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creolelitbelle's review
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The occasional melodic writing made me sleepy, but I like the story and its echoes of other stories, songs, and mantras. Melodic writing is a risk to take when writing a novel in verse, and the melody of some grouped lines drive home the fairy tale vibe of this one. "Labour" by Paris Paloma resonates strongly in Hilde's struggles. I wish others would read A Warning About Swans and make that connection to women's centuries' old rage. Hilde encapsulates rage of her own and others long lost.
On the lighter side, I read this after hearing it compared to The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, and no one can convince me that the classic was not an inspiration even if it was not mentioned in the acknowledgements. The Castle from The Last Unicorn is as much a cage as Richter's castle. Richter is clearly King Haggard, shaped by his own ancestors' greed. Hilde is Amalthea. Franz is Prince Lir or Schmendrick the Magician, I'm undecided. Hilde's five sisters and other creatures who can shift from animal to human are all the other unicorns, lost to the Red Bull. This book is about finding and being who you are with that person inside of you always and knowing where you belong. We are never part one thing and part another, but rather all the parts of us make us our whole selves. The book has defined chapters and is split into 4 tales within itself, so as a whole, I felt it was a quick read.
On the lighter side, I read this after hearing it compared to The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, and no one can convince me that the classic was not an inspiration even if it was not mentioned in the acknowledgements. The Castle from The Last Unicorn is as much a cage as Richter's castle. Richter is clearly King Haggard, shaped by his own ancestors' greed. Hilde is Amalthea. Franz is Prince Lir or Schmendrick the Magician, I'm undecided. Hilde's five sisters and other creatures who can shift from animal to human are all the other unicorns, lost to the Red Bull. This book is about finding and being who you are with that person inside of you always and knowing where you belong. We are never part one thing and part another, but rather all the parts of us make us our whole selves. The book has defined chapters and is split into 4 tales within itself, so as a whole, I felt it was a quick read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
readingwithkaitlyn's review
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Animal death, Child death, Kidnapping, Death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Violence, Murder, and Sexual assault
Minor: Antisemitism, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Bullying, and Alcohol
bookishmillennial's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
What a stunning novel-in-verse! Beautiful prose, quick pacing, and lovely ruminations on life, death, purpose, expectations and the duality and relationship of nature/humans🫶🏽
Our half-swan, half-human main character Hilde in 1880s Bavaria leads us through this dark fairy tale & I listened to the audiobook on Libby alongside my owned physical copy. I loved the romance with our Jewish non-binary love interest, Franz. They are an artist and I love how the romance impacts Hilde, and how compassionate, respectful, and hopeful they both are.
The writing is lush, cozy, and really pulled me in. I loved the magical/fantasy aspects against the historical setting; it was so delightful. I highly recommend to anyone seeking out gorgeously written novels-in-verse!
cw: Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, Death, Loss of Loved Ones, Confinement, Physical abuse
What a stunning novel-in-verse! Beautiful prose, quick pacing, and lovely ruminations on life, death, purpose, expectations and the duality and relationship of nature/humans🫶🏽
Our half-swan, half-human main character Hilde in 1880s Bavaria leads us through this dark fairy tale & I listened to the audiobook on Libby alongside my owned physical copy. I loved the romance with our Jewish non-binary love interest, Franz. They are an artist and I love how the romance impacts Hilde, and how compassionate, respectful, and hopeful they both are.
The writing is lush, cozy, and really pulled me in. I loved the magical/fantasy aspects against the historical setting; it was so delightful. I highly recommend to anyone seeking out gorgeously written novels-in-verse!
cw: Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, Death, Loss of Loved Ones, Confinement, Physical abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Confinement, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Animal death
beforeviolets's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Thank you to Peachtree Teen for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A timeless fairytale in verse about a girl made out of the dreams of men, desperately determined to forge a story of her own.
R.M. Romero seems to have a pattern of centering characters who find themselves trapped by the narratives and projections of the people and the world around them, and have to learn how to rewrite those narratives. And it gets me every time.
In our world, I think most people can relate to feeling weighed down by the expectations of others, whether that be parents, partners, friends, or even strangers on the internet. So much of our society teaches us to find worth in who we can be for other people. And so this book’s messages about self-empowerment and choosing the role we play in the stories that are told about our lives feels incredibly relevant despite the 1880s setting.
