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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Thank you to the author & publisher via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This YA fantasy, featuring shapeshifting magic, medieval settings, and a captivating cover, blends the elegance of "The Swan Harp" with the coming-of-age essence of "East" by Edith Pattou. Set in the kingdom of Valenia, the tale follows Princess Kiar, part human and part swanfolk, as she navigates the complexities of her lineage and destiny.
Initially, the narrative unfolds at a gentle pace, allowing for the gradual development of Kiar and her companions. While the characters lack uniqueness, a deeper exploration of their emotions and actions could enhance their depth. Despite some repetitive language and grammatical errors, the story captivates with its enchanting world and magical elements.
As the plot unfolds, political intrigue and romantic entanglements propel the story forward, leading to a crescendo of action in the latter half. Although Kiar's decisions may frustrate at times, her journey resonates with authenticity and relatability.
Overall, while the premise holds promise, the execution falls short due to pacing issues. With adjustments, this well-crafted novel has the potential to shine, earning it a solid recommendation for fans of YA fantasy.
This YA fantasy, featuring shapeshifting magic, medieval settings, and a captivating cover, blends the elegance of "The Swan Harp" with the coming-of-age essence of "East" by Edith Pattou. Set in the kingdom of Valenia, the tale follows Princess Kiar, part human and part swanfolk, as she navigates the complexities of her lineage and destiny.
Initially, the narrative unfolds at a gentle pace, allowing for the gradual development of Kiar and her companions. While the characters lack uniqueness, a deeper exploration of their emotions and actions could enhance their depth. Despite some repetitive language and grammatical errors, the story captivates with its enchanting world and magical elements.
As the plot unfolds, political intrigue and romantic entanglements propel the story forward, leading to a crescendo of action in the latter half. Although Kiar's decisions may frustrate at times, her journey resonates with authenticity and relatability.
Overall, while the premise holds promise, the execution falls short due to pacing issues. With adjustments, this well-crafted novel has the potential to shine, earning it a solid recommendation for fans of YA fantasy.
dark
relaxing
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:
Yes
Our story follows Kiar, the daughter of the human king of Valenia and the Swanfolk Heir. Because of the unique family dynamic, Kiar and her sisters each have extremely important roles they must grow into all while they're learning the normal life lessons one learns as a teen. As they mature and their power/influence grows, Kiar must question her belief system and whether she and her sisters are truly ready to rule.
I truly adored this book. The world was rich and lovely. The dynamics (politics, magic, customs, etc) were well-explained and aided in the character development and story progression greatly. Speaking of characters - I fell in love with a handful. Tuan, Willow, Kiar, and the King truly have my heart. I thought the writing was absolutely lovely and I honestly got so swept up in Kiar's little details and drama that I forgot the direction our story was supposed to go until it went there!
My one complaint is that I wished I read this book while it was snowy out. Perfect book for a crisp spring snow day.
This is great for fans of The Swan Princess, those who enjoy beautiful fictional worlds, and those seeking unique worlds and magic systems.
I truly adored this book. The world was rich and lovely. The dynamics (politics, magic, customs, etc) were well-explained and aided in the character development and story progression greatly. Speaking of characters - I fell in love with a handful. Tuan, Willow, Kiar, and the King truly have my heart. I thought the writing was absolutely lovely and I honestly got so swept up in Kiar's little details and drama that I forgot the direction our story was supposed to go until it went there!
My one complaint is that I wished I read this book while it was snowy out. Perfect book for a crisp spring snow day.
This is great for fans of The Swan Princess, those who enjoy beautiful fictional worlds, and those seeking unique worlds and magic systems.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
⁀➷ 2.5 ★ ´ˎ˗
i went into this book with my hopes up a little too high i think. i read the intriguing description, saw the small blurb about it being geared toward fans of holly black, and saw the beautiful cover.
but, the overall reading experience for this book falls entirely flat. it wasn’t until i was 60 to 70% through the story that interesting things began to unfold. but the villain’s entrance to the story felt cartoonish and almost like something out of a disney movie (and not in a good way).
the book is not advertised as being middle-grade writing, but the simplistic nature of it makes it such.
there was not one single character in this book that i felt attached to or cared about. that was the part that made this the most difficult for me to finish. i almost dnf’d this several times but decided to push on.
i really can’t wrap my mind around the fact this book is going to be a trilogy when the first book made it so difficult for anyone to be invested in the storyline or the extremely flat characters. not to mention the lack of romance (there’s only one kiss and zero chemistry).
overall, i don’t think this book was for me. the premise was extremely interesting, but it just didn’t seem to work in execution.
thank you to netgalley, booksgosocial publishing and elizabeth creith for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
i went into this book with my hopes up a little too high i think. i read the intriguing description, saw the small blurb about it being geared toward fans of holly black, and saw the beautiful cover.
but, the overall reading experience for this book falls entirely flat. it wasn’t until i was 60 to 70% through the story that interesting things began to unfold. but the villain’s entrance to the story felt cartoonish and almost like something out of a disney movie (and not in a good way).
the book is not advertised as being middle-grade writing, but the simplistic nature of it makes it such.
there was not one single character in this book that i felt attached to or cared about. that was the part that made this the most difficult for me to finish. i almost dnf’d this several times but decided to push on.
i really can’t wrap my mind around the fact this book is going to be a trilogy when the first book made it so difficult for anyone to be invested in the storyline or the extremely flat characters. not to mention the lack of romance (there’s only one kiss and zero chemistry).
overall, i don’t think this book was for me. the premise was extremely interesting, but it just didn’t seem to work in execution.
thank you to netgalley, booksgosocial publishing and elizabeth creith for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Elizabeth Creith's "The Swan Harp" offers a distinctive take on well-known subjects by fusing dark fantasy elements with coziness reminiscent of fairy tales. Although it is targeted at lovers of Holly Black and SJM, it is best experienced without having too high of an expectation in order to completely enjoy its charm.
Though it leans toward the younger side of young adult fiction, the narrative centers on Kiar and her authentic and sympathetic coming-of-age experience. One of the novel's good points is Kiar's transformation into a convincing queen.
However, the pacing feels off. The story takes a cozy, slow-burn approach for the majority of the book before abruptly shifting to a more intense conflict in the final quarter. This imbalance affects the overall flow and impact of the plot.
While engaging, the conflict is introduced late and resolved too quickly, leaving some emotional depth to be desired.Orla's dark transformation is less striking than anticipated because it felt like her motivation was lacking.
Despite these shortcomings, Creith's writing is compelling, and her grasp of her characters is clear. Although the book ends satisfactorily, the fact that it is intended to be a trilogy means that there isn't a particularly interesting cliffhanger or unsolved problem to pique readers' interest in more installments.
In the end, "The Swan Harp" is a good story that excels because of its distinctive magical features and compelling characters. It may not live up to the hyped comparisons, but it nonetheless tells a sweet and captivating tale that demonstrates Creith's storytelling talent.
Though it leans toward the younger side of young adult fiction, the narrative centers on Kiar and her authentic and sympathetic coming-of-age experience. One of the novel's good points is Kiar's transformation into a convincing queen.
However, the pacing feels off. The story takes a cozy, slow-burn approach for the majority of the book before abruptly shifting to a more intense conflict in the final quarter. This imbalance affects the overall flow and impact of the plot.
While engaging, the conflict is introduced late and resolved too quickly, leaving some emotional depth to be desired.
Despite these shortcomings, Creith's writing is compelling, and her grasp of her characters is clear. Although the book ends satisfactorily, the fact that it is intended to be a trilogy means that there isn't a particularly interesting cliffhanger or unsolved problem to pique readers' interest in more installments.
In the end, "The Swan Harp" is a good story that excels because of its distinctive magical features and compelling characters. It may not live up to the hyped comparisons, but it nonetheless tells a sweet and captivating tale that demonstrates Creith's storytelling talent.
