We are abused. We are used to it. We are bartered and abandoned. But rarely are we loved. So be it. From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok for any of you to love.”
A cursed kingdom. A clan in war. And a group of people waiting for salvation. I have long been waiting to read a novel that tackles these themes. And here I got The First Girl Child.
I want to review this book beyond its romantic lens for The First Girl Child honestly deserves more than that. This isn’t just all about romance but rather a message, a symbol of power struggles, and social injustice. The First Girl Child tells about the Kingdom of Saylok which underwent an irrevocable transformation the day Bayr was born.
Unknown to many, a curse was cast upon them that made them incapable of bearing female infants. Alba was the first girl to be born in Saylok. As the years passed and as she grew the curse persisted. The Kingdom lost hope that she would be their savior.
Meanwhile, Bayr and Alba are unaware of the connection between their fate and the continuation of their kingdom, and Bayr would do anything to keep Alba safe.
Check The Signet Ring on Dreame
- Part 1: Plot Summary of The First Girl Child
- Part 2: Main Protagonist of The First Girl Child
- Part 3: Plot Review of The First Girl Child
- Part 4: Similar Book To The First Girl Child
Part 1: Plot Summary of The First Girl Child
In The First Girl Child, six clans make up the Kingdom of Saylok: Adyar, Berne, Dolphys, Ebba, Joran, and Leok. The King has complete authority over everyone, including the Chieftains who serve as the leaders of each clan. Many people aspire to become king or queen, but very few will ever get the chance.
Banruud of Berne is a power-hungry individual who won’t hesitate to harm anyone who gets in his way. Meanwhile, a mother and a warrior seek vengeance for a terrible betrayal she suffered at his hands that would doom the entire Kingdom of Saylok.
A female warrior is thrown away and abandoned while carrying her lover’s kid, giving birth to her son in the Temple Wood, good thing that as she bleeds to death, her brother finds her.
Yet, she carves runes in the ground, cursing the man who abandoned her and promising that her son will be his sole child, will be extraordinary, and will be Saylok’s savior and that the land will have no more daughters.
Days passed and Bayr happened to be the son of the warrior who cursed Salok, yet, because of his remarkable feats as a child, he became somewhat of a legend. He is unusually powerful and thinks he was given his strength by the gods.
Part 2: Main Protagonist of The First Girl Child
“There is no Alba without Bayr,” she whispered.
Not now. Not then. Not ever again.”
Alba
She is The First Girl Child. The story revolves around her and Bayr. They are inseparable for she is without him. When Alba was born hope arises in the kingdom. She was considered as the child of hope for finally a female was born in a land that was cursed to have no daughters.
Alba of The First Girl Child is a free-spirited princess, one who typically needed a protector. I honestly expected that The First Girl Child will center on Alba’s character because she’s obvious to be The First Girl Child here, but I feel that she becomes more like a side character while Bayr, her protector was being highlighted.
I was hoping to see more of her, here, in the First Girl Child rather than a weakling child of hope that constantly needs salvation and protection.
Bayr
Bayr is the temple boy here in The First Girl Child, but his destiny is more than that. He is a legend. He became one. Bayr grew up to have incredible strength, and a pure heart and soul. He is Alba’s guardian and bestfriend. Since Bayr is a natural warrior and has a wise understanding, Alba was entrusted to his care.
He was tasked to protect The First Girl Child. Bayr was the typical nice guy hero we all need. His character background here in the first girl child was actually common but I guess it was the style of the author’s storytelling that makes his character alive.
Banruud
“Greed rules the King.”
It was obvious that Banruud was the antagonist here in The First Girl Child, and greed was the essence of his character. Looking at Banruud’s character building we can easily hint that his personality would be the cause of the Kingdom’s conflict.
So we have not just an evil antagonist here in The First Girl Child but one who’s terrifying and unconquerable.
Part 3: Plot Review of The First Girl Child
Seeing the book title of The First Girl Child actually gives me a lot of impressions and a lot of expectations about the book. And when I read it, I honestly got excited not because of the romantic arc between Bayr and Alba, but because finally, I have read a novel with depth, something that’s a metaphoric representation of social injustice and gender inequality.
The power struggles in the Kingdom of Salok, the greed, and the desires and the motivation of each character were well shown.
And I’ll say this is what I like most about the plot of The First Girl Child. Here we have a kind of literary piece that’s not only for the purpose of entertainment, but comes with moral values and a message, and because of this, I could say that the plot of The First Girl Child is a masterpiece. I will definitely recommend this book.
Part 4: Similar Book To The First Girl Child
” It’s the heart that needs to be conquered.”
If you love kickass fantasy, action-packed stories set in an epic mythical world, power struggles, and kickass heroes and heroines like The First Girl Child, I’m sure you will love The Signet Ring too. Same with The First Girl Child, the setting in The Signet Ring, Velaris was in great misery until the real master of the signet ring came to life again.
In the land of Velaris were four elemental kingdoms struggling to be worthy of the ring, and the power of the throne. In the land of Velaris, the most coveted thing is not the crown for power rests not in the crown but on the signet ring. But the ring isn’t a thing they could just get from a drawer and pass as an inheritance. It has a mind of its own.
It cannot be tame. It chooses its master. It’s a favor to earn. A power to possess. And so they train every young girl and boy from every tribe to become worthy of the ring. What would they give to be chosen by the ring? Yet, could the ring be just waiting for the rebirth of its one true master? The Signet Ring has such a lovable premise and engaging characters.
I like this novel for this too was a kickass fantasy, and like The First Girl Child this is deep too, and a symbol of social injustice and heroism.
