The swan harp, inspired by the the song "three bonny swans" is about three swan sisters, Kiar, Adana,and Orla, set in a medieval inspired kingdom.

I liked the writing style, though it did feel a bit too modern at times. The characters were.....ok at best. Kiar, despite being the heir, has nothing to suggest that she's suited for that position. She's really really naive and pretty stubborn and just makes a ton of bad decisions. The romance felt pretty underwhelming too. Ngl I was kinda shipping her and Willow tbh.

Overall if you liked Swan Lake, you'll enjoy this one.

This book has swan shifters! Something totally original and new. It’s an interesting story, that might have needed some fine tuning prior to release…

There are posts that could be left out, especially early on in the book. I don’t need to know day to day what they are all doing. Especially the parts where she is trying to keep something off her mind. It’s useless and could be easily summed up by instead having her crash on her bed after a hard days work or doing… blah blah to keep her mind clear to no avail… I know I’m not an author, and I know sometimes these comments are seen as annoying to authors. But if it’s not pertinent to the story, it makes me like it less, therefore the review goes down..

However, after the 50% mark, it did start to pick up pace and actually have things happen. Kair made a mistake and could have put their country in danger, Kair fought a prince and won, drama between the other two sisters, then the final battle with the random villain of the story. Seriously, you do not see it coming, the villain is a total secret for most of the book.

It has a good storyline, it has good visualization, grammar is good (a couple spelling mistakes, but I was reading an ARC.. it happens), just needed some fine tuning.

Thank you to Net Galley, Elizabeth Creith and Type Eighteen Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

King Tir, a human, and Queen Tianis of the Swanfolk are married to form an alliance between the Kingdom of Valenia and the Swanfolk. As their three daughters reach adulthood, they are hoping to be able to transform into swans like their mother and the other Swanfolk. Kair, the eldest is devastated when her younger sisters are able to transform before her. The story tells of the politics and alliances that form as a result of each daughters’ magic, as well as the conflicts that they also cause.

I really liked the premise of this book. The idea of the Swanfolk was an intriguing and unique concept. Each character had their own unique voice and interesting plot line. The politics and family relationships were complex, but readable and the world building constructed a unique setting around them.

The pacing felt a little inconsistent. The first 60% of the book felt slow and the world was constructed around the characters and I felt like I was waiting for the plot to happen. But the ending was fast paced and worth the patience.

It was a great YA fantasy, with an interesting concept, shapeshifting magic, interesting politics and likeable characters.

I feel fairly middle of the road with this book. It was okay: nothing horrendous but nothing special. I do think the blurb and the comps are a little misleading and fans of the authors listed may not agree that this book was 'perfect for them'. The Swan Harp feels more like reading Grimm's Fairy Tales or Hans Christian Andersen.
The book felt a little detached; the prose wasn't written in a particularly emotionally evocative way. Sad things happen, but I did not feel sad about them. It was mostly action with not very much time given to exploring the character's inner thoughts, and the characters didn't particularly have individual voices, so they didn't feel like they crossed the boundary from character into person. All this can be fine, since it does fall more in with a traditional fairy tale composition and can give a dreamy cozy feel to the book (as if you're listening to someone tell you a bedtime story, you know?), but it isn't a style that everyone will like. It can also have draw backs, most notably on the emotional impact of the story.
The plot was a slight letdown, for me. That may be because the motivation of the the main antagonist is a little thin and it wasn't built up in a way that felt satisfying. It felt a little like it came out of nowhere; not the actions on a base level, because I could have bought in on a "I did this impulsively and am now in too deep" sort of thing, but the vitriol that comes out in the confrontations had me raising my eyebrows thinking "woah where'd that come from". I think this may have been a failing of having such an emotionally distanced narrative voice. I didn't get the feel that there were big emotions at play until suddenly there was murder and blood magic happening.
Again, over all, a middling experience for me.

"Everything comes with time and work and patience. Or at least most things."


3.5✩
➸YA Clean Fantasy

Short Summary:
I was Father's heir now, and one day I'd be queen. But when I looked at Mother, Adana, and Orla and imagined flying, somehow the thought of being queen didn't comfort me.

As next in line to the throne, Kiar will be responsible for protecting the human kingdom of Valenia. The middle of three daughters of King Tir and Queen Tianis, a woman of the swanfolk, Kiar is devastated when her sisters are able to take swan form and she is not.

