Lucy Tempest has written another masterpiece!

In this Swan Lake retelling, our main character, Ava, has been betrayed by her twin sister, Lina, who hired a mercenary sorcerer to get rid of her sister. When Ava gets turned into a swan, Lina takes her place as crown princess.

First off, I loved the ballet elements! It's a really neat tie in to the Swan Lake ballet that I was not expecting. Also, I really enjoyed the plot and the way this novella fits in with the hero/villain switch of the other ones in this series!

The characters were great! Ava's character arc is really amazing. Watching her grow throughout the course of the novel was fun. I found Dietrich ( the Von Rothbart of the tale) to be an interesting villain/anti-hero. I kind of wanted to see some chapters from his POV, but alas this is a novella not a full length novel.

All in all, this was a quick and lovely read. There are some darker elements in this story (betrayal, backstabbing, discriminatory laws against magic, court intrigue), but overall I really enjoyed this!

Special thanks to Lucy Tempest and NetGalley for the eARC! I really appreciate it!

Three and a half
Another story heavily influenced by a fairy tale although I feel most will associate the ballet Swan Lake with this book. Two Princesses, Ava, good and dedicated to her country and Lina, the other rebellious and sadly uncaring of others. Ava has no idea of her sisters true feelings and just thinks that at some point Lina will find her place in the world but sadly that place in Linas opinion is firmly and irrevocably in Avas place !
I did like the magic in play here and the way Dietrich, the mercenary Sorcerer wielded it. I feel I can say that Dietrich is in league with Lina to a large extent and is paid by her to permanently remove her sister. His method is transformation into a Swan but Dietrich isn't quite the totally heartless man he appears and has his own reasons. Clearly Ava is distressed, afraid and angry but escaping proves more difficult than she realises and besides what would happen if she did return to confront her sister ?
To be blunt I didn't care for Dietrich and he wavered between being practically a monster and then a humanitarian which didn't convince me. Without a doubt this couple are both victims in some way whether due to jealousy or just spite and general nastiness. I could understand that Ava found Dietrich fascinating at times and clearly very attractive but I failed to be convinced that someone who could do wicked things could really be the hero. In fact I think Ava became her own hero. Whilst not a perfect read for me I can see that many would enjoy this journey in fantasy and cheer when there's a happy ending.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I was excited to find one of this series on NetGalley after seeing these all over my GoodReads! Unfortunately, these books are not for me. I thought the book would be more on the lighter and brighter side, and this book was decidedly dark, something I largely avoid these days. That has more to do with my only exposure to the authors of this series being Allison Tebo, whose books that I’ve read have been very humorous and ridiculous, which I greatly enjoy! Anyway, while I didn’t really enjoy the story or characters, I have to say that the writing was solid, and the scenery was majestically shown.

Oh, my goodness! I believe I've just found a new favorite author! I can't figure out how she is not mega famous by now.! I've rushed to buy every book she has out, in both ebook and paperback format, because the covers are so beautiful I just have to have them on my shelf. I'm even eyeing the audible versions, when I never listen to audiobooks.

I've been in a terrible reading slump even before COVID, It's been that long since I managed to finish a book. DNF became my norm, and this was making me so unhappy, since reading has always been my solace. So when I found this book is a novella, and I loved the premise and was very intrigued by it, I thought to myself, "Surely I can finish a novella!"

And I'm thrilled I did reach for it, since I didn't only finish it, I've since read it TWICE! I feel like Ms. Tempest has broken the DNF spell I've been under. And since I don't want to risk the next book will through me right back under its thrall, I'm reading her books just to be safe. There's eight of them out there, a completed series, so I'm going to be binge-reading.

As for this book, I've always loved Swan Lake, but never really liked the way Rothbart was portrayed, always hoped someone would get the idea of giving him depth and motivation. And Lucy Tempest is the only one I'm aware of in the world who's done that!.

She's turned a dark, irredeemable sorcerer who's end is as terrible as it is anticlimactic, into a spellbinding and irresistible anti-hero, who ends up the best sort of hero possible. She also made the swan princess far more than the melancholy tragic figure. I've laughed out loud many times at their exchanges. They delighted me as they grew as characters and fell in love, believably, passionately right before my eyes, so much so I fully believe, for a change, that they "will" live happily every after.

My advice? Take this amazing opportunity of grabbing this book for free here and sample her outstanding work and this wonderful enemies to lovers story! The pace is just right, the plot and character development impeccable, and the romance is the best I've read in ages.

Me? I'm running to read the rest of her work, starting with Thief of Cahraman, another unique twist on a timeless tale, a gender-reversed Aladdin retelling. I can't wait!!!

This was a fun re-imagining of Swan Lake. I do wish it had been full-length instead of a novella, as I would have loved to see a bit more development of the main characters and their relationship, but overall, this was a cute retelling.

The unspeakable treachery comes the night Ava meets her true love, when Lina hires the infamous sorcerer, Dietrich Von Rothbart, to turn Ava into a swan, and takes her place. But in the last time Dietrich recaptures Ava, she gets close enough to glimpse the terrible truth of what she left behind—starting with that of her prince.
Dietrich’s true motivations and the unique bond that forms between them that shock her the most.

Will she reject their burgeoning feelings and trust to undo his efforts and reclaim her kingdom? Will he risk the consequences of freeing her from his curse? Will their love survive the demands of duty, and the toll of resentment and threats? Or will it fade away with the moonlight at sunrise?

A wonderful and romantic retelling of the swan princess. Ava is sweet and brave. I do like her a lot. I also like how they explain the sorcerer's motivations. A short but very cute story It's a novella. I enjoyed it a lot though and finished it in a day..

Thanks to the publisher for providing an arc.

Thank you, NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

If you loved The Swan Princess movie as a child this is the book for you, Even if the Villain gets a redemption arc.

Ballet is not my forte but even I could appreciate this Swan Lake retelling. This was such a heartwarming tale that I won't hesitate to read more from this Author.

Ava is the crown princess who to me seems kind and soft. Especially when you consider how her twin sister is, evil and manipulative. I thought the dynamic between Ava and Detrich was something special and it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was better.

My biggest complaint with this book is I wish it was longer. I was able to finish this in one sitting which is a rarity at the moment.

What a delightful fairytale retelling!
Did you love the Swan Princess growing up? The cartoon movie? I did, I watched it all the time.
This is a retelling of that story but if the Princess fell for the villain.
If that sounds like something you’ll like, definitely give this book a chance.
If you’ve never heard of the Swan Princess this is a fun fairytale with a twist on the original.