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A review by merieshenanigans
Swan Lake by K.M. Shea
Did not finish book.
~DNF at 37%~
I won't rate this book since I haven't finished it, but I had a really hard time getting into it at all. First of all, Swan Lake is not my favorite fairytale, even though I have nothing against it. Secondly, KM Shea has another book about swans in this same series, and I couldn't help but feel like this one was lackluster in comparison. I mean, I liked the side characters more than the main character, and I was 37% through and still had no idea what game the male protagonist was playing. The side characters like Odile, Yakov, and Benno lacked any development at all and were cut right into their roles. I, for one, despised Lady Benno. Yakov seemed to be nothing more than a flirtatious idiot-- I can compare him to several other characters-- and Benno was not in the least likable. She was literally getting away with calling both Imperial Princes-- IMPERIAL PRINCES, as in SONS OF THE EMPEROR-- "blockheads" and "dolts." Now I don't know that much about Russian culture (Kozlovka is based on Russia, which is one of the reasons why I was anticipating this read), but I do know that all royal systems are very, very strict. And the imperial system is ever so much stricter. I can't believe how unrealistic it all is. Not to mention, Benno has not a bone of respectability in her body, so I'm not sure how anyone could actually "like" her.
I would read on for the sake of learning more about Rothbart, but I was already getting too tired of Odette. She started out very likable and relatable, and then the first smuggler called her "Swan Queen"-- and out come the claws. We get it, Odette is humble. Okay, apparently she is beyond the normal level of humility because "NO I'M A SELFISH BRAT STOP CALLING ME SWAN QUEEN I AM UNWORTHY OF YOUR RESPECT" was seriously getting old. 37% through, and I'd already lost count of how many times she hissed because of that.
Alexsei was a real mystery. On the one hand, I don't appreciate men being bossed around by women. On the other, Yakov was the one who Benno kept cutting down, although Lexsei certainly didn't protest any when Benno continuously insisted on calling both of them idiots. He was also quite boring. I had no idea what made Alexsei so special; there was nothing about him that stood out to me.
And that's the conclusion I've come to after DNF-ing this book. :/ Keep in mind that I'm reviewing what I've read of the book, certainly not the whole of it, and certainly not the author-- KM Shea is a wonderful person, and I love most of her books. This one just didn't work out for me, sorry.
I won't rate this book since I haven't finished it, but I had a really hard time getting into it at all. First of all, Swan Lake is not my favorite fairytale, even though I have nothing against it. Secondly, KM Shea has another book about swans in this same series, and I couldn't help but feel like this one was lackluster in comparison. I mean, I liked the side characters more than the main character, and I was 37% through and still had no idea what game the male protagonist was playing. The side characters like Odile, Yakov, and Benno lacked any development at all and were cut right into their roles. I, for one, despised Lady Benno. Yakov seemed to be nothing more than a flirtatious idiot-- I can compare him to several other characters-- and Benno was not in the least likable. She was literally getting away with calling both Imperial Princes-- IMPERIAL PRINCES, as in SONS OF THE EMPEROR-- "blockheads" and "dolts." Now I don't know that much about Russian culture (Kozlovka is based on Russia, which is one of the reasons why I was anticipating this read), but I do know that all royal systems are very, very strict. And the imperial system is ever so much stricter. I can't believe how unrealistic it all is. Not to mention, Benno has not a bone of respectability in her body, so I'm not sure how anyone could actually "like" her.
I would read on for the sake of learning more about Rothbart, but I was already getting too tired of Odette. She started out very likable and relatable, and then the first smuggler called her "Swan Queen"-- and out come the claws. We get it, Odette is humble. Okay, apparently she is beyond the normal level of humility because "NO I'M A SELFISH BRAT STOP CALLING ME SWAN QUEEN I AM UNWORTHY OF YOUR RESPECT" was seriously getting old. 37% through, and I'd already lost count of how many times she hissed because of that.
Alexsei was a real mystery. On the one hand, I don't appreciate men being bossed around by women. On the other, Yakov was the one who Benno kept cutting down, although Lexsei certainly didn't protest any when Benno continuously insisted on calling both of them idiots. He was also quite boring. I had no idea what made Alexsei so special; there was nothing about him that stood out to me.
And that's the conclusion I've come to after DNF-ing this book. :/ Keep in mind that I'm reviewing what I've read of the book, certainly not the whole of it, and certainly not the author-- KM Shea is a wonderful person, and I love most of her books. This one just didn't work out for me, sorry.