Member Reviews

*The Sorcerer and The Swan Princess* was a quick and enjoyable read with likable characters and engaging prose! I loved getting to know the characters, and the banter and tension between Ava and Dietrich were definitely my favorite parts. I enjoy reading retellings, and this was my first Swan Lake-inspired book—but it definitely won’t be my last! I’m excited to see what the author will write next, and in the meantime, I’m planning to check out her previous works!

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I found this boring and predictable. I found the main character whiny and insufferable. I was not able to finish this due to extreme lack of caring about what happened.

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A good read, and the first in the start of a series. It is just finding it's footing and while the writing is strong I just wasn't sucked into the story as much as I would have liked to have been. I want to know what happens with Ava and then along with the outcome of Dietrich.

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This book was okay, The whole series is okay. Is it a reread series, no but I do not regret the time I gave it. It was a little too much, the 'hero' was too in tune and not deep enough. He spent to much time whinnying about his dark status and she was too sparkly and sugar about things. It is like they took all the dark and real out of the fairytales and made them bland. I wanted so much more from a villain's POV

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3.2
This is my first Swan Lake retelling, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author did an excellent job of adding a unique twist to the original story. I was eager to finish this story because I enjoyed the plot and the details. But I began to dislike the sorcerer, Rothbart, whom I had never liked in the first place.
I couldn't stand Rothbart's hypocrisy because one of the first things he said to her was that King Ludwig was "useless" and his queen was a "evil hag." (I'm using quotations here not to be sarcastic, but to paraphrase the text.)
I liked the princess at first and was curious to see where her bravado would take her. I was especially excited because the details, world building, and funny scenes piqued my interest. It's just that while reading, I got the impression that while the author says the character is one way, the character's actions and words say otherwise. .

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I enjoyed this book!. It’s not quite a retelling of The Swan Princess, but it definitely has some of the same ideas (like a princess getting turned into a swan, but not because of a curse)

The MC is likeable and has realistic reactions to the things that happen to her.
The villain is definitely gray, which is nice, but then he turns out to not really be a villain AND a true HEA.

The writing itself flowed and was an easy enjoyable read!

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This was a quick, fun retelling of “The Swan Princess.” I enjoyed the twist in this, and the characters. Would have loved it to be longer. Definitely recommend!

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The was an interesting take on The Swan Princess. I thought the novel was very well-written and had a fairytale feel to the story. The love story was sweet. Therefore, this was a very light and charming fairytale. I recommend this for fans of K. M. Shea, Melanie Cellier, and Melanie Karsak!

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I have received this ARC from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess is the ninth installment within the A Villain's Ever After series. If the title wasn't obvious enough, this is a swan lake retelling. Just like the previous books within this series, I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. The one problem I had was the length of this. Definitely wanted a much longer book so that we could dive a bit more into certain things. For example, the tension filled scenes and the romance too.

Other than that, I did like getting to see Ava grow throughout this. Whether it was with Lina or Dietrich. I also really enjoyed the bantering because that's always something I will enjoy. Then there's the romance, which yes, it was good. I just wanted more spice, heat, and everything in between. Don't get me wrong, clean romances are good every now and then but with villains involved? Heck, I need the spicy moments.

In the end, I definitely liked the heck out of this book and I'm happy that I got the chance to dive into it as well. Just wished it was longer and spicier.

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The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess by Lucy Tempest is fantasy romance retelling of the Swan Princess. A great story.

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The Sorcerer and The Swan Princess is a retelling of the Swan Princess in which the bad guy wins.

I really enjoyed reading this, as a child I loved watching Babie of Swan Lake and this book gave me all those nostalgia vibes in a new way!

The book was fast paced and easy to read, it had my attention from page one and kept me hooked all the way through! My only wish is there had been some build up in the romance, it felt a bit forced.

I did notice the odd typo but it did not ruin my reading experience.

Overall, this was a fun read, I would recommend it if you love Swan Lake/ fairy tale retellings.

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I could not finish this story despite it's short length and found myself skimming from about the mid-way point to the end. The connect between the main characters felt forced and the exploration of the villain's motivations was nonexistent. It would have been good to see more of the relationship between the sisters and why it was so bad. The storyline about a ballet career ending injury and the magic used to help overcome the injury didn't seem to fit nicely into the Swan Princess tale.

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Swan lake has always been one of my favorite stories, so I knew that I would probably love this story going into it. This was such a good story and a very quick read! Some of the events were a bit predictable for me, but that wasn't a super huge dealbreaker for me. There were definitely a few things that I didn't see coming that helped to balance that out. I liked Ava as a character. She was interesting, she had flaws and depth. I adored Dietrich's character, he was everything that I love in a "villain." He had some fantastic character development along the way, and I loved learning more about who he truly was. I also felt that Ava had a lot of character growth as well, I absolutely loved where she was by the end of the book. My only complaint about this book is that I wish it would have been a bit longer. I would have loved more time with Ava and Dietrich. Their dynamic was so good, and I would have loved to see more development between them. This was the first book that I have read in this series and It worked fantastically as a stand-alone novel. I will definitley go back and read the others as well after reading this one!

