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emtees's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
3.75
A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams is described as a “queer retelling of Swan Lake.” Ultimately I would say it is more of the first thing than the second, but I enjoyed it a lot.
The story follows two protagonists - Princen Alexis, the heir to the throne of Lebedia, who has reluctantly agreed to an arranged marriage with the princess of a neighboring kingdom, and Katya, a mysterious woman of unknown origins who lives in the forest that lies between the two nations. The two alternate POV chapters, and the feel of their POVs is sometimes distractingly different. Katya’s POV feels very much like a fairy tale. She lives alone except for her lover, the sorcerer Ivan, who is the only other person she has ever met, raising bees and learning magic in the mysterious forest. Her sections are permeated with the soft magic system of this world and elements of nature, and Katya herself is a great mix of innocent and strong that made her my favorite character. By contrast, Alexis’s chapters have more of a traditional YA feel, with the focus on Alexis’s conflicted feelings about leadership, love, and general quest to come of age. I occasionally got a bit annoyed in their POV just because they seemed less mature and more whiny than Katya. The two stories overlap when Alexis’s betrothed, Princess Yi Zhen, travels through the forest for their wedding and is kidnapped by Ivan, who convinces Katya that she represents a terrible threat to their home and way of life. Ivan has Katya pose as a fellow prisoner so she can spy on Zhen, but instead Katya comes to see Zhen as a resourceful, funny and beautiful girl. Meanwhile, Alexis sets out with their best friend, Tatiana, to rescue the princess, leading to an inevitable clash.
If this doesn’t sound much like Swan Lake, that’s because a good chunk of the book is setting up a situation where the beats of Swan Lake (the transformed princess, the black and white swans, the mistaken identity at a ball) can play out in a very different context. So if there was something about the actual story of Swan Lake that you liked, you might find this book disappointing. You will also be disappointed if you expected the two romances to be the ones the ballet seems designed to set up. But as a mostly original fairy tale about a kidnapped princess, brave warrior and mysterious forest witch, it works really well. The plot has some original elements, especially in the mystery of Katya’s identity, and the love stories are both pretty strong. If this had been a love triangle, I would have preferred Katya and Zhen’s relationship over that of Alexis and Zhen, only because we actually see that one develop, while Alexis and Zhen get to know each other through letters off-page. But luckily this story never pretends that is what it is. In the prologue, we learn that Alexis’s own parents have a polycule, foreshadowing that all the players in the romance will get what they want in the end.
As for queerness, this is an extremely queer book. With the exception of the villian, I don’t think there were any cishet characters in the whole story. Queerness is woven into the fabric of the world - after all, Alexis and Zhen are a queer couple whose marriage was a political arrangement, as are Alexis’ parents. Acceptance of all forms of sexuality and gender identity is a given and not remarkable. It’s also a shockingly emotionally healthy world - with, again, the exception of Katya’s relationship with the sorcerer, this is a story where everyone can talk about their feelings and conflicts and resolve them in mature ways that work for everyone. There is some angst, but it mostly comes from the characters’ own insecurities and is all resolved in the end. Just like a fairy tale should be.
The story follows two protagonists - Princen Alexis, the heir to the throne of Lebedia, who has reluctantly agreed to an arranged marriage with the princess of a neighboring kingdom, and Katya, a mysterious woman of unknown origins who lives in the forest that lies between the two nations. The two alternate POV chapters, and the feel of their POVs is sometimes distractingly different. Katya’s POV feels very much like a fairy tale. She lives alone except for her lover, the sorcerer Ivan, who is the only other person she has ever met, raising bees and learning magic in the mysterious forest. Her sections are permeated with the soft magic system of this world and elements of nature, and Katya herself is a great mix of innocent and strong that made her my favorite character. By contrast, Alexis’s chapters have more of a traditional YA feel, with the focus on Alexis’s conflicted feelings about leadership, love, and general quest to come of age. I occasionally got a bit annoyed in their POV just because they seemed less mature and more whiny than Katya. The two stories overlap when Alexis’s betrothed, Princess Yi Zhen, travels through the forest for their wedding and is kidnapped by Ivan, who convinces Katya that she represents a terrible threat to their home and way of life. Ivan has Katya pose as a fellow prisoner so she can spy on Zhen, but instead Katya comes to see Zhen as a resourceful, funny and beautiful girl. Meanwhile, Alexis sets out with their best friend, Tatiana, to rescue the princess, leading to an inevitable clash.
