Hummingbird
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- Create Date：2022-04-30 09:17:03
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Helen Harper
- ISBN：B09SBDQ3PP
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Summary
The best way to live in the Mage ruled city of Glasgow is to keep your head down and your mouth closed。
That’s not usually a problem for Mairi Wallace。 By day she works at a small shop selling tartan and by night she studies to become an apothecary。 She knows her place and her limitations。 All that changes， however， when her old childhood friend sends her a desperate message seeking her help - and the Mages themselves cross Mairi’s path。 Suddenly， remaining unnoticed is no longer an option。
There’s more to Mairi than she realises but， if she wants to fulfil her full potential， she’s going to have to fight to stay alive - and only time will tell if she can beat the Mages at their own game。
From twisted wynds and tartan shops to a dangerous daemon and the magic infused City Chambers， the future of a nation might lie with one solitary woman。
Hummingbird is the first thrilling book in A Charade Of Magic。 The fight for freedom starts here。
That’s not usually a problem for Mairi Wallace。 By day she works at a small shop selling tartan and by night she studies to become an apothecary。 She knows her place and her limitations。 All that changes， however， when her old childhood friend sends her a desperate message seeking her help - and the Mages themselves cross Mairi’s path。 Suddenly， remaining unnoticed is no longer an option。
There’s more to Mairi than she realises but， if she wants to fulfil her full potential， she’s going to have to fight to stay alive - and only time will tell if she can beat the Mages at their own game。
From twisted wynds and tartan shops to a dangerous daemon and the magic infused City Chambers， the future of a nation might lie with one solitary woman。
Hummingbird is the first thrilling book in A Charade Of Magic。 The fight for freedom starts here。
Reviews
L。B。
，
An engaging urban fantasy that makes you root for the underdog with Cinderella-vibes and a complex high fantasy world ruled by devious magic-users and threatened by apocalyptic monsters。 Harper always has a great hook and strong characters， but this one opened with a lot of danger， world-building， and a character that clearly has a lot going against her， including being mute。 It has more high fantasy vibes than most Harper books， and more than I usually like， but it wasn't as slow as those。 High An engaging urban fantasy that makes you root for the underdog with Cinderella-vibes and a complex high fantasy world ruled by devious magic-users and threatened by apocalyptic monsters。 Harper always has a great hook and strong characters， but this one opened with a lot of danger， world-building， and a character that clearly has a lot going against her， including being mute。 It has more high fantasy vibes than most Harper books， and more than I usually like， but it wasn't as slow as those。 Highly recommend for urban fantasy and high fantasy readers who like worlds where magic rules and underdogs fight the oppressor。 。。。more
Mindy
，
This author has always been able to capture my attention with her stories。 Her characters are unique and original。 Her worlds are intriguing and fascinating。 Her stories are full of mystery， suspense， danger， magic， and usually a small bit of romance that builds as the series progresses。 This first book in the A Charade of Magic series gives the reader all of that and so much more。 The female lead of this story， Mairi， has a quiet strength inside her that I'm not sure even she fully grasps the d This author has always been able to capture my attention with her stories。 Her characters are unique and original。 Her worlds are intriguing and fascinating。 Her stories are full of mystery， suspense， danger， magic， and usually a small bit of romance that builds as the series progresses。 This first book in the A Charade of Magic series gives the reader all of that and so much more。 The female lead of this story， Mairi， has a quiet strength inside her that I'm not sure even she fully grasps the depth of yet。 She may be mute for the majority of the story， but she is no less of a phenomenal character than any of this author's previous female leads。 On the contrary， the fact that she is mute makes her that much more interesting。 It gives her a vulnerability that is the perfect counterpart to that inner strength I was speaking about earlier。 She is a fantastic female lead and I can't wait to read more about her。 This book grabbed me from the first word and kept me engaged through to the last。 The author has outdone herself with this one and I'll be anxiously waiting to see what happens in the next book。 Well done to the author！ 。。。more
Short and Sweet Reviews by Sam
，
