Reader’s Notes:

– there is a sibling willing to do anything to get what they want (including orchestrate a murder)

– someone is killed and the book describes their limbs as looking like a loosed marionette and later there is a threat of cutting off someone’s hand (these are quick and gone again descriptions/sentences)

– if you haven’t read any of Lucy Tempest’s books yet, there will be a few sayings/goings on (maybe 3?) that might be a slight bit confusing but aren’t essential to understanding this story

Review:

I really enjoyed this twist on Swan Lake! As with the rest of this series, we get to see the villain of the story (in this case Lord von Rothbart) find happily ever after. But how can someone make the villain look like a good match for the heroine? You make them to be someone other than what we’ve been told over and over again that they are.

It was cool to see Lucy spin a new Rothbart, one who still seemed like the villain that steals away a maiden and makes her turn into a swan. But he’s much more than that…he parades himself to be a villain in order to do services with his magic in exchange for money to keep those he is protecting safe and well fed.

And our swan princess, Ava, has a twin sister. One who looks exactly like her, except for a few small details that only a few could recognize. Which Lina (the twin) takes advantage of on the same night Ava believes she has met her true love. Hiring Rothbart, Lina has Ava turned into a swan and taken far from the kingdom so that she can take her place as crown princess. Dutiful Ava fights the sorcerer in order to get back to her kingdom and guy she left behind. After multiple failed attempts and a single eye opening stop back home, Ava resigns herself to life outside of being a princess.

But our sorcerer shows Ava that he isn’t what he seems, that he is better and more caring than expected. And this draws Ava to him and his cause. And she wants to fight for them both, but will he allow her to get in the middle of the crossfire?

I enjoyed the short, tight pacing of this novel and the way it packed a punch and built a rich world despite its brevity. Imaginative, magical, and a beautiful take on a fairytale.

First time reading this author. I enjoyed the story and will look for more. It was a quick read and I was very curious to find out the back story of the prince she meets the night of her ball.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick and easy read for a lazy afternoon.

3 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

A retelling of Swan Lake/The Swan Princess with a twist.

On her coronation day, Ava is part of a sinister plot engineered by her cruel twin sister, Lina, that sees her kidnapped and ordered to be killed by a sorcerer, all so that Lina can step into Ava's place as the heir she is so desperate to become.

Luckily for Ava, the sorcerer - Dietrich - only carries out half of the plan, ignoring his orders to kill, as he later explains that while he does bad things (for reasons that he also explains), he has certain standards that he lives by.

In a twist to the story, the prince and the sorcerer's positions of saviour and villain are flipped around and Ava begins to fall for Dietrich.

This was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed it. The only negatives that I'd have, and they're not really very negative, is that the love story was a little rushed but that was understandable due to the length of this novella. I would have liked to see more of a build up and relationship between Ava and Dietrich, and also possibly more scenes between Ava & Lina to build on the shock factor of what Lina does to her sister but the author, Lucy, created a good back story and magical world and so this is easy to overlook.

3.5 ⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I am such a huge fan of fairytales, I have recently found the retellings of fairytales with a different twist. This one definitely had a different twist, instead of the princess getting her prince she fell in love with the villain. This is a retelling of The Swan Princess, where the story is about Ava and her twin sister Lina and the dastardly sorcerer Rothbard. I absolutely enjoyed this one, and can’t wait to read my next retelling.
I have received this Advance Readers Copy from Netgalley, and leave an unbiased and fair review

3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess is a retelling of Swan Lake, of sorts. Aventina is going to be the crown princess, but on the day of her coronation, her twin sister Avelina commissions infamous sorcerer Rothbart to turn her into a swan and kidnap her. Ava is then spirited away to a mysterious castle, but she soon realizes that Rothbart is not as bad as he first appears… and her sister—as well as Ava’s potential betrothed, Prince Siegfried—are more sinister than Ava thinks.
This story is not a literary masterpiece by any means, but it is entertaining and has a kind of cute romance. It is a very quick read—I started it at 10 PM and finished it around 12:30 AM, and that was with a few interruptions. The writing itself was fine; it was the pacing that was a bit jarring. As I made my way through the book, I noticed that the pacing was a little wonky: the time between the kidnapping and the end of the book felt like less than a week (I only think I read about four times she slept or fell unconscious? I wasn’t specifically counting) and the romance felt insanely rushed (I think it was about halfway through when she began taking an interest in him? And then it all sped by super fast to the “I love you”s). Ava is a very headstrong girl, and I’m glad she had a backbone throughout the whole kidnapping situation… even if she was a little annoyingly stubborn about it. What can I say, I applaud her for trying so hard when it’s so clear she couldn’t succeed. That being said, it was a little uncomfortable when she suddenly began ~noticing~ Dietrich/Rothbart. It wasn’t quite Stockholm Syndrome vibes, but it was odd. She was learning about his motivations and his reason why he doesn’t want to harm her, and then BOOM. Noticing his chest and thinking of him romantically. See what I mean? As for Dietrich himself: he was okay. I wasn’t the hugest fan of him, but I can see that he has his good moments and strong morals (even if they are questionable). The two of them made for a kind of cute couple, I suppose. I wasn’t particularly invested, but I was engaged during their discussions.
Would I recommend this book? I think yes for those who want something quick, simple, and light. It is romance-focused mixed with some plot, and while there’s not a lot of substance, it’s not a bad read. 3 stars.