If this doesn’t sound much like Swan Lake, that’s because a good chunk of the book is setting up a situation where the beats of Swan Lake (the transformed princess, the black and white swans, the mistaken identity at a ball) can play out in a very different context. So if there was something about the actual story of Swan Lake that you liked, you might find this book disappointing. You will also be disappointed if you expected the two romances to be the ones the ballet seems designed to set up. But as a mostly original fairy tale about a kidnapped princess, brave warrior and mysterious forest witch, it works really well. The plot has some original elements, especially in the mystery of Katya’s identity, and the love stories are both pretty strong. If this had been a love triangle, I would have preferred Katya and Zhen’s relationship over that of Alexis and Zhen, only because we actually see that one develop, while Alexis and Zhen get to know each other through letters off-page. But luckily this story never pretends that is what it is. In the prologue, we learn that Alexis’s own parents have a polycule, foreshadowing that all the players in the romance will get what they want in the end.
As for queerness, this is an extremely queer book. With the exception of the villian, I don’t think there were any cishet characters in the whole story. Queerness is woven into the fabric of the world - after all, Alexis and Zhen are a queer couple whose marriage was a political arrangement, as are Alexis’ parents. Acceptance of all forms of sexuality and gender identity is a given and not remarkable. It’s also a shockingly emotionally healthy world - with, again, the exception of Katya’s relationship with the sorcerer, this is a story where everyone can talk about their feelings and conflicts and resolve them in mature ways that work for everyone. There is some angst, but it mostly comes from the characters’ own insecurities and is all resolved in the end. Just like a fairy tale should be.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Minor: Violence and Classism
A main character is in a romantic relationship that is emotionally manipulative and involves a lot of gaslighting, and ends up gaslighting their own endgame love interest, though that is resolved by the end of the story. The plot revolves around a kidnapping. There are some minor scenes of violence. In one character’s backstory, a relationship ended because of class differences.nika_7490's review against another edition
4.0
3,5 stars. The story lacked in some places and the new pronouns seemed very weird to me... I mean, they, ok.... but xie and xirself? My grammar brain exploded because I couldn't wrap my brain around it.
Maybe it is something I need to work on...
Maybe it is something I need to work on...
gwentolios's review against another edition
3.0
I've always had a soft spot for Swan Lake, so when I found a LGBT poly retelling I picked up a copy right away. I'm glad I did!
amarajlynn's review
4.0
It starts out with a bit of a dump of info about magic that was a little hard to follow, but it doesn’t linger too terribly much, so if you get confused at the start I’d recommend sticking it out. All does get explained better later!
I loved the variety of rep in the story, all of which was portrayed in a positive, accepting light, from the enby Princen Alexis, who used they/them pronouns and is openly accepted in their kingdom, to Katya’s bisexuality, and the Princen’s parents being in a triad. It was absolutely delightful.
The only real minus for me was a few grammatical/editing errors here and there that pulled me out of the narrative (one of which was a wrong pronoun).
I loved the variety of rep in the story, all of which was portrayed in a positive, accepting light, from the enby Princen Alexis, who used they/them pronouns and is openly accepted in their kingdom, to Katya’s bisexuality, and the Princen’s parents being in a triad. It was absolutely delightful.
The only real minus for me was a few grammatical/editing errors here and there that pulled me out of the narrative (one of which was a wrong pronoun).
gwentolios's review
3.0
I've always had a soft spot for Swan Lake, so when I found a LGBT poly retelling I picked up a copy right away. I'm glad I did!
simonlorden's review
4.0
I loved this F/F/NB retelling, and especially the way it explores polyamory, and also getting out of a fantasy version of an abusive relationship. I especially liked how it focused heavily on linking love wtih trust. Also, that cover is wonderful.
jamieson's review
3.0
it's the year 2018 and u still haven't quite been able to fill the hole in your heart from your childhood where rewatching Barbie's The Swan Lake everyday used to be or is that just me ??
I have been so looking forward to reading this book ever since it was pitched to me on twitter. It's a queer retelling of Swan Lake with a polyamorous ship. I love Swan Lake a lot, it's one of my favourite stories, and adding more fantasy elements + queer relationships to it sounded ideal. Overall I liked reading this, I just didn't LOVE it.