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✨ Fairytale Retelling
💋 Romance
🥊 Enemies to Lovers
🔮 Magic

I really liked this quick read.

Ava, the crown princess, is betrayed by her twin sister when she is turned into a swan by a mercenary sorcerer, Dietrich Von Rothbart, who may not be the villain she thinks he is.

📝 I thought this tale was beautifully written and flowed nicely.

✨ I love a good fairytale retelling and this one did not disappoint. The Swan Princess is based on the ballet Swan Lake and I thought this was a very unique spin on the original story.

💋 This was definitely a slow burn romance filled with all the misunderstandings and deeply buried longing you could ask for.

🥊 Ava and Dietrich definitely start out on the wrong foot as pure enemies but as they get to know one another better their relationship becomes something more than either one expected.

🎭 There is a bit of family drama in this one between Ava and her twin sister Lina, forming the undercurrent of the entire story.

🔮 I really liked the incorporation of magic in the story beyond that of the sorcerers power. I appreciated how Ava grew to associate her curse with dance and learned how to use it to her advantage, wielding magic all on her own.

If you’re looking for a light fairytale romance this would be a good pick for you!

🎁 Thank you #NetGalley @lucytempestauthor for this #gifted copy of #TheSorcererAndTheSwanPrincess !!

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This book made me remember how much I love the story of the Swan Princess and I desperately wanted to re-watch the beloved childhood animation. But seeing how @lucytempestauthor was able to completely change the narrative by showing the lengths we will go to to have our happy ending, whether good or bad, out of love or jealousy, justifying our actions in any way we can...

Aventina and Avelina are identical twins for the most part, except that Aventina is a ballet loving good-hearted person, while Avelina was a rebel. Fueled by a jealousy sparked from a birthright the firstborn was afforded, Avelina chose to get her happy ending by any means possible. When Aventina was crowned as the future queen, a plan is set in motion for Avelina to take her place and steal her life.

While this is a quick read, it is beautiful and has lots of lessons to teach. Of learning to believe in and trust yourself and your instincts. To love and forgive equally, but know when to stand firm in your beliefs.

I am eager to read the rest of the books in the A Villain's Ever After series, and if they are nearly as good as this one, I will become an addict for sure!

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Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

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I like the story of The Swan Princess so when i started this i loved it.
Ava gets kidnapped by her twin sister and gets the sorcerer to turn her into a swan so she can take Ava's place.
A story of love, duty and a test of time can love survive?

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The story of Swan Lake has always been one of my favorite fairy tales ever since I was a child. This the first retelling of Swan Lake that I've read, and it blew my expectations out of the water.

This retelling has incredible twists and turns throughout the entire story that had me on the edge of my seat. I truly couldn't get enough of this story and the romance that blooms between the main character and the villain.

Love, trust, and duty is put to the test time and time again. Everything could very well shatter apart, or it could become stronger than ever. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

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This book gave me swan princess harry potter vibes. It was entertaining and did what it set out to do, but I felt that it was a bit rushed at some points.

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You probably know the melody. You probably grew up watching The Swan Princess or Barbie of Swan Lake. Maybe you’ve even seen the Tchaikovsky ballet. Either way, you know the story: a princess, cursed to become a swan; a sorcerer, the man who cursed her; and a prince, destined to save her.

NEWSFLASH: forget about the prince. Forget the story you think you know. Because none of that matters. Just remember the princess — the swan — and the sorcerer who cursed her.

In The Sorcerer & the Swan Princess, author Lucy Tempest delivers an enemies-to-lovers romance, packed with an endearing heroine and a fascinatingly moral villain.

First off, Ava, our princess, our swan. She’s impossible not to like. Is she a little perfect? Yes. BUT HEAR ME OUT: she has struggles, she has flaws, and they’re acknowledged. And they’re what make her, well, perfect for Dietrich.

Villains are typically morally gray, right? Not this sorcerer. Dietrich has a clear set of morals that keep him going. Anger and brooding aside, this man knows where his moral compass is pointing — and it’s pointing straight at Ava.

While this honestly wasn’t my favorite enemies-to-lovers approach, it was definitely fun seeing the perfect princess and angry, moral sorcerer dynamic between Ava and Dietrich. And, let’s be honest, this book is a fun light read.

Would I recommend? 100%.

So pour yourself a glass of tea, go down to the nearest lake, and crack open The Sorcerer & the Swan Princess. This is the perfect airy spring read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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