This was a very different book than the previous fantasy releases I’ve read by this author. I would say that I was expecting more of a romance based fantasy and what I got was more of an epic fantasy with romance woven in. Still overwhelmingly lovely and beautifully written, just not exactly what I was expecting.

The First Girl Child is a story of love, power, greed, selflessness, and honor. When a young battle maiden is wronged, she brings a son into the world and then places a curse on the land that no daughters will be born from that day forward and that her son will be the only one who is able to break the curse and save them all.. Thus begins the tale of Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful chieftain who becomes king with a lie and Alba, a young girl child, taken from her mother and used for political gain.

Bayr is raised by his uncle at Temple Hill, among the Keepers, and is strong of body and heart, but has a stutter that keeps him from talking. He is naturally protective and as soon as Alba is brought forward as the first girl child to be born in a decade, Bayr is tasked with her protection. The two grow inseparable, but will soon have to navigate a land filled with political intrigue and men who lust for power.

Amy Harmon has created a mythical world based in Norse mythology and laced with touches of Viking folklore and Christianity. This is very much a story about the dangers of misogyny and sexism and how it adversely affects society. It was at times a slow read, but Ms. Harmon writes in such a soulful, beautiful way that you can’t help but keep turning pages. I was quite taken with the characters, and the setting, and the deep themes. There is a love story, two in fact, but strap in and hold your horses, because this author builds those relationships at a slow, steady pace and it takes a while to get there. But, it is so worth it when you finally do.

I very much enjoyed The First Girl Child and would heartily recommend it to fans of the genre. If you haven’t read this author before and would like some suggestions on her backlist, after you dive into The First Girl Child, I would like to recommend The Bird and the Sword and The Queen and the Cure. Two of my favorites.

Final Grade- B+

Let me start with a disclaimer: I'm NOT a fantasy reader...AT ALL
I picked up this book because I firmly stand in front of Amy Harmon words with a begging bowl, starving and ravenous.
Having said that, it was relatively easier for me to follow this story because it is beset with current topics which are still rampant in modern times. The plot was as alive and kicking as it was during medieval times
Misogyny is a social curse plaguing humankind, or I should say womenkind, ever since god created Eve from Adam’s rib.
“We are abused. We are used. We are bartered and abandoned. But rarely are we loved. So be it. From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok for any of you to love.”
Women have been relegated to the background despite proven abilities to lead
Amy skillfully sets her story amidst patriarchal society cursed by a Bay’s mother ridding the future world of girl-children. The son, Bayr is haunted and and tortured by the curse and holding Alba in his soft human heart, wanders about trying to salvage the fate of their country
"In the beginning, they’d rejoiced. Sons were always preferable. Sons were the lifeblood. The protectors. The warriors. The farmers. How foolish they’d all been."
There’s a whole lot of emotions scattered everywhere making it a colorful and enthralling read.
I’m unworthy of reviewing it appropriately as I got lots in so many scenes but overall I still remain detached from fantasy genre

Sorry Amy, Though I didn’t get much of the story, your words just uplifted and transported me to Saylok and I loved my time spent there
4 stars for Daughter of Saylok

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This was my second book from Amy Harmon. I'm not much for fantasy, I sometimes find it difficult to get into but that was not the case for this book. It's fantasy but it has more of an "old world" feel. The romance takes a backseat in this book since we delve more into the complexity of the situation and the curse placed upon the kingdom of Saylok. The story is told in third person pov and alternates the focus on each of the main characters. Honestly, this is one of those books that you just have to read without knowing what it's about.

It has been a very long time since I have read an Amy Harmon novel but The First Girl Child topped all my expectations. It is a fantasy novel filled with Nordic gods, myths, and good vs evil.

The entire story is beautiful written and Amy Harmon creates such a vivid setting that you can picture it perfectly in your mind. There are many themes in the novel including honor, love, and the abuse of power. What stood out most to me was the love between parent and child. Whether that child is yours by birth or not, the bond you build when you raise them is like no other. The lengths one will go to protect their loved ones and the sacrifices one is willing to make.

I don't want to say much more because I in no way want to spoil the story. I am usually a binge reader but I tried to savor this novel because I knew I would not be prepared for it to end. The end of the book brought me to tears and this is a book I wish I could re experience for the first time. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to add a physical copy to my book shelf.

I hardly know where to begin with this review. I’m going with a trusty list.

*The the book is set in a fantasy world within a Norse mythology framework. I will show my ignorance on the subject and admit I thought Thor was just a comic book character. But he and Loki and several others are mentioned throughout this story, though they aren’t main characters or anything.

