Another bejeweled story that reads like a fairytale and lingers like a poem. RM Romero's third novel is about the ferocity of swans when a daughter of Odin leaves the safety of her forest. Trapped in a cruel partnership with a baron who hungers for more magic, Hilde falls in love with a nonbinary Jewish painter who helps her search for her wings and a way out of the baron's grasp. Riddled with familiar fairytales and questions about autonomy, this historical story is perfect for readers of all ages.

Beautifully told in verse, Romero uses her prose to explore the cruelty of false promises and the prisons they create. Hilde is a protagonist who feels like she came straight from the pages. a Grimm storybook, her romance with Franz is a more hopeful parallel to the one in The Ghosts of Rose Hill. Combined with the beautiful cover, Peachtree Teen has published another gem for their shelves.

NetGalley Provided a copy. All opinions are my own.

A Warning About Swans is everything I hoped it would be and so much more. A fiercely beautiful fairy tale in verse, set in Bavaria in 1880, with a swan maiden who guides the souls of the dead, a baron who longs for riches; a gentle, non-binary, Jewish artist; enchantment, love, danger, passion and power, this is an unforgettable story, perfectly woven and hugely accomplished, both fresh and timeless, like a forgotten Grimm tale given a dazzling new life, this has confirmed Romero as one of my all time favourite writers. I can't wait to pick up a paper copy on July 11th and read it all again because it truly made me breathless with wonder. Thank you for the digital proof 🙏🦢✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

Thank you NetGalley and PeachTree Teen for allowing me to read this early!

I absolutely LOVED this! I have always been a fan of books with strong prose and poetry, but for a YA book to do this so well was incredible! The cover, the story, the structure, everything about this was perfection. I left this book with the most magical feeling and want to read this again, immediately!

I was so afraid I wouldn't like this novel-in-verse like Romero's sophomore The Ghosts of Rose Hill , but I'm so glad to be proven wrong, even if it took a while. Not only is the writing absolutely beautiful, breath-taking, and magical, but the story and characters are equally as stellar. Hilde is such a fantastic protagonist, passionate, fierce, and badass all at once. I also loved her relationship with Franz, who was soft yet could equal Hilde in fierceness. And the story - It took some time to get into it for me, but then my enjoyment skyrocketed it started escalating and things were revealed. God, the magic and storytelling were just so admirable here. It's what drew me to Romeo in the first place with her debut The Dollmaker of Krakow ; I'm just so glad to have read this!

Overall, such a fantastic piece of literature and I cannot wait for the rest of the world to read it, as well!

I ended up really enjoying A Warning About Swans by R. M. Romero.

It was beautifully written with a great plot and characters.
This is actually the second book I've read that was written in verse and I'm definitely a fan!

I'm definitely going to have to check out the authors other work!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

“I like seeking places where I can be free. Where I don’t have to be a boy to thread new paths or a girl to want flowers blossoming throughout my life. I like discovering places where I can be everything I am at once, where I am not forced into any one shape or stained by any single color.”

Thank you, Net-galley, for providing me with an E-arc for review!!

First and foremost, more retellings of The Last Unicorn are not a want but a need. This was such a whimsical and folkloric delight, steeped in culture & lore, and I was so whisked away by the fairytale storytelling I binged it all in one sitting & immediately put on the last unicorn film to feel something. This book has so many beautiful conversations throughout, and at times tough conversations, but handled with immense grace and care. I have another book by this author sitting on my bookshelves & I’m very excited to experience more from them!!

With a tagline "Swan Lake meets The Last Unicorn", can anyone in good conscience resist this tale?

This definitely reads very fairytale: whimsical, magical, and dark. The poetry is beautiful, the story well told. Definitely getting a copy for our collection.

I snagged this beauty via @netgalley since I enjoyed The Ghosts of Rose Hill. See photo 2 for a brief overview. Just like TGORH, A Warning About Swans was a quick read written in prose; this story is suitable for middle school students to adults alike, so I would definitely love to put a copy in my class library. I found our protagonist, Hilde, fits well within what we expect of our fairy tale women (as well as a non-human woman can). She is curious, passionate, and just wants to find her own place in the world without others telling her who she must be; she represents the struggles of identity and purpose felt by many women just for existing. On the other hand, we have the our antagonist, Richter; he’s our classic fairy tale’s wolf in sheep’s clothing (although I’d argue he is worse- at least wolves do not hide their intent to eat you alive). While I will not spoil what happens between Hilde and Richter, it is ultimately her relationship with a third character (Franz) that shows her who she wants to be. This story is full of magic, charged emotions, and experiences that everyone can connect with in one way or another. I highly recommend checking this one out when it releases in July 2023

