The core of a true fairy tale is to impart a lesson in a story that draws people in. The Bird King is masterful at this, telling a story about a young woman and her friend that flee their home when they are persecuted for their faith. While the story is a grand adventure, and beautifully told, it also asks you to question faith and acceptance as well as the power a person has within them when they focus less on material things and instead on their own potential and the things they hold true. The story flips the script on a traditional fairy tale based in old Europe by telling the story of Fatima, a concubine, and Hassan, her friend who is gay and possesses the ability to bend geography with his mapmaking skills. The Inquisition is moving south through Spain, and conquering land of people with different traditions and faith. Fatima and Hassan flee and as they are pursued by Luz, the Inquisitor, they decide to search out the island of the Bird King, a tale begun for them and told out in many ways by them over the years. Along the way they have assistance and resistance from jinn and a Breton monk. This is an absolutely beautiful story.