Review of Seven Black Birds
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Last month, Andy Lee Barnes gave me the privilege of beta reading Fall of Kingdoms book two. When I finished, I begged her to let me review book one. I never read series out of order, but these books stand on their own. At just under 153,000 words, Seven Black Birds is a dark, high fantasy plus vampires, witches, and dormaton, werewolf-like creatures.
Sapherone, or Saph, will be at a marriageable age during the Blessing of The Virgins. This is the time of year when the farming communities bring their eligible daughters to find future husbands. While some people would call the transaction a bride’s price, Saph calls it what it is, she’s there to be sold. This is the last thing she wants. She is a better huntress than a home keeper, not to mention the prince secretly she trains in swordplay.
Fallon is the second in command of the Kryslanders. He is at the Blessing of The Virgins to purchase seven virgins. Raised hearing stories about Kryslands pillaging their homeland, the girls did not trust their captures. This made Farron’s secret mission, given to him by his king and half-brother, Tarkin more difficult. All the women wanted to escape, but one, in particular, caused the most trouble.
The Kryslanders refuse to tell the girls why the king purchased them, and Saph hopes she can escape with all six girls in tow. This all changes when dormaton attack the village. She jumps in to protect the women and children and everything changes from there. But this is just the beginning. Saph and Fallon will find themselves both hot and cold about each other as the true adventure begins.
This book is unpredictable until the end. There is plenty of gore, level three heat, and poetic introspection. If you love female heroines who kick ass, banter, and drama, this is a book you will enjoy. Think Amanda Bouchet’s The Kingmaker Chronicles or Jaqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart. I’m excited for you to start this journey with Saph and Farron!
Find Andy Lee Barnes on Instagram handle @andyleebarnes and TikTok handle @andyleeauthor.
Below are a few readings from this book. Performed and, Unsplash stock photos, arranged by yours truly. Enjoy!