Unique and imaginative - a different type of shifter tale. The lines of reality and imagination are tested as our heroine delves deeper into the hidden world, sweet yet sometimes brutal, of the swan beings. A very different tale.

Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Swanfolk by Kristin Omarsdottir is a blend of literary fiction and fantasy that isn't afraid to take experimental risks. The story revolves around Elisabet Eva, a spy who has recently met two half-swan, half-human creatures coming out of a lake. She soon becomes friends with these swan women. But where did they come from and what do they want? Are the swan women real, or are they signs that Elisabet is going crazy?

Here is a captivating excerpt from the Prologue:

"I came from a country that didn’t exist and lived from birth in its capital, by a blue bay and a violet mountain whose slopes were scaled by a verdurous green in summer and in winter were veiled by snow. Over the land drifted sublime clouds, and the damp, rocky soil gave rise to vegetable patches that yielded mighty potatoes. On the horizon the sun curtsied politely like a chorus girl. In foreign lands she disappeared behind apartment blocks and high walls but it was the Atlantic Ocean that served as my country’s border wall, though the winds refused to acknowledge this. Lakes and rivers were clear and crowded with trout, droughts unheard of, the mountainscapes a tangible mirage. Light ruled the skies in summer and ceded to darkness in winter."

Overall, Swanfolk is a beautifully-told story with fairy-tale-like prose. It reminded me of reading books by Alix E. Harrow and Catherynne M. Valente. One highlight of this book is the dreamlike atmosphere. It really felt like I was in the middle of a dream. I did take off 1 star, because there were some weird conversations about orgasm and abortions. I wasn't sure where the plot was going, and then, near the end, the book just went off the deep end into an experimental format that didn't feel like a novel at all. I've now realized that this book is literary fiction, and I'm not a huge fan of that genre. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of literary fiction, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

Extremely rare occurrence…I DNF this book. Gorgeous cover, interesting premise….but completely indecipherable. Every character was unlikeable,, with no development. I kept looking for meaning in the segues and interactions and found none. Perhaps something was lost in the translation. Time is too short to waste reading something that inspired utter boredom and disinterest.

This book made absolutely no sense to me. I was ready to DNF, then kept going in the hopes that I would eventually understand. That never happened. Story is like a dark, twisted, and failed fairy tale. I found it hard to suspend belief, and the creatures were unpleasant all around. Spoilers for violence, mental illness, hallucinations, assault, suicide. Just not my cup of tea.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and HarperVia for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.