So, I didn’t like this book. I tried hard to, but in the end I really didn’t. The start was good; it was interesting and intrigued me. And I also feel like it was well written. The cover is what really pulled me in from the start.
I didn’t like this book because I felt there were a lot of errors and mistakes that could have been edited and fixed.
The characters at every plain, they don’t really have different personalities- almost as if they were all based on the same person.
I also feel it was dragged on, there were a lot of irrelevant things in the book.
In all honesty I didn’t really see the point in this book.
I want to truly apologize to the author for the harsh review because I know they put love and work into this book, I just feel it needed some more attention before it should have been published.
I didn’t like this book because I felt there were a lot of errors and mistakes that could have been edited and fixed.
The characters at every plain, they don’t really have different personalities- almost as if they were all based on the same person.
I also feel it was dragged on, there were a lot of irrelevant things in the book.
In all honesty I didn’t really see the point in this book.
I want to truly apologize to the author for the harsh review because I know they put love and work into this book, I just feel it needed some more attention before it should have been published.
I received an ARC through NetGalley.
This book was a wild ride. I want to say first that there were things I liked about it - the swan shapeshifters and their culture were interesting. This book actually spans several years, and as the year turns there are festivals and hunting and several scenes about how the royals feed their people, and those were interesting.
But the larger plot wasn't to my liking at all. First it leaned into one of my big YA pet peeves, where the adults forbid the protagonist from doing something she loves instead of allowing her to do it in a safe and controlled way. Like, yeah, that's gonna end well. Having the parents suppress half of Kiar's identity like that was uncomfortable to read, and I almost abandoned the book halfway because of it.
I kept reading though, and around 70-80% in I was starting to wonder why the title was The Swan Harp when there haven't been any harps anywhere, or even musicians except for one scene.Well, wonder no more! Because at 80% it turns out that this is actually a ballad retelling and then everything goes downhill from there. I gotta say though, I think it's a weird choice to title your book after something that only happens towards the end.
I really didn't know what to think about that last plot twist. It completely changed the tone of the book at the end, and while there were some hints and build-up, it didn't feel like enough.
I'm also surprised this is first in a trilogy, because it kind of felt like a complete story to me, as chaotic as it was.
This book was a wild ride. I want to say first that there were things I liked about it - the swan shapeshifters and their culture were interesting. This book actually spans several years, and as the year turns there are festivals and hunting and several scenes about how the royals feed their people, and those were interesting.
But the larger plot wasn't to my liking at all. First it leaned into one of my big YA pet peeves, where the adults forbid the protagonist from doing something she loves instead of allowing her to do it in a safe and controlled way. Like, yeah, that's gonna end well. Having the parents suppress half of Kiar's identity like that was uncomfortable to read, and I almost abandoned the book halfway because of it.
I kept reading though, and around 70-80% in I was starting to wonder why the title was The Swan Harp when there haven't been any harps anywhere, or even musicians except for one scene.
I really didn't know what to think about that last plot twist. It completely changed the tone of the book at the end, and while there were some hints and build-up, it didn't feel like enough.
I'm also surprised this is first in a trilogy, because it kind of felt like a complete story to me, as chaotic as it was.
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
I received a copy of this book from the Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. This does not effect my review.
Kiar can't wait for the day she can transform into a swan. Her mother is one of the swan folk, and both of her sisters have already changed. (Even though Kiar is heir to her father's throne. ) But getting her wish doesn't make things easier.
This story read like a familiar fairy tale, one that I had heard a long time ago. All the great elements were there - young lovers, A dastardly enemy, betrayal from within. It is rather dark, with a tragic death and mental illness. But I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the chance to read this one.
Kiar can't wait for the day she can transform into a swan. Her mother is one of the swan folk, and both of her sisters have already changed. (Even though Kiar is heir to her father's throne. ) But getting her wish doesn't make things easier.