When three young swanfolk arrive to be fostered in the royal family, her friendship with spirited Willow and growing feelings for tall, thoughtful Tuan make her feel even more different. Her inability to change shape is not the only problem Kiar faces; the king of neighboring Noermark is determined to bring Valenia under his rule, either by force or by guile. He send his son to ask for her hand in marriage.

Facing down a human enemy is one thing, but when dark magic threatens the kingdom and tragedy pulls the family apart, it's up to Kiar and her swanfolk friends to defeat the supernatural forces before Valenia falls.

My thoughts:

This was a pretty good book! I would have given this a higher rating, but literally nothing interesting happened until like 65% in and the pacing was super confusing. Anyways, the last 35% of the book were super enjoyable and very very intriguing! I would definitely recommend this to anyone with a lot of patience :) But don't get me wrong, the wait was worth it!

✨Thank you to NetGalley, Elizabeth Creith, and the Type Eighteen Books for proving me with an ARC!✨

Blending themes of identity, loyalty and bravery with a background of political intrigue and family relations. I really enjoyed the first novel in Elizabeth Creith's upcoming trilogy. I found the characters interesting with each one having their own unique personalities and voices that make them feel three-dimensional. I also loved the world-building and I hope the next two books will expand more on the Kingdoms of Valenia and Noermark. My only issue with The Swan Harp is that the pacing is a bit uneven at points.

Overall, The Swan Harp was an interesting read that melds its themes and plot very well. I can't wait to read the rest of The Wings of Valenia Trilogy. Highly recommend if you love a fantasy series on par with Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Ross or Holly Black.

Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Swan Harp" offers a blend of political intrigue, familial dynamics, and magical elements that create a compelling narrative. Kiar's struggle with her identity and her place in the royal family adds depth to the story, as does her relationships with Tuan and Willow.

However, while the world-building and character development are good, I found the pacing of the story feels uneven at times, with certain plot points rushed while others linger unnecessarily. Additionally, some aspects of the magical elements introduced in the book could have been further explored and integrated into the narrative to enhance the overall story

Overall, "The Swan Harp" is an enjoyable read with strong themes of identity, loyalty, and bravery. While it may not reach the heights of other fantasy novels in its genre, it still offers a satisfying adventure for readers looking for a mix of magic and politics in a medieval setting.

Thank you to netgalley and Elizabeth for giving me early access to this book in exchange for a honest review.

I was originally going to give it 2 stars, maybe 3 at a push, as it was a very slow start with a lot of time jumps between festivals throughout the year, and it felt like a lot of filler with nothing really happening. However, from around the midway point, it really picks up and I couldn't put it down, which really boosted my rating for this story.

This book follows three sisters; Adana, Kiar and Orla. It's told entirely from Kiar's POV, and follows her journey in training to become queen, as her older sister is to rule the swan-folk, and younger sister to become a wise-woman.
There's a lot of political intrigue in this book, and I really liked how it was handled, and seeing Kiar's journey from the middle child to being ready to become queen of her kingdom, even if it wasn't what she initially wanted. The "filler" that I criticised from the start of the book was definitely relevant when the villain is revealed, and all that's been put in place whilst they cook up their plan. I liked the villain, even if it was a little bit predictable. I liked how many steps were needed to defeat the villain too.
Overall, it's a decent enough story, and I think it could have been fleshed out a little bit more, just to give some more character development to other characters - I feel like Willow and Taun only existed to shadow Kiar, but who are they really?

I think the synopsis is a little misleading; I don't feel Kiar was struggling with her growing feelings for Tuan - it wasn't something she thought about much other than finding comfort in him, and there's nothing romantic about their relationship until the end. I feel like it's being pushed into marketing it as a romantasy, and I do feel that's a mistake just because not every book needs romance. This book has a lot of romantic drama without looking into Kiar's and Taun's relationships. The synopsis also states Kiar's "inability to change shape", which is only an issue for a very small section of the book, so again, feels irrelevant to the whole story...

I think it's interesting that it's made clear there will be at least a sequel, as all the ends seem well tied, but ok, sure? It felt like a standalone to me.
I liked it, it felt cozy, however, I'm not sure about a sequel...