I've read a few of the books in the series and enjoyed some more than others, so thought I'd tried this one although Swan Lake has never been one of my favourite fairy tales.

And it just didn't quite work for me. I found Ava, the heroine, a bit childish at times really and her sister Lina too much a caricature of a stroppy teenager. But my real problem was with Dietrich, who did some really awful things for money, and yet was also apparently a humanitarian. I couldn't like him and although it was one thing for Ava to find him physically attractive, i wondered that she could fall in love with him

So, all in all, not for me.

I enjoyed this short retelling of the fairytale Swan Princess! My only criticism is that I wish it would have been longer. I think the tension between Ava and Lina would have benefited as well as the romance between Ava and Dietrich. With that being said, I still thought this was incredibly enjoyable. I liked that it was unique and entertaining. Ava definitely grew as a person and I loved the banter between them. I think this would benefit from a bit more editing, since there were a few grammatical errors. I personally would have loved more heat, but it was still an enjoyable read. I will be looking at the other books in the series and perhaps more of Lucy's books.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fairytale retelling.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for a free e-copy of this book. Alright, onto the review!

So what do you get when you take a classic ballet, Swan Lake, play around with the characters and mix in a little adventure, romance, and redemption arc? You get this amazing book.

This new retelling of Swan Lake starts with Princess Ava and her twin sister, Lina. Right after Ava’s coronation as the crown princess, Lina hires a sorcerer to turn Ava into a swan and then dispose of her. Lina then takes Ava's place as well as her crown. Ava is then taken far from the castle by Dietrich Von Rothbart, the sorcerer. Ava's numerous escape attempts fail, as she keeps being caught by the sorcerer who may not be as evil as he seems. Divided on if she should stay or go, Ava must decide whether to follow her heart or return to her crown.

Much like the rest of the author's work, this book didn't disappoint. Something that I love about Lucy Tempest's books is how inventive the fairy-tale retellings are. And that says a lot considering I've read my weight in retellings.

I really enjoyed the twist of seeing the story from the villain's perspective. While this book is a novella, the pacing wasn't too fast and it allowed for the relationship between Dietrich and Ava to grow and deepen. When it was time for Ava to decide her future I was just as torn as she was! One of the ways they bond is through exchanging stories. I found this to be a really effective way to develop the characters and move along the Swan Lake plot that we all love.

My only negative is that the book is way too short! I loved the world-building and I would have enjoyed being lost in it for a few more pages. I can't wait to see what the author is up to next. If you love a good fairy-tale retelling (or just a book with a bit of magic) then this one is for you!

First off: WOW! This book! I didn't know what to expect coming into this, as I like to not know much about the plot before I start reading. Because of this, I didn't realise that this was a Swan Lake retelling until I'd got into it. I've been looking for retellings of different stories for a while, as while I love Beauty and the Beast retellings, I've been wanting to mix it up a bit.
This book honestly has me speechless, and I don't know how to express how I feel about it. I read it all in one sitting when I really should have been studying, but it just hooked me. The romance was gorgeous, and the imagery that the writing evoked was amazing. I've got to be honest, this book is on the same level as the ACOTAR series for me, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of Lucy's books. I also loved this book so much that I will be buying a physical copy so that I can reread it easily in the future. Would highly recommend this to all fantasy romance lovers, but be warned that it is a YA fantasy romance, so it doesn't have "spice" like some fantasy romances do (don't hold that against it though).

Just read this book, it's amazing!

OMG. I was always fascinated with the Swan Princess tale, but this was so much better!! Lucy has outdone herself with telling a beautiful story in a magical way that you will feel as if this was the first time you've ever heard of this fairytale. I would never have expected all of the twists we read in this, but am full of wonder at how things played out. I was definitely not prepared to fall in love with this as quickly as I did, but I am 100000% sure you will fall in love as much as I have with Ava and Rothbart!

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This unique re-telling of Swan Lake revolves around Princess Ava and her twin sister, Lina. On the night of Ava’s coronation, Lina has a sorcerer turn Ava into a swan and then kidnapped. Lina swaps places with Ava in order to take the throne. Meanwhile, Ava is trapped far from the castle by Dietrich Von Rothbart. Her many escape attempts fail, and she is forced to remain with the wicked sorcerer. Only he’s not as wicked as she may believe. Torn between her heart and her duty, Ava isn’t sure what’s worth saving: love, or her kingdom.

