I liked it. Story was not overly complicated, but it was well told and felt natural. For some of the characters the writing style felt a little distant at first, but I got used to it. And I liked the characters. I liked the team and team loyalty.
It's a pity there are so few women on Swan island, but on the other hand, her team mates never seemed to make a point of Liobhan's abilities. She was not doubted for being a woman, at least not by them. ( )

Here we are, once more returned to the generational epic that began with Daughter of the Forest.

Marillier has written this epic across two (now three) different series, weaving the lives of those from Sevenwaters, the Fair Folk, Swan Island, Dalriada, Winterfalls and now Breifne in Ireland. Long time readers of Marillier's will not only see the obvious signs of previous books, but be happily surprised by some moments casually spoken of that refer back to previous adventures.

Still the march of time is on and as one character remarks, humanity has begun to forget the Old Ways (by choice or fearful negligence), which places our three main characters in a bit of a bind.

There's Liobhan, fiery of hair and temperament. Determined to have everything she wants. Brocc, her more stoic and daydreaming brother. He leans on her support, but yearns for something Other. And then Dau, arrogant and hard chieftain's son. For him this is a matter or life or death.

Unlike Sevenwaters, which was connected to one family essentially, The Harp of Kings series follows more like the Blackthorn & Grim trilogy, in that its connected by several very specific people across the books. Their growth. Their adventures.

And what an adventure. A simple seeming mystery becomes a world shattering quest. Sent on a mission to test their skills (and hopefully learn to improve their weaknesses), the three face a dispute man made, but not something easily solved by men.

At first I found myself liking Liobhan the most. She's much like her mother and not easily swayed from her purpose. Fiercely loyal, I appreciated the fact she that though she worried from her brother Brocc, she came to understand that there was some things she just could not understand no matter how close they were.

Dau though, eventually stole my heart. During their mission he struggled the most I believe as the situation was very similar to his own past ill experiences. He starts out arrogant and certain his mission is harder and thus he'll succeed because its so very different from who he is. Except its not as he finds out and watching ad he grappled with the past and present was engaging.

Brocc...i have a confession. I found it harder to connect with him. He seemed the most...grounded, the most assured perhaps. He was like a rock in the river - sometimes inconvenienced, but largely it washed over him peacefully. Even his doubts about his future seemed less important.

Overall I enjoyed this new tale in the Irish-Celtic time that Marillier has built for almost 2 decades and 10 stories. Additionally the audiobook is BEAUTIFUL to listen to. While its a bit hard to imagine Dau's voice actor as an 18 year old man its not hard to envision the world Marillier wanted to create when you can hear the lilting voices so well created for each character by each narrator. ( )

I ended up enjoying The Harp of Kings even more than I thought I would! If you love a good high fantasy adventure that involves people like bards, warrior spies on a mission, a little of both of those two things, druids, the fair folk (faeries), and wise women, then you will love this book. The character development is sooo good! I love all 3 of the main characters that are given perspectives (Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau) as well as many of the other characters. The world building is really interesting and I can see it setting up to expand on this even more.

Liobhan and Brocc are siblings training to become Swan Island Warriors when they are given a mission before they have even finished training and been chosen to stay. This is unheard of and they know they must do their best to keep in good ranking. They are accompanied by a couple seasoned Swan Island Warriors as well as another trainee that just happens to be the one with whom they are most competitive with— Dau. Their mission is to retrieve a stolen Harp called the Harp of Kings that is an ancient instrument given to humans from the fair folk long ago as a pact of peace between the two people and realms. They have been specifically picked because of their relevant talent as musicians. The Harp must be played at the upcoming coronation of the new king or he won’t be accepted by the people. While on the mission in the royal grounds and the forests surrounding them, the three warrior trainees uncover many secrets and are on a race for time to complete their mission.

The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards #1) by Juliet Marillier: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ( )

I ended up enjoying The Harp of Kings even more than I thought I would! If you love a good high fantasy adventure that involves people like bards, warrior spies on a mission, a little of both of those two things, druids, the fair folk (faeries), and wise women, then you will love this book. The character development is sooo good! I love all 3 of the main characters that are given perspectives (Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau) as well as many of the other characters. The world building is really interesting and I can see it setting up to expand on this even more.

Liobhan and Brocc are siblings training to become Swan Island Warriors when they are given a mission before they have even finished training and been chosen to stay. This is unheard of and they know they must do their best to keep in good ranking. They are accompanied by a couple seasoned Swan Island Warriors as well as another trainee that just happens to be the one with whom they are most competitive with— Dau. Their mission is to retrieve a stolen Harp called the Harp of Kings that is an ancient instrument given to humans from the fair folk long ago as a pact of peace between the two people and realms. They have been specifically picked because of their relevant talent as musicians. The Harp must be played at the upcoming coronation of the new king or he won’t be accepted by the people. While on the mission in the royal grounds and the forests surrounding them, the three warrior trainees uncover many secrets and are on a race for time to complete their mission.

The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards #1) by Juliet Marillier: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ( )

Narration from first person.
Short oversimple sentences.
Writing is dull and flat.
Plot makes little to no sense at all.

VERDICT : AVOID. ( )