This book is one that you read, and then forget everything about. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I just didn’t care about it. In most cases, I’ll give books that I feel nothing towards three stars, but this was way too long, and way too boring for my tastes. I think Dickerson’s writing is just a bit too simple for me, because I didn’t love the other book I read by her either.

Court of Swans is a retelling of the Wild Swans, set in medieval England. After her seven brothers are arrested for treason, Delia decides she must do everything she can to prove their innocence. Traveling to the palace as a sewing maid, she learns that trust can be a weapon, and that secrets don’t stay secret for long.

My main problem with this was how boring it was. There was absolutely nothing special about it. The plot was pretty nonexistent, and the murder mystery element was a joke. The orchestrator was obvious from the first chapter, so nothing made this book unique.

The characters were also super bland. Because Delia had seven brothers, none of them got much characterization. I can tell you that Merick is grumpy, and that’s about it. I think the romance was supposed to be the driving point of this novel, but because I didn’t care about the characters, the romance was almost too plain. There was nothing to spice it up, both of the characters were completely good, and completely forgettable.

I also do have to complain about the lack of magic. Now, I don’t know the tale of the Wild Swans very well, but I do know that magic is a crucial part. I’m not even sure if this can be considered a Wild Swans retelling, because there were very few similarities, and swans were pretty much ignored. Some magic might’ve spiced this up a bit, but sadly, it was just a bland book I don’t see myself remembering a month from now.

Thanks to Melanie Dickerson and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a difficult review to write, in part because I am not the market here. It's not YA, I'll say that up front. It's a book for children, though it's definitely in the upper age range there. I thought this was everything I wanted: fairytale reference, check, historical setting, check, adventure and romance, check. But let's pull those apart a bit.
The fairytale reference. The seven swan brothers and their clever sister. The magic and mystery of it makes it an ideal fairytale to adapt for a novel, and I was more surprised that it hadn't been done in any major novel before. I realised why quite quickly. The seven brothers: none of them have distinct personalities. There are simply too many characters on the board too quickly for anyone to get enough of an introduction to make an impression. And having them all in a group for almost the rest of the novel doesn't help that. And the magic of the fairytale itself is absent. There were references, but little more than a nod here and there that left me feeling more cheated than nostalgic.
The historical setting. The reign of Richard II, post Wat's Rebellion. The historical facts are shaky at best and where they are correct, they stand out. The insistent use of 'Wardroab Tower' rather than modernising the spelling made me cringe, as well as the lack of any real knowledge of the layout of the Tower of London or even the historical use of the 'Wardroab' (which wasn't a prison at that time!) Delia mentions wearing a wimple only once, so we can assume that she's improperly dressed at all other times and therefore deeply impious, no matter how much she talks about God.
Adventure and romance. Yes to the second, a hand-wavy gesture to the first. There's romance and its exactly what you expect, with exactly the moments you expect, with exactly the lines you expect, etc. Adventure? Eh. The plot has some slightly weird pacing at times, the kind of pacing that makes me think that the author didn't really know what she wanted to write even as she was writing it. Characters appear and disappear, there are sudden reveals that aren't foreshadowed at all, there are long chapters that are almost nothing but sitting and sewing or sitting and knitting, followed by frenetic scenes of racing through the London streets and random decisions that come from absolutely nowhere.
It gains confidence as it goes, and the end scenes tie everything together with an appropriate neatness and even more references to the Will Of God. If I were ten I imagine I'd be thrilled with this book. But I'm not, and I was hoping for more.

I have enjoyed all of Melanie Dickerson Hagenheim family series and I was so excited to see that she had a new series coming out. Court of Swans is the first book in her new series, A Dericott Tale, and it was a great start! Court of Swans is a retelling of The Six Swans which is one of my favorite fairytales. Dalia is the daughter of an earl and she lives a quiet life with her father, her stepmother, and her brothers. However, her whole life changes when her father dies and her brothers are convicted of treason, even the youngest one of whom is only 10 years old.
Dalia was a strong heroine, but she also had her own faults. I liked her and thought that she was so brave as she went to go after her brothers. However, I thought at times she was a bit naive. Overall, she was a good heroine for the book and I really enjoyed reading about her as she grew. She learned who she could trust and she learned to forgive. Life was not easy, but God was still in control.
Sir Geoffrey was a great hero! I really liked him, even from the beginning. He was kind and he was honorable. Although he captured Dalia’s brothers, he didn't agree with the charges and he wanted to right the wrong. It was sweet to see him try to help Dalia. He had to figure out what it would mean for him to help Dalia because he wanted to honor the king but he also wanted to do what was right.
Court of Swans was a really good book. I liked how Ms. Dickerson was able to weave a new look at this fairy tale, however, I think that re-creating this fairy without magic is very hard. I mean in The Six Swans, the boys turn into swans which you can’t do without magic. I did, however, enjoy the characters and the pace of the book. I think that she did a great job at making it different, yet still keeping true to the fairytale. I was so worried as Dalia and Geoffrey worked to free Dalia’s brothers from the accusations against them. I was intrigued to see how it would end, and I really liked the ending. I did not see so many twists that were coming, and I loved the suspense as Dalia tried to save her brothers.
I would definitely recommend this book and I can’t wait to see what comes next in the series!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I enjoy retellings and this was a retelling of the Wild Swans...good-clean- YA Fantasy retelling. If you enjoyed the authors other works you will enjoy this book.

