The second blind son

Readers will enjoy another installment in the Chronicles of Saylok, which can also be read as a stand-alone, though the elements of Norse mythology and the kingdoms will be familiar to fans of The First Girl Child (2019). Hod is blind, but because of his ability to pick up runes quickly, he is taken in by a religious order. When Ghisla washes up on Hod's coastline, they quickly become friends and realize how important they are to one another. Ghisla has lost her whole family to illness and needs a friend; when she sings, Hod can see images in his head. As they grow close, the outside world threatens to keep them apart. The kingdom of Saylok is cursed and daughters are no longer being born, so the king has ordered that every village send a daughter to him. Ghisla is seen as a blessing by Hod's protector and sent to the king, but Hod and Ghisla do not want to be separated. Their combined power as well as their bond is what makes this book a special read.

Harmon's accessible second Chronicles of Saylok fantasy (following The First Girl Child) works just as well as a standalone, transporting readers to a land ruled by a ruthless king from atop the mighty Temple Hill. After 14-year-old Ghisla's people, the musical Songr, are wiped out, Ghisla flees her home and washes up in Saylok. There she meets Hod, a blind boy named for a god and training to be a warrior, whose senses of hearing and smell are so well honed that nothing escapes him. Hod takes Ghisla in and the pair quickly bond, but they're forced apart when Ghisla, a rare girl-child in a land where no girls are born, is taken to Temple Hill. She becomes a precious Temple Daughter and is given the name "Liis of Leok." Ghisla and Hod are separately swept up into dangerous political maneuvering--and their eventual, bittersweet reunion finds them on opposite sides. Harmon's characters are painted brightly, and her simple yet lyrical prose--like Ghisla's songs, themselves some of the novel's best moments--flows beautifully. There's nothing mind-blowing here, but fantasy fans will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (July)