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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
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
keepcalmblogon's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-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
Happy release day to A Warning About Swans! Thank you Netgalley for my e-arc! R.M. Romero is easily a must-read author for me, after how haunted I was by Ghosts of Rose Hill, I knew A Warning About Swans would be just as poignant, and I was not let down!
Hilde may be half swan half girl, but despite her magical forest origin, her experiences are universally human. The content warnings of this book are exactly what it is about: abuse and manipulation. But it’s also about finding oneself, being seen for who one truly is, discovering love, and embracing one’s power.
Romero’s verse prose is elegant, engaging, and captures the breadth of her story in short lines and uniquely formatted stanzas and caesuras. I binge her stories in stolen moments on the couch with tea and my cats–and I plan to do that for every single one of her future releases. 5 stars!
Hilde may be half swan half girl, but despite her magical forest origin, her experiences are universally human. The content warnings of this book are exactly what it is about: abuse and manipulation. But it’s also about finding oneself, being seen for who one truly is, discovering love, and embracing one’s power.
Romero’s verse prose is elegant, engaging, and captures the breadth of her story in short lines and uniquely formatted stanzas and caesuras. I binge her stories in stolen moments on the couch with tea and my cats–and I plan to do that for every single one of her future releases. 5 stars!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Physical abuse
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
bohemian_yogini's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
A WARNING ABOUT SWANS is a dark fairytale woven with savage tenderness, and unbreakable hope. Romero weaves a powerful and mesmerizing story, written in verse, whisking readers away on swan's wings and promises of greater things.
A tale of longing, learning, and ultimately, hope, this is the love story you didn't know you needed, and Hilde is the ferocious heroine you've been manifesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
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