*I found the synopsis just a little misleading. While Bayr and Alba are definitely main characters, they feel like supporting characters until the last quarter of the book. The story follows them from birth to adulthood, with much of book taking place while they are still children. I don’t want to diminish their importance, but I just expected for them to play much bigger roles. Dagmar and Ghost felt a lot more like lead characters and they aren’t even mentioned in the synopsis.

*There is some fabulous character development. Harmon takes her time telling the story and really focuses in on the characters and she did a good job of it. I definitely felt a connection to many of them. I loved sweet Bayr and tragic, tragic Dagmar.

*Though there was great characterization, I felt like it was a little at the expense of the pace. Though I was enjoying the story, I felt like it took me a lot longer to get through the book than it normally would a book of a similar size. Harmon’s writing is as beautiful as ever, but it also felt a little exhausting at times. I felt like it could have been edited down a bit more.

*I liked the slight parallel between Bayr and Moses from the Bible. Speaking of the Bible, though, it is mentioned that a leader from Saylok’s past spent some time among Christians and liked them so much he decided to make Jesus one of the gods they worship in Saylok. Which kind of defies the point of Christianity.

Overall, I enjoyed The First Girl Child. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but that turned out to be ok. Though it was a little longer and slower than it needed to be, I loved the characters a lot, especially Dagmar and Bayr. I think fans of Harmon’s other fantasy novels will really enjoy this one.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

Amy Harmon is a master storyteller and The First Girl Child is a beautiful masterpiece of modern fantasy. Amy brings together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport the reader to the Kingdom of Saylock. The world building is exceptional. I was immediately immersed in Saylock with its six distinct clans. The interplay between the spiritual and the secular was fascinating. The characters are wonderfully three-dimensional with both strengthens and flaws. They love and hate, laugh and grieve, take and sacrifice. The novel has an underlying feminism with strong, capable women and important roles for both men and women. I was invested in the complex, multi-layered relationships, particularly between Alba and Bayr, Dagmar and Bayr, and Ghost and Dagmar. I was completely satisfied with the ending, but I’m hoping Amy will write more in this world. I’d like to visit with these characters again.

Advanced copy obtained from Netgalley.

All it took was a few pages into the prologue and I was a goner. This beautiful, heart-wrenching, poignant story is worth every second spent between the pages. It's a fantasy with such fathomless depths, you fall so deeply you don't want to get out again. It's a story of revenge, overcoming impossible odds, courage in the face of tyranny and evil, unbreakable bonds of family, and forbidden love.

The Kingdom of Saylok is made up of six clans: Adyar, Berne, Dolphys, Ebba, Joran, and Leok. Each clan has a Chieftan who leads it, and the King has absolute power, even over these leaders. Many hope to ascend to the throne, but few will have the opportunity in their lifetime. Banruud of Berne is hungry for power and has no qualms about harming anyone who stands in his way. One woman seeks revenge for a horrible betrayal at his hands that will curse all of Saylok, until her son is ready to remove the scourge upon the land.

That son is Bayr. Unnaturally strong and believed to have been gifted by the gods, he becomes somewhat of a legend for his incredible feats growing up. It would be easy for someone to become proud or boastful, but living at Temple Hill with his Uncle has made him a humble man who only cares for the well being of others. Bayr and his Uncle Dagmar's relationship as he grows up in his care touched my heart so much. Dagmar wasn't prepared to take on a fatherly role in his lifetime after committing himself as a Keeper. At first he was flustered and floundering with newborn Beyr, then gradually more confident as he lovingly guided Bayr towards the future he knew he was destined to fulfill. Even knowing someday they must part, he willingly sacrificed his own wishes for the salvation of Saylok. Injustice, pain, and suffering were endured by many. Lives would be changed irrevocably the day that Bayr came into his care, and he's determined to set things right no matter what it takes.

If I could only use one word to describe Bayr it would be protector. That makes up every part of him down to his soul. After meeting princess Alba, he's enraptured by this child of hope. The first female child to be born during a long drought that has plagued the land for years. He immediately pledges to watch over her and shield her from all harm, never asking for anything in return. His feelings for her were pure and innocent, blossoming into a special friendship as they matured. Bayr and Alba are from two totally different worlds: one from royalty and the other a humble Temple boy without a penny to his name. But their devotion to each other is absolute, even if it must be from a distance at times. They way they changed and evolved took longer than I was expecting, but it was more than worth it by the end. It was like watching a seed being nurtured over time, weathering every storm, and growing into a towering tree with roots so deep they can't ever be unearthed. You feel their rightness down to your bones and want nothing more than the simplicity of them being. Without conflict or conspiracies to tear them apart.
Ghost plays an integral role in the story. Sold into slavery, then reviled and feared for being born with albinism, she's been mistreated her whole life. People fear what they don't understand, and her unusual appearance draws prejudice from ignorant people. Fate brings her into Bayr's life and though he's disconcerted at first, he always treats her with open acceptance, as does Dagmar. Love and acceptance seems like a simple thing to some, but to others it's everything. Ghost broke me at times. She was so used to rejection and harm that a simple human kindness couldn't be trusted.

