Ugh. This had so much potential! Beautifully written, gothic, dark and foreboding like the forest at the beginning of a fairy tale. We open on a country estate, late in the evening. A shot rings out. Promising start right? Ambiguously powerful yet dissolute Mr. Crowe, his showgirl lady friend, his mute ward Clara, and his faithful but somehow off butler Eustace

I read it avidly in a sitting because I had complete faith in the skill the author was exhibiting, and couldn't wait to have the mysteries solved and the truth revealed.

The truth is never revealed. It feels like I spent eight hours watching an artist paint on a canvas that faced away from me, and at the end they said "okay, finished" and I never got to see the painting. I have so many unanswered questions, in a frustrating way, not in a cleverly ambiguous way. What the hell was Mr. Crowe, an angel? A muse? Who is Clara, who were her parents, where did her skill come from, what even was her skill? Why did they burn the library down? Why did Eustace immediately give up and start drinking and whoring instead of trying to save Clara?


I would definitely read another book by this author because there is clearly a great deal of talent and creativity, and if we just got a satisfactory ending it would be beyond reproach.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

a dud. I thought this writing was just a little too dry for my taste. usually I'm one for historical fiction but not this time.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good mystery thriller. Highly recommend. I liked the narrator.

I started this audio and had a really hard time getting into the book. I may try to come back later but the narration was tough especially I’m the NG app (very echoey at high speeds)

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for an audio copy of The Maker of Swans in exchange for an honest review.

Eustace has been the head of Mr. Crowe's home and staff for years, he knows all of the secrets and where the bodies are buried, literally. When Mr. Crowe, his new lady friend and her former lover skid into the driveway one late night after drinking and debauchery, following a row, Mr. Crowe shoots the lover, leaving Eustace to clean up the scene. Sadly this time Mr. Crowe has over stepped and has been called to task by the leader, Dr Chastern, of the secret ordinance to which he belongs. They must prepare the house including the mute girl, Clara that they have been tasked with caring for. She is an inquisitive girl who loves to draw and has intricate dreams that she shares in detail with Eustace each morning. Dr. Chastern holds the little girl hostage until Mr. Crowe makes amends for his actions, but Clara begins to find her own hidden power and may just rescue them all.

This is a hard book to categorize because it is lyrical mixed with some elements mystery and magic. I liked the three main characters a lot and found myself drawn into this strange world. In general, I am not a fan of fantasy but the writing has a beautifully detailed style which really distracts from the main problem. I am not sure what actually happened. There is a lot of movement between the real and fantasy worlds and somewhere there are secret powers but it never really explains how they work or why. The descriptions are lush and vivid. I oddly liked it for being fairly confused by the end. I had the audio version read by Imogen Wilde and Mike Grady who both did an excellent job of keeping a good pace and the characters more interesting.

This book was beautifully written with fabulously descriptive writing. However, the story just was not my jam. This is no fault of the author I just don't think this book was a good fit for me. I will definitely try another book by this author.

One of the most gorgeously written novels I've ever experienced. Original plot, brilliant narration, exquisite prose. Truly beautiful book.

This was a unique book. The author's use of language is phenomenal. It is not a light read, but that is okay, because the beautiful use of descriptive language is worth it. I really wanted to enjoy the book more because of that gorgeous language, but it was ultimately not the right book for me. The characters were interesting, but the story line was drawn out and a tad boring for me. If you enjoyed The Mysterious Life of Addie LaRue or The Midnight Library, you may enjoy The Maker of Swans, as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy to the audiobook. The actors were both very good!

ARC audiobook provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“The Maker of Swans” can best be described as literary fiction with just a touch of magical realism. The book opens with Mr. Crowe, the owner of a slightly crumbling English estate, shooting a man dead. Mr. Crowe’s butler, Eustace, steps in to help handle the situation. The book proceeds to tell the tale of Mr. Crowe, Eustace, and the mute ward of the estate, Clara. The history of Mr. Crowe and Eustace is slowly revealed, and Mr. Crowe’s mysterious gifts are exposed. Clara, whose own gifts remain hidden for most of the book, is thrown into a dangerous situation, and Eustace rushes to save her. The story weaves these intersecting plot points into a novel rife with intrigue, danger, and the complicated relationships between the main characters.

This story had a lot of promise. At its core, the plot was quite imaginative and original. The characters were mostly developed well, pulling the reader into the story. The issue I had was that the beginning and middle meandered a bit, only really picking up pace toward the end. It became so slow at times I was almost tempted to walk away, but I decided to hang in there to see what happened to the main characters. The story was beautifully written, full of lovely prose. That being said, that same prose was a bit overelaborate, dragging the story out for much of the book. If the prose was edited down a bit, the story would be much shorter and quite possibly more engrossing. As it stands, the book was drawn out, making it difficult to remain immersed. As for the characters, Eustace’s backstory is the most thoroughly introduced, but Mr. Crowe and Clara remain a great deal more mysterious. I wish their histories were more comprehensively detailed, as I believe this would round the characters out would invest me further in their storylines.

