"The Swan Harp" offers a unique twist on the young adult/teen fantasy genre. The story is written in the POV of Kiar, a protagonist who grapples with her identity as part swan-folk and heir to the human throne, destined to save Velania. The book weaves together elements of family dynamics, politics, magic, and betrayal, creating an intriguing premise.

While the initial portion of the book focuses on Kiar's daily struggles and her journey towards self-acceptance, it's the latter part where the plot truly gains momentum, injecting much-needed action and excitement into the narrative.

However, my enjoyment of the book was somewhat hindered by the characterisation, which felt somewhat two-dimensional. Additionally, the inconsistency in character portrayal between the earlier and later portions of the book, especially regarding the antagonist, left me feeling disoriented.

Overall, "The Swan Harp" is an enjoyable read that may appeal to younger audiences, as I found the writing style to be a bit too juvenile for my tastes.

DNF at 57%

It seems like "The Swan Harp" delves into themes of identity, friendship, and the responsibility that comes with power. Kiar's struggle with her inability to transform into a swan, along with external threats to her kingdom and family, sets the stage for a compelling narrative about resilience and courage. The dynamics between Kiar and her sisters, as well as her growing connection with the swanfolk, add depth to the story. Overall, it appears to be a captivating blend of fantasy and adventure.

NetGalley, thank you for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ultimately, I decided to DNF around 33% of the way through. The book had an exciting premise with a world of shifters I’ve never read about before, but the execution left a lot to be desired.

This book was marketed as suspenseful, but within the 100 pages I read, almost nothing happened. How can a book be suspenseful if the only somewhat suspenseful part is when the sisters shifted for the first time?

Maybe I’m just not the market audience for this author’s writing style, but I was bored and unattached to every character through the majority of the book.

The Swap Harp is a wonderful slow burn romance about swanfolk and humans, with a fairy tale feeling to the story. We are placed in a story where the world is well built and the reader can really feel connected to the story and the characters. It was such a unique twist on shifters. I felt like I could really connect to Kiar and the different emotions she felt connected with the differing relations she has with her family.

A lovely story and I really enjoyed this read. Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

This books concept was unique and i dont think its the right book for me. i got through about 4-5ish chapters and felt confused but i believe people will enjoy it but sadly it wasnt for me.

Nothing happens in this book until about 60-70% and whilst I enjoyed reading about the daily life of the main character (it felt almost like a cosy-ish medieval fantasy but with a very slow pace) I have to emphasise again that literally nothing happens until the last few chapters. Lots of times books do this to build up strong connections to the main / side characters … ummm not this novel.

Kiar was the FMC and I liked her but she was incredibly 2D. The rest of the side characters, all her sisters and even her love interest fell super flat too. There is no distinguishing characteristics about any of them, even the descriptions of their appearances only go as far as ‘he was pale skinned and dark haired / she was fair haired’. Character development is a feature of a novel that when done well you don’t notice, but when done poorly you just end up not believing any of the characters’ actions.

Because of this when the action ramps up at the 60% mark and the villain emerges you’re like ‘what?’ as their villainous-ness is not believable at all. Secondly, up until this point in the novel, I was thinking how happy and healthy Kiar’s family is as there is little conflict and when there is they resolve it well. And then BAM! in the last third of the book almost every member of her family go batsh*t crazy and start acting out of character. It was really odd, and made for an unsatisfying ending.

My final criticism is that this is definitely middle grade in genre due to the simple writing style (I read it in one afternoon) and had I know this, I probably wouldn’t have requested it.

Overall, I enjoyed the read as it gave me cosy fantasy / medieval slice of life vibes. I enjoyed it enough not to DNF but in hindsight the entire plot pacing and characterisation of every single character needs to be improved upon.

PS - how is there a sequel to this? there is no cliffhanger and it read like a standalone. But even if there is I won’t read it, sorry

This YA fantasy, featuring shapeshifting magic, medieval settings, and a captivating cover, blends the elegance of "The Swan Harp" with the coming-of-age essence of "East" by Edith Pattou. Set in the kingdom of Valenia, the tale follows Princess Kiar, part human and part swanfolk, as she navigates the complexities of her lineage and destiny.

Initially, the narrative unfolds at a gentle pace, allowing for the gradual development of Kiar and her companions. While the characters lack uniqueness, a deeper exploration of their emotions and actions could enhance their depth. Despite some repetitive language and grammatical errors, the story captivates with its enchanting world and magical elements.

As the plot unfolds, political intrigue and romantic entanglements propel the story forward, leading to a crescendo of action in the latter half. Although Kiar's decisions may frustrate at times, her journey resonates with authenticity and relatability.

Overall, while the premise holds promise, the execution falls short due to pacing issues. With adjustments, this well-crafted novel has the potential to shine, earning it a solid recommendation for fans of YA fantasy.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending this arc.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I didn't think the plot went anywhere much at all. But I found the idea of swan people interesting which is why I requested it.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an ebook ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book has a pretty cover and an interesting summary on the back, but that's about where it ends. The writing is good and there's only a few errors that don't really affect the reading experience. One issue I did have was that sometimes the characters will repeat the exact same thing on the same page, sometimes even in the same paragraph. The plot and characters are lacking.

Nothing interesting happens in this book until the ending. I was legit 70% of the way through it when the first interesting thing happened. Before that, I feel like you could skip half of those chapters and you are not missing a single thing.

The things that are mentioned in the summary for the book happen within the first 10 or so chapters. I knew she was going to get her wings and the summary made it seem like it was going to be something that happened at the crux of the book, but I think she gets them in the 9th chapter or something. It was an issue where you blink and it's over. All the issues were like that. There's a part where her parents basically take her wings away and she is devastated, but this doesn't last more than a few chapters before she's able to fly again. None of the issues felt like they made any impact except for the last one with Orla and the harp.

It was hard for me to care about any of the characters besides Kiar. All of them are one dimensional and they just don't do anything. The villain especially came out of nowhere and they didn't have that much characterization before they did what they did. And their actions were so cartoonish, I found myself laughing when serious stuff was taking place. Their motivations come out of nowhere and it was just really weird to see it play out the way it did.

This book does shine in the last act though. Once I got over the fact that the villain just wasn't for me, I really liked the way the final showdown went. It was cool and I liked seeing Kiar really coming to her own and gain some agency. I just wished the entire book had me hooked like those final few chapters did.

I give this book 4 stars because I really loved the plot but there were things that I didn't quite understood. But it's an amazing book.

I did enjoy this book. the world that was built as well as the magic surounding the main family. I did have a few issues with the pacing and felt like it went left and right and time jumped alot. I didn't get a chance to really spend time with the characters in the main part of the story I felt. I really enjoyed the connection of the sisters but it felt like the story jumped around to much for me. That being said I would recomend his book as a fantastic world and if it's a serise then I do plan to continue and hope that it slows down a bit in the pacing so we can really enjoy the moments.

Thank you NetGalley and Elizabeth Creith for this arc!

Semi-Quick Summary:

Kiar is one of three daughters born from a human king and a swan shifter princess. As the sisters start to grow and mature, they start showing signs of their mother’s heritage. To spur this on and increase relations between the humans and the swans, their mother decides to foster three other swan children to grow up with her own.

But as years pass, there’s worry that Kiar will never be able to shift like the other women in her family, so she is named her father’s heir and told to embrace her human heritage more wholeheartedly. In doing so, she learns how to fight, takes diplomatic lessons from her father, and is courted by sons from a neighboring enemy land.

As events in her everyday life unfold, dark magic slowly starts corrupting her friends and family. When an accident takes her sister’s life, Kiar is forced to step up and defeat the evil presence that’s ripping apart her family.

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2.5 ⭐️

Light spoiler review:

Honestly that was a really hard summary to write because while reading it was REALLY hard to figure out what the plot of this book really was. Like what were the stakes? What was the goal? Where was this story leading?

I thought the Noermarkers were supposed to be the main foe, but as the book went on nothing seemed to develop there. And then there was family drama and illnesses, and I didn’t really feel that any of that was big enough to impact the plot in a big way - but I guess I was wrong lol.

But the book as a whole felt really low stakes the whole time. There just wasn’t much happening throughout the whole book, besides every day life and festivals popping up every other chapter. The world building also felt a bit light too, like it was explained that black swans have magic but not what that magic was/what it could do.

The friends to lovers romance was light as well and I’m not sure you can include SJM in a blurb if it’s THIS light 🤷‍♀️

Two last picky things haha: 1. Willow REALLY got on my nerves, idk what it was about her character but she caused several problems through the book and it irked me. 2. That sheep skin game/story about tenderizing meat was so random and a bit disturbing lol not a fan 😬

All that to be said, I didn’t hate it - I did read it in a day to be fair so it was entertaining enough for me to keep going but I was also itching for it to be over and almost DNF’d a few times🤷‍♀️

This was such a good read! I was immediately sucked into the story and could not get enough of the characters. I went on a full emotional journey with these characters and I really enjoyed it. The book was easy to read and kept a good pace where I was never bored. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

Following the point of view of Kiar, you are thrust into a world alike to The Swan Princess - only this one has magic and wonderful worldbuilding. Its a slower paced story that immerses you into the world of princesses, swans, castles, love, and magic. While Kiar has always wanted to be a swanling, a human who can shift into a swan at will, it seemed that she might never get the privilege. Her sister Adana, the eldest daughter, made the change. And when her young sister, Orla made the change as well, Kiar was sure she would be doomed to never become a swanling.