Ghost finally finds a home where she has some semblance of safety. She relies on the anonymity her solitary lives affords, and finds much more than she bargained for in her simple life.

The final part of this book was action packed, tense, thrilling, devastating, healing, and leaves you awed at how it all ties together. My emotions were everywhere on the map, leaving me wrung out and wrecked at the end. It broke me just a little bit, but I can't imagine anything happening any differently. How the balance of power was righted, and the oppressed were finally freed. It was such a thing of beauty that brought tears to my eyes. Amy Harmon has created a story that's often brutal, but never fails to show us the power of love in the bleakest of times. Thankfully I had a friend on standby after finishing this incredible story that I could rant and weep and soak up all of my favorite words with. It was extremely hard to part with these characters so I can only hope that we are gifted with more novels in this extraordinary world!! This is one of her best yet, and I recommend it to any fantasy lover searching for their next five star read.

This was probably the best book I have read this year. Once again Amy Harmon didn’t disappoint. She is a brilliant storyteller who can write every genre and I would always love it. This was such a unique and breathtaking story you don’t want to miss. It was an epic journey which I didn’t want to end. I’m looking forward to her next fantasy book. Or whatever she will decide to write.


***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

Absolute fantastical perfection. The First Girl Child hails as a mesmerizing tale juxtaposing good versus evil. So layered and complex in its telling of a beautifully, haunting tale full of lies and deceptions set against unwavering faith and belief in something greater then thine own one self. Amy Harmon brilliantly showcases her prowess for her craft, her intimacy with her characters and her honesty as a storyteller with her acutely detailed words woven together as a concise and tightly executed novel that’s as restorative and healing in its heart break and hope as it is blinding with light and shadowed in dark. Her third person point of view writing keeps the mind and soul engaged from beginning to end. I felt this story in my readers heart as I was transported to Saylok and willingly held captive. There is so much to say yet I possess neither the grace nor my own words bold enough to express all this book means. Full of everlasting love and devotion; deep, thought provoking, and remarkable. A true piece of fantasy gold for fans and embracers of this genre. I feel honored to have to read it.

DNF @ 30%

Probably the only thing I hate more than writing dnf reviews is actually not finishing book. It's not that I feel guilty afterwards or have a fear of missing out. It's just that sometimes I can get too stubborn and committed and, truth to be told, basically don't even know how to give up so I end up doing many things I don't want to anymore for the sake of getting it done. As my friend often points out, I like to bang my head against the wall. But I guess we all have our flaws.

I've often heard only the best about Amy's books and I've wanted to get into them since forever. When I saw the arc of this on Netgalley, I thought it could be the perfect opportunity especially when the reviews started to roll in and they were all the rave ones. So I assume I'm in the minority when I say I'm not fascinated at all by this book.

The premise sounded intriguing, set in the world inspired by norse mythology. But what put me off in the first place was the way we are introduced to the world, many slow points and (seemingly?) unnecessary events and the writing style which made everything so bland and boring. I've read so many reviews by people who loved the book and said it gets better toward the end, but unfortunately I have no plans to see it for myself.

I heard that Amy is best known for her various romance novels. Guess I should've tried one of those instead because her fantasy isn't something I'm fond of. But after this, I'll have to be really convinced because this was such a waste of time.

Thanks to the Netgalley and 47North for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This will be short and sweet. Decent fantasy read.

I liked the variation on Odin's tale the author created and as always we are given a story with characters that are layered and faced with hard decisions. Amy is great at giving us characters who are inherently good, characters who end up champions of their struggles, giving the reader those feel good vibes.

BUT

With any great fantasy story you have a villain and I think this is where the author struggles in this one. She gives us a villain but he's not that bad. Yes, he's not a good man, but he's not the worst either. He craves power above all and will manipulate and use people to get him the power he seeks. Because he wasn't "that bad" I felt like the story fell a little flat because as a villain I felt very little towards him, period. I felt like the real villain of the story may have been Desdemona, who's last breaths spent on revenge set the stage for the whole story.

Romance books are not my genre but Amy Harmon always makes me read it till the last page. She is such a good writer, and picking her newest book The First Girl Child I couldn’t go wrong. Beautiful, heart breaking fairy tale which kept me reading till late hours of the night. Great story, full of cursed kingdom, different clans, keepers and runes, magic and mystery. Characters very well developed and scenes beautiful described. My favorite part of the book was the motive of the powerful women.