4/5 ⭐️
“I’ve always turned my tears into screams, made anger out of my sadness. But sometimes, crying and showing the moss-soft parts of yourself is much braver than trying to be stone.”
Honestly, that is one of the MANY quotes I found myself highlighting while reading this story. It was just so beautiful, with a rhythm reminiscent to a fairytale. It was gorgeously written in a way to paint a beautifully harsh picture in your head, while giving you a life lesson about being forced to give up parts of yourself to be what others want and expect. This tale of a swan girl being lured away from the safety of her home by a handsome boy to help grant his enticing, yet insatiable dreams l, only to find herself in a cage. Yet a non-binary painter enters her life and sees who she truly is, and helps her rediscover her own desires and dreams.
I only wish I listened to this instead. While it was still breathtakingly beautiful, it felt like it was written in a way that demands to be heard.
My only critique is in regards to the non-binary character. I LOVE that character, they were a little bit of magic themselves. I only wish our main character, who is our narrator, didn’t immediately call them they/them. To me, it didn’t make sense. She was new to this world, and has only learned that there are boys and there are girls. She did not know there was an option for someone to be non-binary, so she wouldn’t know to call this character they/them. It’s not like you can look at person and can tell, sadly in our gendered society. I just wish that our main character called them by a gender until the character maybe clarifies that they like they/them, making it more believable. I want to continue reading stories with non-binary characters, I just don’t like when the narrator somehow magically knows to call this stranger they/them when the rest of the society assumes gender.
Overall, I totally recommend this book. I recommend listening to it. I recommend travers to read it aloud to their students. For parents to read it to their kids. It captured the magic and whimsy and hint of darkness, mixed with a moral of a classic fairytale. It was truly beautiful.
Thank you to NetGalley & Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink for providing an advance reader copy of this audiobook for my honest review.

Romero has done it again. I was swept away not just into the story but also into the lush, beautiful writing. This is definitely a book I cannot wait to revisit again and again.

This was my third book I've read by this author. All of them have been very different, but equally beautiful, and this was no different. It's a historical fantasy full of fairytale vibes, which is exactly my favourite kind of fantasy. The verse is so gorgeously written, which really adds to the fairytale vibe, and you can't help but love the main character. I loved seeing non-binary representation in this book as well, especially in a historical/fairytale context.

Quite frankly, the poetry-like structure just threw me off guard and it took some getting used to, to really understand what was happening. The animals' deaths were a bit much for me, so I feel as if all that is going to take away from the actual plot of the book.

This book had my heart from its stunning cover alone, and the narrative more than lived up to it. Romero's lyrical style transports you to the fairytale world they've crafted, and I can see this becoming a true classic.

<i>My heart is a compass, my true north the woods</i>

R.M. Romero can be considered the modern Brothers Grimm, and A Warning About Swans reminded me strongly of a fairy tale Tess of the D'Urbervilles in verse. By entering the human world, Hilde must encounter the possessive and domineering machinations of the first man who calls her beautiful. The protective laissez-faire attitude of Odin renders her unprepared and naïve in the face of human desire, yet her need for freedom and life's experiences in all their forms propels her to retain her vitality and defiance. Although beautiful and otherworldly, A Warning About Swans did not capture my heart in quite the same way as The Ghosts of Rose Hill, which is down to personal preference, and the only reason I am removing one star.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was beautifully and lyrically written. I was immediately captivated by the writing style and the story was whimsical. I absolutely loved this.

I really enjoyed this story that merges a fairytale world with the real world as a young woman comes into her own and builds her own life. It's skillfully written in verse with some beautiful lines ("There is so much freedom in refusing to touch the ground").

While I really liked our protagonist and felt Hilde was an earnest, vulnerable character who slowly becomes stronger over time, I do wish we had a chance to see Franz's POV. I would've loved to hear more about how their Jewishness intersects with their identity (a nonbinary Jew who prays with a tallit and has peyot!). I really liked the inclusion of the beautiful paintings in Neuschwanstein and the message against killing animals purely for sport, as well as the sympathetic take on King Ludwig II.

Overall, this is a wonderful book that I hope many young people will enjoy, especially at this difficult time for queer folks.