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The Bird and the Blade

by Megan Bannen

Narrator Emily Woo Zeller

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Length 10 hours 11 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“This book bucks tropes left and right in such a refreshing way. Like our main girl character Jinghua is strong (and not like fake YA Girl Strong, but the real kind), her internal conflict throughout the novel is so raw and believable. This is exactly how YA should be. It should be gripping, the monologue in the MC's head should not be snarky 24/7 - don't get me wrong, I love some snark - but some vulnerability and honesty should present as well in equal parts. And that is exactly what this book does right. The book is also very well-researched and builds the world very realistically without doing the infamous 'infodump' at the beginning. ”
— Nyawira • Page 158 Books

Summary
About the author

A sweeping and tragic debut novel perfect for fans of The Wrath and the Dawn and Megan Whalen Turner.

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.

Romance Historical Fiction YA Fiction

Megan Bannen is a librarian and the author of The Bird and the Blade. In her spare time, she collects graduate degrees from Kansas colleges and universities. She lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, their two sons, and a few too many pets with literary names. She can be found online at www.meganbannen.com.