tThank you to Netgalley and the author， Helen Harper， for providing a copy of Hummingbird （A Charade of Magic book 1）。 I have reviewed honestly。ttHummingbird features， but is not limited to， the following themes:tt○ Adult fantasy tt○ Magictt○ Mages tt○ Daemonstt○ Revenge tt○ Light romance tt○ Scotland tt My overall rating for Hummingbird is…tt5 Stars！tIf you're in need of a brand new fantasy tale with magic， a male dominant society， zombie-like beings， daemons， mages， mystery and revenge， look n tThank you to Netgalley and the author， Helen Harper， for providing a copy of Hummingbird （A Charade of Magic book 1）。 I have reviewed honestly。ttHummingbird features， but is not limited to， the following themes:tt○ Adult fantasy tt○ Magictt○ Mages tt○ Daemonstt○ Revenge tt○ Light romance tt○ Scotland tt My overall rating for Hummingbird is…tt5 Stars！tIf you're in need of a brand new fantasy tale with magic， a male dominant society， zombie-like beings， daemons， mages， mystery and revenge， look no further。 Hummingbird is simply incredible！ Right from the start the author snares you into this fantastic， dark fantasty。 Mairi， the MC， was such a potent character to bond with and I loved the added mystique of her muteness。 The Scottish setting created an alluring flavour to the story。 Overall， Harper has demonstrated her master storytelling abilities in this outstanding book。 。。。more
Pat
，
What a wonderful read this turned out to be。 Based in Glasgow and it’s magical and lots of adventure。 She needs to become more than she is。
Laura
，
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review。4。5 stars and almost one spicy pepper！I am in love with this story， with this book。。。everything about it is amazing。 Scotland， magic， mystery。。。this book has it all！ Mairi lives in a time where Mages rule （men who posses magic）。 They swear they're protecting their people from the Afflicted （zombie-like creatures） and other awful things。 but are they really？ Or are they just instilling fear？ Mairi， a mute young w Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review。4。5 stars and almost one spicy pepper！I am in love with this story， with this book。。。everything about it is amazing。 Scotland， magic， mystery。。。this book has it all！ Mairi lives in a time where Mages rule （men who posses magic）。 They swear they're protecting their people from the Afflicted （zombie-like creatures） and other awful things。 but are they really？ Or are they just instilling fear？ Mairi， a mute young woman， tries to find out the truth about the mages as well as herself。 Why？ Women aren't allowed to have magic but apparently， she has it by the bucketloads。。。。I can't wait for the second one！PLEASE GO BUY THIS BOOK NOW。 PLEASE。 JUST GO。 STOP READING THIS REVIEW AND GO ALREADY。 。。。more
Debbie Eyre
，
This is so so good that it grabbed me from the very beginning and did not let go till the very end！ The world building is extraordinary， the storyline gripping and exciting and is set in a world where mages rule and even control the daemons。 The city is dark and people are suffering and has the afflicted which gave me the creeps。 Our main mc Mairi is such a great character and is so strong despite being unable to talk for whatever reason。 It’s a fantastic fast paced story， dark， gritty and intri This is so so good that it grabbed me from the very beginning and did not let go till the very end！ The world building is extraordinary， the storyline gripping and exciting and is set in a world where mages rule and even control the daemons。 The city is dark and people are suffering and has the afflicted which gave me the creeps。 Our main mc Mairi is such a great character and is so strong despite being unable to talk for whatever reason。 It’s a fantastic fast paced story， dark， gritty and intriguing and I am excited to read more！ 。。。more
Jennifer
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Mairi keeps her head down。 She doesn't break the rules。 She just wants to go to school and get out from the tartan shop she's been working in。 A plea from a friend and crossing paths with a daemon set things in motion that cast a shocking light on the Mages who rule that city。 There's magic， monsters， and rebellions that suck you in and make you want more。This was such a good book！ I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley and I was completely blown away by the world building。 I haven't r Mairi keeps her head down。 She doesn't break the rules。 She just wants to go to school and get out from the tartan shop she's been working in。 A plea from a friend and crossing paths with a daemon set things in motion that cast a shocking light on the Mages who rule that city。 There's magic， monsters， and rebellions that suck you in and make you want more。This was such a good book！ I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley and I was completely blown away by the world building。 I haven't read a story before where the main character is mute for the majority of the story。 The non-dialogue was interesting and really made you pay attention to the descriptions of the interactions instead of relying on words。 There is a bit of romance in this book， but not heavy， and honestly it's the one area I felt was kind of lackluster only due to the fact that the relationship seemed rushed outside of a few interactions。 Just "whoop， guess they're having their moment"。 You knew right away who the main lead was going to be though， and I'm definitely not going to complain because who wouldn't want to be saved by a hot daemon on a rainy night？ Excellent start to a new series and can't wait to read more！ 。。。more
Caitlin D
