I put my review on GoodReads and Amazon and forgot to put it here.

Top 10 for 2019.

Beautifully written. This book follows the lives of Alba and Bayr from birth into adulthood in a tale of love, lies and hope. Wish there was more.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Finished this book months ago and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

Objectively speaking, this is a really good book.

Subjectively… I was expecting something else.

This is just not the kind of fantasy for me. I was expecting something more like 'The Bird and the Sword Chronicles' because I freaking LOVED that. Alas, it’s definitely not that, so be aware.

Bayr and Alba are supposedly the main characters (according to the blurb), but it doesn’t feel like that.
There’re so many characters and stories that they just get lost. Even worse, at some point I cared more about others than them.

Really too much time was spent with them as children, then kids and not nearly enough as young adults (NA content).
They’re grown up only towards the end.

The writing is definitely the best part of this book. Otherwise I wouldn’t have finished it, I’m sure of this.

I just wanted more Bayr and Alba as adults and more romance (this is definitely not a romance). That’s all.

This was an amazing story and one extraordinary adventure. While I mainly read romance Amy Harmon brings the best of both worlds in her fantasy creations. This had everything from suspense, action and magic. Then one beautiful love story.

This book was fantastic! The story was clearly driven by the characters while beautiful sparks of magic sprinkled into the plot made it fantastically enjoyable.

You know an author is an amazing storyteller when some of the portions of the book are not fully explained and it doesn't bother me! Some of the mythology and magic were just presented as though the reader already knows how they work, whereas I have never read Norse mythology so the references to Odin and Thor and the magic throughout just felt like an inside joke for me.
But....I didn't really care because the rest of the story gripped me from the beginning. The woman on her deathbed cursing the land because of betrayal. The baby born and brought up surrounded in mystery. The king who from the moment of his entry is despised.
While it was very, very slow going, I am intrigued through the entire book. Never a point where I wanted to quit (or skim which is a big deal for me when a book is slow going). I pressed on because Amy Harmon's writing is magical in and of itself. And the ending was worth every page.

Amy Harmon never fails to deliver a beautifully written book. While slow at times, this book was ingeniously crafted and wove a story about the injustice of misogyny. I love this author and loved this book, I cannot wait to read more!

WOW. I don't know what I was expecting, but whatever it was I got so much more. When I read the synopsis I was interested but a little hesitant. This is one of those books that could be great or horrible, and it was excellent. The Characters have a wonderful depth to them, and you get so wrapped up in their stories that hours pass before you come up for air in the real world. The pace is a little slow, but it doesn't feel that way, which is very hard to pull off. A great book!

Excuse me, did someone say historical FANTASY?!

I'm dead. Amy Harmon kills me.

Here I am again, raving about my love for the most talented author out there. Who can do these things?! Who can do them so gracefully - honouring history and drawing us regular folk into the realm of fantasy?! Amy Harmon, that's who.

I just. It's just. Hard. To say in another review. Like I do, over and over. Why people need to read her books. NO they are not all the same. YES they are all so beautifully written that it almost hurts when they're over.

This is a review of The First Girl Child, not the author, so I will commence.

A curse set forth by a scorned woman plagues the kingdom of Saylok for decades and sets into motion a course of events that sets the stage for an unforgettable novel. At the heart of the story is a young boy Bayr who finds himself at a young age as protector of princess Alba. They are inseparable and that love grows and changes and endures over the ensuing years. The love story is woven into a larger tapestry of magical runes, a duplicitous king, religious keepers and a seemingly unbreakable curse. t's a story set in the days of Vikings and clans and epic battles between good and evil. In a male-dominated society where women are seen rather than heard, necessary for furthering the species but little else, the true strength and power of women is captured within the pages of this novel. It is beautiful and unforgettable and simply demonstrates the mastery of this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

It took me the better part of the first half of this book to get into the story and the extremely slow pacing, but once I got past that, oh man, did things pick up!
Since I expected this to be a full-on love story and instead got a lot more of the clan's history and them growing up than I bargained for, I'm only giving this 4 stars. But the second half was definitely 5-star material!