Amy Harmon is one of my go to authors. In a reading slump – read one of her books, need the comfort of a familiar book – read one your favorite one, looking to read a new genre – read one of her books. Amy has the ability to smoothly write whatever genre she wants and it will be fantastic, not only will you learn new things, but your mind will spend days working out all the details and nuances of the story.

In typical fashion, she spends time setting the stunning scene for the intense emotions that you are going to feel. I think she is being gracious, letting it all creep on you, before it suddenly hits you in the face! Yes, I cried… that’s all I’m going to say about my emotions.

Set in Saylok, this rich land is filled with clans, magical runes and warriors, who for many years have been unable to produce daughters, causing chaos of all kinds! Bayr, who you can’t help love, as his gentle nature balances out his out of this world strength. Alba is fierce, determined and very compassionate! Love is weaves its way through this story, touching all that are in its path - it’s slow build up is completely consuming!

Dagmar and Ghost, are much more than “side” characters, time and time again they show sacrificial love for those in their care, and their friendship is one to remember! And their pain and heartache cause so much of the beauty of this epic story to shine through. “Because the beauty of the fall was worth the pain of landing”.

This story hits all the spots – warriors, magic, love, battles and salvation for a nation coming from likely and unlikely heroes! My frustration is that I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave Saylok - I love Bayr, Alba, Dagmar, Ghost and this gorgeous fantasy world, they have a piece of my heart!

Thanks so much to @netgalley and @47north for this epic ARC.

I wanted to love this book, but I came away a bit,disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high because I'm feeling underwhelmed after finishing The First Girl Child. It was completely predictable. And though it was long, and spanned many years, the story felt slow and simplistic. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I just wasn't drawn into the story, or invested in the characters. This ended up being just an okay read for me.

Sometimes when an author creates a new world it can drag or be hard to follow. Not with this book!

The things we do for love is a big part of what I took away from this story. The love of a brother for his sister and nephew, the love of a mother and her child, even the love of a whole kingdom. Love can move mountains they say. Too bad there is always going to be evil in the world. It is even worse when evil has all the power.

A must read for fans of Amy’s books, fans of strong women stories, lovers of underdogs finding a way to shine, and over all fans of love stories.

Amy Harmon is one of my favourite authors. Her books are always so amazing. The first Girl Child is another one of those books. While most of her books are contemporary, the First Girl Child is a fantasy and it does not disappoint.

The First Girl Child tells the story the country of Salock which has been cursed to only boys are born. It is up to the Dagmar his nephew, Bear, and keepers of the island to steer the island on the correct course to break this curse.

Amy's writing is almost poetic, this book was hard to put down. Her world building is something I dont see often. I loved that I could imagine Saylock so easily.

Loved the world building, characters and storyline in The First Girl Child. A wonderful novel written by a talented author! Highly recommended!

The First Girl Child will have readers entranced and enraptured with a tale of enduring love, sacrifice, duty and of promises kept. It takes Norse Mythology and totally re imagines it to give way into a fantastic story of epic proportions. With Amy Harmon’s lyrical prose, I was swept away into a faraway land and became invested in the story of Dagmar, Bayr, Ghost and Alba. But it is Bayr and Dagmar’s relationship with each other, as well as Dagmar and Ghost’s and of Bayr and Alba that makes The First Girl Child a memorable book. It is a must read!

Amy Harmon is one of the talented writers that always knows how to tell you a story and The First Girl Child isn't the exception. Amy has created a fascinating world with magic, treason, loyalty, romance, but mostly hope.

The best thing about this book is the characters and the bonds they form with each other. The secondary characters felt as important as the main characters.

The First Girl Child was a richly imaginative fantasy full of enticing characters and a vivid world. Harmon’s brand of no-nonsense storytelling captured a vast setting with ease, making the full-figured story easy to digest and become invested in. And with a truly expansive tale to tell, I quite honestly found myself intrigued up to the very last page.

With a broad cast of characters—quite a few in main roles—there was always a sense of direction and individuality. I adored every character and how much purpose they held for their own stories and the main thread connecting them all. Their layers were wonderfully executed—even while covering a broad span of years—and it kept them feeling lively on the page throughout the story. Each of their storylines stayed on point the entire book, all leading to a brilliant crescendo that felt satisfying and thrilling. My one wish was that it was told in first-person or even third-person, rather than third-person omniscient as that viewpoint created such an opening for a disconnect—my being unable to feel or experience the story through each character’s direct view and losing that ability to feel their plights firsthand. With that said, it was still a fantastic book worthy of reading and experiencing firsthand.

The First Girl Child was a character-driven tale full of fantasy and the subtle differences of all the kinds of love stories one can have, and I loved every moment of it.