A beauiful, haunting book that interweaves the French Revolution with tragic family past. Helene is striving for her own space in the world, but is held back by the past and her family tragedy. As the French Revolution begins, she is targeted by friends and family alike. As worlds crumble, Helene attempts to stay true to herself.

This is such a fantastic combination of 2 of my favorite genres; Historical Fiction and YA. Everything was absolutely enjoyable about this story of the French Revolution.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This is a novel about the French Revolution. I thought the author did an excellent job in depicting the horrors of the French Revolution as well as show the decaying glamour of Marie Antoinette’s court. I like Helene as a character. She seemed very smart and often questioned her lifestyle. The only thing I disliked was the love triangle. It seemed inappropriate and creepy in a young adult novel. Still, I recommend for fans of Enchantee, The Bad Queen, and The Lacemaker and the Princess!

Initial Thoughts
I love historical fiction so I was super excited to get a copy of this book in NetGalley.

Some Things I Liked
Both the French Revolution and the American Revolution in one book! I loved the historical elements and they were so well done here. I felt like I learned a lot and it made me want to learn more about the time.
The mysteries. The lies, secrets, and mysteries made this so much more than just a historical fiction story.
Heartbreaking moments. This book had a full spectrum of emotions but I never stopped rooting for Helene!

Series Value
I think this book would be best as a standalone but I’d love to read more from this author.

Final Thoughts
I was pretty sure I’d like this book but I ended up LOVING it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Every time I read a historical fiction I am reminded about how much I love them. This was a heartbreaking but hopeful story about how love never dies, especially during times of war. I loved the hero and heroine. Definitely recommend.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

Set in revolutionary France, this enchanting historical fiction kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I really enjoyed the switching POVs of the Abbaye Prison and the couple of years leading up to that point. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout. I loved the way that mythology was woven through the story too.

Great YA historical fiction, beautiful prose. If you’re a fan of historical fiction and French history/politics, you’ll want to pick this one up.

I didn't expect this to be much as it has a funky cover and it sounds well a bit like rehashed material that has been used to often. I was happily surprised at how well written this was and how much I enjoyed it. From the first page I had to know what was coming next and what was all happening much as I am sure the character felt in the story.

In revolutionary Paris, the secrets behind an eerie set of brooches will either send Hélène d’Aubign to the guillotine or save her life.



OMG THIS BOOK IS AMAZING

I’m going to have to DNF this one. I am finding it awfully hard to follow with all the different timelines. Maybe if I pick this physically instead of reading it digitally it will be easier, but I have no idea.

I really loved reading the Nemesis and the Swan. I was completely and utterly absorbed by the plot, I felt like I was transported to a different place and time. I feel a book must be important to do that. I would absolutely recommend this one to anyone ✨

A French revolutionary tale of privilege, downfall, love, loss, and everything in between, Nemesis and the Swan by Lindsay K. Bandy is fast-moving and always unexpected, offering a new twist, perspective, and idea in every chapter. Through a unique time-jumping structure, Nemesis and the Swan details the not-so-perfect life of a young aristocrat as she navigates a Paris unlike anything she has known before.

Set in revolutionary Paris, Nemesis and the Swan takes an interesting approach to French revolution-inspired fiction, telling the tale from the perspective of a young aristocrat whose life moves quickly from luxury and grandeur to a steady series of falls from grace. Lindsay K. Bandy has more than done her research when it comes to this story’s historical setting, and the result is a clever, informative, authentic-feeling narrative with well-built settings and believable perspectives of 1700s Paris.

Nemesis and the Swan follows nineteen-year-old Hélène d’Aubign. Informed of early radical ideas by her once governess, Hélène is not quite the aristocrat her family expects her to be, seeking a life beyond the conventions of her station. Amidst an increasingly violent Paris, Hélène finds love and loses it, and she is forced to face quickly changing, always difficult circumstances. Throughout the story, chapters flip back and forth between time periods, showing a free Hélène and an imprisoned Hélène before arriving at a present day. These temporal shifts are clever, innovative, and effective in showing all aspects of Hélène’s journey.

Nemesis and the Swan is a tale of truth, love, power, and revolution. I’d recommend it to fans of Madame Tussaud’s Apprentice by Kathleen Benner Duble.

AHHH! Nemesis and the Swan was a fabulous YA historical fiction! I could not put this book down. I loved the setting, the characters and the events. Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book is set in France. The pacing of this story is good. The writing style by this author is good. The family relationships are good. The secrets will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can't wait to read more books by this author in the future.  This book will be in stores tomorrow for $18.99 (USD). I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone.

