🌟🌟🌟🌟 1/2
I had no expectations, only that of being intrigued by the synopsis I read on Netgalley. With threads of Norse mythology is the story of Bayr, the bastard son of Desdemona, who lays curse to the land in her dying breaths shortly after giving birth. From that day forward, no daughters shall be born. I really liked this book. The characters seem to have seeped in my soul bit by bit. I fell in love with Bayr; he is innocent and good, down to his very nature.

What I like:
-The world building is well done with the Temple Keepers and the warring clans.
-Bayr is beautiful with his inhuman strength and super human heart. His slow speech and singleminded protection of Alba only makes him more endearing.
-The Temple Keepers and the relationship to the clans and the king feel both surreal and real.
-Dagmar is conflicted and loyal, creative and interesting.

What I didn’t like:
-I would have liked to build the Dagmar and Ghost relationship more thoroughly. They certainly have their own story.
-The story had a slow start, and there were some slow spots intermittently throughout the story, but still engaging non the less.

This book was not for me. The beginning, while describing the world and setting up the magic/rune system, was a bit stale. The way every little detail was written soon became tedious and clunky. I signed up to enjoy a sweeping epic Viking fantasy, but became bogged down in years of history and minutiae.

I was also unable to enjoy the story because of the views of women that were projected. I've read book set in a similar world and time, and still respected the author's depiction of women. In this book, women were around simply to carry the seed of men or to quench an ache. It just made me uncomfortable and put me off of the story.

Amy Harmon is a great storyteller and that is obvious, however I am just not the reader this book is aimed for.

Book – The First Girl Child
Author – Amy Harmon
Series – None
Cliffhanger? - No
Publication Date – August 20, 2019
Genre – Fantasy
Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Complimentary copy generously provided by the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts - Story

OK – I had a really hard time rating this book because when I first finished it, I thought “OK, maybe a 4 because it was slow starting”….but then after I thought about it and how everything came together, I was like…”I’m bumping this up to a 4.25 because it was so heart-felt”….

So, as I try to write this review now, I am torn about how to rate this – to this day, I can’t get this story out of my head and all of the characters in the story. Normally, I read a book and within a few days, I completely forget the story-line unless I go back and start re-reading…but this book – it’s been almost a month and I still keep thinking about it.

Not just about being a big Amy Harmon fan…this story by the end really touched my soul and it still does to this day. Yes, it was slow – yes, I was second guessing a few times about asking for an ARC…but by the time I was done, I forgot all about it and focused on the feels I was experiencing after closing down the book.

I am not going to write about the characters or the story – I’m just gonna leave you with a word of advice.

Give this book a chance and don’t give up – it’s worth it.


Reason for Reading – NetGalley Review
Story – 5 out of 5 Stars
Steam – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst – 5 out of 5 Stars
Writing – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Would Read More from Author? Definitely
Recommend To – Readers who enjoy a slow building story with many feels

An excellent, wildly enjoyable read! I am a fan of Harmon's fantasy worlds and this one did not disappoint. I love getting lost in her characters and her almost lyrical prose. Seriously, her words are so beautifully put together, I almost feel like I'm reading poetry. She is a master at spinning myth and mystery and magic all into one, in a way that leaves you wanting more when it is over. Her imagery and character development, as well as her descriptions of the settings and fanciful locales, allows you to become completely immersed in the story. I found myself cheering, battling, praying and longing right along with these characters. The story spans almost two decades and yet I never felt like it was dragging on. Rather, I was turning pages, wanting her future storytelling to bring about the outcome that I hoped!

It is Harmon's ability to intersperse humor and action with romance and pain that makes her fantasies all at once magical and realistic. I can only imagine Saylok and its subjects, its rules and royalty...but I can fully relate to their emotions, relationships, struggles, betrayals, loyalties and LOVES. If you are looking to escape, in the best way possible, then this is the book for you!

Loved, loved, loved this book! I have read books from Amy before and have always enjoyed her attention to detail and ability to write in different genres. TFGC feels very similar to her other fantasy books in The Bird and the Sword. However, the stories and worlds she has created are completely separate from each other. If a reader is looking for a fantasy/paranormal series this would be perfect for them. The writing is very believable and the book flows seamlessly. Once you experience the magic of this story you will be truly captivated.

I am not typically a fan of the fantasy genre, thus I have a hard time getting into them. With that being said, Amy Harmon sucked me in with this story! Grateful to branch out to an unfamiliar genre, with a great story.

Friends, I finished reading Amy Harmon's newest book The First Girl Child and it was heart wrenching and poetic. I loved it! All of her books have a very strong theme and in this one each character embodies the theme in a very real and meaningful way. I think my favorite part of this read was the sacrifice that each character faced. Nothing was easy and it was so engaging to grow and change with each character even the "bad guys" I received an early copy of this through Net Galley and it was magical!

Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

This is going to be a hard review to write. Not because I didn't enjoy the book. People I plan on re-reading, re-listening to the audiobook and hope that Amy Harmon writes spin-off novellas and invent a way for a certain couple to be together. Needless to say, this is Amy Harmon's finest work in the fantasy genre. I didn't think that "The first Girl Child" would top The Bird and the Sword duology, but it.

In a fantasy world where an island stands in the middle of the sea and clans rule with a king on top. Where monks have the power to choose kings and runes hold magic in them, the story begins with the birth of a boy. Bayr is a bastard whose mother was cheated in love, whose father is power hungry and whose uncle Dagmar is one of those monks. Bayr's mother, curses the people of their land to not give birth to girls and slowly as the decades' span, the curse will wipe out their people.

Bayr grows to be an extraordinary young man with the power of ten men and the heart of a sweet, beautiful soul. And as plots and lies thicken, suddenly the first girl child is born; out of the blue Alba appears and the mysterious Ghost, a young woman, start to live in the monastery too.

The story is told in third POV and spans almost two decades of secrets, plots, power-hungry men who never gave worth to their women before and now they find themselves, almost dying without them. The beauty of this world is the perfect balance between the Norse mythology, Viking lore, magic and a touch mention to Christianity. But the focus is not as much to the religion, while it plays a role, but to the relationships between the characters, the secret love blooming over the years and the fear that it will never be reciprocated.

This world is vast and I hope to see more stories coming from the characters of this novel. When I finished the book, I was happy and yet really sad. Because while I did like the story I realized that I was rooting for another couple too and it was hopeless.

Amy Harmon's writing is stellar and I don't know if my heart can survive another masterpiece by her.

As I am typing this review out, I am also currently packing up my house so that I can permanently take up residency inside of Amy Harmon's pretty brain. Could you just imagine the amount of magic you would witness if you spent your days inside of there? I can. And let me tell you, it sounds like my dream vacation destination. 

While reading The First Girl Child, I loved a lot of things. Below, I am going to bullet point each one. I feel like this should be a very organized and broken down review.

-The mixture of action and humor. Seriously. The dry humor is incredible. Seeing the characters interact was so amusing and entertaining. 

-The characters. Okay but seriously. I can't sit here and break it down, one by one, because each character had such strong characteristics that I loved for all sorts of different reasons. But I will say that in true Amy Harmon fashion, she has created a set of characters that you will remember years later. When you hear someone say the title "The Last Girl Child" you will instantly replay the great cast of characters inside of your head and smile.

-The story concept. Loved it. Point. Blank. LOVED IT. The title portrays just what I loved most about it. Have you read a book like this? NO. Even remotely close? NO, probably not. It's unique. It's Amy Harmon. She is a fantastic story teller. Each time I pick up one of her books, I am always reminded of that.

-Imagery & settings. Um, HELLO. Every single time you turn the page you see just how vivid Amy's settings and scenes are. I had absolutely ZERO trouble playing these scenes out in my mind because Amy's writing is top notch in the sense that she paints the prettiest pictures for us as a reader. 

I felt like I was writing a paper for college when I was typing this review out. But I also feel like I could go on and on about this story. And well, the bullet point process probably just shut me up an extra 15 minutes. You're welcome.

When I think of Amy Harmon, I always think about how dynamic she is as a writer. Want a romance? Amy Harmon. Want a fantasy? Amy Harmon. Want a historical book? Amy Harmon. Do you just want to sit down and read a damn good book and forget the world for a little while? AMY HARMON. 

All kidding aside, this book was magical. Just... magical. Possibly some of Amy's best work to date. I hope that if you are looking for a book that gets you lost for a little while, you pick this one up. If not, you are missing out.

Amy Harmon is a absolute genius. Her writing is beautiful, magical, and perfection. I have yet to find a book of hers that hasn’t blown me away. I absolutely loved it!

Amy Harmon is one of my very favorite storytellers. This historical fantasy creates a world you feel like you could touch and see. Where the character development fell a little flat for me, I still loved each one. Desdemona with her anguish and pain, Bayr's conflicted loyalties and struggle to find his place, Dagmar's need to honor his sister's sacrifice as well as heal his land and protect his religion, Alba's undying love and devotion, Banruud with his quest for power and ruthlessness, and most of all Ghost (can't say much because it's too 'spoilery') all pull you in and leave you waiting to see what could possibly happen next. This reads like a complex bedtime story. Even though none of the characters change or grow all that much, the tale is what really drives this book. It has it all - love in many different forms, treachery, greed, loyalty, honor, faith.

Incredible story! I typically do not read this genre but found that I could not put this book down. I am a huge Amy Harmon fan and this book did not disappoint.

I never read this genre, ever. I make exceptions when it comes to a Amy Harmon noble. She never disappoints. I don't want to risk spoiling this book for anyone, so I'll just say...she did it again. Truly spectacular story with superb writing. Flawless. Read this when it comes out. Thank me later

I love Amy Harmon. When I saw a new title from her, I was excited. After I read the blurb, I couldn't wait to read the book! So you can't imagine my happiness when I got the ARC thanks to Netgalley!

It's a difficult book to review. It takes place in a span of many years. If I have to keep it simple - it all starts with a curse of no girl child on a land by a scorned woman dying after childbirth. It's a world that follows the Norse mythology. So there are ancient runes, warrior clans, temples, and what not.

I'll attempt to break down the plot by talking about the main characters. And there are plenty of them. So keep patience!

Desdemona - After her lover rejects her unborn son, in greed of marrying a princess and becoming future king, this warrior woman leaves a dying curse on her land, with her brother as her witness.

Dagmar - A keeper of the temple, Dagmar is the only one who knows about the curse that has caused his land to be daughter-less. He raises his nephew in the temple. It is his love and protectiveness for his nephew, that compels him to hide the secrets behind the curse.

Ghost - Ghost is the slave who gives birth to a daughter for the first time in 7 years. But the king steals her daughter and claims her as his own. Resigned to the fact that her daughter is better off as the princess, Ghost is forced to see from afar her daughter growing up.

Bayr - Bayr does not know that he is the bastard son of the king he serves. Due to the curse, Bayr is also inhumanely strong and stutters when speaking. When a 7 year old Bayr meets the newborn princess for the first time, he's dazzled. After he is assigned the princess's bodyguard due to his physical strength, he doesn't let her out of his sight for a moment.

Alba - Alba is the slave's daughter but raised as a princess. Only the king and Ghost knows about her true identity. She is seen as a symbol of hope for the land. She is exceptionally attached to Bayr who dotes on her.

It's an intricate plot where, every character has a part to play. No character is flawless. Every one of them have their weaknesses and selfish desires which affect not only the individuals but everyone else too. I also love how there is a unique dynamic between every character. It's a complex web of lies and secrets that makes the plot all the more intriguing.

Also, after a long time I found such an impactful book villain. I can't count the number of times I felt like killing that evil king. Even his name (Banruud) got on my nerves.

