I've read this author's debut book before and fell in love with it, so as expected, my expectations for this book are soaring high, especially because this is a sapphic swan lake retelling. It turns out that this book reaches all of them and even goes beyond them!

The book tells a story about the villain of the story, Odile, and her father Rothbarte, as they both are on a mission to take Odette's place and marry the prince so they can steal an artifact that could restore magic to the land. Odette got turned into a swan as Odile took her form and became her. Unfortunately, the king died and now Odile has to find out who the culprit is with Odette's help.

I loved this book so much, I don't even know where to start. The plotline was quite mysterious but not too much that it puts me off, and it's so intriguing reading from Odile's pov and how she feels like a villain but someone that you can sympathize with and also someone that you know have it in her to have a redemption under the right circumstances. I love how different the characters are that you can tell them apart so easily and that none of them are perfect, some even might infuriate you, but you love the story and how they contribute to it. I loveeee the different dynamics between the characters, but most importantly, the romance really DELIVERS. It was soooo good and makes me smile like an idiot every time i see them.

Honestly, my only complaint is the fact that this is a standalone. With the way the last chapter left off, I would love to see a continuation of that because I dearly love Odile's character. But even with that, I still love this book and would highly recommend everyone to read it!

as someone whose only prior knowledge of swan lake was the barbie movie, I am obsessed.

this was a really unique take on the classic fairytale with the intricate magic system and complex world building, i was in awe the whole time. i especially loved this version's take on 'odette' and her relationship to her swan form and how she was able to use it to her advantage. once i got through the slightly confusing opening and was able to orient myself in the book, i was hooked.

I truly think that poranek writes some of the best ya books on the market right now. they are captivating original stories that are appropriate for the age group. with books either being way too aggressively smutty or too unfinished or simple, this is what I would have loved to read as a younger reader.
so yeah maybe some of the reveals were a bit obvious but, for the age group I get it.

thanks to margaret k. mcelderry and netgalley for the arc.

I really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately, not for me. I found myself unable to connect with the lead in order for me to root for them. DNF at 40%

I really wanted to like this one. A sapphic take on Swan Lake sounded unique and the premise was promising. It wasn’t quite what I was hoping it would be. The plot was interesting enough, but Odile isn’t well developed. Most of the characters feel stereotypical in a way. Marie being trapped in her opulent but lonely life is a trope I’ve seen to much. Sadly, the story didn’t do anything interesting with the original elements it did include.
I did like some of the descriptions and settings. But it failed to enchant me and the plot ran too long and the characters weren’t enough to keep me invested.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the arc)

this book had me in a choke hold, I loved every second of it. the cover drew me in immediately and the story was just as good.

The last 15 pages gave me such emotional whiplash I believe I have a concussion.

I THREW my kindle several times reading this book because every single moment you think "I've figured it out!" It slaps you and calls you a fool. I love when my books do that to me. I really feared it was going to do something I deeply hate in queer media but it was delightfully circumvented.

twists and turns aplenty, you will struggle to decide who really is helping Odile and who has nefarious intentions.

the character structure and narrative building is absolutely unmatched.



Also Odile is my dream girl, that is all