A review by readfrenzy
The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar

3.0

It was a good day for Louboutins. I hadn’t planned on wearing statement heels on the runway to death but if this was it, if I was going to be killed by some random psycho with a thirst for blood, what better way to go down than with red-soled “fuck yous” to my murderer?

The very first sentence of The Paper Swan captured my attention and I felt a rush of excitement anticipating a great story. Dark reads aren’t typically my thing. I’m more of a heart-tugging, angsty-goodness romance reader with some humorous, light and fluffy thrown in to cleanse my palate. I went out of my comfort zone with this book and, surprisingly, I was able to handle the violence. In the end it was the execution of the plot that was the biggest pitfall.

The beginning of the book is really quite gripping but it soon falls victim to pacing difficulties. The plot drags on in some places and is extremely rushed in others. My believability flag was raised on far too many occasions as a result of rushed pacing. Unfortunately, I can’t go into detail without spoiling the story.

I had difficulty with the style of narration the author chose. Skye and Damian are both wonderfully complex characters. Parts of the story are told from Skye’s point of view in the first person. Damian’s chapters are told in the third person and while they give Damian’s perspective, the author sometimes lapses into telling Skye’s point of view as well. It’s all rather confusing. Personally, I’m not a fan of third person storytelling. I feel like it detaches me from the character’s emotions. That said, I think if you’re going to write a story in the third person you should commit to writing the entire story in that style.

The themes of revenge and redemption are compelling but sometimes come across as preachy. I’m sure many people will find this to be a powerful book. It just fell short of my expectations.