My copy of this book was an audiobook, so I need to touch on the narrators. I thought the male narrator did an excellent job, even when he had to do female voices. Unfortunately, I found the female narrator to be a bit lacking. Her male voices were weak, simply sounding female despite what I assume was her best attempt. Nearly all of her characters sounded so much alike that I found it difficult to follow who was speaking.

Overall, the story at its core was good. The extensive prose was a bit much, but the story was intriguing enough to keep me going to the end. I wish certain characters and the magical realism part of the story were more thoroughly explored and the flowery prose was cut back a bit. That would probably have made this a five-star book for me. As is, I give this book a three-star review based on what I consider these deficits. This book may be interesting to fans of some literary fiction, although I do consider myself such a fan and found this lacking. Young adult readers may enjoy this book, and the story is clean enough for such an age group. While I have a few issues with the book as a whole, I would be willing to read more by this author due to the rather original storyline.

A young mute girl, Clara, spends her days writing, reading books from the extensive library, and strolling in the areas surrounding the beautiful English estate of Mr. Crowe, her benefactor. Clara possesses a magical gift, the strength of which she does not realize yet. Mr. Crowe himself has a gift, we learn, the one that is sought after by others and deeply appreciated. Their talents are those compared to the force of the sun and moon, two symbols that the candlesticks on the estate dinner table suggest. But who is what, whose powers are stronger?

Clara is watched over by a butler, Eustace, who is much closer to her and more protective than Mr. Crowe, a man who, despite his intelligence and charms, can be quickly enamored of a pretty soprano, Arabella. Eustace is not a good-natured fellow, the version of the model British butler we can quickly summon in our imagination. Eustace has a dark past, about which we gradually learn as we read. He is good at using a pistol, and his passions and tragedies in life could fill the pages of another book.

"The Maker of Swans" is a beautiful, dark novel, and Paraic O'Donnell weaves his book with extraordinary language. Like a tapestry, the golden threat of Clara's adventures skillfully intertwines with the fate of Mr. Crowe, the story of Eustace, and those who seek to possess Clara's gift, using everything in their power: yes, there is a murder, kidnapping, and intrigue.

However one wants to define this captivating novel - a gothic story, a crime story, a puzzling mystery - it is beautiful literature. It takes a reader into a magical world and shows the power of the written word - and maybe the gift of creating this other world and taking us there is the greatest?

I am sorry to say so but I am finding this book to be wrong for me right now. Maybe it is to much magical realism, not sure. It is beautifully written but I just cannot get into it. The two narrators are excellent but had to DNF.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this audio book. This book is lyrical. I have no idea how O’Donnell can transport you to another place. Clara is a mute girl who lives with her guardian, Mr. Crowe. Eustace the butler watches over her. Mr, Crowe has the power to write a word and whatever he writes happens. In one part of the book, Clara nurtures swans. It is so poignant. This book will stay with me for a long time, the word pictures are wonderful and I just wanted the book to go on and on. This would be a good book to have on your shelf. Underline the passages that speak to you. Share them with others. Remember that phrase, that word picture. It is just delightful.

Such a good audio book. Dual narrators add depth and make it easier to follow. Creepily voiced bad guys and a sweetly voiced mute child. Not all questions are answered in the end but that is okay with me, I like to wonder a bit at the end of a book. Although not an abundance I found the use of expletives to be totally unnecessary and took away from my enjoyment of this book. 3.5 stars overall. Also, enjoyed the first part a bit more than part 2, found it more engaging and really made me want to know the characters better.

I requested this book originally since it was in the mystery/thriller genre; however, I would not categorize it in this genre. I'm not really sure what genre this would be, maybe literary fiction or magical realism. I do not envy the publishers because this book really does not in a specific genre. Overall, I did not enjoy this audiobook. I found the plot to be confusing and difficult to keep track of in the audiobook setting. Normally with multiple narrators, I do not have this issue, but in this audiobook it did not help. I did not find the ending to be satisfying either. It left many questions unanswered.

Mr Crowe is a man with a mysterious (now mostly unused) talent. When his butler Eustace is awakened by gunshots, it seems that the talent has resurfaced. It is up to Eustace to clean up the mess that Crowe has made, including protecting Crowe and his mute young ward Clara from impending dangers. The book is more about Eustace and Clara than it is about Crowe. Fortunately, they are both interesting characters. Eustace’s dialogue was particularly sharp.

I really liked the gothic atmosphere of this beautifully written fantasy novel. What I didn’t like so much is that the “talent” is so vaguely described that I don’t really know what it was, just that it had something to do with the power of literature. The backstories were also vaguely described, and told in an intentionally fragmented manner. Don’t expect any tidy summations from this book. 3.5 stars which I am rounding up because I liked the general feel of the book.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher. Each of the narrators, Mike Grady and Imogen Wilde, did a fine job.