I loved the message across the book and the growth that Fatima, the main character went through but ultimately the mix of magic and historical fiction did not grab my attention as I wished it had.

Title: The Bird King
Author: G. Willow Wilson
Release Date: 3-22-19
Stars: 3.5
Series?: Stand along book
Genre: Fantasy, Magic, YA, Historical fantasy
People of Color?: Yes
LGBTQ?: Yes
Bechdel: Yes

I received an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

G. Willow Wilson writes an epic and fantastical story set during the last reign of the Muslim sultan in the Iberian peninsula in 1491. Not only is the kingdom beseiged, but the Spanish Inquisition has no tolerance for any differences. The story is told through the eyes of Fatima, a concubine and slave to the Sultan. Her best friend is Hassan, the palace map-maker who also has the ability to manipulate reality based on his map alterations. Not only is his gift considered magic, but the Inquisition is also after him for his same-sex attraction. Fatima and Hassan flee the palace to save Hassan's life and make some odd friends along the way. The story has so many great threads and is so unique. However, for me, it unraveled a little in the end. The premise is os interesting and the point of view is unique, so I would still recommend it to others.

Ages: Suitable for teenagers and up
Recommended for: Fans of historical fiction, magic, fantasy and historical fantasy

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance ARC in return for an honest review.

Fatima is the Sultan’s concubine in medieval Granada. Her friend, the Cartographer Hassan has special skills, he can draw maps of imagined places, and the map becomes real.

Both of their lives change when the Inquisition arrive. A female member of the Inquisition Luz believes Hassan to be a sorcerer, and therefore needs converting to the Christian ways.

Fatima and Hassan have to depart the court for safety. Together they go on a physical and spiritual journey to escape the Spanish Inquisition (but nobody expects that Spanish Inquisition!) (sorry!!).

Here the plot seems to unravel a bit. It’s a historical fantasy and whilst it starts of strongly historical it drops into fantasy (which is no bad thing), but the final third it starts to unravel a bit, and then it just stops. It lost one star for the ending which just happened.

The book is about acceptance. Hassan is gay, the muslim friends form a friendship with a monk, who enjoys the difference in religions, and the Spanish Inquisition are terrifying.

Add a demon, jinn’s (other world creatures), and a few other oddities and what comes together is a really good concept. Which just slumps at the end.

Maybe it just didn’t tie it up for me – I wasn’t sure if the island they reached at the end, if they reached it because they had died, or if it was acceptance or what. For me this doesn’t make it a bad book as the journey really is enjoyable, and the characters funny with their interactions and squabbles. The ending was just – what? Is that it? What happened next? Is there a part 2? (hope so).

<I>Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange of an honest review</I>

G. Willow Wilson's writing blew me away! I walked away from this book with so many highlights of quotes, funny remarks, and beautiful descriptions. Set in the 15th century where sword, kingdoms, and political upstaging is at a high point, the war of Granada takes place. During the time in which the spread of Catholicism in Europe was driven with fear than love.

This story was so much more than I was expecting and did such a great job with interlacing both historical facts and mythical elements! However, like an historical fiction, it is hard to keep from creating slow elements. I found myself skimming through several pages at random points because storyline seemed to drag on or conflict seemed to span out longer than what I felt was necessary.

I recommend this book to all historical fantasy fiction lovers!

I’m not even sure what I just read. I mean, I know what I just read. I understood all the words, and they were well written and very vivid. The characters were well-drawn and real and complex and grew so very much throughout the book. The setting, especially at the beginning of the book, was fascinating and rich with history and atmosphere. I loved the historical perspective on Muslim Spain, even if it was at the bitter end for that history. Even the cover is art is very fitting–beautiful but yet weird and difficult to define. But somehow it just wasn’t enough for me.

So I think I wasn’t quite the correct audience for this book. I know G. Willow Wilson from her work on Ms. Marvel comics, which I love. This is a different, more literary beast, as reflected in the huge amount of character introspection and dialogue, especially after the first section of the book. There’s beauty and magic and strength and hope. But it’s also a sad, reflective book, with a lot of struggle and loss, and only hope to get one through to the ending, such as it is.

Fatima, the center of the story, coping with the attachment issues that make sense given her early life, and struggling to become strong and competent and independent for the first time–to be a free adult–still isn’t necessarily very likable. Beautiful and complex and stubbornly persistent. But also frustrating and difficult to connect with. Hassan, her super gay, magical-map-making best friend, is more straightforward and likable–perhaps a result of having had a more normal childhood? Their platonic love for each other is strong and enduring, but filled with so much petty fighting that they become tiresome at times. And then there’s Luz. Luz is beautiful and unworldly and terrible and seductive and terrifying in her holy madness. I couldn’t decide if I felt that she was a realistic portrayal of the madness of the Inquisition or too much to be believed, even within the parameters of a semi-magical world. Other characters, whose names I’ll avoid for spoilers sake, were rich and complex too–realistic, not always sympathetic. And the djinn–I loved the wicked, wonderful, mesmerizing, sometimes surprisingly helpful djinn in all their iterations. They were perhaps my favorite part of this story.

I appreciated the diversity within the book. Muslims, Christians, northern Europeans, Middle Eastern, gay and straight, and even an African character or two and a little person. The main characters were all pretty white, but overall the diversity felt organic and effortless. I’d never heard of Circassian women before, and found that history, especially what I researched outside the book, to be fascinating. And I loved the strength of the platonic male-female friendship depicted in this story. However, I didn’t particularly like the depiction of an almost rape–if those things trigger you, skip that section or the book. Once again, not badly written. It just made me queasy in its realism.

So despite individual highlights within the book, diverse, well-written characters, and some fascinating settings and historical information, at the end I felt myself wondering why I’d read it. Was that all there was? I can’t ask what the point was, because that was clearly growth and self-knowledge and building relationships and defeating intolerance. But why did I read it? (OK, I started it because it sounded fascinating and I loved Wilson’s Ms. Marvel, and I finished it because it was approved for Netgally and I wanted to be able to complete a review for it. But that doesn’t seem like good enough reasons for reading a whole book if it leaves me cold in the end.) I don’t think this is a bad book, and I think if you prefer your writing to be more literary, heavy in introspection and dialogue and ideas, feminist and LGBTQ-affirming, with some historical magical realism tossed in, that you might like this very much. I didn’t, and I’m sad about that.

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Where do I even start with this review? I have had such a hard time trying to put my thoughts on this book to words. Every time I start to write it all out I end up deleting and starting again. So this time I'm just going to be brutally honest and let you know where my brain is at while I write this because otherwise it may never get written. My brain is confused. A jumbled mess, because this isn't a bad book. In fact it has a great message, and the writing at times is kind of beautiful. The whole book is really well written and you can tell the author has a lot of knowledge about what was going on in the world during the time that the book takes place. It has an easy to follow plot, with the exception of a few odd parts, but all in all once I got into this story I was interested enough to want to keep reading to find out what happens in the end. So what is it that has me so put off? Why couldn't I love this book?

The first thing that kept me from truly loving The Bird King was that it is soooooo slooooowwww. For example, The Bird King is a nice solid 403 pages. I just recently read A Curse So Dark and Lonely which is 496 pages and I finished the entire book in one day. But when reading The Bird King, it took me almost two and a half weeks to finish the book. The only word that can describe the difference between the writing styles is that the writing in The Bird King is very dense. Every sentence is so packed full of description and meaning that it gave my brain a work out to try and decipher the meaning behind each word. There is so much to take in and comprehend while reading this book and that in itself slows my reading by a lot. Then on top of that when it wasn't a beautiful description, it tended to get a little dry with facts and historical information. There were times when I thought to myself, " I just don't care about this" and wanted to skim ahead to more of the plot. This is why I tend to struggle with historical fiction books because I really want to retain the information that the author is giving me because it has to be important to the story in some way. But then I find myself struggling to understand how this relates to the story and it takes away from the flow of the plot.

The message of love and loyalty to friends and to oneself throughout this book is really beautiful and I appreciated that part of this book very much. I think that the friendship between Fatima and Hassan is really precious and I love that they care for each other so much. Although sometimes I thought Fatima to be particularly spoiled and bratty I still cherished everything that Hassan cared for. I almost wish that the book had been written from his POV instead. Their journey from beginning to end is such a strong message of freedom and love. And it felt so passionate at times that it moved me. But then there are times where Fatima drove me insane with her spoiled tendencies and how she treated Hassan. But that could just be me being protective of him because I just loved him so much and think he deserves the world!! But it was such an interesting dynamic of characters and the way they grow throughout the journey is pretty powerful.

While the rest of the book took a pretty clear path and was more or less easy to follow, the ending kind of got away from me. I won't say too much so I don't spoil anything, but it was so different from the rest of the story to me that it almost felt like a different book completely. I felt so confused and the only thing I could do at that point was just go with it. It was almost like the book started out very realistic and historical and then as the book goes on, it morphs into more and more of a fantasy. Here I am thinking its the story of how a concubine and a map-maker with a special skill escape a palace to free themselves. But instead we've got Djinn's and sea creatures, and dragons? And maybe even some time travel thrown in there? I just couldn't fathom what was going on by the end of the book and so I threw all reason to the wind.

I think that there were too many little things that kept me from truly loving this book. I found a lot of redeeming qualities that made me stick it through to the end, but it never had me feeling like this was going to be one of the greats. I think that for the right person, this might be an instant favorite, but for me it just wasn't quite what I could enjoy. v

A fellow blogger was reading this book and seemed to like it. It was right up my alley with it being historical fiction, set in Granada, 1492, so I went and requested a copy on Netgalley. I don’t know if I had too high hopes for this one or expected something different, but reading The Bird King I found myself having pretty mixed feelings.

The year is 1492, Castile and Aragon are already united and converted to Christianity, the Inquisition is already established. The only Muslim kingdom that still stands is Granada, though it’s already done, only the royal palace lives in relative peace. However, they already feel the consequences of war – supplies are less and less, servants are dismissed. Here lives Fatima in luxury, who is Lady Aisha’s (the sultan’s mother) slave during the day and the sultan’s concubine during the night. Despite her low status, she lives a pretty spoiled life. Her only friend is Hassan, the mapmaker who is only tolerated in the palace (he prefers the company of men) because of his magical abilities. When the time eventually comes when Granada has to capitulate, Fatima decides to save her friend’s life and make a run for their freedom. Along the way they find unlikely allies and are battered by doubts whether they can find the legendary Bird King – the one they created stories about since their childhood.

Let’s start with things I liked – the side characters. First we have Vikram – the first time I read this name, the first thing that came to mind was that Friends episode where Phoebe tries to lie to Mike about having a serious relationship before, with a guy named Vikram. Anyway, Vikram is a jinn and thus a fickle creature. Which makes him unpredictable and also interesting. Sadly we don’t learn much about him, but he is a pretty entertaining addition to the story. Probably the most entertaining and I almost wish he would have been the MC.

And if side characters, I also liked Gwennec, who had some enjoyable banters with Hassan and had a great sense of preservation – he had no problem adapting to the circumstances. He was also the most selfless character and the purest. Despite their differences both culturally and religiously, he is swept away by the events and is forced to share some of Fatima’s and Hassan’s fate.

I actually enjoyed the beginning of The Bird King, and was really happy to read a book with an Arabic setting. I couldn’t wait to learn more about the culture, the history, the way the royal household dealt with the end of the war. Practically, I was expecting it to be more historical fiction than fantasy. Sadly, that’s not the case. We do get a glimpse into the life in the palace through Fatima’s eyes, but that’s not nearly enough to get a full picture, to really understand how rich and colorful that world used to be. Honestly, this story could have been set in any other time, as real historical events hardly played a crucial role in the events apart from forcing Fatima and Hassan to flee. That could have been replaced by any other event fictional or not.

As I mentioned, the Inquisition is already established by this time and one of the inquisitors – Baronesa Luz – gets to play the villain. She is as sweet and harmless as she is cruel and fanatic. I actually preferred her too over the other two MCs as her personality was more interesting and layered. Besides, she’s got a great character arc too.

