I struggled to get invested with the characters. I understand that this is YA but it actually almost gave middle grade vibes, which I guess is maybe more of a me problem. I can and have read YA in the past that still tackles themes that make it seem older, I love YA, but this one just didn’t work. I was bored and frustrated constantly with Odile. She is reckless, rude, and brash, never really seeming to own up to it or come into her own. It could have been an interesting story of growth for her, but it didn’t land. She’s very much a “hurt people hurt people” kind of character, which can work, but takes a lot of effort. Zero chemistry or tension between the love interests as well.

When I found out there was going to be a sapphic retelling of Swan Lake you can bet I was THRILLED, but also so worried because my expectations were so high, and I am sososo happy that they were met because I LOVED this. The prose was gorgeous, the characters lovable, and once I started, I just couldn't stop. Absolutely perfect.

A beautifully written Swan Lake retelling with an intriguing Gothic atmosphere. I ended up enjoying Odile as an FMC. I say ended up because she's quite unlikable at the beginning, but does some significant personal growth. Being able to admit your faults and acknowledging emotional manipulation from those closest to you takes a different kind of strength. Her character development and how she handles her relationships really brought depth to the story.

I appreciated that Odile and Marie's relationship was previously established, and despite their contentious falling out, they reconciled and were able to pick up where they left off.

The pacing was well done and the magic system was easy to understand. There were a couple plot twists I had figured out, but some still surprised me. The Gothic atmosphere kept me engaged and the sprinklings of French mythology were a pleasant surprise.

This book was a welcome surprise to me. I always found myself skipping the book because I was busy. Finally got to start reading and well I definitely did not stop, here I am 14 hours later satisfied to have read that book ending.

I was very intrigued at first when I found out this was a swan lake inspired story. I liked the details and the hints in between the lines about the sean lake story. I especially enjoyed the black swan and white swan setting and how they were friends in their young age. Odele’s character was very versatile, she is a spy, a thief, adopted daughter, sorciere, and sister and still becomes more in this books. Marie’s backstory drew me in too, how she longs for freedom but must keep acting like the noble daughter she is. It also makes it even better when we see this whole opposite attracts trope, their likely alliance and how they finally open up to each other.
A very cute, and somewhat gothic story.

While I have a hard time finding a good sapphic novel to keep my interest. Swan Lake was able to provide the craving I had or so long when it came to sapphic stories.

While I enjoyed their debut novel 'Where the Dark Stands Still' just a smidge more. This novel was still enjoyable and I devoured in one sitting.

The characters were great and well written, the French-style setting was done beautifully and the ending was amazing.

The other point I enjoyed was the story didn't drag on nor was it filled with fluff to pad the pages. It was a story that was straight to the point and provided insight when needed without going on a twenty page tirade with it.

I do not know the story of Swan Lake well enough to comment on the accuracy of a retelling, however, from a first introduction, it was interesting but not amazing. The twists were expected (from someone who doesn't know the story) and I wanted more of the relationship between Odile and Marie. I also didn't really feel connected to the characters, especially Odile, she didn't feel like she had any depth, just her need for acceptance driving the story. I do think that the atmosphere was wonderfully built and overall it was an easy read to get through.

A Treachery of Swans is a delightful retelling of Swan Lake set from the point of view of Odile, traditionally a villain.

As a former dancer I enjoyed all the references to Swan Lake and this new spin on it. It's easy to sympathize with Odile in a world where sorciers are persecuted and life has not been kind to her. Odile is tasked by her adopted father to get him the Couronne du Roi by impersonating Marie d'Odette, our swan princess. This of course is not as straightforward as it seems, because underneath her villainous exterior Odile is just a girl longing for acceptance.

Though I enjoyed the majority of the twists and turns, I think the last swan "twist" was unnecessary. I'm also on the fence about the ending. In the final chapter it appears to be setting up a second book, but then this plotline is immediately resolved in the epilogue. While I do think this is fitting as a standalone, solving this so quickly felt rather rushed.

