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A review by aforestofbooks
The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen
5.0
ahh this book...I don't even know where to start!
I've always been interested in the Mongols, but never got around to learning more about them, so this was actually a good introduction! The author does say that she took some liberties and compressed timelines and not everything is accurate, but it was still interesting learning about some of the important figures during this period in history!
The writing is in first person, and though it took me a while to get into it, by the end everything made so much more sense. Even though you're reading through the perspective of the main character, Jinghua, you're sort of left in the dark about her past. Little snippets here and there are revealed, but it's not enough to totally understand what happened to her.
We follow the story of Jinghua. All we know is that she's from the former Song Empire and was taken as a slave when the Song Empire fell. She works for Timur Khan aka the Khan of the Kipchak Khanate, which is a part of the Mongol Empire. But with the fall of the Kipchak Khanate after an unsuccessful battle, she finds herself joining Timur and his youngest son, Khalaf, on the run.
Jinghua is a really interesting character. She's conflicted when it comes to her choices. For one, the Mongols were the ones who brought about the end of her homeland, resulting in her enslavement. But on the other hand, Khalaf shows her a kindness that makes her rethink everything. And by running away with him and his father, she has a chance at returning home again.
Khalaf was an amazing character. He and his father are both Muslim converts, though Khalaf seems to take it more seriously than his father. He's learned and reads a lot, having studied in Isfahan for years, and he's just really likeable. I loved the relationship progression between him and Jinghua. It had me squealing and laughing out loud. I don't know if I would necessarily categorize it as instalove – since as I said before, Jinghua is conflicted between being loyal to her homeland vs. trusting herself. She constantly fights with her feelings, but Khalaf is just so charming lol even I was smitten.
Timur is a hilarious old goat and while he can be infuriating, his character development is just spot on, and I loved him by the end! He also comes up with the most unique insults, honestly he deserves an award for it lol
The book switches back and forth between the present and the past (with more of a focus on the past). And the entire time, I was trying to figure out where the story was going and what was going to happen. But wow...that ending. It took a turn I wasn't expecting, that I think no one was expecting? There were times when Jinghua felt a bit whiny, especially when she kept on saying how ugly and plain she is. Her feelings for Khalaf also kind of went back and forth, and it was difficult to understand what she wanted and why it was so difficult for her to make a choice. But everything made so much more sense closer to the end. I was still not expecting or prepared for that ending, but it fit well for the story.
The Muslim rep and poc characters were just so good! I wasn't expecting this much Muslim rep, but we have Khalaf praying, a mention of doing wudhu (both with water and sand! bonus points for the sand part), verses of the Quran and other poetry from the time period. It was just really well written and incorporated. I loved seeing some of my daily life in a book. And it reminded me of The City of Brass. So if you've read that, and loved Alizayd al Qahtani as much as I did, then you'll really enjoy this book!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
I've always been interested in the Mongols, but never got around to learning more about them, so this was actually a good introduction! The author does say that she took some liberties and compressed timelines and not everything is accurate, but it was still interesting learning about some of the important figures during this period in history!
The writing is in first person, and though it took me a while to get into it, by the end everything made so much more sense. Even though you're reading through the perspective of the main character, Jinghua, you're sort of left in the dark about her past. Little snippets here and there are revealed, but it's not enough to totally understand what happened to her.
We follow the story of Jinghua. All we know is that she's from the former Song Empire and was taken as a slave when the Song Empire fell. She works for Timur Khan aka the Khan of the Kipchak Khanate, which is a part of the Mongol Empire. But with the fall of the Kipchak Khanate after an unsuccessful battle, she finds herself joining Timur and his youngest son, Khalaf, on the run.
Jinghua is a really interesting character. She's conflicted when it comes to her choices. For one, the Mongols were the ones who brought about the end of her homeland, resulting in her enslavement. But on the other hand, Khalaf shows her a kindness that makes her rethink everything. And by running away with him and his father, she has a chance at returning home again.
Khalaf was an amazing character. He and his father are both Muslim converts, though Khalaf seems to take it more seriously than his father. He's learned and reads a lot, having studied in Isfahan for years, and he's just really likeable. I loved the relationship progression between him and Jinghua. It had me squealing and laughing out loud. I don't know if I would necessarily categorize it as instalove – since as I said before, Jinghua is conflicted between being loyal to her homeland vs. trusting herself. She constantly fights with her feelings, but Khalaf is just so charming lol even I was smitten.
Timur is a hilarious old goat and while he can be infuriating, his character development is just spot on, and I loved him by the end! He also comes up with the most unique insults, honestly he deserves an award for it lol
The book switches back and forth between the present and the past (with more of a focus on the past). And the entire time, I was trying to figure out where the story was going and what was going to happen. But wow...that ending. It took a turn I wasn't expecting, that I think no one was expecting? There were times when Jinghua felt a bit whiny, especially when she kept on saying how ugly and plain she is. Her feelings for Khalaf also kind of went back and forth, and it was difficult to understand what she wanted and why it was so difficult for her to make a choice. But everything made so much more sense closer to the end. I was still not expecting or prepared for that ending, but it fit well for the story.
The Muslim rep and poc characters were just so good! I wasn't expecting this much Muslim rep, but we have Khalaf praying, a mention of doing wudhu (both with water and sand! bonus points for the sand part), verses of the Quran and other poetry from the time period. It was just really well written and incorporated. I loved seeing some of my daily life in a book. And it reminded me of The City of Brass. So if you've read that, and loved Alizayd al Qahtani as much as I did, then you'll really enjoy this book!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!