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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
A Captive of Wing and Feather by Melanie Cellier is the fifth book in the Beyond the Four Kingdoms and a retelling of Swan Lake. Princess Adelaide is the sister of Prince Dominic who disappeared when his kingdom was cursed. She found safety in a place far away and has even made friends. Until the Lord of her new home puts her under a curse. But she manages just fine. That is until an old childhood comes to town and puts everything at risk. Prince Gabriel is a troublemaker. Not only that, he believes that Adelaide’s curse may be linked to the darkness that is spreading in his country. In a way, they both need each other more than they could ever predict.
I love Swan Lake! Melanie Cellier does a wonderful job at capturing the aesthetic–it is enchanting and dark all at the same time. Plus I have been dying to know what happened to Adelaide ever since I read A Tale of Beauty and the Beast. Adelaide is a dream! For a fictional character, under a curse, she is so relatable. She is haunted by her past, betrayed by her family. She craves love and family but cannot trust anyone, except a small few. But she definitely can’t trust anyone with her heart. But Gabriel is so charming and brazen. They are opposites but are made for each other.
This story moves at a wonderful pace. Adelaide’s curse is mysterious, so it takes a while to see the full nature of it unfold. However, the twists and turns in this retelling will keep readers on their toes. One of my favorite aspects is how she integrated the swans into the story.
As always, Esther Wane is marvelous as the narrator!–Also just look at that cover!!! If that isn’t enough to reel you in, then I don’t know what will! I rate this installment 5 out of 5 stars!
I love Swan Lake! Melanie Cellier does a wonderful job at capturing the aesthetic–it is enchanting and dark all at the same time. Plus I have been dying to know what happened to Adelaide ever since I read A Tale of Beauty and the Beast. Adelaide is a dream! For a fictional character, under a curse, she is so relatable. She is haunted by her past, betrayed by her family. She craves love and family but cannot trust anyone, except a small few. But she definitely can’t trust anyone with her heart. But Gabriel is so charming and brazen. They are opposites but are made for each other.
This story moves at a wonderful pace. Adelaide’s curse is mysterious, so it takes a while to see the full nature of it unfold. However, the twists and turns in this retelling will keep readers on their toes. One of my favorite aspects is how she integrated the swans into the story.
As always, Esther Wane is marvelous as the narrator!–Also just look at that cover!!! If that isn’t enough to reel you in, then I don’t know what will! I rate this installment 5 out of 5 stars!
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was excited to read Adelaide's & Gabe's story. But this one just dragged. This wasn't the most interesting book, element wise. It was cute, but it takes a bit for things to happen. This book just felt way longer than it actually was. However, I did find the Swan Lake and Seven Swan references fun. All in all, this is a decent retelling, it just didn't grab my attention like the other books in this series.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A pretty good addition to the series. An enjoyable and breezy read.
I was eagerly waiting for this book, especially since I was very curious about what happened to Adelaide. It was a nice "tying-up-loose-ends" story, but I must admit, I was quite disappointed by it. Somehow, the usual charm of Cellier's stories was just not there in this book. The way Adelaide was described in "A Tale of Beauty and the Beast" somehow didn't match up with her character in this book.
A bit more about her struggles and how exactly she got cursed, would have been appreciated. I also felt that Gabe wasn't really developed properly in the story. In fact, Adelaide seemed so bitter till the very end that her final capitulation to his advances didn't flow right. I also would have loved to see more of Audrey and her motivations to do the things she did in the story.Her reasons for betraying Adelaide are not revealed till the end. Even a single sentence like, "He would have killed my family," would have worked.
Anyway, enough ranting. I guess I was only this disappointed by this book because Cellier's other books are all pure genius. She is my favourite author of fairy tale retellings and all her other novels were a delight to read. This one felt just a little off the mark, because the author is usually so much better at developing all the characters.
If this had been the first Melanie Cellier book I read, I'm sure I would have liked it much better than I did. That said, the story still fascinated me and it was difficult to put the book down, and I will still buy her next book.
A bit more about her struggles and how exactly she got cursed, would have been appreciated. I also felt that Gabe wasn't really developed properly in the story. In fact, Adelaide seemed so bitter till the very end that her final capitulation to his advances didn't flow right. I also would have loved to see more of Audrey and her motivations to do the things she did in the story.
Anyway, enough ranting. I guess I was only this disappointed by this book because Cellier's other books are all pure genius. She is my favourite author of fairy tale retellings and all her other novels were a delight to read. This one felt just a little off the mark, because the author is usually so much better at developing all the characters.
If this had been the first Melanie Cellier book I read, I'm sure I would have liked it much better than I did. That said, the story still fascinated me and it was difficult to put the book down, and I will still buy her next book.