When I first read the blurb for Order of Swans, I was really excited about this book. I loved the fact that the FMC is completing her PhD and that she finds herself in an unknown world. I think the biggest challenge with this book is that the author gives away the biggest plot twist right from the beginning; if the reader didn't know that she was on a different planet and discovered this later, this would make the book way more exciting. But since we already knew this, seeing Kaley's ignorance about where she was made it just frustrating to read. How is someone who studies folklore and who is well educated so unaware of being on a new planet? There was also a weird love triangle that was not a love triangle, and the MMC I found was just unlikable. There were so many times where I almost DNF'd this book, but I pushed through hoping it would get better. The narrator did a great job, which certainly helped.

Overall, I just feel like this needed way more editing; the concept was GREAT but the details were just all over the place and needed more of a of a structured plotline and more of a focus on the romance aspect of the story.

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley and Harlequin Audio or the ALC!

This book completely blew past my expectations—in the best way! If you're a fan of Once Upon a Time, you're going to love Order of Swans. It’s a fresh, adventurous take on fairy tales with a sci-fi twist that totally worked for me.

The story follows a fairytale-obsessed girl who finds herself transported to another planet where all the stories she grew up loving—based on the original Grimm versions—are actually real. I was hooked from the start by this unique concept!

The world-building was decent, though I found myself wanting a bit more depth. I’m really hoping the next book dives further into the lore and magic of this new world.

I also appreciated the multiple POVs—it gave the story more dimension. That said, I listened to the audiobook and really wish it had been a full cast narration. It would have made it much easier to distinguish between the different characters’ perspectives. The narration overall was just OK for me.

Still, this was a fun, imaginative read that left me curious for more. I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel!

This was such a fun read, and I love how Deveraux incorporated several well-known fairytales throughout the story. I loved the fantasy world that was built, and I really want to know more about it! And I love a good fantasy where the woman is the one that has all the answers and can solve all the problems rather than being helpless and clueless. I can't wait for the next one and to see how the story continues to unravel. I am

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I have been a JD fan since the 80s when I first discovered her. I adore the majority of her books, however I was a bit leery to read this one, as it was so much different from what I had come to expect from her.

Honestly, it was alright. It had parts that I liked and parts that I didn't. I thought the premise was kind of interesting as I have always been a fan of fairy tales and retellings. I'm not a big fantasy or sci-fi reader but there were so aspects of this book that encompassed those genres that I enjoyed and there were also parts that seemed disjointed. I didn't think this book flowed as well as I knew Jude's writing to do.

While I liked the characters and I thought that they had some great scenes and banter together and I enjoyed learning their backgrounds, there wasn't enough there to get me to connect with them and be engaged in their story.

The book was fine, but definitely not my favorite book of hers. I will buy the book as part of my collection, since I own her entire works, but I'm not sure that I would read it again.

I don't always listen to single narrator reviews but I thought the narrator Alexandra Hunter, did a good job.

It was interesting reading something that she wrote in this genre. I would have not expected it. It was an okay book. I would like to read more to see what else she can do.

DNF. I think this is a case of awful marketing. I went in expecting something like a standard portal fantasy. What did I get slapped with one page in? Turns out it's actually science fantasy. Which would be cool, but the synopsis doesn't really even allude to any sci fi elements, so that left me confused and a tad frustrated. I'm all for creative worldbuilding, but don't try to sell me one thing and give me another. That said, the narration was good, and I'm sure if marketed correctly this (audio)book could find its audience.

I could not get into this for some reason. the narrator did an incredible job but i felt like the plot kind of was jumping all over the place.

I just really couldn’t get into this… It was just too much going on w/ the storyline, literally a bit of those & a bit of these, things from the bushes, things from the trees lmfao. I mean, if they stuck w/ the swan storyline, I feel like the premise of that alone would’ve been nice, but it was Sci-Fi & Fantasy (which I don’t mind as long as it’s done well), mixed in w/ retellings? Hints of retellings? I’ve no idea, but it just wasn’t for me. The narrator was amazing though, but I just could not do w/ the storyline.

⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Order of Swans
Author: Jude Deveraux

Thank you so much Netgalley and Harlequin audio for this ALC! This was such an interesting read. We combine science fiction elements with fantasy on this whirlwind of a ride. Our main character Kaley is a phd student that ends up accompanying her friend Jobi to his home for three months. This home is a world unlike any other.. somehow the planet centers around fairytales and also is a home for creatures that are now extinct on Earth? Also she gets swept up into a quest to find a missing Prince? There was so much going on here. There is a fun cast of characters and a mystery element being that Kaley is clearly part of something much bigger then she (or us as the readers) knows. It was definitely more on the YA side. The narration was amazing. I think fans of the lunar chronicles series would be interested in this. I am definitely looking forward to seeing where the story goes. Thank you again for the copy!

I loved this blend of sci-fi and fantasy adventure. The only issue I had was the world building, where it fails to come together and make sense. It may be that we get more answers in book 2, which is a popular thing to do, that I hate. The concept of the novel is really compelling and fun, I just wish Kaley had pressed harder for answers because the lack of info drove me insane.

DNF at 38% I really REALLY tried, but this is just not worth my time.

Our main character is a PhD student studying ~fairytales~ and is extremely upset when her advisor rejects her dissertation because it is "nothing new". What is her dissertation, you may be asking. It's Cinderella 😐
So, she decides to go on a trip to some extremely remote, unheard of islands with a family friend to bring the folklore of his islands back. A family friend that literally told her these islands are on an alien planet, 3 years travel away. Haha, but he's just joking around obviouslyyyy (he is not joking, nor does he ever say he is joking).

So, 3 years pass and here she is on these weird islands with weird people with weird colored eyes and weird little magic sticks that zap language into her. Also the islands just casually have our fairytales playing out, I guess. And everyone is all *surprised pikachu* that she can just say what will happen. There's Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel before I quit reading. Does any of this really make sense? Nope.

Also, you are telling me the king of a place (again ON A DIFFERENT PLANET) is gonna give some random girl (that just showed up on this planet) a mission to get his son to come back for an arranged marriage?? Like what??

Literally no part of this book makes any sense, and there is constant whiplash because the events happening do not have any connection to each other. There is no "this event leads to this other event", things just ~happen~ for I guess the sake of happening. Pretty much every single scene I was lost and thought my audiobook had skipped forward because there was no logic to why the scene was taking place.

I was trying to hold out to see if the romance made this worthwhile, but never got there. Please save yourself the confusion and wasted time and read literally any other book. If you want weird fairytales happening IRL type of stuff, check out The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for providing an eARC audiobook of Order of Swans in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on this book, so I was a little worried going into it but all in all I did enjoy it. It is not some epic fantasy story, and the world building left something to be desired at times. I also feel like the FMC lacked depth and did not always come off nearly as smart as you would expect for someone who is literally at the end of their PhD program. Despite its faults, its literally a fairytale with magical animals.

This book is great for fans of Once Upon a Time the TV show, it has its cheesy eye roll moments, but it also has super cute and fun moments as well.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for the alc via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Alexandra Hunter does a great job with the narration for this one. She's clear and easy to listen to. The pacing was smooth and if you're planning to check this one out, I definitely recommend trying the audio.

The story itself is chaotic and absolutely ridiculous but fun and light. I listened to it while building a vanity with 1million pieces and it kept me going without realizing how much time was passing. I've read plenty of Jude's romance books over the years and always enjoyed them so when I saw she was putting out a fantasy romance I had to check it out. While it's honestly not at all what I was expecting, I still had a good time listening. There's a lot going on with the plot and it can be at times a little difficult to follow, but I recommend just sitting back and letting yourself fully immerse in the tale. It's not supposed to be realistic so don't expect too much depth and just let it be a fun, fluffy story. The FMC Kaley is very naive for a PhD student, but to be fair, she's been kept in the dark about basically everything and I honestly would not expect to be experiencing literal fairytale creatures/places or to be on a different planet/world either, so I'll give her some grace. But girl should definitely have been more wary, asked more questions and demanded real answers. Tanek and Sojee, her partners on this journey, are hands down the best part of this book. Not even necessarily for the potential romance but for the comic relief. I found them to be funny and enjoyed the banter. I would love to know more about them, especially Sojee. It does end on a cliffhanger so if you like it there's another book to look forward to which is always fun but since it is book one in a duology it can feel pretty rushed. If you like fairytales, sci-fi, fantasy, political intrigue and LOTS going on in a plot you might want to check this one out. I'll be listening to the next one to see how the story ends.