4 stars - a slow start leads to an explosive finale that kept me on the edge of my seat, The Swan Harp has the makings of a brilliant series. There are some pacing issues, with the first 70% having no real action other than world-building, relationship set up and a couple of crucial points set in, the remaining 30% was gripping. It was a book of 2 halves but I really enjoyed it. The twist was fairly obvious but I enjoyed the ride getting there, with well developed characters.

Going into this book I went in completely blind other than I knew it was a fantasy with swan shifters and kingdoms. I enjoyed the world building and history within the book, even between the sisters. That being said, it was a bit slow paced getting into the book with the bulk of the action taking a while to get to. I don’t think this book is entirely for me, but would fit well with a new reader or a young adult getting into fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC and give my honest review.

Apologies to the author as I know they worked very hard ok this book and I am giving this book a 1.75 star rating.

Things I liked:
-loved the cover and that's what drew me to the book immediately
-liked the shifters as I have not read a swan shifting book before
-liked some of the worldbuilding

What did not work:

-this is a middle grade book, not young adult.
-this book is said to be for fans of Sarah J. Maas and I think that is extremely misleading for readers
-I almost DNFd this book multiple times and started it at the end of February and only finished it today (3.31.24)
-this book was so unbelievably slow like nothing happened for the bulk of the book and there were numerous filler scenes where readers were just learning what food the characters were eating
-I felt no pull to any character in this book. They all fell flat, their descriptions were beige at best, and they had no personalities
-this I don't think can be categorized as "slow burn romance". There was no actual romance until like the last 2 chapters.
-the PLOT. This was the hardest part for me and my biggest issue with this book. The plot made literally no sense. There was so much thrown into this book necessarily that when the "twist" came it felt frivolous. I still don't fully understand the actual point of this book, I have no idea how it will be a series but I will unfortunately not be reading the rest.

I think as a debut, and it's my understand this is a debut, I can give grace which is why I rated it 1.75 stars. But I don't know that I could recommend this to other people.

This was a refreshing fantasy read that felt very unique and was able to focus on family dynamics with just a little romance thrown in. LOVED that the main characters were swan shifters (maybe because I'm a Barbie Swan Lake fan??) It's cozy yet sometimes eerie. The ending really surprised me and there's going to be a book two that hopefully expands the world into the swan kingdom.

The Swan Harp is an engaging adult/teen fantasy story full of magic and detailed world building.

The story is written from the perspective of Kiar, the protagonist who struggles with her identity as part swanfolk and chosen heir to the human throne, destined to save Velania, the medieval world where humans and swanfolk live in harmony.

It was an engaging and enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the eARC of this book.

“I was Father's heir now, and one day I'd be queen. But when I looked at Mother, Adana, and Orla and imagined flying, somehow the thought of being queen didn't comfort me.” - Kiar

The Swan Harp was a lovely book for the teenage demographic of the YA spectrum. Especially those who may be familiar with the story of the Swan Princess animated films from the early to mid-nineties just with a tad higher stakes and family drama. Goodreads has a mention of the story being “perfect” for fans of Sarah J. Maas among others and I’m sorry to disagree. The story was atmospheric and charming in places with a touch of adventure towards the end. I did enjoy the story over all but it did take a while for it to truly pull me in. Disclaimer, I’m in my thirties and went in expecting something a bit more in the realm of Throne of Glass - due to the recommendation blurb - and this story was more along the lines of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden to me.

The world building and history behind the family/lands was really soothing to read, the dynamic between the sisters very believable and the found family aspect in Kiar’s swanfolk friends was great! That being said, it was a bit slow paced getting into the book with the bulk of the action taking a while to get to. This book is also noted to be the first in a series so there is room for expanding yet I would be remiss to say that, at least for me, I feel like the way it ended was well wrapped up and in no apparent need for more to come. I would recommend this story for teenagers first getting into fantasy as it was a gentle step into the vast genre but might not be the most enjoyable book for those of us that are well versed in a ton of varying styles of fantasy novels.

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Thank you NetGalley and Type Eighteen Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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The Swan Harp by Elizabeth Creith had an interesting fantasy premise that delivered. With that said it was slow to start, but once I hit the half way point I couldn't put it down. The novel follows Kiar, the middle daughter of the King of Valenia and his wife who is a swan shifter. As she discovers who she is and what it takes to rule a kingdom, she has to watch as her sisters gain their swan wings while she still waits. Paired with an unexpected plot twist that reveals who the real villian of the story is Kiar proves herself to be a strong female heroine character. Add in a touch of slow burn romance and you have a beautifully written story.