I am only going to make this a quick review of pros and cons because I do not have a LOT to say so lets get into it
Pros
- Swan Lake Elements: I really liked how this adapted and interpreted Swan Lake. It was both original and also had so many hallmarks of the story I loved. I also really liked some of the influences that the story had on the worldbuilding.
- Queerness: so this follows three main characters: Katya who is bisexual, Alexis who is non-binary and Zhen who is Asian and bisexual. The main ships are f/f and f/nb. There is also other polyam characters mentioned, lesbian and asexual side characters and more. I loved the queer focus in this world and how natural and embedded queerness was here. It's nice to have fantasy worlds that aren't focussed on reinforcing the gender binary and heterosexuality.
- Good set up: I loved the first 50% of this book. The set up with the characters and world was great. I also really liked how the dynamic was set up between Katya and Ivan and how the warring factions within the kingdom were set up. I flew through the first 50%. The pacing was also great throughout and there was lots of things happening.
Cons
- Characters: I personally didn't feel very attached to many of the characters. I liked all of them but I wasn't particularly invested and it made it kind of hard to root for them. I don't feel like I got to know much about these characters, even though this book was nearly 300 pages which is not EXTREMELY short
- Romance: While I loved the ship set ups, the romance was a little rushed for my preference. I really like slow burn and if this was on a scale this is more on the insta-love side (it's not insta-love, but the romance happens pretty quickly). Without super setting up the romance I never feel that engaged or invested
- Didn't stick the landing: While I loved the first 50%, the next 50% didn't work as well for me. I felt this book set up the beginning so well and created all this intrigue and then the last 50% was kind of rushed. The ending was pretty unsatisfying to me, although I do love that it had a happy ending where all the ships work out.
Overall this was fun and definitely unique! I don't think I've read any fantasies that incorporate queerness to this length so it was really nice to see. While it wasn't my favourite book by any means, I liked reading it and would recommend if you're looking for a Swan Lake retelling or a book that delivers f/f and f/nb romances in a fantasy setting!
"I do not have a type! I am a type. I am the mysterious maiden who will not let anyone get close, who tempts people yet holds them at bay. I'm a siren who leads people toward their doom, the swan song of a love that never could be. I am the beautiful Fairy Queen, the entrancing witch in the forest who is lethally beautiful and forever out of reach."
I have been so looking forward to reading this book ever since it was pitched to me on twitter. It's a queer retelling of Swan Lake with a polyamorous ship. I love Swan Lake a lot, it's one of my favourite stories, and adding more fantasy elements + queer relationships to it sounded ideal. Overall I liked reading this, I just didn't LOVE it.
I am only going to make this a quick review of pros and cons because I do not have a LOT to say so lets get into it
Pros
- Swan Lake Elements: I really liked how this adapted and interpreted Swan Lake. It was both original and also had so many hallmarks of the story I loved. I also really liked some of the influences that the story had on the worldbuilding.
- Queerness: so this follows three main characters: Katya who is bisexual, Alexis who is non-binary and Zhen who is Asian and bisexual. The main ships are f/f and f/nb. There is also other polyam characters mentioned, lesbian and asexual side characters and more. I loved the queer focus in this world and how natural and embedded queerness was here. It's nice to have fantasy worlds that aren't focussed on reinforcing the gender binary and heterosexuality.
- Good set up: I loved the first 50% of this book. The set up with the characters and world was great. I also really liked how the dynamic was set up between Katya and Ivan and how the warring factions within the kingdom were set up. I flew through the first 50%. The pacing was also great throughout and there was lots of things happening.
Cons
- Characters: I personally didn't feel very attached to many of the characters. I liked all of them but I wasn't particularly invested and it made it kind of hard to root for them. I don't feel like I got to know much about these characters, even though this book was nearly 300 pages which is not EXTREMELY short
- Romance: While I loved the ship set ups, the romance was a little rushed for my preference. I really like slow burn and if this was on a scale this is more on the insta-love side (it's not insta-love, but the romance happens pretty quickly). Without super setting up the romance I never feel that engaged or invested
- Didn't stick the landing: While I loved the first 50%, the next 50% didn't work as well for me. I felt this book set up the beginning so well and created all this intrigue and then the last 50% was kind of rushed. The ending was pretty unsatisfying to me, although I do love that it had a happy ending where all the ships work out.