I really enjoyed this short fairytale re-telling! I felt like the author did an excellent job capturing the essence of the original story while still creating an entirely new world and cast of characters!

While this story is on the shorter side, I didn’t feel like the pacing was rushed at all. I loved how the characters grew throughout the story! Outside of the castle, Ava learns that she was wrong about a few things, and Dietrich has more layers to him than she originally thought. Most of their interactions were amusing, and I found their relationship adorable!

The world-building, including the magical aspects, was interesting! The romance might be a large part of this book, but I liked the actual plot as well.

The Sorcerer and The Swan Princess was a satisfying and wholesome read! I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fairytale re-telling with a clean romance! I will also be checking out the other books in this series and Lucy Tempest’s other books!

Content: some violence

This book was an enjoyable read. I wish it had been a bit long as the development of the love between the main characters felt like it would have benefited from some more time. The tropes were on point with your standard romance novel, which is a comforting aspect of the story. The only other criticisms I have are a little more editing (minor grammar/spelling errors), and maybe a larger conflict before the final resolution.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for books by the author in the future.

I really liked this story! I really love when the "villian" gets their own HEA..
Ava is going to be Queen someday, however her twin sister Lina is a bitter sourpuss, who is soo jealous of her sister that she can't see straight.. So on the day of the coronation Lina has hired a sorcerer to turn her sister into a bird so that she can take her place.
She is spirited away by the sorcerer to his school for children.. He seems like while he takes money to do horrible things he could probably have a nice gooey marshmallow center. He does the jobs that will pay him the most money so that he can keep the school open..
Once Ava realizes that he might not be the worst person in the world, that honor can go to her crappy sister.. they begin a friendship, which leads them to falling in love.. Of course she ends up returning to her kindgom and her sister and her fiancee get some perfect karmic justice thrown their way.. This was a super cute story, and ill definitely be checking out the other books in this series. and more by this author.
This is a super fun, fast read, with some darker turns. And I can't wait to check out more books in this series (all by different authors) , as well as books by this author.

Aventina, or Ava, is poised to become the crown princess of her kingdom. But trouble comes for her in the form of a devious sorcerer who holds her life in his hands! Is he devious? (Spoiler: yes!) Is he a sorcerer? Definitely! But does he have nefarious plans for Ava? You'll have to read to find out!

I didn't realize this was a novella when I started reading, but was pleased with the pacing of the story. It did mean that the several of the main characters' backstories were a bit truncated, but they were fleshed out enough to be enjoyable! There were a few twists that I didn't expect, which was fun, and I found myself reading the whole thing in two sittings. A fun read from an author I haven't tried before!

As a big fan of the 'Swan Lake' story, I was eager to pick up this novella, to see a different spin on it.
Unfortunately, it did not live up to the expectations I had for it.
I found the characters constantly frustrating, with very little logic or morals seeming present. Rothbart's motivations especially seem murky to me, as he seems to have little regard to Ava's own individuality or rights until he falls in love with her, despite the fact that it all could have been solved from page 10.
Ava herself was also frustrating to read, as she seemed to lack the sense you could expect from someone we are repeatedly reminded has been trained as the crown princess, and seems to be only a damsel in distress most of the time.
Although I liked the concept of this novella, I think it ultimately would have worked better as a novel, as I felt I was being 'told' about everything, rather than being shown it, as most of the chapters seemed to consist only of long and winding conversations recounting past events.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC.)

I think this was a great book with lots of great ideas and concepts. i loved all the fantasy elements and It was great making it feel immersive to myself and i loved it i would love to read more by this author.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for the chance to read this book and the opportunity to fall in love with a new author.

Overall i would rate 4 out of 5 stars as this gave me wholesome vibes and was a great experience.

I read this novella in one sitting and devoured it. I loved that it was a retelling of the swan princess which is a fairytale that is rarely retold. it was well written with good characters and i didnt want to put it down, an enjoyable read.

I received a free copy of this, and I absolutely loved it. Fairytale retellings is one of my favorite things to read because you always get a new perspective on a classic story. I really enjoyed the incorporation of ballet into the story, it was a great nod, and that her metaphorical wings had been clipped way before she was betrayed by her sister.

Speaking of her sister, Lina is the WORST. I do wish there had been more of a reason as to why she hated Ava, as it seemed a little weird that she just became evil (Ava even says they used to be a lot more alike before she changed) without any reason as to why. I also wish we'd gotten to see more of the magic school, as the idea seemed really interesting but we never really heard much more than their theatrical class.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and how descriptive it was (it was like I could picture it perfectly in my mind) and think I'll be going back to read the others.