A. B. Poranek queen of making me shit tears at the endings

this book was marvellous, so atmospheric and fairytale like and also momentarily scary, I was feeling every emotion possible

Odile, I love her and her scheming, she can do no wrong and Marie, my swan princess made me cry on two separate occasions and that sloooow burn was perfect

this sapphic Swan lake retelling was everything I was hoping it'll be and much more, there were twists I did not seen coming, that left my jaw on the floor and it was so dreamy, it pulled me right into the story and didn't let go until I finished it

and what was that ending??? left me in shambles just like Where the dark stands still did

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

A Treachery of Swans is a beautiful gothic sapphic reimagining of Swan Lake - with a little mystery thrown into the pot for good measure 🦢✨

This book also contains the most heart-wrenching and soul shattering dedication I fear.

This was atmospheric and vivid and AH it was beautiful. I adored Odile and Marie’s relationship and I wish we would’ve seen more of them together in the first half of the book (but only because I’m greedy and they’re precious and I absolutely love them).

Thank you endlessly to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

A Treachery of Swans is a hauntingly beautiful reimagining of Swan Lake, woven with threads of magic, longing, and rebellion. A.B. Poranek delivers a story that is as sharp and precise as it is dreamlike—where every deception feels like a dance, and every moment of connection carries the weight of a kingdom.

At the center of the story is Odile, a girl raised in the shadows of a magicless world, trained by a sorcerer to pull off a high-stakes heist that could reshape her country’s fate. Her mission? Steal a crown, restore magic, and do it all from within the heart of the enemy: the royal court. But nothing goes to plan. A sudden murder shatters her careful strategy, and Odile is forced into an uneasy alliance with Marie—the very princess she was meant to deceive. What follows is a slow-burning unraveling of secrets, shifting loyalties, and a romance that defies everything Odile thought she stood for.

Poranek’s writing is captivating from the very first page. The world of Auréal—steeped in French-inspired opulence and cloaked in fear of forbidden magic—feels both richly textured and deeply atmospheric. It’s rare to find a standalone fantasy that builds such a layered setting without ever losing momentum, but this one manages it with elegance and precision.

What truly elevates A Treachery of Swans, though, is the emotional core. Odile is fierce and flawed, guided as much by grief and guilt as by purpose. Her relationship with Marie unfolds slowly and organically, never rushed, and brimming with quiet intensity. Their dynamic is tender, complicated, and beautifully written—the kind of queer romance that feels both revolutionary and deeply personal. As the plot deepens and their bond grows, readers are asked to consider the cost of change, the nature of trust, and the meaning of sacrifice.

While there are political intrigues and plot twists (including a murder mystery that adds urgency and stakes), the heart of this novel lies in its characters. Even the side figures, like Odile’s enigmatic brother or the charming but troubled prince, are rendered with nuance, hinting at fuller lives beyond the page. And though the central conflict builds to a satisfying climax, the emotional resolution lingers even longer.

A Treachery of Swans is a masterful blend of romance, rebellion, and gothic fantasy—a story about finding yourself in the very place you were told you didn’t belong. It's perfect for fans of lush prose, high-stakes heists, and love stories that bloom against all odds.

A retelling of Swan Lake with sapphic rep and dark gothic writing.

I’m a sucker for anything gothic so even though I don’t know much about Swan Lake (except my favourite film as a kid the Swan princess) I was immediately intrigued.

At the beginning I was quite confused as to what was was going on, but once I got past that, I found this to be an intriguing read and even though it wasn’t exactly what I expected, or what I would usually reach for, I did overall enjoy the book and can see this being very popular for YA readers

Where The Dark Stands Still was one of my favorite reads of 2025 and I often find a second book never quite matches it first but thankfully that wasn't the case with A Treachery of Swans! Atmospheric, gothic and brutally tender, A Treachery of Swans is the novel my teenage self longed for and I'm happy to have finally got it as an adult.

This was a very enjoyable read, a twist on the Swan Lake story. Our MFC could be annoying at times - she was so convinced she was the villain of her story, so eager to fall into bad habits and lash out at others before they could do the same to her. It didn't matter if it was her love interest, her brother, she was so scared of letting them in, that she pushed them away. Which, after it happened for what felt like the 50th time, did start to grate, but it was worth it to carry on reading.

Yes, some of it was predictable, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story, following along the twists and turns. Almost every side character was well fleshed out and a delight to behold - aside from perhaps the King and the Regent. I really liked the Step-Queen and the subversion she offered the story.

One little touch I particularly liked was the naming of the chapters. They were all 'scenes' and settings. It added to the theatrical, otherworldly nature of the tale.

I'm in two minds about the ending. On one hand I really appreciate this is a stand alone and that it actually *has* an ending - so many books in a series feel as though they've just been split for length rather than a book in their own right. And yet. And yet, the last few chapters set up a world of adventure, of a story that rivalled everything that came before, and we just skipped over it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc
This has been a book that I’ve been excited for all year.
I loved how this was a retelling of the classic Swan Lake but the mystery aspect of this was also enjoyable.
The family dynamic, the past relationships were all written amazingly and I can’t wait to find out if this story continues

A Treachery of Swans is a retelling of the classic Swan Lake fairytale. It has a setting inspired by 17th century France, which I loved, and it worked so well with the magic and betrayals. It was beautifully written and I fell into the world and into the characters. For a moment there, at the end, I thought there might have been a sequel coming, and I didn't hate that idea at all!

Going into this book, I absolutely loved the blurb but was a bit worried about the fact it was in the YA category, only because I've been burned recently by a lot of YA that only had surface level characters and predictable plot, which I think is doing a disservice to YA readers. So I was very relieved that A Treachery of Swans didn't suffer from that at all. The FMC, Odile, and her love interest, Marie, may be young, but it's not a shallow book. The characters and the plot both have depth and complexity. There isn't open door romance (just one scene that alludes to what happened between Odile and Marie in a non-graphic way), which makes it appropriate for YA, but it also didn't "feel too young" to me as a 37 year old reader who just wanted to enjoy a slow-burn sapphic, gothic fantasy romance.

In this case, this book was even better than the blurb suggested. I laughed out loud, I smiled, I teared up and I crossed my fingers for a HEA for Odile and Marie.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.