VERY IMPRESSIVE HISTORICAL YA ABOUT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

I love YA and I love historical fiction - but rarely have a found a YA historical fiction book that actually appealed to me. This was one of the rare ones. What's most amazing is, that I can't really put my finger on what is was, that separated this from the others, made this one stand out in a positive way. But since I enjoyed it, I won't question it too much.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Mystery: There's something mysteries about Helene and her family. They are French aristocrats in the late 18th century, meaning right around the time of the French Revolution. I really enjoyed delving into the drama and the intrigue going on in Helene's family. It was done very well, even though I did figure it out quite some time before Helene herself did.

Setting: The mystery of Helene's family was even more interesting set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. The fact that they are aristocratic just made it all the more interesting.

Dual timelines: In this book we follow Helene from two different points in time. When we first meet her, she is taken prisoner in 1792. In alternating chapters, we see how Helene gets on in prison and we go back in time to figure out, how she wound up there. I really liked this aspect of the book and it made me want to keep reading!

This story was amazing!! It really gave me The Count of Monte Cristo vibes which was great because its one of my favorites. It was a page turner that I could not put down. I finished this in just over 5 hours and I would pick it up again in a heartbeat. It's a powerful story in a time that women weren't supposed to be asking questions. As well as one spectacular love triangle!! I loved the flow and feel of the story as it transported me to that time. I think those who love this time period or historical romances in general will fall hard for this one. This is one story that once you start it you won't want to be freed until the very last page.

I love historical fiction, and I am particularly a sucker for books set during the French Revolution (for which I credit Victor Hugo and Les Miserables, of course!). So I knew right away that I wanted to read Nemesis and the Swan when I heard about it, and jumped at the chance to take part in this tour. We start off with our main character, Hélène, being carted off to prison in 1792, during a time of great upheaval due to the French Revolution. The Reign of Terror hasn’t officially started, but Robespierre, Danton, and their compatriots seem to have taken the upper hand. As the days pass, in prison for she knows not what, Hélène relays her story to us. The book is a quick read because you don’t want to put it down, always wondering what’s going to happen next in Hélène’s life and what has led to her imprisonment.

Hélène is the daughter of a Marquis, part of a noble family in Paris. We learn that an early governess of Hélène’s planted the seeds of rebellion and liberty; the governess is dismissed by her father, although, it seems, not soon enough to prevent revolutionary ideas from blossoming within Hélène. She struggles to justify her own privilege when faced with the inequalities she sees on the streets, and she chafes at her relationship with her family, in particular her mother. After her father is killed by a mob and she flees with her mother to her mother’s estranged family, Hélène learns all kinds of secrets about her family history, including about the death of her mother’s sister, who was possibly murdered. Ultimately, Hélène escapes her family and heads back to Paris, burdened by these secrets and trying to find the boy she loves, and everything snowballs from there.

I really enjoyed the pace of the story, as well as the storytelling device. Having Hélène relay her story to us from a prison cell is so smart, as we are caught up in racing to find out the fate of three stories - what really happened to her mother’s sister, what has led to Hélène ending up in prison, and what will be her fate as terror and retribution have taken hold of the country. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel, as the writing is fantastic and the story is so well told. I would highly recommend Nemesis and the Swan for any fan of historical fiction, especially if you love stories that have you racing to the end for answers. I hope you will pick it up and let me know your thoughts!

Rating: 4 stars!

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

As soon as I started this book I was sad it’s only 288 pages long; I quickly became attached to protagonist Hélène & revolutionary France was just as interesting as ever. This isn’t a high stakes adventure but I was actually glad about that as I loved how relaxed I felt whilst reading - this was a book that distracted me from the real world when I really needed it which I’m very thankful for. Following Hélène as she navigated adult life in a country that no longer wants families like hers to exist was emotional but also educational; the title of the book refers to a family secret but, for me, that wasn’t the main focus of the book... instead it was about freedom & what people are willing to do to find it, about being independent & about finding people who love you, even if they’re not your official family. I knew I would enjoy this book & I’ll definitely buy a print copy when I can.

⚠️ This book contains sexism, a small amount of racism, classism, scenes of a sexual nature, sexual assault, domestic violence, attempted suicide, murder, hangings, arson, riots, gun use, mental health conditions & death of a child (referred to in a memory) ⚠️

I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-3aS