Overall this was fun and definitely unique! I don't think I've read any fantasies that incorporate queerness to this length so it was really nice to see. While it wasn't my favourite book by any means, I liked reading it and would recommend if you're looking for a Swan Lake retelling or a book that delivers f/f and f/nb romances in a fantasy setting!
danikaellis's review
4.0
A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams is a queer Swan Lake retelling, and honestly, it just had to live up to that premise to win me over. I may not be incredibly familiar with the ballet, but I grew up watching Swan Princess constantly. Besides, queer fairy tale(-esque) retellings are one of my favourite things to read. Add to that the beautiful cover and the promise of a positive polyamorous relationship, and I was sold. So I was impressed to find that not only did this satisfy those queer fairy tale cravings, it went beyond that to create an engaging and emotionally compelling story in its own right.
When I think of a queer retelling, I expect it to stick pretty closely to the original, just massaged to include queer characters. A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams shifts the narrative dramatically, however, changing not just the trappings of the story, but the heart of it. Katya, the main character (though there are multiple POV characters), doesn't exist in the original story. At least, as far as I have gleaned from reading the Swan Lake Wikipedia article, she would have been an anonymous background character at best with no story line of her own. Although the central plot of Swan Lake does carry over to this retelling, the tension of the story comes from Katya's unique position in this world.
The story alternates between two points of view. They are identified by a simple, stylized illustration at the beginning of each chapter of either a swan (Katya's chapters) or a castle (Alexis's). I liked this little details of the design. I'll start with discussing the queer elements of this story, because... that's what we're here for, right? This is a world that is completely accepting of queer people and nonbinary genders. Princen Alexis uses they/them pronouns, and no one is fazed about having a nonbinary heir to the kingdom. In fact, when they attend a ball, they are "immediately greeted by people of all genders vying for their attention." There are other nonbinary characters who use neopronouns, such as Larde Tanis, who goes by xie. This is own voices nonbinary representation (Dax Murphy uses fey/fem/feir prounouns in feir "About the author" blurb.)
Bisexuality seems to be the norm in this world, or at least not worth remarking on. Katya, Zhen, and Alexis's mother all show attraction to multiple genders. Alexis's best friend and guard, Tatiana, frequently mentions her girlfriend, Inna. Alexis's parents are in a polyamorous triad, with their mother having two partners (the Czar and Lady Natalya). While attraction to multiple genders is unremarkable in this setting, it does seem somewhat unusual to have multiple partners (though obviously not unheard of, because there doesn't seem to be any pushback to the leaders of the country being in a triad). Alexis's parents talk about the difficulties and negotiation that they went through to make this a healthy relationship, but it is clearly worth the effort for all three of them, and Alexis is happy to have three parents.
As I mentioned earlier, the queer and polyamorous additions are not the most dramatic changes in this retelling. We begin with Katya, who has no memory when she bumps into Ivan in the forest. He helps get her acclimated, and she stays with him. She learns magic from him. Their relationship builds slowly and turns romantic. It is against this backdrop of trust (and dependence) that the rest of the story plays out. Ivan captures Zhen--Alexis's fiancee. Their arranged marriage is meant to unite their two kingdoms. (Although this is a fairy tale world, Alexis's country is clearly coded as Russia, and Zhen's is coded as China.) Ivan tells Katya that Zhen is a threat to their life together, and asks her to pretend to be captive with her, in order to gain information. Katya is shaken. This is unlike Ivan. As she observes Zhen--and sneaks away to share her findings with Ivan and beg him to explain the situation--she finds herself falling for her.
It's this tension between Katya, Ivan, and Zhen as well as the triangle between Katya, Zhen, and Alexis that form the core of the book. Katya is torn between Zhen, this new element in her life, and Ivan, the person who she loves and trusts. She wants to believe that there must be a good reason to hold Zhen prisoner, that she must be a legitimate threat, but she also struggles to find that threat in Zhen. At first, I found it difficult to believe that Zhen would be flirting with Katya while she had been kidnapped and trapped in the woods, but Zhen addresses this directly: “Yes, we are trapped. Yes, we are waiting for someone to save us. That doesn’t mean I want to dwell on the fact!”
It's this internal struggle between Katya's loyalty for Ivan and her growing relationship with Zhen that really fascinates me, so I do want to discuss some spoilers.
Initially, I felt that Katya was a passive character. Because she seems to appear out of nowhere as an adult, she can seems naive and inexperienced--quick to believe whoever she is speaking to at any moment. I found it especially hard to believe that she would so easily go along with Ivan's plan for her to kill the "threats" at the palace. As the story continues, however, I think that shifts. After all, it is ambiguous how much agency she has at first: Ivan has been manipulating her from the beginning, hiding her from her origins, protecting himself by using her. He tells her "Say you will never leave me," she immediately (involuntarily?) responds with "I will never leave you."