A unique sapphic retelling of Swan Lake. Political intrigue, mysterious death and betrayals with a dark gothic atmosphere that will leave you a bit wrecked emotionally. Now add to that the fact that this story is extremely well written. At times poetic and lyrical. The character development is what stood out to me. I also think the romance was done well. In a time of overdone smut, it was refreshing.

This made my little Barbie Swan Lake lover heart quite happy. Having Odile as our protagonist was a great choice and I enjoyed being in her head while she was going undercover. I'm a big fan of a scheming lesbian. I think this story is strongest during the mystery solving portions, the Odile and Marie mystery solving duo worked really well. The climax definitely has some great drama but the last minute twist felt unnecessary. If we're not going to make it another book I don't need the suggestion of an Odile self growth quest. That aside, I think this a super fun YA fantasy romance.

Also can we talk about this cover?!? Stunning! Can we please get this artist to illustrate even more sapphic books because I'm obsessed with their work.

CW: murder, child abuse

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

actual rating: 1.5. today i am feeling generous so i will start with the positives:
-the cover is incredible, i am so obsessed with it. i would spend thousands of dollars to get a print of the artwork, it is gorgeous!!
-the atmosphere of the novel is absolutely delicious!! i love the dark and mysterious vibe. i love the descriptions of how the characters dress. if there is one thing about me, it is the fact that i love elegant and mysterious settings!!

however, i also have some negatives:
-i hate Odile. she is probably the worst character in the book and she is the MAIN CHARACTER!!!! she is supposed to be parading around as Marie but she does such an awful job at it, Odile gets clocked as an imposter in fifteen minutes of being in the ballroom. baby girl lives in a THEATER and can’t act for shit!! she couldn't even try to act like Marie for a single second and that's her whole objective PLEASE 😭
-the romance was severely lacking as Marie spends a majority of the novel as a swan while being Odile’s love interest. even when Marie isn’t a swan, Odile is still treating her like absolute garbage. and yet Marie keeps accepting her half-assed apologies?? MARIE RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!!!! YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS!!!!!!!

anyways i am here for the Damien x Aimé subplot and their subplot ONLY 😤

First of all, the cover on this book is absolutely stunning and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. It's what drew me in at first as well as the premise saying it's a sapphic retelling of Swan Lake.
The world building throughout this book was enthralling, I loved the idea of the sorcier's and the backstory behind why people with gold blood aren't loved. I would say this world building is what kept me involved in the book as well as the magic that was fun.
I liked Odile and Marie's relationship, I do think it would've been nice to have a bit more especially in the beginning but what was provided to us towards the end almost makes up for it.
The ending is what threw me off, it almost was like it wasn't about to be a standalone book and potentially have a sequel but that isn't the case at all and I didn't enjoy that decision.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Treachery of Swans presents a sapphic retelling of Swan Lake, set in a world that magic has deserted. The treacherous Odile is our central character in this telling of the story - she is boyish and charming, easily able to manipulate Marie D'Odette. This version of Odile has the golden blood of a sorciere, marking her as an outcast. She was taken from the gutters and raised by a conniving theater master who has orchestrated a scheme to "free" magic - but he'll need Odile's help to do it.

Treachery works best when it luxuriates in its storytelling -- I found the central conflict too quickly resolved for my taste. The ending seems too set itself up for a sequel, but then changes course and presents us with an epilogue instead.

A Treachery of Swans was one of my most antipcated reads of 2025, thank you NetGalley for making my dream come true!
Odile and Marie were perfect there was so much longing and love and darkness and A.B. Poranek is a master at immersing readers. Moody and fairy tale are my favorite combo and this did not disappoint!

This book was beautifully written I will say. I just wish I felt more attached to the characters, and more interested in the plot.

I know this books is a “Swan Princess” retelling, but also at the same time it was incredibly cliched. No twist in the story had me audibly gasping or shocked.

I think if you like dark and atmospheric storytelling, you will eat this up! Unfortunately, that’s just not what I look for in my novels. It’s incredibly vibing, and I was expecting the romance to be more of a plot point than it was. I didn’t feel drawn to the characters and I was more reading this to finish it rather than caring to know how the story ends.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the EARC!

