Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Have you ever watched a YouTube video, where the YouTuber is showing you how to make an intricate braid? She/he starts at a point and you’re right there with them. Then exactly 0.4 seconds later, they’ve made a braid worthy of walking down an aisle and you’re just... gaping. Unsure how this even happened. How did those fingers even do that?

That’s how reading The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon was. First of all, I’ve never been someone that has liked too many POVs in a book. But somehow AH makes it work. And she works it like a pro. The tenor of each character is separate from one another, but the meld is a symphony.

The story is a work of art, each aspect of the landscape separate and beautiful in itself and when AH allows the readers to take a few steps back to see the whole picture it’s just... gorgeous. She has taken the single most relevant concept and brought it to life in magic, runes and Gods. Everything she says can be relevant to us, applied to us. The message is both subtle and a slap.

Each character in the book, in my opinion, break their stereotypes and do something that is utterly against what they think they should believe in. They indulge in their heart and at the same time, they respect their duties to their tasks.

The story revolves around a woman. Who’s curse has laid draught to her land.

The story revolves around a man. Who is father and Keeper.

A woman, whose sacrifice is truly worthy of her role.

A girl, who’s beauty is beyond what is seen.

A boy, who’s strength is in heart.

A man, who wishes to rule and not serve.

The story is one I would recommend to everyone. Simply because even though I’m a romance buff, this book had me in its clutches and wasn’t letting go anytime soon. Not until it was ready to be done. I would grant the narration itself five stars, it’s perfect. Skimmed of all that which is not required but brimming with emotion and truth and pain and sacrifice. And finally, of hope and love.

Five stars. Congratulations Amy Harmon, you are so much more beyond than just an author. You’re an artist.

This book is just intriguing, the characters are amazing, the world built is perfect. The land of Saylok was so well described. This fantasy world you find Bayr and Alba. A couple like no other, you will find yourself reading through the years, all the mythology, Viking history, magic and so much more. It starts a bit slow but it needs to be that way, it builds an amazing new world.

This book was simply amazing. I couldn't read fast enough, couldn't turn the pages quick enough, and yet, I wanted to read slower, to savor it, to make it last as long as I could.
I feel like I lived an entire lifetime reading this, from the moment Bayr and Alba are born, watching them grow, watching their minds and hearts shape, watching their stories unfold. Watching the people who would influence them most try to do what is best for them, but watching their choices sometimes have consequences they never intended.
There was violence, there was trickery, there was greed and power struggles, but most of all there was love. And not just romance, but the purest forms of love from the people who watched Bayr and Alba grow and would sacrifice everything for them and did just that again and again, without them even knowing. And of course, the love between Bayr and Alba, a love that was literally the thread keeping Saylok together, even if others couldn't see it, even if others tried their best to keep them apart.
The ending had me yelling, screaming, whooping to the point that my kids came over to see what was going on. I'm reading a great book is what's going on. The ending also made me shed a few tears, but this book truly deserved them.

I absolutely love this book! I could not put it down- from the very first page I was completely sucked in. The entire story is awesome and I love the intertwining of religions .I actually didn't expect it to have so much of a Norse background so it was a really neat surprise. The characters are completely developed and I enjoyed the world it was set in.

Thanks to NetGalley, 47North, and Amy Harmon for providing an e-book for my honest opinion.

My overall thoughts: 4/5 Stars

If you enjoy epics, Norse mythology, magic, and rich world building, you'll definitely want to pick up The First Girl Child! Spanning 30ish years, the novel is centered around Dagmar & his nephew Bayr. Bayr's mother is a woman scorned, and places a curse upon the land of Saylok. There won't be any baby girls born to the men of Saylok and Bayr will be the land's savior. There's an evil king, a precious princess, and strong supporting characters you'll love.

A Deep Dive:

- The Plot: This story is a combination of Children of Men (film), Vikings (show) and Norse mythology epics and I loved it all. It's dark, heroic, magical, and explains the importance and strength that women have in a daunting tale. The romance is slow-building, but worth every second. There's war and politics, and if you love stories like Beowulf or The Odyssey, you'll definitely enjoy this tale.

- The World Building: I REPEAT - if you love any type of mythology, you will fall in love with the world of Saylok. Harmon weaves western religion with Norse gods and a take on rune magic and it's a fantasy world I'd gladly relive again.

- The Characters: Can I add Bayr to a list of top 10 mythological heroes? Because I really, really want to. He and Dagmar have the best father/son relationship, and his friends-to-lovers story line with Alba is so sweet, I want more like it. The only thing I wish I had more of was character growth & building, since the story did span such a long time.

Final Thoughts: I already want this to be turned into a movie or show. Fantasy lovers should definitely pick up this book.

***I received this ARC courtesy of Netgallery in exchange for an honest review***

In her true fashion, Amy Harmon has delivered an exceptional read. If you enjoyed The Law of Moses and The Queen and the Cure, you will enjoy this one.

I'll admit the first 50-60 % were slow that I considered not finishing it,it really does pick up at the end. This was such a beautiful heartfelt story and I wish things had turned out differently for one of the characters.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect for fans of Sky in the Deep.

A mix of fantasy, historical fiction, and romance.

From the first few lines of this book to the end, I was hooked. Immediately I was intrigued by the world. The clans. The runes. The curse.

When a dying mother entrusts her newborn son to the care of her brother, a Keeper at the temple, she also leaves behind a curse. A curse that no daughters will be born to the clans of Saylok. The son, Bayr, is blessed with incredible speed and strength. But he’s a quite boy raised among the Keepers of the runes on Temple Hill until he’s entrusted with being a protector of a princess. The curse proves true as no daughters are born until Alba, the princess who will bring salvation. Supposedly.

There’s an evil king. Blood runes. Lies. Secrets. Betrayal. All of these are things I love in a book. Amy Harmon combines them in such an incredible way that this book was a joy to read. So much so I found myself reading it in the middle of the night. I highly recommend this book to those that enjoy a little mythology spellbound with fantasy.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 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.