In fact, I wouldn't have minded of this book were even longer because I felt that the ending was a bit rushed compared to the rest. I loved our main characters Bayr and Alba, and all the side characters besides the king basically.

All in all, I've loved every single Amy Harmon book I've read and this only left me craving more!

I am not a huge fan of fantasy but when its a romance centric fantasy, I enjoy them more! This was my first time reading Amy Harmon and I am quite impressed by her writing style. I really enjoyed the world building and the mythology. This is a slow burn romance which I usually don't mind. But sometimes slow burn tend to drag in the middle and I felt the same with this one. That's my only complain. I am eager to check out their backlog!

There are some authors that literally call to my soul. One that brings comfort by the beautiful words that they create. Amy Harmon is that for me.

I had the opportunity to read The First Girl Child back in May, thanks to NetGalley. I was so thrilled to have had the opportunity for a first glimpse. The book came to me at the right moment, given all that was happening in my life at that time.

I managed get lost within the pages of this book, and live through Bayr and his beautifully created world. Amy did such a beautiful and amazing job with the mythology - so much so, that it became my reality in that moment. I got lost, but found myself in Bayr's journey. I loved seeing him grow and develop into the young man that Saylok needed, but most importantly, the man that Alba needed.

Everything about this world was captivating. I was fascinated by the character development, and the journey that each individual character went through. I felt like I couldn't look away from what was happening, or how it would happen. I was enthralled by everything that this book meant. I'm happy to say that this certainly has become one of my favorite books so far. Thank you Amy, for always knowing what and how to write. For the beauty that your gift of writing is. And for always being willing to share it with the world, but most importantly, with me.

I really do enjoy anything from Amy Harmon. All her books are unique and a good read. This one was a different style in use to but I loved it all the same.

Amy Harmon’s writing is like none other. The First Girl Child is a gripping novel that will keep you up late at night because you can’t put it down. Fantasy is not my favorite genre but Amy Harmon is slowly changing that! I highly recommend this book!

So, originally I wasn't completely impressed with this story. I thought it was cute and missing a bunch of information. But in reading my notes, I feel that it all around is a good book. And I would recommend this to other readers.

Oh yeah, this was the fantasy read I needed! The First Girl Child was unexpectedly brilliant - killer characters, an amazing backdrop and really strong writing has you fully immersed in this book from start to finish. Binged it in one night! 4.5 stars.

I have read every single Amy Harmon book ever written. She's my absolute favorite author on the planet and an easy one-click for me. I love that she can write any genre and her reader always comes away satisfied in the end.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.


This was a good and solid story.
The only problem that I had with this book was the magic system. It wasn’t thoroughly explained.
It was a bit slow paced and it took me a while to get invested in the story. But once I did, I really enjoyed it. I also loved the romance, it wasn’t rushed.
It was overall an amazing fantasy story, one that I really enjoyed. And would highly recommend.

NORSE MYTHOLOGY, RUNE MAGIC, BLOOD CURSES, FATED LOVERS. First, the premise is amazing and I'm 100% down for overthrowing the king, may he rot in the mists for all eternity. While I found the pacing and build-up a bit on the slow side, I still enjoyed this read immensely.

I became so invested in the characters, particularly Bayr, although I was pretty much shipping couples left and right as well. I would have liked to see more Bayr x Alba romance as it developed so beautifully, though not focused on as much as I would have liked which was a bummer; those Romeo & Juliet vibes were hitting me hard.

The lore and political system were both super interesting, although I wish that the magic system wasn't so under-utilized. The underlying feminist messages, while difficult to read at times, were powerful. FEAR THE WOMB, RESPECT THE WOMB. I particularly loved that feminism in this world was a concept shared across all genders, and not a completely female-focused slant. Desdemona really knew what she was doing there.

I admit I shed some tears toward the end, the power of paternal love and the many sacrifices, of how it all tied together overwhelmed my heart. This may be a difficult read for some, because it really digs into sensitive topics and situations, but for me it was well worth it, lovely even. I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Norse mythology and worldbuilding.

I love all of Amy Harmon's books and this is no exception. The pace was slow and I found it difficult to get into at first but then I was hooked. It is very different from Harmon's other stories but it was powerful. Thank you fo rhte opportunity to read this book.