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I was so excited when I saw that Helen Harper had a new book coming out。 She's one of my favorite authors， and she certainly didn't disappoint！ I love her writing style， and I'm always I pulled into her universes。 I've been in a horrible book rut， so I was so happy to have a book that kept me captivated until the end。 I'm so excited to see where the characters will go from here。 I loved the main character and I love myself a good demon。 I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leav I was so excited when I saw that Helen Harper had a new book coming out。 She's one of my favorite authors， and she certainly didn't disappoint！ I love her writing style， and I'm always I pulled into her universes。 I've been in a horrible book rut， so I was so happy to have a book that kept me captivated until the end。 I'm so excited to see where the characters will go from here。 I loved the main character and I love myself a good demon。 I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Victoria
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Worldbuilding:I really liked the setting for this book; while we still have elements like mages， daemons and the like， it felt original！ The scenes were clear and well detailed。 The only thing messing with me was the slang used。 It's in Glasgow， so I guess it's only normal， but it pulled me from the story all the time。 I just couldn't cope with it :（Character development:Mages being the bad guys， who would have thought :D it's a nice twist on things， to be honest。Mairi is mute but soon discovers Worldbuilding:I really liked the setting for this book; while we still have elements like mages， daemons and the like， it felt original！ The scenes were clear and well detailed。 The only thing messing with me was the slang used。 It's in Glasgow， so I guess it's only normal， but it pulled me from the story all the time。 I just couldn't cope with it :（Character development:Mages being the bad guys， who would have thought :D it's a nice twist on things， to be honest。Mairi is mute but soon discovers that she has a lot of power stuck inside。 Her life wasn't easy for far， and it doesn't seem it's about to get any easier。 I didn't dislike her， but she didn't really do anything for me。 Nickolas is someone who did pique my interest， just not enough to save the story :（Pacing and flow:The book was pretty slow， setting up the stage until about halfway when we got a few good twists and things sped up a bit。 It was， however， a bit of a struggle to get to the point as I just couldn't get into the story。The book:The book itself was well written with no （noticeable） errors。 There is sex described （if that is important to you）。It has 286 pages spread over 30 chapters and is told from Mairi's point of view。Final thoughts:I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book， and all in all， this was unfortunately not my cup of tea。 I wonder if things would have been different if I could set aside the language issues and immersed myself in the story。 Check out the sample chapters， I mean， the premise is great， and it might just be what you're looking for！ 。。。more
Penny
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I’ve been a fan of this author for a long time， and she’s an automatic try for me no matter the book。 This latest is an original magic book in a type of male-dominated society but with magic。 I was put in the mind of Handmaid’s Tale with this latest。 Mari is an interesting character， and I love that the author made her a nonspeaking character in a world where speaking is part of magic。 As with all the novels I’ve read by this author， this was a well-written， suspense-filled book with lots of gre I’ve been a fan of this author for a long time， and she’s an automatic try for me no matter the book。 This latest is an original magic book in a type of male-dominated society but with magic。 I was put in the mind of Handmaid’s Tale with this latest。 Mari is an interesting character， and I love that the author made her a nonspeaking character in a world where speaking is part of magic。 As with all the novels I’ve read by this author， this was a well-written， suspense-filled book with lots of great characters。 If you love this author， you’ll definitely love this latest！ Recommend。 I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed。 。。。more
Karen Fisher
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This is an unusual read！ I found it to be engrossing and kept me wondering what was next。 Mairi is so much more than she appears。 Her strength and determination ran through the entire book。 The "mouse" spell was a shocker！ This is an unusual read！ I found it to be engrossing and kept me wondering what was next。 Mairi is so much more than she appears。 Her strength and determination ran through the entire book。 The "mouse" spell was a shocker！ 。。。more
Whitney
，
Great title！ Great plot， so happy I picked this up！ Great book I will definitely be reading more。 I need to know what happens next。I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review。
Sarah Z
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I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 I think I pretty much devoured this novel in a day and a half。 The story was fresh， the characters were intriguing， and you never knew what was about to happen。 Full of magic， action， intrigue， and romance， this novel keeps you on the edge of your seat。 This was such a great start to the series and I absolutely can’t wait to read the next one。 I’m on pins and needles to see what happens。
Danii
，
A great appeal of this book is definitely the setting。 Glasgow， the side characters and their dialect。My favourite side character: Angus， the mage with unkempt eyebrows！ I also loved the mute FMC and how she dealt with the limitations。I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review。
Neamhain
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review！In the world of Hummingbird， there are two things known to be true。 Mages are the only ones who can wield magic and a Mage can only be a man。 However， Mairi discovers that she too can wield magic， in spite of the fact that she is a woman。 She works in a small tartan shop during the day and studies to become an apothecary at night。 She is a mute， orphan girl， who comes to realize she may be the spark t Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review！In the world of Hummingbird， there are two things known to be true。 Mages are the only ones who can wield magic and a Mage can only be a man。 However， Mairi discovers that she too can wield magic， in spite of the fact that she is a woman。 She works in a small tartan shop during the day and studies to become an apothecary at night。 She is a mute， orphan girl， who comes to realize she may be the spark to kindle a true change in the society of the city。 There is also the mystery of the "Afflicted" who roam the streets at night and are one of the reasons the Mages have such an iron grip on the city and its population。 I ended up liking this novel even more than I thought I would。 The story is quick-paced and never goes slower than a jog。 I liked Mairi's drive to accomplish her goals， and the cunning she uses to do so。 However， a few of her decisions felt a tad foolish to me。 Why take such a high risk for practically no reward？ There were several scenes that had what I felt to be a deus ex machina。 That could be my personal bias clouding my view， but it really did feel that way。 I did enjoy the mystery elements of the story！ I don't want to describe them for fear of spoiling them， but it was interesting to read。 The magic system in this story， while one most would have heard of before， was very interesting！ I couldn't tell what real-life language the magic language was based on， though perhaps it's based on Latin？ There were several world-building details that were fuzzy， such as if this story is set in modern-day or historical？ I ran under the assumption of historical because Mairi mentioned breeches and stays， but beyond that， I have no idea about the time period。 Also not quite sure where in the city of Glasgow this takes place， but if it's ahistorical I guess it doesn't matter。 The only major gripe I have is with the singular sex scene in the book。 Why did there need to be a sex scene？ Like， I guess it makes sense for a plot point near the end of the book but that sex scene felt so out of place。 I literally read it going "Why is this happening？ What is the point of this？ Is this in here because of the ladies on BookTok？" One of my huge annoyances in stories is pointless sex scenes， and thankfully this book only had the one。 Asides from my mild annoyances with parts of this book， I will definitely be watching out for the second part in the series。 The first novel ends on a pretty big cliffhanger， so of course， I want to know what happens next。 。。。more
Jessica Woods
，
Hummingbird is an urban fantasy set in Scotland where Mages rule the city。 Babies go missing and the “Afflicted “ hunt for victims at night。 The Mages are supposed to protect but they do a lot of executions when their motives are questioned。 Mairi is mute but has some impressive magical abilities that she wants to use to take out the mages after the execution of her best friend。 Secrets come to light and Mairi comes into her own in a page turning fantasy novel with hints of a future romance。 Lik Hummingbird is an urban fantasy set in Scotland where Mages rule the city。 Babies go missing and the “Afflicted “ hunt for victims at night。 The Mages are supposed to protect but they do a lot of executions when their motives are questioned。 Mairi is mute but has some impressive magical abilities that she wants to use to take out the mages after the execution of her best friend。 Secrets come to light and Mairi comes into her own in a page turning fantasy novel with hints of a future romance。 Likable characters and great world building set up a novel of epic proportions that will hopefully be the beginning of a long running series。 My voluntary， unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley。 。。。more
Jasmine
，
’The Mages power was absolute， and there was no gainsaying their actions。’ Set in an old fashioned Glasgow， in a country which is ruled by totalitarian Mages where you can’t go out at night for fear of the Afflicted （zombie like creatures that could kill/infect you）， Mairi is trying her best to make something of herself and get a scholarship to become an apothecary。 Treated as an indentured-servant by day， she spends her nights studying for a better life。 But when the Mages tyranny claims her cl ’The Mages power was absolute， and there was no gainsaying their actions。’ Set in an old fashioned Glasgow， in a country which is ruled by totalitarian Mages where you can’t go out at night for fear of the Afflicted （zombie like creatures that could kill/infect you）， Mairi is trying her best to make something of herself and get a scholarship to become an apothecary。 Treated as an indentured-servant by day， she spends her nights studying for a better life。 But when the Mages tyranny claims her closet friend， Mairi sets her sight in revenge， discovering more about the Mages， and herself， then she ever thought possible。This was a brilliant fast paced story which did not let up。 Helen Harper has created a dark and gritty fantasy with an intriguing plot and good world building。 I really enjoyed the Scottish slang in this， but I do feel she could have leaned slightly more it to the beautiful， gothic atmosphere of the city。 Mairi， our main character， is vibrant， strong， cunning and brilliantly sarcastic- even if it’s only to herself。 I thought it was fascinating how much was conveyed without her ever saying a word！ I absolutely adored her inner monologue and how she observed the world and the people she interacted with。 ‘Hummingbird’ also had the bonus of having a slight romantic sub-plot which I am SO here for。 I definitely would have liked to see more from that aspect of the story。Overall this was a brilliant start to a new fantasy series， with great characters and a brilliant premise。 It could have been fleshed out a bit more a certain parts， but I’m really looking forward to the next one and seeing where it all goes。**** I was given a free advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**** 。。。more
Marvin
，
Hummingbird is the start of a new series， set in an alternative Glasgow。 Mages rule the people。 They control ravens which they use as their eyes and ears， and if needed even as an attack force。 They also control Daemons， a more or less humanoid race with some extras， like horns。 For the people of Glasgow， leaving their houses after dark is dangerous， because then the Afflicted wander around。 Afflicted are people who were once normal， but who got affected by a disease of unknown origin， after whi Hummingbird is the start of a new series， set in an alternative Glasgow。 Mages rule the people。 They control ravens which they use as their eyes and ears， and if needed even as an attack force。 They also control Daemons， a more or less humanoid race with some extras， like horns。 For the people of Glasgow， leaving their houses after dark is dangerous， because then the Afflicted wander around。 Afflicted are people who were once normal， but who got affected by a disease of unknown origin， after which they turned into wild savages that will hunt and eat people。 Last but not least， Glasgow has Mairi Wallace， a young woman who grew up in an orphanage， but now lives under poor circumstances at Twister and Belle’s， husband and wife， sellers of clothes and fabric。The story starts when Mairi is called to the orphanage by her friend Isla， to cure a sick child， because Mairi knows a thing or two about apothecary。 At that moment， Isla tells about the disappearance of yet another baby。 It has been a while since that happened， and in the days after， Isla starts snooping around to find out who is behind that。 Shortly thereafter she is publicly hanged， officially because of treason against the Mages。 Mairi witnesses the hanging and this changes her。 She has lived an anonymous life so far， but now leaves the house of her employer。 The death of her best friend makes her wanting to infiltrate the Mages and she becomes determined to conquer them。 It’s time to fight for the freedom of her people。Hummingbird is urban fantasy， and some of the typical fantasy tropes are clearly present。 There is a battle between good （Mairi） and evil （the Mages）， a society resembling our late nineteenth century， and of course a chosen one （Mairi） who， against all odds， appears to possess certain powers that help her grow from a little nobody to someone with the ability to lead people and change things。 But with these tropes， Helen Harper has baked a tasty cake。 Mairi is a women who can’t speak， for one。 This changes the dynamics of her conversations， because whatever Mairi thinks， expressing herself is still another matter。 How much variety can you bring into the fact that Mairi only has her hands and facial expression available to make herself clear？ Well， a whole book full of it， so it seems。 There is literally never a moment at which you think: okay， I know it by now。 Harper remains original en finds nice solutions to problems related to Mairi’s absence of a voice， like for instance how to use spells that have to be spoken out loud。 "I’ve heard the Afflicted folks screaming and seen the body bags arriving。 But whit could I do？ They’d as soon as set me on fire as anything。 I keep my heid down and get on with my job as best as I can。" The local Glasgow accent is well integrated into the story。 You literally hear how words sound by just reading them。 Most of it is easy to understand， even though you might need to read a sentence a second time sometimes。 The author has not overdone this either， so it remains fresh and fun。 But， the most important of all is the plot of course， and that is attractive。 Mairi goes through interesting times， jumps from one little adventure to the next without much pause。 The pace of the book remains steady。 I don’t often call a book a page turner but in this case I kept reading and found it difficult to take a break from the story。 The narrative style is entertaining， with several original moments， and I believe Mairi’s character has enough potential to last for one or more sequels。 A recommended read。（Thanks to NetGalley and BookBuzz for providing an ARC of this book。） 。。。more
Vannessa
，
This was an absolutely amazing start to this new series by one of my favourite authors。 The plot was incredibly imaginative， fast paced and full of emotion as well as action！ Mairi is a heroine with a major difference - she is mute， but not because of any physical defect。 Something or someone has bound her to stop her from talking。 Being unable to talk， she relies on facial expressions and hand gestures to convey her meanings and there are times you can really feel her frustrations in not being This was an absolutely amazing start to this new series by one of my favourite authors。 The plot was incredibly imaginative， fast paced and full of emotion as well as action！ Mairi is a heroine with a major difference - she is mute， but not because of any physical defect。 Something or someone has bound her to stop her from talking。 Being unable to talk， she relies on facial expressions and hand gestures to convey her meanings and there are times you can really feel her frustrations in not being able to explain what she means or wants！ As an orphan， she has not had the easiest of starts to her young life and currently finds herself living in a city ruled by male Mages， who rule with an iron fist！ There are also the Afflicted running around at night， a group of people who were once human， but are now something more dangerous and downright scary！ Mairi， however， is determined to find out what the Mages are really up to after her friend is punished for getting involved in something that happened at the orphanage where she lives。 Going undercover seems a little bizarre at first， throwing herself right into the lion's den， but this seems to be the only way Mairi can find out what she really needs to know and to learn how to use the magic building up inside her。 Magic that the Mages definitely cannot find out that she has！ I just loved this book - the world building was fantastic， the Scottish dialect was brilliant （reminded me of my grandmother's way of talking a lot！） and the characters， even those you were told not to trust came through in the end。 The ending was fantastic and I can't wait to see what happens next with everything that has been revealed。Thank you to Helen for a copy of this book！ I'm so looking forward to the next one！ 。。。more
Shelley
，
*Source* Publisher*Genre* Fantasy*Rating* 3。5*Thoughts*Hummingbird， by author Helen Harper， is the first installment in the authors A Charade of Magic series。 There are three absolutes in Mairi Wallace’s world:1。 The Mages rule every city in Scotland with terrible， violent authority。 Mages control ravens which they use as their eyes and ears， and if needed even as an attack force。 They also control Daemons， a more or less humanoid race with some extras， like horns。 2。 It is not physically possib *Source* Publisher*Genre* Fantasy*Rating* 3。5*Thoughts*Hummingbird， by author Helen Harper， is the first installment in the authors A Charade of Magic series。 There are three absolutes in Mairi Wallace’s world:1。 The Mages rule every city in Scotland with terrible， violent authority。 Mages control ravens which they use as their eyes and ears， and if needed even as an attack force。 They also control Daemons， a more or less humanoid race with some extras， like horns。 2。 It is not physically possible for any woman to wield magic。3。 Mairi does not have a voice。*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*https://gizmosreviews。blogspot。com/20。。。 。。。more
Chrys
，
Nefarious goings on in a magical Edinburgh where only men are allowed to wield magic， and women with abilities are abominations。Marie is a great character， I liked the way the story is told from her perspective as it gives extra depth to her being mute。 I also like the fact that she is impulsive and far from sensible or perfect， very much an angry young woman on a mission。I loved the setting and the whole mixture of dark secrets， twisted humour and light spice。 Such a fun read， I really enjoyed Nefarious goings on in a magical Edinburgh where only men are allowed to wield magic， and women with abilities are abominations。Marie is a great character， I liked the way the story is told from her perspective as it gives extra depth to her being mute。 I also like the fact that she is impulsive and far from sensible or perfect， very much an angry young woman on a mission。I loved the setting and the whole mixture of dark secrets， twisted humour and light spice。 Such a fun read， I really enjoyed this and am really excited to see where things go next。 。。。more
Annarella
，
a good start for a fantasy series: gripping， well written， and entertaining。The pacing is right， the characters fleshed out， the world building interesting and well developed。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine
Megan Williams
，
This book is a slow build page turning suspense。 The world of man is trapped indoors by a curfew laid out by the mages law。 The people live in constant fear of what lurks beneath the shadows of the moon， the afflicted。 If the afflicted weren’t enough to keep the people in line the threat of being taken to the gallows if one were to dare question the mages certainly does。 For what could one person do against a mage？ Our MC is led unknowingly on a journey of self discovery as she sets out to find This book is a slow build page turning suspense。 The world of man is trapped indoors by a curfew laid out by the mages law。 The people live in constant fear of what lurks beneath the shadows of the moon， the afflicted。 If the afflicted weren’t enough to keep the people in line the threat of being taken to the gallows if one were to dare question the mages certainly does。 For what could one person do against a mage？ Our MC is led unknowingly on a journey of self discovery as she sets out to find what the mages are really up to。 This book has a short spicy scene though if that is your main interest I recommend another book。 I highly recommend this book to fans of Fantasy and Mystery。 Take the journey and discover the truth for yourself。 I know I will be waiting with baited breath for the next book in this series。I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review。 All thoughts posted are my own。 。。。more