As for the two MCs… I think they annoyed me more times than not. Fatima is spoiled and keeps making decisions I couldn’t fathom why – sleeping with one of the characters was one of many. At times she was brave and strong and I thought, well okay, we are getting somewhere and I might going to like her, but I never really got there. I had similar problems with Hassan. He could have much more role besides being the only thing Fatima couldn’t have, and playing the jealous friend from time to time. I just didn’t really get the relationship between these two. Not quite love, but more than friendship which ends up just being that. I don’t know. I get what the author intended to show here, but it just really didn’t work out for me.

Let me say a few words about the plot. Honestly, after finishing the book, I still don’t really know what was the point. I mean besides the obvious things: freedom, getting as far away from the inquisition as possible in search of a mythical creature, fighting for love. All I could think for the majority of the book was: but where is this story heading? I’m not quite sure I’m satisfied with the ending either. Things happen a bit too abruptly and the end game would have deserved a bit more building up or a different ending altogether.

In the end, The Bird King is a fantastical adventure story in historical disguise. It would have been much better if it focused more on historical events, even politics, or if we got a deeper look into the Arab mythology, if the religions clashed more to give us a broader understanding of why these cultures fought with each other. The Bird King had so much potential to be outstanding, but it was reduced to a bit of a clichéd fantasy book instead. Though, in all honesty, there were some aspects I really liked. Hassan’s ability with the map for example is really cool. I also applaud for the choice of having a character like him, who struggles with his own identity and faith, trying to work it out how to live with himself and God.

The Bird King is a really fast read – I had to check constantly if it really was 440 pages long, because I seemed to fly through it. It sucks you in right from the start, and though it lost me along the way, I’m pretty sure others will find it a really entertaining read. I had problems, but these mostly come from the fact that I expected something different going in and it didn’t deliver for me. But I recommend checking it out nonetheless if you are in search for a book with a female MC, diverse characters, exotic setting and an adventure. The Bird King is the story of love, sacrifice and never giving up on your dreams.

For some reason I really couldn't get into this book, which makes me sad since I was really excited when I was approved for the ARC.
Overall, I like the atmosphere of the book and quite like the main character Fatima. However, it felt like the book lacked in some ways that I can't properly explain. I feel like it could definitely be a personal view, since so many of my goodreads friends liked it. I'd try reading it again in the future, maybe I'd feel different.

Huge thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

I absolutely hate DNFing books, especially when they’re arcs, it feels a little rude to not finish a book I was given for free, but listen… I have been trying to read this book since I requested it back in September 2018. I’ve picked it up and tried to start it so many times I’ve actually lost count, and every single time I never seem to make it past chapter seven before giving up again so I’m just going to call it quits now.

Full (spoiler-y) review here: http://wmsreads.tumblr.com/post/183716524737/

3.5 stars

This book is not what I thought it would be - unfortunately in both positive and negative ways.

The first quarter of it reads like straight out of a fairytale. I was immediately immersed in the story, loved the setting and the characters and was so happy with reading about a completely new (to me) kind of place in this fantasy novel. The palace came to life for me and the story's the characters tell each other were just wonderful.
The middle half kind of lost me, though. I think it could have been a bit shorter and a bit more fast-paced as I lost interest at that point. I also didn't feel as interested in the characters anymore and couldn't really understand all of Fatima's and Hassan's relationship trouble and all that.
Afterwards, though, I was fully into it again and found all main characters very understandable and relatable. The fairytale feeling came back as well and the voyage into the unknown had unexpected twists and turns that certainly kept me hooked.

All in all, I found Fatima a wonderful protagonist and her story arc was quite beautiful, her relationships to others were relatively confusing though and I'm not sure why the book ended the way it ended.

In a long-forgotten emirate, full of decadence, religion, and holy war, one question is asked - what is love?
The Bird King, by G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel, Alif the Unseen) is like walking through an intricately woven, beautiful, dreamscape. With nightmares mixed in. Wilson's second full length novel mixes historical fiction, religion, myth, fantasy and magical realism in a wonderfully, delicate way. As an agnostic, sometimes I was left wondering if the nightmare creatures were the shapeshifting trickster Djinn or the fanatical human Inquisitors.

Set back in the 1400's, when the Spanish Inquisition is in full force and the Empire of Grenada is about to fall, we follow the escape and dangerous journey of two best friends - Fatima, the last slave concubine of her race, and Hassan, a gay cartographer with the ability to draw maps for places he has never seen, creating magical doorways. They are chased across the land by the Spanish Inquisition because Hassan's "sorcery" is a big no-no with the Catholic church. Yes, this means an epic expedition ensues.

The Bird King is jam packed with history and religion. Wilson has done her due diligence when researching. The images she conjures are rich and elaborate, and drew me in. I’m not normally an Historical Fiction reader, but I really enjoyed her writing style. There are multiple intricate moments where both Muslim and Catholic religions are overlapped, praised, and questioned. Neither is showcased as predominantly good or evil, and it's so refreshing. Every painstakingly developed character has their moments to expound on their Faith or question it. It makes for extensive introspection for our main character Fatima.

During her journey we see Fatima consider if she is Faithless. Being a slave, someone else has always been in control of her life. She has always been told what to do, how to behave, what to think and feel. She has never had the freedom to express her own opinions, as she has never had a chance to formulate them. The journey she takes with Hassan, gives her the space to consider how she really feels, who and what she believes in, and what’s important to her. Hassan on the other hand, has the most steadfast Faith of all the characters in the entire book. Regardless of the hardships he experiences, being a gay, magical map making sorcerer, regardless of the people he comes across who question him, he always stays true to his beliefs. His Faith in his God, and his magical gift, is unwavering.
While we're on the topic of characters, let's give a little shout out to the Djinn, Vikram, the slightly unwilling guide come guard to Fatima. His sass stole my heart. Wilson needs a medal for her beautiful ambiguous writing of his character. His dialogue is witty and funny, mixed with candour. His visage is a juxtaposition of ever shifting beauty and beast. He is often confusing, until you realize the wisdom he has just imparted. He’s so very, very clever.

There is a lot going on here and I must admit there were moments where it was a bit of a trek. It did feel very slow for the middle portion of the story, bogged down by a few too many descriptions of the rough land they had to traverse, or where their food was coming from and how they ate it. However, I most definitely felt it was worth the effort in the end. I was back to being fully engaged once I hit the last quarter.

I personally find the most intriguing aspect the discussion of love while actively downplaying romantic love. So many times, our heroes in story are aided or boosted to finally find themselves via the help of their love interest. There are several sex scenes and much discussion about sex in a matter of fact way throughout the book. There is also physical assault and failed attempted rape, when the Inquisition capture and question Hassan and Fatima, look out for those around chapter 15. However, the focus of the story is simply Love. Loving yourself, your best friend, your God if you believe in one, and attempting to treat those around you with love. I feel we could all benefit from being a little kinder to those around us. Sometimes that pure love and comradeship can spring from the unlikeliest of places.

I absolutely loved this book. The synopsis and the wonderful cover drew me in and once I started reading, I could hardly put this book down.
The writing itself is beautiful and, at times, poetic. Wilson knows how to use words and phrases to paint a vivid picture without getting too flowery or long winded. I found myself stopping at times just to re-read her writing. The world is gorgeous and is seamless between the real world and the fantasy world. The terror of the Spanish Inquisition was captured in a horrific way.
The story was fantastic, filled with adventure, friendship, history, magic, life-and-death situations, and characters that I cared about. Fatima and Hassan were both interesting and grew as the book went on. Even if I didn’t agree with them, I felt for them because I could understand where they were coming from and how difficult things were for them.
And the Bird King. I loved how it played in the story and how it was resolved at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Press for a review copy of this book.

A classic archetypal tale with a solid historical foundation. The depiction of the terrors of the Spanish Inquisition rivals that found in any good volume of historical fiction. At the same time, the intercultural and gender identity portrayals are utterly contemporary. As the story progresses, it requires a bit of the fantastic to create a mythic setting for a resolution worthy of the characters and conflicts that have developed. Apparently Wilson is the artist for the job.