Katya really has to struggle to accept that despite him being the only relationship she's ever known, her introduction to love and belonging, he doesn't deserve her loyalty. The extent of his manipulation is slowly revealed to both us as readers and Katya: not only did her use her in this instance, he has been draining the life from their forest and using her life force to bind Zhen to the lake. It's despicable, and I'm tempted to question how he can both be this villain and be the person who supported her in the beginning of the book--but that's not impossible. Abusers can seem loving and supportive when it suits them. They can even justify their actions to themselves that way. And Ivan certainly seems to think he can violate Katya and care for her at the same time: he claims "I loved you, Katya," with "a mixture of devotion and sorrow in his eyes," even when she knows the extent of what he has done to her.
An element I really liked was when Katya realizes that she doesn't owe him an explanation for why she turned against him. It's such an important moment, to realize that you can't control someone else's narrative. Ivan will likely always believe he was in the right. Katya could try to communicate with him, could pour her heart and soul out trying to get him to see how he violated her, how he betrayed her, but it would be a waste. He doesn't deserve her energy.
Overall, I thought it was a satisfying conclusion. There's enough loss and struggle to feel realistic, but it manages to be a happy ending anyway. I liked the nod to compersion: "An inkling of a feeling bubbled in Alexis, seeing Katya and Zhen happy, together, made them feel happy, too." The novel leads us to think there is no way that Zhen, Katya, and Alexis can all three be happy with their situation, but the ending challenges that, showing that relationships can be built in many creative ways and still be fulfilling.
Now I'll address a few bits and pieces I wasn't able to work in to the rest of the review! I liked the magic system, which seems to hang together well, and it also introduces a type of magic that I've never seen in a book before: nuclear magic! It's an interesting concept, and the scenes that depict it are striking. I did have some minor issues. I didn't entirely understand some details of the political plot (how did the son betray the Czar, for instance?), but that's not my strength as a reader. I'm so caught up in characters that I often miss really obvious plot points. Also, the characters don't use any contractions in dialogue, presumable to feel more fairy tale-esque, but I found it a bit awkward and distracting. Although I only noticed a handful of typos, one error I saw repeated throughout the book were numerous comma splices ("Leave that to me, I am still Czar." and "We need to settle this dispute, it's been too many generations." for instance.)
Those are some very minor complaints, however, in a story I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the queer-positive fairy tale world, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that was only the backdrop for a subtle story about trust, betrayal, and new possibilities. I highly recommend A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams, even if you're not familiar with the original story!
[Review originally posted at the Lesbrary]
When I think of a queer retelling, I expect it to stick pretty closely to the original, just massaged to include queer characters. A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams shifts the narrative dramatically, however, changing not just the trappings of the story, but the heart of it. Katya, the main character (though there are multiple POV characters), doesn't exist in the original story. At least, as far as I have gleaned from reading the Swan Lake Wikipedia article, she would have been an anonymous background character at best with no story line of her own. Although the central plot of Swan Lake does carry over to this retelling, the tension of the story comes from Katya's unique position in this world.
The story alternates between two points of view. They are identified by a simple, stylized illustration at the beginning of each chapter of either a swan (Katya's chapters) or a castle (Alexis's). I liked this little details of the design. I'll start with discussing the queer elements of this story, because... that's what we're here for, right? This is a world that is completely accepting of queer people and nonbinary genders. Princen Alexis uses they/them pronouns, and no one is fazed about having a nonbinary heir to the kingdom. In fact, when they attend a ball, they are "immediately greeted by people of all genders vying for their attention." There are other nonbinary characters who use neopronouns, such as Larde Tanis, who goes by xie. This is own voices nonbinary representation (Dax Murphy uses fey/fem/feir prounouns in feir "About the author" blurb.)
Bisexuality seems to be the norm in this world, or at least not worth remarking on. Katya, Zhen, and Alexis's mother all show attraction to multiple genders. Alexis's best friend and guard, Tatiana, frequently mentions her girlfriend, Inna. Alexis's parents are in a polyamorous triad, with their mother having two partners (the Czar and Lady Natalya). While attraction to multiple genders is unremarkable in this setting, it does seem somewhat unusual to have multiple partners (though obviously not unheard of, because there doesn't seem to be any pushback to the leaders of the country being in a triad). Alexis's parents talk about the difficulties and negotiation that they went through to make this a healthy relationship, but it is clearly worth the effort for all three of them, and Alexis is happy to have three parents.
As I mentioned earlier, the queer and polyamorous additions are not the most dramatic changes in this retelling. We begin with Katya, who has no memory when she bumps into Ivan in the forest. He helps get her acclimated, and she stays with him. She learns magic from him. Their relationship builds slowly and turns romantic. It is against this backdrop of trust (and dependence) that the rest of the story plays out. Ivan captures Zhen--Alexis's fiancee. Their arranged marriage is meant to unite their two kingdoms. (Although this is a fairy tale world, Alexis's country is clearly coded as Russia, and Zhen's is coded as China.) Ivan tells Katya that Zhen is a threat to their life together, and asks her to pretend to be captive with her, in order to gain information. Katya is shaken. This is unlike Ivan. As she observes Zhen--and sneaks away to share her findings with Ivan and beg him to explain the situation--she finds herself falling for her.
It's this tension between Katya, Ivan, and Zhen as well as the triangle between Katya, Zhen, and Alexis that form the core of the book. Katya is torn between Zhen, this new element in her life, and Ivan, the person who she loves and trusts. She wants to believe that there must be a good reason to hold Zhen prisoner, that she must be a legitimate threat, but she also struggles to find that threat in Zhen. At first, I found it difficult to believe that Zhen would be flirting with Katya while she had been kidnapped and trapped in the woods, but Zhen addresses this directly: “Yes, we are trapped. Yes, we are waiting for someone to save us. That doesn’t mean I want to dwell on the fact!”
It's this internal struggle between Katya's loyalty for Ivan and her growing relationship with Zhen that really fascinates me, so I do want to discuss some spoilers.
Katya really has to struggle to accept that despite him being the only relationship she's ever known, her introduction to love and belonging, he doesn't deserve her loyalty. The extent of his manipulation is slowly revealed to both us as readers and Katya: not only did her use her in this instance, he has been draining the life from their forest and using her life force to bind Zhen to the lake. It's despicable, and I'm tempted to question how he can both be this villain and be the person who supported her in the beginning of the book--but that's not impossible. Abusers can seem loving and supportive when it suits them. They can even justify their actions to themselves that way. And Ivan certainly seems to think he can violate Katya and care for her at the same time: he claims "I loved you, Katya," with "a mixture of devotion and sorrow in his eyes," even when she knows the extent of what he has done to her.
An element I really liked was when Katya realizes that she doesn't owe him an explanation for why she turned against him. It's such an important moment, to realize that you can't control someone else's narrative. Ivan will likely always believe he was in the right. Katya could try to communicate with him, could pour her heart and soul out trying to get him to see how he violated her, how he betrayed her, but it would be a waste. He doesn't deserve her energy.
Overall, I thought it was a satisfying conclusion. There's enough loss and struggle to feel realistic, but it manages to be a happy ending anyway. I liked the nod to compersion: "An inkling of a feeling bubbled in Alexis, seeing Katya and Zhen happy, together, made them feel happy, too." The novel leads us to think there is no way that Zhen, Katya, and Alexis can all three be happy with their situation, but the ending challenges that, showing that relationships can be built in many creative ways and still be fulfilling.
Now I'll address a few bits and pieces I wasn't able to work in to the rest of the review! I liked the magic system, which seems to hang together well, and it also introduces a type of magic that I've never seen in a book before: nuclear magic! It's an interesting concept, and the scenes that depict it are striking. I did have some minor issues. I didn't entirely understand some details of the political plot (how did the son betray the Czar, for instance?), but that's not my strength as a reader. I'm so caught up in characters that I often miss really obvious plot points. Also, the characters don't use any contractions in dialogue, presumable to feel more fairy tale-esque, but I found it a bit awkward and distracting. Although I only noticed a handful of typos, one error I saw repeated throughout the book were numerous comma splices ("Leave that to me, I am still Czar." and "We need to settle this dispute, it's been too many generations." for instance.)
Those are some very minor complaints, however, in a story I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the queer-positive fairy tale world, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that was only the backdrop for a subtle story about trust, betrayal, and new possibilities. I highly recommend A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams, even if you're not familiar with the original story!
[Review originally posted at the Lesbrary]
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