The world building was brilliant here. It's a huge book. But I can't think of one page or scene that was unnecessary. I am hoping that Amy Harmon will write more stories in this universe. I would love more fantasy books like this!

I'm not a fan of this genre. It's not one that I'm usually interested in reading. But, it's Amy Harmon and I absolutely love her stories so I thought I'd give it a shot. And I was not disappointed. Amy has a way of drawing you in to her stories and I became completely invested in these characters and this story.

If you took every genre Amy Harmon has written and you put them together you have the brilliance that is The First Girl Child. This book is easily one of my favorites by her. Amy is a go to author for me and I just don't see that ever changing. Her writing is unparalleled for me, no matter what genre she decided to release a book in.

Like for many, the story was a bit slow in parts for me but Amy's writing is so good that it kept me hooked and I knew just by getting to the next page that everything would pick up again. I was not wrong in that assumption. This is a very character driven story and Amy does a great job of world building around that. The different points of view truly were the concrete that kept this story solid. As the reader, we know all the secrets and are kept on the edge of our seats wondering when all would come crashing down. And come crashing down they did. From Ghost to the Highest Keeper, each character has a purpose in this book. In all honestly, I want to dive into each character for you but I want everyone that reads this book to come to their own conclusions and love (or hate) for them.

If you love historical fiction books with a little bit of magic and romance this book is for you. Amy has hinted at possibly continuing the stories in Saylok and I can tell you right now I will be first in line to read. The stories that could come out of this world could be endless but I have to admit, the daughters are where my heart lies. I'd love to follow them on the paths they decide to take. But know matter where she decided to take us or not take us, this one will go down as one I come back to.

A cursed kingdom, forbidden love, and a villainous king-what more could you ask for in a book? The First Girl Child tells the story of Saylok, a kingdom cursed by a dying woman. Filled with magic and mystery, a tale woven so well you’ll never want it to end. I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the story, how it unfolded, the detail. I want to stay in Saylok forever. I want to attend lessons in the temple and draw runes in my blood. Amy Harmon tells a tale so magical, you’ll think she was there.

I have to admit I'm not a fan of the fantasy genre I have a hard time getting into them. But with that being said Amy Harmon has created a new world that sucked me in and held on. The First Girl Child and the land of Saylok captivated me from the first chapter. Bayr and Alba's story was amazing and emotional. Two children who will grow up to be the salvation of Saylok had to go through the unthinkable to save the ones they loved. Well worth the read.

I’m still digesting this one a little bit as I did enjoy parts of the story but the writing and pacing were a bit jarring. We’re basically following Bayr throughout his life but we also get to see other characters including all the people who are integral to his upbringing. We do get to know these other characters as well, but I found myself wanting more from all of them. My other complaint is that there was just something off about how things were presented. Some things were just out of nowhere and some things were discussed over and over. There are battles and very important things happening off the page that would have been interesting to see but instead we’re hit over the head with the same themes time and again in more detail than was necessary. My last complaint was the pacing. The beginning was engaging enough to make me keep reading but the middle really drags. The last part flew by a little too fast and things were resolved a bit too easily but it was still the best part. I really enjoyed most of the relationships in this book and there were many times where you’re hit in the feels and you’re rooting for these characters and hoping that everything turns out ok. Overall I did really enjoy aspects of this book but the pacing and some of the choices have stopped me from giving this a five star rating. It’s a solid 3.5.

I love, love, love anything by Amy Harmon. Saying that, fantasy books are not my favorite, but Amy Harmon wrote it, so I read it. I was blown away by the detail in this book how everything fit together. It take someone special to get me interest in a fantasy book, but that is just what Mrs. Harmon does. There is, of course, the love story(actually, there are two! yay), that keeps me reading and makes the book so much more enjoyable. But this book would still be a must read for me, even without that.

I loved all the different aspects of this book and it was very enjoyable. It is definitely a must read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.