Thank you so much to the publisher, the author, and netgalley for sending me an e-ARC to read. I gave this book four stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Throne of Swans! It drew me in right from the beginning and had me reading for hours. Loved it!

This book was pages upon pages of addictive writing and gripping story.
I loved every page of it from start to finish

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Having really loved The Winter's Kiss, I have been eagerly anticipating A Throne of Swans and I was so happy I did. Being one of my last books of 2020, I raced through it and I definitely did not give it the time it deserved at the time of reading.

The Verdict:

A Throne of Swans is an addictive and action-packed fantasy story that I highly recommend and can't wait to finish the duology.

This was enjoyable. Not a 5 star read perhaps, but it had a good plot and mane twists. I didn’t fell cinnecyed to the characters though so that is a miss for me...

This is a fantasy book which is not my usual genre.
This book lacked strong characters. However, I loved the plot and the twists throughout.
Looking forward to the sequel

I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me this advanced reader’s copy in return for a fair, frank, and honest review.

I struggled with this book throughout. I hate not finishing a book but unsure if the author will rather, I did as opposed to a poor review. I just could not get into it at all. The style of writing perhaps could be responsible for that. I just felt that even for a fantasy novel it was too farfetched. I did not have any feeling towards the “heroine” at all. Apologies for low review.

I wanted to enjoy this book and I'm very bumped that I can't get into it right now. To be fair, I'm in a reading slump so this is not a permanent DNF. If I get back to it, I will review it properly.

I wouldn't usually write a review for a dnf but I need it for my ratio.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Aderyn has just become Protector of Atratys, after her father’s death, and travels through the kingdom to visit her uncle, the king, and his Court. Within this world the ruling class are those who can take flight by turning into birds. After witnessing her mother’s murder, Aderyn has not been able to transform, which will prove dangerous for her if anyone finds out, as someone flightless can not rule. With the help of her clerk, Lucien, and her maid servant, Letya, she sets off to find out more about her mother’s death.

I enjoyed reading this novel, which has taken inspiration from Swan Lake. The idea of the nobility turning into different birds is a fun idea, and I liked the little character traits or physical aspects that allowed Aderyn and the reader to spot which bird they would turn into. The difference between the flighted and flightless plays well within the world and within court, and provides some drama in the novel.

What starts as a mystery regarding Aderyn’s mother turns into something more as the story goes on, and it becomes obvious that some characters are hiding their own secrets, and I enjoyed reading the story to see where it would end up, especially in the second half, when the pace really picked up.

The pacing itself begins quite slow, yet Aderyn goes to Court so fast without much world building or depth to allow the reader to understand her or the situation. As it moves on the pacing does pick up, helping to build the danger that Aderyn and her friends face. The plot itself is quite predictable, with many traditional YA tropes within it, and I was able to guess who would be the bad characters, the good and those in the middle very quickly, and I found there was little depth to any of them. The romantic relationship could have been strengthened by allowing a little more time on the characters, just as the mystery of who murdered her mother needed more focus on it.

A Throne of Swans is a fun YA fantasy story, and I will read the sequel, but I do think it needed more world building and character focus for me to be really immersed in the world.

Thank you to Net Galley, Hot Key and the authors for this allowing me to read and review this ebook.

* * * *
4 / 5

You know what, I really enjoyed this one. I've had it sitting on my kindle for months and when I was waiting for my copy of The Magician's Land to arrive in the post I thought that I might as well read something in the meantime. I plucked this one out at random and dove straight in without even refreshing my memory with a synopsis (very unlike me).

A Throne of Swans drew me in immediately with:

(i) A mildly compelling opening - Aderyn's father dying has made her Protector (what's that? An important Lord, kind of like a Duke or similar rank I think) and obviously that throws her for a bit of a spin

(ii) Lovely writing. It has a simple, present tense style. It felt, mmm, clean?

(iii) Solid main character. Obviously Aderyn makes some mistakes, otherwise the plot would never happen. But she's level headed, emotional but doesn't let that control her, thoughtful but a touch oblivious, dutiful and kind.

(iv) A simple, cool idea - nobles can turn into birds. If you can't turn into a bird, you ain't a noble

(v) I've just watched Bridgerton and I was really in the mood for some courtly intrigue, fab dresses, and people swanning (ha) around.

It could've done with some more detail - what exactly was the War of the Hawks? What exactly is convocation? How do the ranks work? For example, Lord Lucien Rookwood accompanies Aderyn to court to assist her in navigating the quagmire of politics. He's important enough to have spent several years at court growing up and is friends (ish) with the Crown Prince, but he's too lowly for a serious relationship with Aderyn but also for her to bring him along she makes him her clerk? A clerk?? Why is a lord being her receptionist?

