Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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
I loved this so so much! After struggling with an indecisisive DNF, I needed something to catch me before I could fall into a slump, and this book was exactly what I needed. I became completely and utterly obsessed with this, devouring it faster than I've devoured a book in a while (I read this in 3 days, with 100+ pages every day đ
) and I adored every page.
The first thing I want to say is this book is just gorgeous. In every way. I adored A.B. Poranek's prose in Where the Dark Stands (WTDSS) still, and I'm very glad to report that the same vivid, darkly whimsical, lusciousness carried over into this book too. I quickly found myself fully immersed in this world of theatrics and dark intrigue, politics and royalty, mysterious sorcerers and magical plots. I really enjoyed the magic system and how it was carefully interwoven with the worldbuilding, history, and mythology, as well as providing intriguing motivation for our main character - Odile - and the wider plot. The plot had me hooked, a mix of magical heist plot, murder mystery, sweet romance and friendships, and self-discovery, with a wonderful dose of tragedy and betrayal.
I also absolutely adored the characterisation, and thought the main cast was absolutely phenomenal. I fell in love with them all so fast. I loved Odile for her scheming, and her slow, but moving, journey to unlearning cruelty and allowing herself to be loved and cared for, and I thought she was excellent as a protagonist. I loved Marie for her wit, Aimé for his kind earnestness and anxious relatability, and Damien for his strength and protectiveness. Together, they all made such a wonderful and lovable crew. Whilst I do think the villains were a bit obvious, I can't really fault that as this is a retelling, so of course - if you're familiar with the story of Swan Lake - then you'll know who the villains are likely to be, and I found their backstories and motivations intriguing, and liked how the twists kept turning before they at last unravelled.
This was so nearly a 5âïž read, but then the ending just felt a little bit off to me. It's going to be hard to put my thoughts into words whilst avoiding spoilers, but I think this will make sense to anyone who has read the book (and I do absolutely still recommend this book, as this issue didn't take away from my overall enjoyment). It just felt like something was missing from the ending. As the end of the novel drew near, it suddenly felt as if this wasn't going to be a standalone, and that a sequel was going to be needed (which I wouldn't have minded at all). And then, everything was resolved off page between the final chapter and the epilogue. Whilst I do still really like the overall ending and think it fits, I would've either liked to have seen the resolution between the final chapter and epilogue in a sequel, of have had the ending more open ended, bittersweet, yet hopeful, like WTDSS. I would've also have liked to see a little bit more of AimĂ© and Damien's relationship and a more conclusion for them, but that is a more minor wish.
Overall though, I absolutely loved this book. It was darkly whimsical and hopeful and romantic, and awoke in me again the little girl who loved classic Barbie movies (especially Swan Lake!), danced ballet and felt most at home watching something in the theatre or ensconced in fairytales. I really do recommend this book and I absolutely cannot wait to see what A.B. Poranek does next!
The first thing I want to say is this book is just gorgeous. In every way. I adored A.B. Poranek's prose in Where the Dark Stands (WTDSS) still, and I'm very glad to report that the same vivid, darkly whimsical, lusciousness carried over into this book too. I quickly found myself fully immersed in this world of theatrics and dark intrigue, politics and royalty, mysterious sorcerers and magical plots. I really enjoyed the magic system and how it was carefully interwoven with the worldbuilding, history, and mythology, as well as providing intriguing motivation for our main character - Odile - and the wider plot. The plot had me hooked, a mix of magical heist plot, murder mystery, sweet romance and friendships, and self-discovery, with a wonderful dose of tragedy and betrayal.
I also absolutely adored the characterisation, and thought the main cast was absolutely phenomenal. I fell in love with them all so fast. I loved Odile for her scheming, and her slow, but moving, journey to unlearning cruelty and allowing herself to be loved and cared for, and I thought she was excellent as a protagonist. I loved Marie for her wit, Aimé for his kind earnestness and anxious relatability, and Damien for his strength and protectiveness. Together, they all made such a wonderful and lovable crew. Whilst I do think the villains were a bit obvious, I can't really fault that as this is a retelling, so of course - if you're familiar with the story of Swan Lake - then you'll know who the villains are likely to be, and I found their backstories and motivations intriguing, and liked how the twists kept turning before they at last unravelled.
This was so nearly a 5âïž read, but then the ending just felt a little bit off to me. It's going to be hard to put my thoughts into words whilst avoiding spoilers, but I think this will make sense to anyone who has read the book (and I do absolutely still recommend this book, as this issue didn't take away from my overall enjoyment). It just felt like something was missing from the ending. As the end of the novel drew near, it suddenly felt as if this wasn't going to be a standalone, and that a sequel was going to be needed (which I wouldn't have minded at all). And then, everything was resolved off page between the final chapter and the epilogue. Whilst I do still really like the overall ending and think it fits, I would've either liked to have seen the resolution between the final chapter and epilogue in a sequel, of have had the ending more open ended, bittersweet, yet hopeful, like WTDSS. I would've also have liked to see a little bit more of AimĂ© and Damien's relationship and a more conclusion for them, but that is a more minor wish.