I really liked this book. I haven't read much fantasy with Muslim characters, and definitely never one set in Muslim Spain, and the setting is rich and interesting. The plot isn't fast moving on the whole, but it does have its action scenes.

The real gems here are the characters. Fatima is stubborn, loving, angry, naive, and clever all at once. She wants everything, and has no experience with anything. And she loves Hassan so much. Their relationship is probably among the best friendships I've ever read. The depth of their love for each other is put under such stress, forced to its breaking point and then back. The core of the story is really driven by Fatima's love for her only friend.

The villain is uncomfortably human while the jinn are uncomfortably inhuman (and also somewhat aggravating), which is probably what both villains and jinn should be. The writing is beautiful, which is also what writing should be. In short, it's a good book and I recommend it.

This was not the book for me.
I got really excited when I first saw The Bird King on my friends' reading list: It was about the Muslim Spain; set in Alhambra, it took place in Granada; it included friendship between two extraordinary characters: one, a concubine of the last sultan of al-Andalus and the other, a cartographer with special powers, who can draw maps of places that do not exist and make them real. It sounds incredible even as I am writing this review, but maybe because I got my hopes so high that it was a total disappointment for me.
This has been one of the slowest reads of the year for me and hopefully it will be the last. I am not the one, who gives up on books so easily, but this one really brought me to the edge. It was excruciating but I am proud to say that I saw it through the end and did not like it.
However, I have to give some credit the author, who know for sure how to use the language and play with the words. The book is full of beautiful sentences with meticulous choice of words, which I think is a unique ability but I could not enjoy them as much as I could have due to the tedious story.
(Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgally for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for honest review.)

Beautifully written historical fiction that has a healthy dose of fantasy mixed in it. I enjoyed G. Willow Wilson's writing for her comics, so I jumped at the chance to read a full length novel from her. I wasn't disappointed.

I found this to be a interesting blend of fantasy and historical fiction, as we begin the story in Spain right at the beginning of Spanish conquering of Moorish lands in the southern part of the country. Fatima is a concubine of the last ruler of the kingdom, and friend to the slightly eccentric Hassan, the royal cartographer. They love each other dearly - with a deep platonic love that is the center of the book.

There's so much to like about this book, but like many high fantasy novels it tends to slow down here and there. I was prepared for this, but there were times during Hassan and Fatima's journey that really crawled. The lush scenery and complex characters make up for it, though.

This is a fantasy that I recommend to non fantasy readers, too. The fantasy elements are there, what with Hassan's unique abilities and one character being an actual jinn, but the focus is on the characters, their relationships to each other, and the explorations of the many meanings of love. Highly recommended.

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I saw it on Goodreads and on Instagram and I was attracted by its cover, but I wasn't interested in the plot. When I saw the chance to read it in preview I rushed to request a copy on Netgalley and, always unaware of the contentment, I threw myself into reading.
The book is very slow and very dense, in the first half of the novel not much happens and, above all, the action is concentrated in the second part, when the real journey in search of the bird king happens. The characters are few, considering that the book is very long, and most of the pages are occupied by descriptions of places and long reflections of the protagonist. We are in the last Muslim bulwark in Spain, in Granada. Fatima is the concubine of her lord and, together with the creator of maps and friend, is forced to go into an impossible quest, in order to escape from the Holy Office.
Although the reading rhythm is slow and sometimes transforms the reading into a torture, the final effect is positive. Surely there are many historical researches behind this book, and the construction of the characters is interesting. Much more exciting in my eyes, however, is the magical part of the story, in particular the story of the bird King. Carefully researched historical facts mix a bit of magic and folklore, a bit of adventure and a bit of loving palpitations. I recommend this book to those who have patience, you will see that it will be a good journey.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Death, Slavery, Harem, Torture, Violence, Attempted Rape, Alcoholism, Religious Persecution/War, Adult Content

This review may contain spoilers!