But overall this book was lovely. It had twists and turns but didn't feel like it was pulling things out of thin air. It made me laugh and I rooted for Aderyn. I was particularly astonished by Aderyn's marriage at the end! :O

I really couldn't wait to read this, it's been on my wishlist for ages so I am so thankful to be able to read the arc, thank you to netgalley and the publishers.
The plot is very imaginative and the writing style is superb. It was an amazing read, a little savage and a bit heartbreaking but so original. It's an easy going kind of Swan Lake themed book and I just loved it.
Really can't wait to read the second book in the duology - a crown of talons.

I struggled a bit with the pacing of this novel. It takes a while to get going in the beginning, and then the ending was quite rushed. I did enjoy it overall but I never found myself fully involved and I did find myself disliking the heroine in places.

In regards to our heroine, Aderyn has a very privileged and prejudiced way of thinking that is reflected in her actions, even when she herself believes over wise. Especially where it concerns her maid, her ‘childhood friend’ who she still orders around and basically treats as a servant. There’s a definite class barrier between them that made it very hard for me to see the two of them as proper friends, even when Aderyn insisted that they were.

If you’ve read any YA fantasy you’ll definitely find parts of this one to be a bit predictable, there’s a lot of familiar tropes. On the other hand if you are a fan of these tropes, you’ll find a lot to love here. You have a bit of a love triangle, a lot of politics and lies, and I did enjoy a lot of it. Although I’ll admit I did roll my eyes at some of the situations the characters got themselves into, in particular Aderyn is very impulsive and doesn’t think her actions through. And the love interest, Lucien, took a long time to warm up to, he’s very caustic towards Aderyn to start with.

One aspect I did like a lot was the concept of shape-shifting birds, and the initial Swan Lake inspiration. I am a huge fan of Swan Lake and I did love to see how the authors included bits and pieces from it. And although there is an open-ending the book does not end on a cliff-hanger! This was so welcome in YA fantasy where if you’re reading a trilogy/duology there is ALWAYS an annoying cliff-hanger. I did really enjoyed the LGBT rep as well, I just wish there were more of it. I hope it’s expanded on in the sequel.

Overall I did enjoy this one but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.

I really enjoyed reading this book and the concept behind the story. I am a lover of birds, so appreciated the different birds that the families take their names from. I was gripped the whole way through and can't wait to hear the second book. Fingers crossed for a happy ending!

A beautifully written fairytale with a strong female character who has to face her demons and endure political intrigues. Loved everything about this book!

I'm not going to lie when I first started this I didn't care for it much. It was slow and a bit boring and a touch predictable. I changed my tune half way in. Things picked up and it all kicked off. I was gripped and didn't want to put it down.
I really enjoyed the idea of people being able to shift into birds it was something I hadn't come across before. The story revolves around the idea of royal status with someone working to overthrow the King to get the crown. This was the bit I found a bit predictable. I didn't anticipate the twist in the tale which was a bonus. The Love aspect between 2 of the characters I didn't feel was necessary and although it was obviously going to happen came out of nowhere. After finishing it I can see what role it played but wish it had been built up a bit more earlier on. Glad I stuck with it as the 2nd half was definitely it's redeeming point and I'm now looking forward to the 2nd book to find out what it going to happen

I needed some decent fantasy escapism, preferably of the young adult non-taxing type, and this certainly ticked those boxes. Whilst rather predictable and full of the usual teen fantasy cliches, I liked the more unusual concept of shape-shifting birds and Swan Lake inspiration. Despite rolling my eyes on the odd occasion at certain characters and their interactions I did enjoy it, I also appreciated the non-cliffhanger open ending and will likely read the sequel.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

New to me authors Katharine & Elizabeth Corr have managed to pleasantly surprise me with this well crafted high fantasy novel inspired from Swan Lake. The blurb caught my attention immediately and I was lucky to be approved for a copy of this book on NetGalley.

Seventeen-years old Aderyn becomes Protector of Atratys after her father's death. Her dominion is part of the Kindom of Solanum. A land where nobles can shape-shift into birds while the common folk don't have that ability, hence being called Flightless. Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan, but she hasn't been able to transform since witnessing her mother's murder six years ago. Every time she tries it, the scars on her back become painful and the memories of that tragic event overwhelm her. As the new Protector of her dominion, Aderyn is determined, now more than ever, to uncover who her mother’s murderer was and regain her ability to fly no matter the consequences. Accompanied by her advisor, Lucien (who is also the son of a nobleman) she decides to spend some time at King's court because she's convinced she'll find the answers she's looking for at the Sylver Citadel.

I found the world-building fascinating. The history of the world is well thought out and developed. The writing is beautiful with vivid descriptions of the palace and different cities in the kingdom. I love the idea of nobles being able to shape-shift, and the association with different species of birds for each dominion in the kingdom.

Aderyn is a multilayered protagonist. She's vivacious, brave, compassionate, but because her father shelters her for so long she can be quite naive and gullible. But those flaws make her believable and her character's growth is quite visible throughout the book. As for the supporting characters, Lucien and Aron were in the spotlight for me, I put my faith in them from the start till the end.