For most of the book, I believed this would be about a massive territory battle between Kiar's territory and Noermark's want to steal the territory by any means necessary. Subtly, there was an even more interesting underlying plot that centered around the sisters and their lives. When things got to the crisis point, I was thoroughly invested in the turnout of the story. Rooting for Kiar, while also hoping there was an open ending that could hint at a second book. But it does seem that this story is well ended and answers all the questions readers might have.

If you're looking for a cozy, slower paced book with sisterly bonds, love, risk and reward, this is an amazing book to pick up in April 2024.

The book and the story were lovely and it read like an embrace. It almost has more old timey fairy tale qualities to it. The writing does consistently feel like a babbling creek even at moments you expect the story maybe to be more stormy ocean. That might not be for everyone but I enjoyed it. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the next in the series.

This was such an unexpectedly amazing read!! With no boring moments or chapters, I am now looking forward to the rest of the story as well. Thank you for my advance copy!!

Let me start out by saying that I am a fan of Sarah J. Maas books and seeing that this would be in that vein had me very excited. I was expecting to read a YA novel; however, this has more of a MG book feel to it. The story is slow to start it takes over half of the book for much action to happen. With that said, I did enjoy the book to some degree and may have enjoyed it more if I did not have preconcieved notions going in. The cover is quite lovely and ties in nicely with the story.

4 stars

The Swan Harp was reminiscent of East by Edith Pattou. A coming of age story of the heir of the throne of Valenia.

Part human, part swanfolk, Princess Kiar learns through trials and tribulations what it will take to one day rule the kingdom. I enjoyed the simplicity of the swanfolk kingdom, and the magic that lingered in the background throughout the novel.

The plot is filled with unwavering loyalty, fierce friends, and character growth. I teared up between the relationship between Kiar and her father, and loved the king and queens devotion to each other. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Language: mild, a few uses of H
Spice: one kiss
Content warning: death

It feels like re-reading one of those fairy tales of yesteryear! Is it normal for me to get a Barbie in Swan Lake vibe?

I don't know, but I liked that fantasy feel of an old story you might have been read as a child, but in a broader context.

We find ourselves in a realm where the characters can become swans. You see the connection with my previous reference. In this kingdom we find three princesses of which two can turn into swans, while the middle one Kiar cannot, this makes her envious and sad because she feels excluded from her family.
But in addition, because of this condition she is groomed as the heiress of her kingdom, where she must learn to fight and strategy.

The magic subtly woven into the pages comes to life as the story builds with the passing of the pages.

It wasn't until the end of the story that I learned that it was not a self-conclusive but a trilogy, so I understand why they left the ending at such a shocking point.

I must say that the story has a slow build up, not only of the world but also of the characters, some of them leave much to be desired, but since there will be more books of this world, surely there will be more development and maybe some of them will be less annoying.

There's a hinted romance without going deep, so if you're looking for a potential romantasy, let me tell you to wait and see if the next ones have more, because with the first one you won't have that as a focal point.

Do I recommend this story? Yeah, sure. It's a fairly easy going fantasy and the touch of classic story makes it all the more gripping.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy and putting me on to a story I might not have read otherwise.

#TheSwanHarp #NetGalley

Let me first say that I don’t think this should be marketed as YA, but pre-teen middle grade. If it had been marketed as that, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more—and I think others would to because they’d know better what to expect. I also feel like the cover is misleading. It gives “dark fairytale” vibes but that’s not what this is. It’s a nice fairytale story that has a friends-to-lovers trope.

The plot was interesting enough, but I wouldn’t say I adored the main character. I did want to see how things played out and didn’t totally see the events at the end coming. I wanted to see how the MC would fare. She’s actually probably one of the more relatable MCs I’ve read recently, in that she was actually fairly average. She made some wise decisions, but otherwise was fairly plain. So many books these days feature a “plain” “average” FMC, but in reality these young women are anything but. Kiar, on the other hand was pretty vanilla and that’s ok—especially for middle grade readers.

THIS IS NOT YA/NA.