”Long ago, all the birds of the world began to forget their history and their language because they had been leaderless for so long. So a brave few sought out the king of the birds, a king in hiding--the wisest and greatest of all kings, living on the island of Qaf in the Dark Sea beneath the shadow of a great mountain. Waiting for those with the courage to seek him.”

I’m not really sure what I just read. I’ve read books that have simply floored me, and left me with a similar initial sentiment. They were books that called for me to mull them over for a period of time after turning the final page because there was so much to digest. The Bird King, however, doesn’t relate. I literally don’t know what I read. I've had time to ruminate on it, yet, little has become more clear.

She was the last reminder of a time of prosperity, when pretty girls could be had from Italian slave merchants for unearthly sums; there had been no money and no victories since.

Despite my previous statement, this book had a strong start. The first quarter of it drew me in like a sponge with the world building and coherency. Fatima, a young, beautiful girl, is the last Circassian concubine to the last sultan of Granada in the Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). She is long friends with the royal and uncanny cartographer, Hassan. It’s no secret that his map-making skills are more than ordinary ink on parchment, which ultimately, is the reason for the start of their long quest. Set in 1491, during the Spanish Reconquista, the sultan informs Fatima that their country is on the brink of ruin. With armies from Castile and Aragon pressing in, supplies being cut off, and money running out, the small Muslim empire soon would become extinct. Shortly after this information is divulged, Christian visitors under a banner of peace arrive at the palace, for reasons not fully disclosed.

Fatima soon becomes warm acquaintances with Luz, an emissary, so-to-speak from the newly-formed country of Spain.

”She’s very clever, this Queen Isabella of Spain--or if she isn’t, there are very clever people advising her. I assumed the general was their hawk--that they went their military man to bully our military men. But they know us better than we know ourselves, it seems. They know my son does not love his viziers or his generals. The people he loves are here, in the harem. They sent their dove to the men. The hawk, they have sent to us.”

Shortly after, Fatima discovers that Luz is actually from the Inquisition, which marks the fall of security for her and her special map-making friend. Deemed a sorcerer for his abilities, Fatima helps Hassan flee beneath the palace to escape the Inquisition.

A lot happens after this point. The book itself feels like it’s split into three parts--the beginning, a long voyage, and the mystical war in the end. It also starts off feeling like a historical fiction, then completely transforms into fantasy story as it nears the end. Personally, I thought it felt disjointed. The more the plot progressed, the less it also made sense.

I really enjoy reading about folklore and fairy tales from different cultures. With doing this, however, I’m more susceptible to be ignorant to intimate details when it comes to unfamiliar lore--which is what happened in this instance. After completing this book, I ended up looking up some of the different aspects represented.

"As I've told you, no one living has ever set foot on that island. It's a story they tell in church to seagoing people who need to believe there's something left once they've lost sight of land."

According to legend, Roc is a giant eagle, referred to here as the bird king that only lands on Mount Qaf, which is where Fatima and Hassan travel to. Roc is often seen in sailor folklore, in particular, Sinbad the Sailor’s tale. Mount Qaf is the highest mountain in Arabic tradition and referred to as the farthest point of the Earth, assumed to be the North Pole. Jinn, and other odd...things...appear, and aren’t ever really explained.

"If you run from this thing, you’ll set it loose. It will lodge in your bloodstream like a splinter and you’ll carry it all your days. It’s too big for that, thought Fatima, half to herself. It’s small said the dog-man. It’s very small. It began as a mote in the eye of the Deceiver. Keep your back straight and don’t look away."

I understand that not everything about folklore will be thoroughly dissected in a book, and I don’t necessarily want it to be. But, these things do require some sort of explanation as to how they fit into the story. This mote? This...thing...that flees from underground and preys upon one of the characters is a missed opportunity, I believe. I never fully understood what it was.