The action developed at a fair pace, leaving room for an intricate plot to develop. While there were moments that we're predictable there was enough mystery and intrigue to keep me guessing. Secrets, betrayals, political games, a touch of romance, everything was beautifully woven in this heart-gripping story. The book ends with a cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment.

First impressions: I was instantly intrigued to read this as soon as I read the summary – so any things about it just called out to me that I had to get my hands on a copy…luckily my request on Netgalley was approved so I was able to start reading straightaway. I was privileged to be invited to a blogger’s brunch at Hot Key Books, where we got to meet the authors and quiz them about this book, the sequel and everything in between. (At some point I will attempt to write up a post about that too!).

I love stories with political intrigue and courtly machinations and this book did not disappoint, with evefryone out to get everyone and poor Aderyn arriving at court with a naivete of being isolated in a remote province, while everyone else has learned not to wear their hearts on their sleeves. While I loved Lucien’s character and could understand his frustration, I do wish he had shown a bit more patience with Aderyn because she is like fresh meat thrown to the wolves. I have heard a few other reviewers say they found her difficult to like because she makes some stupid decisions, but for me her flaws made her more realistic and relatable. She is trying to do the best she can, at times for good reasons and at times for more selfish purposes, but she is truly human and I could understand where she was coming from. I was suspicious of pretty much everyone around her, including Siegfried, Odette, Aron Letya, etc. The first person narrative worked really well to keep you in suspense, as we discover secrets and betrayals alongside Aderyn, although it can, at times, add to your frustration as reader because you want to scream at her to do something different!

At the time I joined the Blogger Brunch, I had almost finished reading A Throne of Swans and could already tell that I was going to be counting the days until I could get my hands on Part 2 of the duology, A Crown of Talons! There are so many interesting threads started in the first book and I am excited to see how they will resolve in the continuation of the story,

It is full of intrigue, manipulation and questionable loyalties in a society where the Flighted and the Flightless can’t even touch without the ruling class inflicting pain on those they rule over.

Highly recommended so look out for it – published today!

My chest seizes up and, as I struggle to breathe, the glowing outline in my head disappears. My human body reasserts itself and snaps back into existence, solid and undeniable, leaving me gasping naked on the floor.

Lord Lancelin’s words come back to haunt me: You are, for all practical purposes, flightless . . . As I lie there, the carpet rough beneath me, I wonder for the first time whether I’m making a mistake. For years I’ve chafed against my father’s restrictions, against the physical walls of the castle and against the wall of silence he retreated behind. I’ve fantasised about leaving Merl and seeking justice for my mother. But to risk my dominion, my life, for what may be no more than a dream . . .

Will I be able to survive in the world that I’m about to enter, if I can’t even prove that I am truly one of them?

Twisting round, I examine the scars on my back, running my fingers across them as far as I am able. It’s been five years – no, closer to six – since the attack that left my skin so disfigured. And nearly four years since I last tried to shift my shape. Given the danger I put myself in at the beach, perhaps it is time for me to try again.

I take a deep breath, ignoring the bubble of panic beneath my ribcage, and close my eyes, recalling what my mother taught me. I focus on the current running underneath my skin, the power to transform that only nobles possess, that sets us apart from the flightless majority. I envisage the contours of my body, the glowing outline that would be left if you stripped away flesh and bone, concentrating on its flexibility, thinking my way into that state of pure energy that sits between each physical configuration. And I can feel that it’s working, that my form is beginning to alter, to melt from one shape to another, the bones lightening, lengthening, the skin morphing into feather – Pain flares from the ragged nerve endings in my scarred skin. Terror follows , as bitter and violent as I remember.

As swift as the hawks – two transformed nobles – who dropped out of the clouds and fell upon my mother and me, killing her and ripping my back apart.

What I liked: The darks twists in the storyline and that the authors weren’t afraid to explore these darker sides to the human psyche, Aderyn’s character and how she develops throughout the book, the relationship between Aderyn and her cousins, Lucien’s snark, the complex and fraught relationship between the Flighted and the Flightless, especially as the Flighted cannot even touch the Flightless without causing them physical pain. Aran and Odette were characters that I wanted to get to know better and I look forward to seeing how Aderyn continues to develop in the next book too.

Even better if: I need Book 2 now!

How you could use it in your classroom: I would recommend this for ages 15+, simply because of some of the darker content and with the ages of the main characters being around 17-20. It would be fascinating to read this with a class or group who are very familiar with the story of Swan Lake or the ballet, because there are so many little references to them throughout. I really enjoyed how ‘Odile’ (Aderyn)’s character is developed, especially as she is realistically flawed, and, if you know the story of Swan Lake, you will already have a sense of impending doom hanging over your head…