Melanie Dickerson has done it again! This is a captivating and delightful read. It was engaging the very end. I highly recommend this fun and quick read. Many thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I enjoyed this book. I think the aspect I enjoyed the most was the characterization that the author employs. I found the characters to be realistically portrayed and three-dimensional. I love the depiction of a strong heroine. Additionally, the storyline itself was able to keep me interested until the very end.

This is the story of Delia, who's the middle sister of seven brothers. After her father dies, her stepmother wants all the power for herself and her own child, and the brothers are accused of treason and taken as prisoners.

After her brothers are taken to London, she follows them and takes a position as a servant, in order to be close to them and to help them escape when they're sentenced to death.

Geoffrey is the captain of the guard who comes to arrest the brothers and he soon realizes that they are innocent and eventually helps them and Delia.

Despite its length, I think this book is intended for a MG/YA audience. I found the writing lacking a certain depth that I usually appreciate in historical novels. Nonetheless, it kept my interest until the end.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Court of Swans in exchange for an honest review.

I feel a little guilty reviewing this because I didn't actually realize until halfway through the book that I've
1) read and reviewed a Melanie Dickerson book before
2) realized that which Dickerson's writing is good, I'm definitely not her target audience and probably shouldn't be reading and reviewing her books.

Last time I read one of these, I gave it a perfectly average rating because I didn't want to skew the goodreads for people who are in the target demo, but I don't feel right doing that here. Regardless of my overall enjoyment of them both, Court of Swans works a lot worse than the other Melanie Dickerson book I've read, The Peasant's Dream and I think a lot of it comes down to The Six/Wild Swans (dependent on the version this is adapted from) is a story coated in magic and removing that magic from it left this with a really weird amalgamation of less than believable plotlines and flat characters.

For example, the step mother from the fairytale is transformed into Delia's step mother and when in a story where she ends up to be a secret witch who curses the boys having her be an over the top evil villain worked, transforming those cartoonish evil traits into a more realistic setting came off as jarring both in tone and character. Court of Swans does deviate from the fairytale to add its own characters and plotlines pretty quickly, but I honestly found the added characters to also be bland.

Another enjoyable read by Ms. Dickerson who brings fairy tales and faith into her novels. Delia has 7 brothers, whom she loves dearly, who protect her, which makes her naive is some ways. She is kind and always wants to help. After her father's death, her brothers are falsely accused of being traitors and Delia knows who is behind it, but cannot prove it. Her anger is taken out on Sir Geoffrey, who had the unfortunate task of arresting her brothers on the king's orders. Sir Geoffrey is more than he appears though, for he has been wronged as well, and decides he wants to help Delia, even though it could cost him his career. As the two work together, they begin to unravel the plot, but without much evidence and realize that their own misfortunes intertwine. With no they can trust, they set out to find the evidence needed to free her brothers and bring the evil doers to justice and if they find some romance on the way, even better.
I received this novel as an ARC from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

**I was given a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

I was intrigued by the description of this book when I first saw it listed. To be completely honest, Delia was what made me want to read this book. I knew that either she would either be a strong heroine or as weak as a lamb. I won't say anything specific that happened, because I don't do spoilers, but I am very pleased to report she is a very strong woman.

All of the characters in this book seem so lifelike and so realistically portrayed. Each of them felt like people I knew. I could visualize them very clearly, and that is a sign that the author is very skilled. I stayed up all night to finish this book, and I regret nothing. I highly recommend this when it is released, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

i really enjoyed reading this book, Ms. Dickerson always writes a beautifully done story. I enjoyed the characters and the time period used.

#CourtOfSwans

A fairytale retelling that was well written. Even in hard times, look for the joy.
Delia is overwhelmed when her seven brothers are accused of treason. Delia is determined to find out everything she can about the case against her brother's. A page turner.

Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson is like all of the author's works ... Pulls you in for a thrilling fairytale and makes you sad to see the characters go.

This is one book I will need to get in paperback as soon as possible!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My jaw dropped wide open after I finished reading this book and the story was just so exciting and thrilling that I could not stop reading. The bond of family is so strong that you are willing to risk your life or death to save them. How Delia felt when her brothers were sentenced to the Tower for treason and to be executed if the King found them a threat was enough to spark the determination of Delia to "team' up with the guard captain Sir Geoffrey for not only the freedom of her brothers but to overthrow the King and rightfully heir the thrown and change the execution laws once and for all. I am so thrilled to add this as a potential candidate for a future teen book club and I know our teen community will love it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

COURT OF SWANS by MELANIE DICKERSON is a delightful retelling of the fairy tale "The Wild Swans", and in it we see love and loyalty coming up against greed, hatred and lust for power. The story takes place in 1378 shortly after Wat Tyler's Rebellion, with the young King Richard 11 condemning the seven Dericott boys to death for supposedly killing the King's Coroner. Their sister Delia, together with Sir Geoffrey, the soldier who was sent to arrest them, do all they can to uncover the truth. There are false witnesses, liars and murderers for them to contend with as they race against time to clear the young boys' names and save their lives.
There is intrigue, suspense and a sweet romance, together with a good Christian message of hope,running through the story.
It is an exciting read and one I can highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical romance.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.