I am not familiar with the story of Swan Lake for which this is a retelling. I savored the magic and cleverness of Olga, the main character. She is on a quest to find the jewel that is hidden in a castle. Olga has lived her life as a thief along with her friend Pavel and she is confident that this jewel will change her life so she no longer has to rely on trickery and magic to steal from others. When she reaches the castle, all is not what it seems. There is a dark magic at work that Olga must overcome. Thank you, Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to read this enchanting story. My opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this retelling of Swan Lake. I liked how the author jumps right into the story and the action continues until the last page. The book alternates between it's main story and an unknown narrator that reveals bits of lore that connect to the characters within the main storyline, which gave it a nice fairy tale vibe; I believe this book have some great character appeal.

This was so much fun. I know it's a retelling, but I've never read the original so I can't compare it, however, it was so magical. This was such a lovely world with such lovely people and I found myself transported by this story.

Another wonderful book from Sarah Sutton! A mixture of fairy tale elements from Slavic Cultures weave around each other and the characters and have a reader's brain thinking and wondering until the end.

This was an interesting story. There is magic and Olga is a thief because they have no money...
Knopf Books for Young Readers and Kindle let me review it (Thank you). It will be published on October 24th.

Olga is on her own (her mother died and her father went away). She's trying to learn spells, has a spider for a companion (it speaks), and hides from people so she doesn't she doesn't go to jail.

She has an older brother that helps her.

Her magic doesn't always do what she wants. But she is learning.

A retelling of Swan Lake featuring a clever orphan girl who is on a quest to find a jewel but finds herself trying to break a curse and uncover her own dark family secrets. Olga is an orphan girl who is gifted with magic and lives as a thief. When Olga and her partner-in-crime Pavel learn about a valuable jewel in a secluded castle, Olga knows its the opportunity she’s been waiting for that could finally change her life. She wouldn’t have to be stealing anymore, starving for food and living in poverty. She’d be able to have a home, food, and a place to just live with her best friend. But the moment she steps into the castle it is definitely not secluded and its ruled by a Baron Enchanter who hosts grand balls every night only for the guests to disappear each morning replaced by swans. Olga will need to solve the mystery behind the magic in this castle if she wants to not only save those she loves but herself. This was definitely an interesting take on the swan lake story and I liked how unique it was and the artwork in the story was gorgeous. The story really focuses on found family, friendship, and opening yourself up to being loved by others and having the courage to protect those you care about. Overall, it was a very charming and whimsical story that I think many readers will enjoy.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*