Overall though, I absolutely loved this book. It was darkly whimsical and hopeful and romantic, and awoke in me again the little girl who loved classic Barbie movies (especially Swan Lake!), danced ballet and felt most at home watching something in the theatre or ensconced in fairytales. I really do recommend this book and I absolutely cannot wait to see what A.B. Poranek does next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
A wonderfully moody and queer retelling of Swan Lake!
I picked it up because the cover is stunning, and then the summary had me putting it right in my basket, and it was definitely the right choice!
The atmosphere reminds me of Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window, with its isolated, haunting, and claustrophobic vibes. The characters are vibrant and sharp, and the plot is fun and interesting. Didn't quite make it to five stars because it didn't blow my mind, but it was good read and one that I'll be keeping on my shelves. I love Marie and Odile, and Aimé really grew on me.
I tend to prefer slightly longer endings to wrap things up, but it didn't feel too abrupt or anything.
All in all, a great book.
I picked it up because the cover is stunning, and then the summary had me putting it right in my basket, and it was definitely the right choice!
The atmosphere reminds me of Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window, with its isolated, haunting, and claustrophobic vibes. The characters are vibrant and sharp, and the plot is fun and interesting. Didn't quite make it to five stars because it didn't blow my mind, but it was good read and one that I'll be keeping on my shelves. I love Marie and Odile, and Aimé really grew on me.
I tend to prefer slightly longer endings to wrap things up, but it didn't feel too abrupt or anything.
All in all, a great book.
Tender and ravenous in equal measure, this romantic retelling offers a glittering homage to its source material while bringing its shadows into the light. A story worthy of a standing ovation.
<b>Disclaimer: the author is a friend and I was gifted an ARC. All opinions are my own.</b>
CW: violence, abusive parent, blood and gore, gun violence, fantasy prejudice/bigotry, death of father, death of mother (past), grief, illness (past), drowning, self harm, imprisonment, claustrophobia
<b>Disclaimer: the author is a friend and I was gifted an ARC. All opinions are my own.</b>
CW: violence, abusive parent, blood and gore, gun violence, fantasy prejudice/bigotry, death of father, death of mother (past), grief, illness (past), drowning, self harm, imprisonment, claustrophobia
First of all, this was not a sapphic retelling of Swan Lake as much as it was a ballet mystery that just happened to have sapphic characters, and there really is no romance until the last 25% of the book and it seemingly comes out of nowhere because we donât know these characters well at all.
I did like the plot and the mystery and the politics of the ballet world and I thought the writing was atmospheric and there were dark descriptions of what was going on that made my skin crawl, but none of that makes up for the fact that I just couldn't bring myself to care about these characters. They didnât feel like real people to me.
I did like the plot and the mystery and the politics of the ballet world and I thought the writing was atmospheric and there were dark descriptions of what was going on that made my skin crawl, but none of that makes up for the fact that I just couldn't bring myself to care about these characters. They didnât feel like real people to me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
I think this would've benefited having a sequel instead of the time jump epilogue
A Treachery of Swans is a reimagining of The Swan Princess with some interesting changes.
I struggled with the pacing a bit. I was very interested in the premise at the beginning (we support women's rights and wrongs), but then there was a chunk of time where not much seemed to push the plot forward, and then there were suddenly several conflicts in the last 20-30%. It almost felt like we were being set up for a second book, but then things were quickly resolved in a very brief epilogue. It almost felt like that particular plot point could have been skipped entirely. I'm not sure I ever really understood what was happening with the magic in this world, but maybe I missed something near the beginning.
Can we just talk about this cover for a second? So so good. There were certain things I'd love to have had more time with and they are all in this cover.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for an eARC of this book for an honest review.
I struggled with the pacing a bit. I was very interested in the premise at the beginning (we support women's rights and wrongs), but then there was a chunk of time where not much seemed to push the plot forward, and then there were suddenly several conflicts in the last 20-30%. It almost felt like we were being set up for a second book, but then things were quickly resolved in a very brief epilogue. It almost felt like that particular plot point could have been skipped entirely. I'm not sure I ever really understood what was happening with the magic in this world, but maybe I missed something near the beginning.
Can we just talk about this cover for a second? So so good. There were certain things I'd love to have had more time with and they are all in this cover.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for an eARC of this book for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A lovely retelling. I loved our main cast of characters, their backstories and how they intermingled. While most of the twists and turns were relatively easy to anticipate, I still enjoyed the way the story played out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol