The Bird and the Blade

A sweeping and tragic debut novel perfect for fans of The Wrath and the Dawn and Megan Whalen Turner. This young adult novel is an excellent choice for accelerated tween readers in grades 7 to 8, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.

The Bird and the Blade is a lush, powerful story of life and death, battles and riddles, lies and secrets from author Megan Bannen.

Enslaved in Kipchak Khanate, Jinghua has lost everything: her home, her family, her freedom . . . until the kingdom is conquered by enemy forces and she finds herself an unlikely conspirator in the escape of Prince Khalaf and his irascible father across the vast Mongol Empire.

On the run, with adversaries on all sides and an endless journey ahead, Jinghua hatches a scheme to use the Kipchaks' exile to return home, a plan that becomes increasingly fraught as her feelings for Khalaf evolve into an impossible love.

Jinghua's already dicey prospects take a downward turn when Khalaf seeks to restore his kingdom by forging a marriage alliance with Turandokht, the daughter of the Great Khan. As beautiful as she is cunning, Turandokht requires all potential suitors to solve three impossible riddles to win her hand--and if they fail, they die.

Jinghua has kept her own counsel well, but with Khalaf's kingdom--and his very life--on the line, she must reconcile the hard truth of her past with her love for a boy who has no idea what she's capable of . . . even if it means losing him to the girl who'd sooner take his life than his heart.

Author: Megan Bannen
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Published: 06/05/2018
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.80w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9780062674159
Age Range: 13-UP

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.6
Point Value: 14
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 514644 / Bird and the Blade


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2018 pg. 115
Booklist 04/01/2018 pg. 71
School Library Journal 05/01/2018 pg. 91
Publishers Weekly 06/04/2018
Voice of Youth Advocates 06/01/2018 - Recommended - Better Than Most