I find Amy Harmon’s writing consistently enjoyable. She is particularly good at developing engaging characters and a well-paced story, even if it spans several years, as is the case with her book The Second Blind Son.
A synopsis:
An insidious curse is weakening the Norse kingdom of Saylok, where no daughters have been born in years. Washing up on these plagued shores is Ghisla, an orphaned stowaway nursed back to health by Hod, a blind cave dweller. Named for a mysterious god, Hod is surrounded by prophecy. To Ghisla, he’s a cherished new friend, but to Hod, the girl is much more. For when Ghisla sings, Hod can see.
Unable to offer safe shelter, Hod urges Ghisla onward to become a daughter of the temple, where all the kingdom’s girl children have been gathered. But because of a magical rune, the two cannot be separated, no matter the time or the distance.
Now, subject to a ruthless king, Ghisla enters a desperate world of warring clan chieftains and catastrophic power struggles. Uncertain whom to trust, their bond strained by dangerous secrets and feuding loyalties, Ghisla and Hod must confront the prophecies that threaten Saylok while finding a way to save each other.
The Second Blind Son is set in the same world – with a new perspective of many of the same events – as The First Girl Child. I admit, there was a lot I had forgotten about The First Girl Child, but the foundation was enough to appreciate this book.
I did get a little glassy-eyed at all the politics and palace intrigue, but I loved watching the growth of Hod and Ghisla independently, and their love story together. I also appreciated getting to know some of the “minor” characters from The First Girl Child better.
There is both ache and warmth in this book, with an ending much bigger (and better) than romantic love.
BOOK:30 