This story read like a familiar fairy tale, one that I had heard a long time ago. All the great elements were there - young lovers, A dastardly enemy, betrayal from within. It is rather dark, with a tragic death and mental illness. But I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the chance to read this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Violence
Minor: Animal death
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got this book as an arc at Netgalley. The book and the story were lovely and it read like an embrace. It almost has more old timey fairy tale qualities to it. The writing does consistently feel like a babbling creek even at moments you expect the story maybe to be more stormy ocean. That might not be for everyone but I enjoyed it. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the next in the series.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Let me first say that I don’t think this should be marketed as YA, but pre-teen middle grade. If it had been marketed as that, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more—and I think others would to because they’d know better what to expect. I also feel like the cover is misleading. It gives “dark fairytale” vibes but that’s not what this is. It’s a nice fairytale story that has a friends-to-lovers trope.
The plot was interesting enough, but I wouldn’t say I adored the main character. I did want to see how things played out and didn’t totally see the events at the end coming. I wanted to see how the MC would fare. She’s actually probably one of the more relatable MCs I’ve read recently, in that she was actually fairly average. She made some wise decisions, but otherwise was fairly plain. So many books these days feature a “plain” “average” FMC, but in reality these young women are anything but. Kiar, on the other hand was pretty vanilla and that’s ok—especially for middle grade readers.
The plot was interesting enough, but I wouldn’t say I adored the main character. I did want to see how things played out and didn’t totally see the events at the end coming. I wanted to see how the MC would fare. She’s actually probably one of the more relatable MCs I’ve read recently, in that she was actually fairly average. She made some wise decisions, but otherwise was fairly plain. So many books these days feature a “plain” “average” FMC, but in reality these young women are anything but. Kiar, on the other hand was pretty vanilla and that’s ok—especially for middle grade readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was excited by the unique premise and pretty cover. As much as we should not judge a book by its cover, this one was gorgeous. I wanted to love the story so badly, but the characters felt a bit one-dimensional. Additionally, the reason why the book is called The Swan Harp is foreshadowed in the first 15% of the story, but doesn't actually get utilized until very near the end.
Plotwise, the story didn't really feel very cohesive. I felt that the author just kept coming up with new ideas and couldn't decide what to keep and what to cut. I also felt there wasn't really one overall plot, but rather several smaller subplots that didn't mesh well together.
I struggled a lot with reading this story due to the pacing. It was quite slow and we get a lot of over-explained info about their day-to-day activities without much that really feels like it's propelling the story forward. Especially since the whole summary blurb felt like it was explored within the first 20% of the book.
I also struggled a lot with the specific writing style of this book. It was very passive voice and felt very much like the author was telling instead of showing. I could not get sucked into this story at all. There was very little emotion in the beginning of the book and the little that there was appeared in the form of "the character was sad" instead of something like "the character was in tears" or "there was an ache in the character's heart". I don't know what I would use instead, I'm also not an author.
Overall, I feel like there was a lot of promise in such a unique setup, but was disappointed in the delivery. I will not be reading the sequel.
I was excited by the unique premise and pretty cover. As much as we should not judge a book by its cover, this one was gorgeous. I wanted to love the story so badly, but the characters felt a bit one-dimensional. Additionally, the reason why the book is called The Swan Harp is foreshadowed in the first 15% of the story, but doesn't actually get utilized until very near the end.
Plotwise, the story didn't really feel very cohesive. I felt that the author just kept coming up with new ideas and couldn't decide what to keep and what to cut. I also felt there wasn't really one overall plot, but rather several smaller subplots that didn't mesh well together.
I struggled a lot with reading this story due to the pacing. It was quite slow and we get a lot of over-explained info about their day-to-day activities without much that really feels like it's propelling the story forward. Especially since the whole summary blurb felt like it was explored within the first 20% of the book.
I also struggled a lot with the specific writing style of this book. It was very passive voice and felt very much like the author was telling instead of showing. I could not get sucked into this story at all. There was very little emotion in the beginning of the book and the little that there was appeared in the form of "the character was sad" instead of something like "the character was in tears" or "there was an ache in the character's heart". I don't know what I would use instead, I'm also not an author.
Overall, I feel like there was a lot of promise in such a unique setup, but was disappointed in the delivery. I will not be reading the sequel.