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A review by aradhnak
A Throne of Swans by Katharine Corr
5.0
This was SO INTENSE and so good! I'm in awe? I can't wait for the sequel.
Full review to come.
*EDITED*
Somehow I didn’t realise this was a retelling of sorts of The Swan Princess until I was 50 pages in. This was a very different fantasy concept involving shapeshifting and politics. I did not expect the story to be so political, but it honestly is what made the book so gripping for me.
Aderyn is a protagonist that you just cannot help but root for. She is impulsive at times, and focused on her motives, but she is willing to grow and listen and learn. She can be scared, and manipulated, and yet, she is so strong.
The other characters are equally as three dimensional and complex. We have Lucien, who is Aderyn’s clerk and portal into the politics of the kingdom. Letya, who is Aderyn’s best friend and handmaid, who cannot touch Aderyn skin to skin without getting hurt. Aron, Aderyn’s cousin and former Crown Prince of the kingdom. Odette - honestly I should have recognised the name instantly - who is now Crown Princess. Siegfried, who is Odette’s betrothed and a noble in his own right.
Every character has their own identity and their own motives, and there is so much laid out to trust and mistrust everyone that you are right there with Aderyn in trying to figure out how to protect herself and her people. It all unfolds believably - nothing feels forced for plot’s sake - with glimpses of the underlying political instability of the kingdom. And the end of the novel gives us answers - and sets up the sequel so well.
The novel just kept picking up with each chapter. The story was so intense, with the stakes growing steadily. And this is the second political fantasy I have been so engrossed in. I cannot wait for the sequel. My only regret is that I have to wait quite a while for it.
Full review to come.
*EDITED*
Somehow I didn’t realise this was a retelling of sorts of The Swan Princess until I was 50 pages in. This was a very different fantasy concept involving shapeshifting and politics. I did not expect the story to be so political, but it honestly is what made the book so gripping for me.
Aderyn is a protagonist that you just cannot help but root for. She is impulsive at times, and focused on her motives, but she is willing to grow and listen and learn. She can be scared, and manipulated, and yet, she is so strong.
The other characters are equally as three dimensional and complex. We have Lucien, who is Aderyn’s clerk and portal into the politics of the kingdom. Letya, who is Aderyn’s best friend and handmaid, who cannot touch Aderyn skin to skin without getting hurt. Aron, Aderyn’s cousin and former Crown Prince of the kingdom. Odette - honestly I should have recognised the name instantly - who is now Crown Princess. Siegfried, who is Odette’s betrothed and a noble in his own right.
Every character has their own identity and their own motives, and there is so much laid out to trust and mistrust everyone that you are right there with Aderyn in trying to figure out how to protect herself and her people. It all unfolds believably - nothing feels forced for plot’s sake - with glimpses of the underlying political instability of the kingdom. And the end of the novel gives us answers - and sets up the sequel so well.
The novel just kept picking up with each chapter. The story was so intense, with the stakes growing steadily. And this is the second political fantasy I have been so engrossed in. I cannot wait for the sequel. My only regret is that I have to wait quite a while for it.