Many thanks to the author publisher and Netgalley for a free ARC of this.
Having read a 12-book crime series recently I was very much in the mood for something completely different. This book met my highest expectations. It's a first novel in a series about magical forces, and is set in Scotland. The world building in this first book is concise and easy to visualise. The Protagonists are well written and the story moves at a good pace. I really enjoyed it

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!

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.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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This was a fun read with a unique setting, likeable characters and an immersive story.
Definitely worth a read and I will be checking out the next book for sure!

Overall rating: 4/5 stars

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.

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.

<i>’The Mages power was absolute, and there was no gainsaying their actions.’ </i>

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****

<i>Hummingbird</i> 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.

<i>Hummingbird</i> 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, <b>Helen Harper</b> 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: <i>okay, I know it by now</i>. 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><blockquote>"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."</blockquote></i>

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.)

Hummingbird is a wonderful fantasy book about a mute woman who learns she can wield magic. It is everything I look for in a fantasy story and more. It has a great plot with lots of twists and turns and evil mages ruling a city with an iron fist. It has strong characters like Mairi our heroine, who is smart and cunning. I also really loved Laoch and the resistance that had her back. The dialogue was perfect and quite funny at times. The magic spells were intriguing and fun to learn. It even had a bit of transfiguration! This is really a great book and a fantastic start to what I hope will be a long series.

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

This book really truly surprised me with how much I enjoyed it.

Firstly there’s something so satisfying about reading a book set in Scotland as a fellow Scot. The use of Scots words felt authentic and added some humour to the story, definitely was not over done or stereotyped.

Secondly I loved Mairi she felt relatable, likeable and I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be incredibly kick ass in the sequels.

Jam packed with action, adventure, a hint of romance and a really great magic system!

There were a couple of big unanswered questions by the end but I’m not worried, they were addressed in such a way that they will likely be answered in future books all of which I WILL be reading.

This is a world where Mages are male and any female who has magic in her body is seen as an abomination. It just strictly isn't allowed. Mairi is a young, mute, girl who lives in this world, and is just passing her days working for a couple who owns a tartan shop. She cleans, organizes tartans, does anything they ask of her, and then retires to her room to study for a scholarship exam that will allow her to go to school for Apothecary Studies. That all changes one night when a baby disappears from the orphanage she used to call home, and the Mages take an interest in the shop she works in. Within 24 hours, Mairi's life gets flipped upside down when she begins her journey of revenge, new-found friendship, and self-discovery.

For full disclosure, I was given a free advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review!

I want to start out by saying that I was pleasantly surprised by this story. I found Mairi to be quite likeable and I enjoyed her inner monologue. As a woman in the world she lives in, she is at quite the disadvantage. Add her unexplainable muteness on top, and she seems almost screwed! Except… she isn’t.

I loved Mairi’s rise to self-confidence and her general self-discovery. I am really looking forward to seeing what this new version of Mairi will choose to do and what paths she will take. She was strong and resilient, while something being awfully impulsive. She isn't perfect, but I enjoy that.

Overall, there was a lot that I enjoyed about this book. It kept me on my toes for pretty much the entire read. I laughed out loud at the Scottish slang and how little of it I truly understood as a Canadian (shoutout to Mairi’s inner monologue for helping with the translation on that front), and I found myself rooting for her and the people around her. Plus, a little touch of romance never hurt anybody.

I am genuinely looking forward to seeing where this story goes and feeling very thankful for receiving an advanced reader copy.

I really enjoyed this read. I liked the writing, I liked the story, I liked the characters but the best thing about this book was by far the world building. I am so looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Yes I know this is the beginning of a series so many would rate a four but I enjoyed this so much for its originality that for me this is a definite five ! There are numerous books that use magical words that have to be imbued with intent to get the desired results but what if the person who has the magic inside them were mute ? That’s exactly the difficulty that faces Mairi when she discovers that she’s a rare female who possesses magic. Surrounded by powerful men you would think that she would kowtow and be subservient but Mairi is a strong character with backbone, courage and as dark secrets become revealed she’s unafraid to stand up for those who cannot do it themselves. Prepare to stay up late my fellow bibliophiles because this story will grab you by the throat and keep you eagerly turning the pages !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

The author did a fabulous job with the world building in this book. We got little trickles of information throughout the story, with no huge info dumping, moving the plot along whilst also immersing us in this fascinating world.

I love stories involving woman and woman’s rights and seeing them try to change things, so this book was perfect. The characters were real, with flaws and believable motivations for their actions.

The writing was a little not to my style. Something just didn’t feel right to me, but the plot was enough to carry me through, even if I didn’t get on with the writing. There was also an awful lot of internal monologue going on which got boring after a while (in contrast to external events).

Overall, I enjoyed this! The world was fascinating and one you can get lost in. I had a few problems with the writing, but not enough to put me off reading more by this author. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book!