4⭐️ This was a fun world that reminded me of the series Once. Fairytales come to life as a PhD student enters the remote island home of her best friend, Jobi, where all the story she knows and studies are real. Not everything is as magical as Kaley expected, there are a lot of twists and turns to navigate.

Synopsis:
To Kaley Arens, a PhD student and expert in folklore, fairy stories have always had a power and an allure beyond mere entertainment.

It’s only when Kaley accompanies her lifelong friend Jobi on a visit to his home that she realizes how much she still has to learn. Bellis isn’t the remote island that she believed it to be. It’s another world—a stunningly beautiful and seductive one, with its own royalty, its own rules, and inhabitants who breathe life into the tales she was taught were fiction.

Kaley’s presence is no simple holiday. She has a mysterious connection with Jobi and with Bellis, and abilities that may help determine this world’s fate. Tasked with locating a lost prince, Kaley and her companions—the enigmatic Tanek, a member of the Order of Swans, and Sojee, Kaley’s colossal bodyguard—journey through a land both thrilling and terrifying, where the uncanny and the familiar go hand in hand.

But in fairy tales, heroes and villains are easy to discern. Here, nothing is quite as it seems. And though Kaley is discovering that she can change the outcome of the fairy tales she knows so well, her own story is unfolding in ways impossible to predict, with a destiny she could never have foretold…

Thank you @netgalley @harlequinbooks and Jude Deveraux for the advanced listener copy.

I LOVED this book and the narrator did such a great job. This story was so interesting and the side characters actually made me laugh out loud. I highly recommend this book!

This captivated me immediately and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The narration is perfect. The weird relationship between Jobi and our protagonist is perfect. I love the setting. I love that she goes on a journey to defy a professor. It was all great.

I thought this was a really fun read! It had moments of seriousness of course, but it’s easy to get sucked into the fairytale aspects of it and the romantic subplot. The seriousness of course is that she’s on a different planet and doesn’t realize, lost 3 years of her life in stasis while traveling to said planet unknowingly, and realizing that she plays a large role in helping this planet.
I really enjoyed the levity that the bodyguard brought to the table; he was such a joy and a big teddy bear. Also that everyone wanted to essentially marry Kaley. I was a little mystified at how Kaley just took everything in stride— like oh a dragon? Cool no big deal. Woah that animal is extinct! How cool that it’s hear. For a PhD student I would expect her to think more logically— but she was also studying fairytales so perhaps it’s that fantastical element that leads to her acceptance. Really the only thing that seemed to get her was when she realized where she was and how she came to be there.
In terms of narration, can I just say that I LOVED the way the lost prince was voiced. The whininess was spot on, and really added to the character I think.
Overall, the book was a little unbelievable, but it’s fantasy, and it was fun. And the end is a cliffhanger that makes me excited to see how the problem will be resolved in the next book!

Thank you Harlequin Audio and The Hive for the listen!

This fairytale fantasy book had a very science fiction feel to it. Aliens, traveling to another planet, being put to sleep for three years to travel to said planet. It felt to me that the author doesn't write a lot of fantasy novels.

I pushed thru 20%, but the writing really killed it for me. So many cool ideas, but the writing is too weak. I find that with audiobooks I am even more discerning with third person POV because the flaws seem more obvious.

I think the pacing really does need to be worked on. The first couple of chapters felt more like a prologue, a very rushed prologue. The training that we don't get to see, the intro of her animal connection but unclear what that means.

I will still give 2 stars for the interesting ideas presented.