Blue Feathers

by Ashley J. Barner

Aveline was a brilliant but quiet girl who learned how to speak the secret Birdtongue from her scholarly father, a skill known only by three people in the entire kingdom. Not quite peasant, but not of nobility, she had long accepted the fact that any marriage would require one person or the other to have to “marry down.” So she was content with her studies and immersed herself in the language of the birds. But all that would change when a strange blue bird arrived Aras was a noble lord. When he became aware of a sorceress’s attempt to usurp the kingdom, she transformed him into a bird. But, as an extra act of cruelty, she left one place where he can be human again—an isolated, out-of-the-way place no one would ever look for… Until the day Aveline found him. Together, with the aid of three bird princes, Aveline and Aras must save the kingdom from the sorceress. But before they can do so, they must first discover the three things more powerful than courage, hope, and love.

Genres: Fantasy

172 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2016

About the author

Ashley J. Barner's recent life story has been one of slowly learning what she wants to do in life, with false starts only leading to more education and self-knowledge.

Ashley grew up in the small town of Shippensburg, PA. Intending to become an English teacher, she studied English, secondary education at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA. At the time, Wilson was still a women's college, and Ashley had four wonderful years there with great friends and great professors, graduating summa cum laude as valedictorian.

It was only when she was student teaching in her final semester that she realized she would rather teach college than high school, and so, after a year of substitute teaching, Ashley went on to get her Master's Degree in English Literature from the University of Delaware, and then her PhD in English Literature from Ohio University. Her first novel Blue Feathers, begun while she was at Wilson College, was published four months after she received her doctorate, by which time her revised dissertation on fanfiction and popular literature had been accepted for publication by McFarland.

Having left teaching, Ashley is now working as a web editor while she spends her free time writing and publishing more novels and hanging out with friends.

Reviews

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talking to birds, evil sorceress, and adventure. My afternoon was swept away into a beautiful fairytale about two witty character who have to save the kingdom.

There was never a dull moment, the story flowed quite nicely and kept me wondering what they would do.

It's a perfect story for a rainy Saturday afternoon and a cup of something warm.

[Christen Stovall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book from the first page, but once I hit chapter 6 I couldn't put it down. I found the characters very engaging, and memorable. Blue FEathers is definitely a book I'll read multiple times. The themes of love, friendship, and courage are timeless. I look forward to reading more from this author!