Lia
，
Thanks， Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read and review。 Very intriguing first book of a series。 Loved the fast-paced action， the thrilling adventure， the hint of romance that we had and enjoyed the inetersting magic system。 Will definitely follow the series！
Sara Oxton
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A five-star read that deserves every step of freedom。 This is number one in A Charade of magic books， and it is leading to being a great series if they are all as strong as number one。 The character and world building are some of this authors best， I have been a huge fan for a long time， but this one felt special， there was just something about the setting that really pulled me in， and the Afflicted， they intrigued me so much， much more that the Mages which surprised me as I was reading。 This is A five-star read that deserves every step of freedom。 This is number one in A Charade of magic books， and it is leading to being a great series if they are all as strong as number one。 The character and world building are some of this authors best， I have been a huge fan for a long time， but this one felt special， there was just something about the setting that really pulled me in， and the Afflicted， they intrigued me so much， much more that the Mages which surprised me as I was reading。 This is well written， and you can’t help but feel for Mairi， and want to take her struggle from her， but she shows us just how strong she is。 What a phenomenal story， and I am sure will become a phenomenal series。 。。。more
Steve
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I loved this book。 The story is wonderful and I couldn’t put the book down。 There is great character development with a lot of very likable characters and great portrayals of despicable characracters。 There are even delightfully ambiguous characters。 There are some great action sequences。 And even though the story takes place in Scotland， there is a minimum of eye dialect， which I have trouble dealing with。 The book has some humor and some wording that is so good， I would re-read several passage I loved this book。 The story is wonderful and I couldn’t put the book down。 There is great character development with a lot of very likable characters and great portrayals of despicable characracters。 There are even delightfully ambiguous characters。 There are some great action sequences。 And even though the story takes place in Scotland， there is a minimum of eye dialect， which I have trouble dealing with。 The book has some humor and some wording that is so good， I would re-read several passages。 I look forward to reading the other books in the series。 Thank you to Netgalley and HarperFire for the advance reader copy。 。。。more
Audrey
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I really enjoyed reading this ARC from NetGalley。 The world building is so interesting and not daunting to understand。 The characters are loveable and the premise is compelling。 My only complaint is the writing done in a Scottish accent was hard for me to decipher。 But that didnt hinder my understanding of the story。 I cant wait for the next book！
Barbara’s Booknalysis
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Anything Helen Harper writes goes straight to my must-read list and with Hummingbird she has again confirmed her guaranteed position。 This is a dark tale。 It is set in a city that is suffering and oppressed， and we have a lead character that is an orphan， mute， and in her own words， her status is that of an indentured servant。 Nothing about the life these people are living is easy。 When a horrible tragedy strikes， Mairi feels she must take action。 And that’s where the story really comes alive。 T Anything Helen Harper writes goes straight to my must-read list and with Hummingbird she has again confirmed her guaranteed position。 This is a dark tale。 It is set in a city that is suffering and oppressed， and we have a lead character that is an orphan， mute， and in her own words， her status is that of an indentured servant。 Nothing about the life these people are living is easy。 When a horrible tragedy strikes， Mairi feels she must take action。 And that’s where the story really comes alive。 The interaction of the characters in this story is where the magic happens for me。 Hummingbird intertwines such a wide array of different personalities and Helen Harper does a fantastic job of building an image of their society through their eyes。 Love each character or hate them， they each play their part in demonstrating to the reader how this city runs。 And it’s definitely not a place that I would want to live！But， although I am painting a dark picture， through it all runs a thread of light and hope。 These people， many of whom have every reason to be miserable， still retain their goodness。 And they demonstrate it sometimes in the most unexpected moments。 Those of you who read my reviews regularly will know that for me， it’s all about the romance。 And in this book， calling it a romance is stretching quite a bit。 But romance comes in different shapes and sizes， and there’s enough of a hint in here to keep the love alive for me。 There are a couple of men that have potential for Mairi。 One I like， one I’m particularly suspicious of。 I’ll let you work out which is which。 But I’ve got my fingers crossed tightly for my preferred guy！And there’s a scene that I totally love， which is both funny and a little bit heart breaking， all at once。 Mairi is mute， so she’s never had an actual conversation。 Just imagine， never having been able to share all of those little thoughts that we have each day， big and small。 I absolutely love the way that Helen Harper handles Mairi getting her first ever chance to ‘talk’。 What would be the first things you would want to say？ Very hard to imagine！！I also found it highly entertaining， as a non-Scottish person， to read the little bits of Scottish vernacular throughout the book。 I even found myself Googling a few times to work out what they were saying， but to me that was part of the fun。 I love learning new unexpected things from a book！ There definitely wasn't enough of the local speech to be annoying though， and if I chose to， I could have easily proceeded on without doing any search and understood the general gist of the conversation。 This is the first book in the Charade of Magic series and the end of this book leaves us with such a teaser that you won’t be able to help wanting to come back for the next installment！Thank you to Helen Harper and BookSprout for my copy of Hummingbird。 I am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Claire Jarvis
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This was a fast-paced tale that didn’t let up。 Mute servant girl Mairi has never fit in to the deadly city of Glasgow: ruled in daylight by the totalitarian Mages， and at night by the shuffling horde of Afflicted monsters。 But when the Mages’ tyranny claims her closest friend， Mairi sets out on a dangerous quest for revenge。Hummingbird sped along nicely， and Harper knows how to tell a gripping story。 I was a bit disappointed （since the genre of Scottish UF is slim pickings） that there wasn’t mor This was a fast-paced tale that didn’t let up。 Mute servant girl Mairi has never fit in to the deadly city of Glasgow: ruled in daylight by the totalitarian Mages， and at night by the shuffling horde of Afflicted monsters。 But when the Mages’ tyranny claims her closest friend， Mairi sets out on a dangerous quest for revenge。Hummingbird sped along nicely， and Harper knows how to tell a gripping story。 I was a bit disappointed （since the genre of Scottish UF is slim pickings） that there wasn’t more sense of place beyond Glaswegian street names。 Nor was I sure if this was a contemporary alternate setting or historical。 The premise was great， but it could have been fleshed out to really immerse the reader。I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Carolyne
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I’m so excited for the next book because I need to know what happens！ This book was really interesting and it kept me interested pretty much the entire time。 The whole magic and fantasy aspects of this book were so interesting and engaging that I couldn't stop reading。 I was provided this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！ All thoughts are my own！ This book was so interesting to me， and it felt really original。 I haven't read anything similar where the main character has magic b I’m so excited for the next book because I need to know what happens！ This book was really interesting and it kept me interested pretty much the entire time。 The whole magic and fantasy aspects of this book were so interesting and engaging that I couldn't stop reading。 I was provided this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！ All thoughts are my own！ This book was so interesting to me， and it felt really original。 I haven't read anything similar where the main character has magic but isn't able to conventionally use it。 In this world， magic is utilized by words， and our main character， Mairi， is mute。 This was such an interesting premise and I think it was really well done。 I really like Mairi as a character。 She is super headstrong and wants to better the world around her， which is hard as a female who can't speak。 She doesn't allow this to stop her from seeking revenge for her friend and the babies that are being kidnapped around the town。 There is a bit of romance and a little sex in this book but it isn't the main focus of the book。 I found it to be a bit insta lovey but I'm hoping it gets fleshed out in the next book。 The two main male characters were given a bit of background but I would have loved to learn more about them。 Especially the daemon character， as he stopped feeling different and the story may have benefited from having him be more other。 I feel like they were a little one-dimensional but that could easily be fixed in the next book。 This book set them all up well for further development。 There were times when I was skimming the text to get to the next portion of the dialogue。 I tried not to do it often but sometimes there just seemed to be too much of it。 I don't believe that the skimming I did took away from the book and the information I was getting。 This book is full of grey characters and you never really know who you can root for。 I really enjoyed this aspect of the book and can't wait to find out more in the next book。 I'm so excited for it to （hopefully） be out at the end of the year！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hummingbird
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hummingbird&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hummingbird&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0