The Bird and the Blade

by Megan Bannen

Paperback, 2019

Status

Available

Barcode

5693

Genres

Collection

Fiction - Romance

Publication

Balzer Bray (2019), Edition: Reprint, 432 pages

Description

Fantasy. Romance. Historical Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: A sweeping and tragic debut novel perfect for fans of The Wrath and the Dawn and Megan Whalen Turner. This young adult novel is an excellent choice for accelerated tween readers in grades 7 to 8, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom. The Bird and the Blade is a lush, powerful story of life and death, battles and riddles, lies and secrets from author Megan Bannen. Enslaved in Kipchak Khanate, Jinghua has lost everything: her home, her family, her freedom . . . until the kingdom is conquered by enemy forces and she finds herself an unlikely conspirator in the escape of Prince Khalaf and his irascible father across the vast Mongol Empire. On the run, with adversaries on all sides and an endless journey ahead, Jinghua hatches a scheme to use the Kipchaks' exile to return home, a plan that becomes increasingly fraught as her feelings for Khalaf evolve into an impossible love. Jinghua's already dicey prospects take a downward turn when Khalaf seeks to restore his kingdom by forging a marriage alliance with Turandokht, the daughter of the Great Khan. As beautiful as she is cunning, Turandokht requires all potential suitors to solve three impossible riddles to win her hand�??and if they fail, they die. Jinghua has kept her own counsel well, but with Khalaf's kingdom�??and his very life�??on the line, she must reconcile the hard truth of her past with her love for a boy who has no idea what she's capable of . . . even if it means losing him to the girl who'd sooner take his life than his he… (more)

Original publication date

2018-06-05

User reviews

LibraryThing member StefanieGeeks
I cried so hard at the end of this book. Beautifully written with rich characters who make you care about them and their growth. It's lovely real love story with a romance that makes your heart ache and swoon was inspired by the opera Turandot. I cannot wait to read what Megan Bannen writes next.
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LibraryThing member BillieBook
I was with it right up until the very end. And I understand that it was based on a tale that has ended this way for centuries, but this is a case where I really, really wish the author had taken a little artistic license. The book was beautifully written and the relationships between Jinghua and
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 Khalaf and Timur unfolded on the page like the petals of a flower opening to the sun. Had the author chosen to write her own ending, this would have been in high four-star, edging into five-star territory. And even though the ending was written beautifully and worked in the context of what had gone before, it still left me feeling frustrated and disappointed.

But take this with a grain of salt. I want to re-write every opera so that the heroine gets a Happy Ever After.
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LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
The Bird and the Blade was a great read. From the start I loved Jinghua and Khalaf, and even old Timur, Khalaf's father, grew on me by the end. Even though the instra-love Jinghua felt towards Khalaf was annoying, I could understand her feelings as he was such a sweetie, and he treated her with
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 respect and kindness from the very beginning.

For me, the one thing that spoilt this book was the inclusion of modern terminology and swearing. Considering that the novel was set in 13th century Mongolia, I found this very jarring.

I did not see the end coming and it broke my heart. I desperately wanted a happily-ever-after for Jinghua and Khalaf after everything they had gone through together, but alas.
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LibraryThing member sennebec
Based on tales I wasn't familiar with, this fantasy/historical novel is set a long time ago in Mongolia. Told in alternating views past and present, by Jinghua, a slave, but something more earlier in her life, It's the tale of a prince and his deposed emperor father who escape the destruction of
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 their kingdom, leaving with little to sustain what becomes a long, dangerous and twisty journey. There are some excellent twists at the end that are shocking and sad, but make sense in the scheme of things. Take time to read the author's notes at the back as they are well worth it.
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LibraryThing member JenniferElizabeth2
As dramatic as the ending was, I really am not convinced the protagonist grew or changed much.
LibraryThing member Kiaya40
I just finished this book and I’m WOAH! I thought I was prepared for this story and had an idea how it would go and how it would end...

I was SO WOEFULLY UNPREPARED for this!

I don’t know everything I think or feel right now - this story is SO loaded and just WOAH!

Rating

½ (31 ratings; 4)

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