The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards)
Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and is a rare talent on the harp. But Liobhan's burning ambition is to join the elite warrior band on Swan Island. She and her brother train there to compete for places, and find themselves joining a mission while still candidates. Their unusual blend of skills makes them ideal for this particular job, which requires going undercover as traveling minstrels. For Swan Island trains both warriors and spies.
Their mission: to find and retrieve a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone missing. If the instrument is not played at the upcoming coronation, the candidate will not be accepted and the kingdom will be thrown into disarray. Faced with plotting courtiers and tight-lipped druids, an insightful storyteller, and a boorish Crown Prince, Liobhan soon realizes an Otherworld power may be meddling in the affairs of the kingdom. When ambition clashes with conscience, Liobhan must make a bold decision--and the consequences may break her heart.
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Community Reviews
An exceptional fantasy, The Harp of Kings has both incredible pacing and marvelous complex characters. It begins one way, establishing the characters, their dynamics, and the world they are in and steadily evolves into a tale of politics, mysterious intrigue, and magic. At first, it seems as though the novel is going to be more historical rather than fantasy, but once the fae folk sneaks into the story, the plot thickens, bringing to life the tension and complex characters. It gives the story and character something fantastical to contend with as they embark on this undercover mission that challenges how they see themselves and brings up memories for all the characters to evolve them.
The story itself builds up the world and the plot simultaneously, creating an engaging story for the reader. It starts by introducing the reader to the characters and their dynamics with one another, establishing the tension between them to give the reader an idea of what they think of one another while also reflecting the perspective and personality of the characters. There is depth to the characters that allow them to be relatable while balancing off one another perfectly. The story also challenges the perceptions of the characters and trains them to be better people.
To watch the characters grow within the restrictions set upon them by their masters shows masterful writing. It works so well with the pacing of the novel. There are so many intricacies of the novel, so many elements that give the story depth. The fantasy element, while not present all the time, lingers on the pages and gives the story, it has the perfect balance of fiction and fantasy to breathe life into the novel and the characters. The development of the characters and plot is exceptional.
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