Reviews

Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson

ebbybzg's review against another edition

2.0

Honestly, this book was not great. I did find myself reading it fairly quickly, though, so for that, it gets two stars. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, and it was definitely geared toward a younger audience than I thought going into it, which made for a bit of an unpleasant surprise. I also read in other reviews that the book is a fairytale retelling, and even though I'm not familiar with the original story, it does make me wary of the author's creativity in terms of plot. I won't be reading the sequel, and though I'm always down for a historical romance, this one didn't hit the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy!

martyomenko's review against another edition

5.0

This author has gotten better and better at weaving key truths into a story that is a rewritten fairy tale that adults or young people would benefit from. While I am keenly aware that it is a book written for the YA market, as an adult, I really enjoyed not only the Court of Swans with the sister and seven brothers, but nuggets of hidden wisdom throughout. I am so excited for this new series and hope to see more of the brothers in further books.

passionatereader78's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

passionatereader78's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

kearstens_book_adventures's review against another edition

4.0

Such a great book. I couldn't stop listening to the book. Can't wait to listen to the next book.

samannk's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

tiffticer's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

3.0

belleoftheb00ks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

justcatherine's review against another edition

2.0

I have loved many of Melanie Dickerson's books, and this one had a promising setting and premise and just didn't deliver like her earlier titles. It seemed like there was a nod to Wild Swans, but that was scant, and from the very first of the book, the Evil Stepmother was a caricature. If the story had included better character development of the main characters, I absolutely could have given that a pass, but the other characters were disappointing, too. There's an overarching question of "why would God allow bad things" and some introspection and a little conversation about it. Things work out awfully conveniently for Delia and Geoffrey and sure, there's an injury,

Spoiler

recapture,

, and a slight climax, but it all wraps easily, neatly, and happily. Delia is warned to not trust someone and decides it's fine and she can ignore that and her gut mistrust, and there's a lot of "he so pretty" and nice-looking = good. I don't know. I would say this is a younger read, but there's also

Spoiler

an assault/attempted rape?

. It just doesn't feel like the plot and writing match well. This read makes me more reticent to pick up another more recent book from this author :/

lady_bookish's review against another edition

5.0

'Court of Swans' is page turning book about courage, justice and trial of faith.

Spoiler

I love Delia's courage to save her brothers. It shows me how much she loves her brothers.
I also love Geoffrey's strong thought about being honourable.
I'm so angry at Elliot for betraying Delia.
But I love, love, LOVE Delia's strong connection with her brothers. Why?? I have no idea. But I guess a happy family is a happy life.
I mean, her closeness with her brothers made her save them. Right?? If she hated her brothers. This adventure would have never existed!!