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violetsinherlap 's review for:
A Treachery of Swans
by A.B. Poranek
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
A Treachery of Swans is a fantasy YA novel set in 17th century France, based on the ballet Swan Lake. We follow 17-year-old Odile who has been tasked by her father, a vengeful sorcerer, to restore magic to their kingdom. To succeed in this quest, she must assume the identity of the noblewoman Marie d'Odette, a childhood friend turned enemy, in order to infiltrate the castle and steal the crown in which the magic is restored…
The novel is pitched as "a sapphic retelling of the Swan Lake", which is what tweaked my interest from the beginning, and was one of the main themes I was expecting in the novel. Thus, at first I was skeptical as I felt the sapphic aspect to be just that, an aspect, rather than the pillar the story leaned on. However, I always enjoyed the relationship between Odile and Marie, especially reading about their history. And in the end, the sapphic love was more prominent which I appreciated.
The novel is pitched as "a sapphic retelling of the Swan Lake", which is what tweaked my interest from the beginning, and was one of the main themes I was expecting in the novel. Thus, at first I was skeptical as I felt the sapphic aspect to be just that, an aspect, rather than the pillar the story leaned on. However, I always enjoyed the relationship between Odile and Marie, especially reading about their history. And in the end, the sapphic love was more prominent which I appreciated.
Whatever we were, she was always, always the light, and I the thing skulking in the dark.
Something else that bothered me was the ending. It felt a bit rushed considering Odile's main goal was to restore magic to the kingdom. Also, the epilogue left me a little conflicted. I think the story could have ended without it, thus keeping the door open for a possible sequel.
Two details I noticed and liked were the theatre and the birds. The novel opens with the night before the Dauphin's 18th birthday, the day he is to choose his future wife, at the Théâtre du Roi where Odile works as an actress. The theatre theme follows us throughout the novel as its structure is made up of scenes rather than chapters, the characters in the book often wear masks (both literally and metaphorically), and the way the noblesse acts are compared to the theatre: "In a way, they are no less garnish than the troupe in their costumes, faces powdered white, heads crowned in perukes and ostrich feathers." Birds, on the other hand, are already present in the title and in the fact that the novel is based on Swan Lake. In addition, Marie is called "the swan princess/maiden", the father wears a bird mask and is often compared to crows, tapestries with caged birds at the castle, being trapped in cages as birds used as a metaphor for the societal pressure, Odile is called "little owl" and wears an owl pendant, etc.
Overall I would recommend this book. The worldbuilding and the fact that magic/sorcery is described so thoroughly. This leads to a sense of intimacy as you know how everything is structured and how it affects the characters. Moreover, the stakes are really high already from page one, the plot twists are ones you do not see coming and the tweaks made to the original story of the Swan Lake are genius!
.☘︎ ݁˖ Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC!