Reviews - A Treachery of Swans

594 reviews for:

A Treachery of Swans

A.B. Poranek

3.88 AVERAGE

lilakat's review

not interesting enough at the beginning

sapphhoreads's review against another edition

4.5

dark tense slow-paced

Loveable characters: Yes

I absolutely adored this book. I've always loved Swan Lake, and this adaptation was beautiful.

I'm not usually a huge fan of YA books, but this story had the depth that I often find lacking in YA novels. The prose was almost poetic, and the story was heart-wrenching.

The romance was so sweet, an enemies-to-lovers and grumpy/sunshine trope with just the right amount of conflict, both internal and external. I loved the characters- Odile was written so wonderfully. Gone is the classic evil girl from the original story, and it really digs deep into the inner turmoil she faces.

I also loved all of the twists on the original story. There have been many variations and retellings to the ballet, but this is by far my favorite. The author's take on magic was creative and inspired, and the lore and backstory was unique.

I listened to the audiobook and I loved Amalia Vitale's narration. That being said, I will be buying a physical copy for my bookshelf so that I can revisit this world whenever I want.

skysslibraryy's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

this was a very beautiful book, and although I don't like romance that much, the romance in this one was tender and touching. the character development? beyond my expectations.
the only thing I did not like is the repetitiveness in certain parts. but I still enjoyed this a whole lot. will be thinking about this and waiting for more work by this author

thehawk72's review

3.75

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wish we had gotten a second book covering the events that led to the epilogue. I feel like this rushed the plot to a finish too quickly and Odile could have had a complete second character arc about how to deal with her new powers as a sorciere.

bookscoffeeandskulls's review against another edition

3.0

This was my first book by A.B. Poranek, and I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover and the promise of fairy tale-inspired fantasy. A Treachery of Swans definitely delivers on that… but unfortunately, it didn’t fully hold my attention.

The pacing felt uneven - slow to start, then suddenly rushed in key places. Some plot points came and went without the emotional weight they seemed to aim for, and I found it hard to connect with the characters. It’s not that they were flat, but they weren’t fully fleshed out either. However, there was some character development I really enjoyed seeing.

I was especially hoping for more from the romance between Marie and Odile. They had such a compelling dynamic when working together. This was a slow burn that didn’t exactly burn… just sparked a little and then fizzled out. I didn’t feel any real chemistry between them, which made their relationship feel more like a missed opportunity.

Aimé and Darien were strong side characters. The dynamic between them and Odile brought some depth to the story and to their own personalities.

The plot twists (and the ending) were very predictable from early on, but they made sense within the story.

Overall, this is a beautifully written book with a strong atmosphere. It didn’t quite click for me emotionally, but I can definitely see the appeal.