Another area that I had difficulty with were some inconsistencies that presented themselves. Both of them resided with the character of the Monk, Gwennec. First was the vernacular. About halfway through the story, Fatima and Hassan are thrown together with a Christian monk. This monk, however amiable a person at first, sort of ruined the sense of setting for me. His vernacular, and ridiculous use of vulgarity, were not only totally unnecessary, but entirely contradictory. I don’t know whether this was to prove a point, but I found the way he spoke--general vulgarity and using the Lord’s name in vain many a times--to completely derail the setting and his sense of station. Which leads me to my second point--what his character was trying to prove. I don’t fully understand what Gwennec’s point or representation was. Certainly, the Inquisition during this time was supposed to be for good, but wasn’t exactly good. Violence to win over territory and people to Christianity wasn’t a good technique. To say it plainly, Gwennec’s character, and much of this book, heavily focused on pushing boundaries.

”You’re always so angry,” he said. “I don’t understand. You have pretty clothes, entertainments, food when others go hungry. You have the love of a sultan. What else could you possibly want?” Fatima licked the dry, taut line of her lips.
“To be sultan,” she said.

The relentless push of feminism in general just gets old. Don’t mistake me, I get that Fatima would want to be out of a harem--I have no issues with that. It’s the want and desire to completely replace men in any position as “women must conquer all” that strikes me as simply unfeminine. It’s a message that is being broadcasted loud and clear, and one that I don’t agree with. This message becomes most ridiculous when towards the end of the book, Fatmina is designated as “the Bird King,” which--why? Not only that, but how? It’s never explained clearly. Why can’t she just be queen of the birds? I don’t know.

In the end, some “redemption” is exemplified, but even then, the purpose and message behind it felt hostile. This probably just wasn’t a book for me. I really do enjoy reading about different cultures, religions, and lore, but I still need a meaning, and a wholesome one at that. Also, the segmented way in which the story reads and feels makes it more difficult to read as coherence becomes less apparent and purpose less defined throughout.

I think many people who enjoyed The City of Brass would like this one.

Vulgarity: Moderate.
Sexual content: The main character is a concubine, so yes. Also, attempted rape, and additional adult scenes.
Violence: Moderate.

My Rating: ★★1/2

I got this book because a friend had received it from NetGalley and thought I would enjoy it and we could do a buddy read etc etc etc. It is a combo of Historical Fiction and Fantasy and I really enjoy both of them, so I was looking forward to this book a lot.

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. Some of the problem was strictly me; I know little to nothing about the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition [with the exception that they were killing in the name of God and using torture to "convert" heathens to their form of "Christianity". I probably have avoided this time in history because just typing that made me both angry and had me rolling my eyes at the audacity of people and what they will do to get others to believe they way they want them to believe] and so there were moments in this book where I had no idea what was going on, or what the time frame was etc. It made it confusing for me and while I was dealing with being angry at what was happening to Fatima and Hassan, I was also confused and frustrated with that confusion. Once Fatima and Hassan got away from the structure of the castle, things got a little easier for me and once they were fully on their adventure and it picked up, I started really enjoying it. Enjoying it enough that until the end, it was a 4- star book for me.

And then the end happened. And I just was like meh. And that took it to 3 stars for me. And I was left with some serious disappointment. I will say that I will be looking into reading some books about that time frame so the next time I am presented with a book about The Spanish Inquisition or The Crusades, I will be better equipped to understand what is going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson was one of my most anticipated novels and I'm honored to have been approved. Luckily for me, Wilson's new historical fantasy novel really delivered. Wilson's writing is absolutely captivating. I adored all of the historical detail and the research that clearly went into the novel. It really makes me want to learn more about the Emirate of Granada. That said the mythology and magic featured in the story are brilliant. Hassan is one of my favorite characters now - by the way, he's a cartographer who can shape reality from the maps he draws. How cool is that? I also enjoyed getting to know Fatima, a concubine to the sultan and Hassan's best friend. She has a magnificent character arc and it was fantastic to see her grow over the course of the story. My only complaint though is that the story is slowly-paced, for the most part it works in the novel's favor but at times it begins to drag. Overall, The Bird King is a must-read lyrical fantasy novel. If you enjoy the historical fantasy of Cat Winters, Susanna Clarke, and V.E. Schwab, I have a feeling you'll love this too. I'm looking forward to reading more from G. Willow Wilson in the future. Thanks again, NetGalley!