Juggling themes about the relationship between humans and nature, and about the tool of fairytales in determining who we view as "monsters" and "heroes", Romero strikes a wonderful balance between subtle literary metaphor and overt conversations.
This story feels precious and kind and hopeful. If you’re looking for a modern fairytale with a diverse cast, knife-sharp prose, and a queer romance, look no further.
Content Warnings: animal death, abusive relationship (emotional, physical), confinement, blood, death, nonconsensual kiss, violence, loss of sibling (past), loss of father, drowning (past), grief
A timeless fairytale in verse about a girl made out of the dreams of men, desperately determined to forge a story of her own.
R.M. Romero seems to have a pattern of centering characters who find themselves trapped by the narratives and projections of the people and the world around them, and have to learn how to rewrite those narratives. And it gets me every time.
In our world, I think most people can relate to feeling weighed down by the expectations of others, whether that be parents, partners, friends, or even strangers on the internet. So much of our society teaches us to find worth in who we can be for other people. And so this book’s messages about self-empowerment and choosing the role we play in the stories that are told about our lives feels incredibly relevant despite the 1880s setting.
Juggling themes about the relationship between humans and nature, and about the tool of fairytales in determining who we view as "monsters" and "heroes", Romero strikes a wonderful balance between subtle literary metaphor and overt conversations.
This story feels precious and kind and hopeful. If you’re looking for a modern fairytale with a diverse cast, knife-sharp prose, and a queer romance, look no further.
Content Warnings: animal death, abusive relationship (emotional, physical), confinement, blood, death, nonconsensual kiss, violence, loss of sibling (past), loss of father, drowning (past), grief
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, and Confinement
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Sexual assault, and Gun violence
Minor: Grief
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A sort of fairytale in verse, about magic, about loneliness, and about finding the power within yourself. I would actually recommend not reading the provided summary for this because it gives away quite a lot of the plot. Personally, I kind of wish I went into this without knowing what it was about, because it would have made the reading experience all the more magical.
This reads at a pretty quick pace, given that it's written in verse and Romero has shown she's an expert at drawing you in with verse. Which isn't always easy to do with fantasy verse like this one. The characters are well developed, and there really are some stunning lines throughout. I kind of wish I would have written some of them down.
One of the comparisons made for this book is the Brothers Grimm, which is such an excellent comparison, in my opinion. It felt like reading one of their fairytales, with a little bit of darkness around the edges. It feels very atmospheric, like reading one of those original fairytales. But spinning it with a more feminist lens (in my opinion).
All in all, if you love fairytales, definitely pick this one up when it comes out this week!
This reads at a pretty quick pace, given that it's written in verse and Romero has shown she's an expert at drawing you in with verse. Which isn't always easy to do with fantasy verse like this one. The characters are well developed, and there really are some stunning lines throughout. I kind of wish I would have written some of them down.
One of the comparisons made for this book is the Brothers Grimm, which is such an excellent comparison, in my opinion. It felt like reading one of their fairytales, with a little bit of darkness around the edges. It feels very atmospheric, like reading one of those original fairytales. But spinning it with a more feminist lens (in my opinion).
All in all, if you love fairytales, definitely pick this one up when it comes out this week!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Animal cruelty, and Confinement
Minor: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
bookishfaye's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“I like seeking places where I can be free. Where I don’t have to be a boy to thread new paths, or a girl to want flowers blossoming throughout my life. I like discovering places where I can be everything I am at once, where I am not forced into any one shape, or stained by any single colour.”
Thank you Net-galley for providing me with an E-arc for review!!
First and foremost, more retellings of The Last Unicorn is not a want, but a need. This was such a whimsical and folkloric delight, steeped in culture & lore and I was so whisked away by the fairytale storytelling, I binged it all in one sitting & immediately put on the last unicorn film to feel something. This book has so many beautiful conversations throughout, and at times tough conversations, but handled with immense grace, and care. I have another book by this author sitting on my bookshelves & I’m very excited to experience more by them!!
Thank you Net-galley for providing me with an E-arc for review!!
First and foremost, more retellings of The Last Unicorn is not a want, but a need. This was such a whimsical and folkloric delight, steeped in culture & lore and I was so whisked away by the fairytale storytelling, I binged it all in one sitting & immediately put on the last unicorn film to feel something. This book has so many beautiful conversations throughout, and at times tough conversations, but handled with immense grace, and care. I have another book by this author sitting on my bookshelves & I’m very excited to experience more by them!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
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