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Margaret K. McElderry Books!

I must have been the only person alive that didn't know the Swan Princess movie was based on Swan Lake the ballet, but this gave me Swan Princess vibes and I ate it up. I know it's a retelling of Swan Lake, but because my baseline was the movie, I enjoyed this because it went deeper than the film and gave us a little bit of back lore.

This is definitely one of the better retellings I've read because I felt like I could recognize the source material but it also held it's own took the story somewhere different which I appreciate.

I enjoyed this author's last book, Where the Dark Stands Still because the vibe was immaculate and this followed suit. I enjoyed the world, and the world building overall. I also enjoyed the characters and I think for the most part, they were all likeable and all felt fully fleshed out. I was able to understand why they all made the decisions they were making even if I didn't like the decisions lol.

The romance aspect to this was also great because it was a slow burn and showed just enough that it made sense with the character motivations. It didn't feel out of place within the story or like, shoehorned in. I appreciate that the story didn't go off the rails for the romance, but instead incorporated it in as a product of their circumstances (if that makes sense).

While the story didn't feel too long, for me personally it started to drag near the end. I was sort of able to see where it was going in terms of the final battle, and I wanted it to get there sooner. I think last quarter starts slowing down in terms of Odile and Marie figuring out the mystery and I think they could've gotten there quicker.

Overall though, I liked this and I would definitely tell my friends to read it. It was a good balance of plot and vibes. AB Poranek is definitely becoming an auto-read author for me!

After reading "Where the Dark Stands Still", when I saw something new from A. B. Poranek, I hoped it would be something just as special. I was not disappointed. "A Treachery of Swans" is a queer retelling of Swan Lake. It took elements from that story and mixed them with historical settings and a magic system that was fascinating, if a little undeveloped. I enjoyed the characters and their journey through the story. I thought that the ending was slightly anti-climactic. It felt like it should have been the set up for a second book, but instead had an unsatisfying epilogue that attempted to wrap everything up in a neat bow. If not for that ending, I would have been incredibly excited to learn more about the magic and wider world in a sequel. As it is however, I was still engaged throughout the entire story. It was a story that had enough twists and turns to keep my interest. I hope to see more from Poranek in the future.

I'll admit I didn't know too much about Swan Lake before going into this, but I'm always down for a gothic sapphic romance, and omg that cover really solidified me needing this.

A.B. Poranek wrote the most perfect atmospheric fairytale retelling. This was everything I could want. The character development is superb, and the writing is stunning and atmospheric, it's even funny at moments! Even though this is YA, it reads mature and the characters never feel juvenile.

I always prefer a slow burn romance to build up tension, and this definitely is a slow burn that's burns perfectly delicious.

A romantic and fantastical tale that will grip that niche group of teens simply obsessed with Phantom of the Opera and gothic literature! Some twists were expected, while others came totally out of left field. Another excellent and atmospheric offering from AB Poranek

I really enjoyed Where the Dark Stands Still, but A Treachery of Swans missed the mark for me. While the premise is rich with promise—a sapphic retelling full of magic, intrigue, and betrayal—the characters felt a bit frustrating, and their motivations sometimes muddled the emotional stakes. The romance didn’t feel fully developed, which made it hard to invest in the connection between Odile and Marie. Still, Poranek’s writing is immersive and the story was certainly engaging—I just wanted more depth from the characters and their relationships.

I already know I would love A Treachery of Swans because I loved this authors first book, but my already high expectations were blown out of the water. I truly loved this book and will be making everyone I know read it.

The Swan Princess was one of my favorite movies growing up. This book reminded me of that movie, except if it was a darker fantasy and sapphic.

I really love Odile’s and Marie’s relationship with each other. They are both such complex, well written characters who compliment each other really well. I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers romance and think it was well done.

The plot twists were really good and some I didn’t see coming. The plot twists, and the whole overall story, truly blew me away.