albino-like" slave from a nation across the sea is captured and taken to the special kingdom. She has a girl baby, but politics, lies, and sacrifice get in the way.
The book explores the breakdown of the society and the growth as a nation is forced to adjust to life without girl children.
The First Girl Child also contains a few very cute romantic young adult elements, but some of the scenes strike me as a little more adult than I expected.
Harmon has such an amazing gift for characters and world creation. It's easy to lose myself in her created world.
Her plot was also really neat and I don't think I've ever read anything like it.
It's a fun, fast read.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. (And I’m so sorry my review is so late!)

The first girl child takes place in a land called Saylok, and the whole setting of the book felt a lot like something out of Game of Thrones (which I loved so much).
I think Amy Harmon did such a wonderful job with writing this book, as I don’t think she writes fantasy often, she definitely should write more! She is one of those authors that can write any genre and all her books I’ve read so far have been really wonderful.
This story was about a boy named Bayr, who’s mother cursed the land for there to be no more babies who were girls. Finally, Alba was born, and Bayr swore to protect her forever. This was a story of true friendship and love, I adored their relationship so much! It was a wonderful, slow burn type of story.

WOW, this book was everything! I could not put it done and did not want to leave this world that Amy created. This will easily be a top read of 2020 if not number one. I know Vikings was a big trend for a while and to be honest, I have yet to like anything Viking related until I read The First Girl Child! I become obsessed after reading this book and desperately hope we get more books about Saylok and these characters.

The author created and wonderfully vibrate and brutal world, full of deeply complex and flawed characters. As a reader, you are taken on an emotional journey as these characters have to overcome generations of betrayal, bitterness, and lies that are slowly destroying their world.

Bayr and Alba were two children who had the weight of their crumbling world onto their shoulders. While they are each blessed with special gifts, they are only to play a part in breaking the cruse that envelopes their world. The author really does turn the "chosen one" trope on its head and really gets us to think that it should never be about one person but a community coming together and each doing their part to bring about healing and change.

This is the first book in a very long time that consumed me and left me with the best book hangover. I can't recommend this story enough and don't think you'll be disappointed with the world and characters this author created.


******Received an ARC from Netgalley****

This was a ride! I am a big fan of Amy Harmon so when I heard this was coming out I jumped on it! The writing as always was excellent and the story overall was so well done. This was definitely different from the other books I have read from her but this makes me want more like this from here now. One thing that kind of bothered me was the pacing. All of the action was kind of at the end off the book and all the world building and history took up about 3/4 of the story. I do get that this story needed an info dump so I didn't mind much. Overall, Loved and I need more!

4 stars!

Amy Harmon is brilliant! I just love her writing, whether it’s fantasy or romance, her mind is a wonderful place to be!

I’m just going to start out by saying that fantasy isn’t my favorite genre of reading, so I went in a bit hesitant. But once I was a few chapters in I got sucked right in to the story of Bayr & Alba and all of the other characters of The First Girl Child. The writing was fabulous and the imagination of Amy, well, as I stated above her mind is quite creative! It was a nice change for me to read this side of her writing, I’ve only ever read her romance novels up unto this point. But I will say that I can’t wait to read more fantasy written by her, I truly enjoyed it!
.

This book was very different from Amy's others. It was still well written and an enjoyable read! I guess this would be considered a slow burn. All of the action was in the last 20% of the book, the 80% before was all the history and build up.

Harmon has constructed an imaginative, meaningful, and deliberate commentary on the harsh injustices of the world, whilst weaving action-packed fantasy and mythical intrigue into an already convincing story-line.

The First Girl Child takes place in a well-constructed fantasy world where after interference with the Gods, the Sons descended from Odin are split into villages, forced to take a totem form. Whilst Harmon has taken liberties with the Gods Sons and the like, her creativity and linguistics allow for a convincing story line. What results from this imagination, is a clever take on the unjust aspects of society, whilst also incorporating all the key aspects of a Action-Fantasy novel. By including sociological perspectives such as anti-misogyny and feminism in the construction of not just the plot-line but the world, Harmon effectively creates a desire for more and therefore a novel that lasts.

un monde diablement bien tourné, des personnages hyper attachants et une autrice qui, quelques soient ses mots, nous tient en haleine et nous permet de vivre des choses très intenses.
vivement le prochain !!

This book was just as good as I hoped it would be. The world-building was very solid. There was enough detail to make it believable but not enough to make it hard to grasp. The characters were easy to either love or hate. Ghost, Bayr, and Dagmar all had a lot of character development. There was two romances in the story. I liked both, but the one with the slightly more mature couple was the more interesting. The ending was sad in parts, but very satisfying.

I wouldn't recommend this book to those who are squeamish about blood. There is quite a lot of blood. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable story and I'm glad I read it. I don't know if there's ever going to be a sequel. If there is, I'll be pretty happy about that.

The First Girl Child follows Bayr of Saylok. His mother cursed the land so that there would be no daughter born after her death. His uncle raises him but Bayr has no idea that his father is actually the Chieftain.

In this book, we also follow Alba, the first girl being born after six years. Bayr, even as a boy, is stronger than any man so he will be charged to protect her. After years of friendship, when they grow older, they eventually develop romantic feelings for each other.

There is more plot than that, but unfortunately, this book just didn't do it for me. It's been a couple of weeks since I finished it and I can say that I already forgot a lot of things. Now take that with a grain of salt because my memory isn't great and I easily forget what happens in a book. I had a hard time getting into the book but after a while I really enjoyed it. However, around 60%, I got bored and I lost interest in the plot.

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres but this one was a miss even though I wanted to love it.


(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)