Young Adult
Themes of jealousy, self discovery, and overcoming obstacles.
Romance with no spice

I went into this book with my hopes up a little too high I think. I read the intriguing description, saw the small blurb about it being geared toward fans of Holly Black, and saw the beautiful cover.

But, the overall reading experience for this book falls entirely flat. It wasn’t until I was 60 to 70% through the story that interesting things began to unfold. But the villain’s entrance to the story felt cartoonish and almost like something out of a Disney movie (and not in a good way).

The book is not advertised as being middle grade writing, but the simplistic nature of it makes it such.

There was not one single character in this book that I felt attached to or cared about. That was the part that made this the most difficult for me to finish. I almost DNF’d this several times, but decided to push on regardless.

I really can’t wrap my mind around the fact this book is going to be a trilogy when the first book made it so difficult for anyone to be invested in the storyline or the extremely flat characters. Not to mention the lacking romance (there’s only one kiss and zero chemistry).

Overall, I really don’t think this book was for me.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. And while I'll still be posting an honest review publicly, I wanted to be more thorough here.

1. Marketing it as something for SJM and Holly Black fans is doing the story a disservice. I think that places lofty expectations on the series and a lot of readers will come away disappointed by the comparison.
2. It felt a little on the young side of YA. It definitely told a coming-of-age story for the young Kiar but for older readers, it came across a little juvenile.
3. The first 75% gave cozy fairytale vibes and the last 25% was more dark fantasy (which was more in line with the cover art).

What worked:
- Kiar's day-to-day life: Her journey felt real and authentic. Her reactions were true to her age and she matured over the course of the story in a way that would make her a believable queen.
- Orla's darkness: From the first mention of her being a black swan, I was excited for a Swan Lake, Black Swan, Swan Princess kind of retelling. So I was happy when she ended up being the villain of this story.
- The swanfolk: This was such a cool and unique magical element to the story. I wanted to know more about the magic and the politics of the Swanfolk's kingdom.

What didn't work:
- The pacing: If this had just been a cozy fairytale retelling, following Kiar's day-to-day, season after season would've worked. But we went along with this pacing for about 75% of the book to the last 25%, which only spanned a few days. I feel like the balance of setting up the characters and the world was disproportionate to the story's conflict, which didn't reveal itself until the last quarter.
- The conflict: It was revealed so late and resolved so quickly. While I loved the misdirection of the Noermark threat, the stakes weren't high enough to really get invested in either conflict. The Orla reveal was a nice twist, but I think there should've been more tension built up between the sisters for a more emotional betrayal.
- Orla's motivation: Yes, as a young girl with a crush I can see how she would've meddled with Gil. But I'm not really sure what she had against Kiar. Orla seemed to have her mother's favor, and her black swan magic made her just as, if not more, special as her sisters. I didn't really see where the extreme jealousy manifested so her dark side felt a little too far-fetched.

I'm intrigued by the idea of this being a trilogy because this story felt like everything wrapped up nicely. There isn't really a lingering conflict that would encourage readers to anticipate the next books.

Overall, Elizabeth Creith is a great storyteller and knows her FMC well. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for access to this digital ARC. The following review is based on my own enjoyment and understanding of the title. Interesting mid-level read! I think this title is perfect for younger persons and teens looking for an introduction to the world of fantasy. Prior to this title there weren’t many stories or lore surrounding swan people that I could recall outside of the brief mention of harpies in the video game BG3. This book was refreshing in its relaxed mode of delivering content albeit a bit of a slow journey with simplistic tone. I am glad that I held on until the ending, with the last 100 pages helping the story come full circle for book one, though I’m not sure what book two will hold for us. I think that the newer generation of readers will like this one! Major themes: shapeshifting, ya fantasy, medieval, coming of age.

While I enjoyed experiencing Kiars everyday life and following her around, which felt very cozy, this book was very slow paced (and I'm not talking about the slow burn romance). Nothing really happened and I found myself spacing out and getting bored here and there.

Unfortunately the premise of the book promised a lot more, than actually happened.

Thank you to Net Galley for this Arc. I found this book a bit on the confusing side. It was marketed as a romance fantasy, but very slowly unfolded, and I found it more of a day-to-day journal. I wasn’t able to fully engage with this book and the way that I was hoping to.