I was really vibing for the sort of magical/historical slant the story was going for, but by the end I didn't know what to make of it. It felt like we were dropped into an entirely different story about 2/3s of the way in, with new characters, new motivations, and metaphors that sprung out of nowhere or got muddied. 

The Bird King and the mythical island aspect almost sprung out of nowhere. At the beginning, there was a mention of The Conference of the Birds, an unfinished poem about a group of birds setting out to meet the Bird King so that at least had some basis, but it wasn't until they were fleeing at sea that they picked out the mythical destination, as if it was a last minute decision by the writer. Once we got past the halfway mark, it feels almost like the story is grasping at straws for what could possibly happen next despite such a strong beginning.

And the ending? The message of "We are all the Bird King?" I mean, I get it, but with all the established metaphors and context that has been given to us thus far, what does that mean? Why should I feel attached to these characters that I just met and feel so thin compared to our protagonists? Why did Gwennec dying feel so unearned and underwhelming? Why is Fatima so possessive of Hassan knowing that they won't ever be together? And why does he kind of allow it in the end?

The Bird King had such a compelling first half but absolutely loses itself when it's literally adrift at sea.