A Treachery of Swans felt like I was living inside a dark, whimsical fairytale and I never wanted to leave. A.B. Poranek’s debut, Where the Dark Stands Still, is an all time favorite of mine and I am so in love with her writing style. I went into this with high expectations from her previous book and it did not disappoint. I loved these characters and their motivations and how imperfectly realistic they were. They complimented each other so well, and if you’re someone who loves the “he was sunshine, I was midnight rain” dynamic, you’re gonna love this sapphic couple. This was so unique and felt unlike anything I’ve read before, while also giving me the same feeling as a vintage children’s fairytale. This is pitched as a gothic swan lake retelling and it definitely delivers those vibes. I absolutely loved the way this ended even if it was an emotionally rollercoaster for the last couple chapters. A.B. Poranek is officially an auto-buy author for me and I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.

This one took me a little while to finish. The pacing was a little slower than I personally would have preferred. The ending felt a little abrupt. I still enjoyed the story overall. The writing was beautiful and the characters delightful.

Thank you so much Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opening chapters immediately captured me - the atmosphere that the author creates at the theater is immersive and the writing is descriptive without being overwhelming and clunky. And I think this is where the author’s strength lies. Unfortunately, right from where the main FMC Odile tricks Marie and onward I had a very hard time wanting to pick up this book because of how unlikeable Odile is and because we are only experiencing the story through her eyes. She talks a big game about this grand plan that she’s going to pull off and treats everyone around her horrendously… and what happens during his first real test at the ballroom? Someone already guesses who she is (because she’s not even attempting to act like the Marie whose likeness she is using) and she ends up bleeding which is the one thing she was warned about (granted this isn’t her fault). And then we see lines like “…I’m not the delicate white-feathered bird they believe me to be. I’m the darkness of cold gutters and merciless nights, the bruised shadows beneath a thief’s desperate eyes. I’m nothing but a lie, a twisted reflection, a black swan. And my teeth are just as sharp as theirs”… which had me rolling my eyes a bit because of how much I disliked Odile at the 17% mark and the fact that she hasn’t yet backed up these bold claims. I also found it hard to connect to Marie as she’s very nonchalant about having her identity stolen and I found it quite confusing… I couldn’t understand her thought process. But honestly I’m glad I stuck it out! I feel like we learn much more about why Odile is the way she is by the 50% mark and it greatly helps the reader empathize with her situation, understand her dependency on her “father”, and why she makes the decisions she does. I still will say that I couldn’t really figure out and understand why Marie is so forgiving after we learn another reveal later on, and that I wished the relationship between Odile and Marie was a bit more flushed out as it read a bit surface level. However, there are some beautiful lines like “…She’s pulling back before I know it, but she might as well have marked herself permanently on my skin. It’s a stardust feeling, prickling and shivering and ephemeral, leaving me light-headed and bursting with warmth” which had me kicking my feet. The author definitely has a way with words and I did enjoy the writing style. All in all it’s a solid retelling of Swan Lake and I think readers who enjoy a strong atmospheric setting, sorcery, YA, mystery, and sapphic love story will enjoy this read!

Swan summer is almost here! 🦢

I requested this book because I was promised swan lake, but sapphic, and this delivered beautifully! Swan Lake is my favorite ballet so I desperately wanted this to fill that void. I loved the way Odette and Odile were portrayed within this stunning story. The court politics, the revenge plot, the drama, the mystery, it was all so interesting!

If you’re looking for an intriguing story told in the most gorgeous prose, mixed with the tradition of the Swan Lake ballet, A Treachery of Swans is the perfect book for you!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for access to the eARC of this book!

This whimsical, sapphic, dark retelling of Swan Lake was the perfect blend of fairytale, gothic atmosphere and sapphic yearning. Our main character Odile was the perfect villain and Marie was the most beautiful, heroic, swan princess and together Odile and Marie made the most marvelous pair of swans.

I really enjoyed Odile as the main character. I love morally grey characters and Odile definitely sits right on the edge of Villain and Hero. I wanted to root for her but also shake her and ask “What are you doing?!” I really enjoyed the dynamics she has with different characters. Most, if not all of her relationships had tension and a sense of unease to them and it made for such a fun and quick read.

I also highly enjoyed the magic in this book. I loved reading about the lore of magic and why it was outlawed. It added this wonderfully whimsical and dark element to the story that really elevated it for me. I also really enjoyed that magic in this book also had its limitations. It made a great barrier for Odile to overcome and overall, was just an element to the story that added a nice touch.

Of course this review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t obsess over the sapphic yearning. I loved Odile and Marie’s journey. There’s a dash of enemies to lovers and a dash of yearning and a dash of opposites attract and it was just beautifully written. I was hesitant about their relationship at the beginning of the book as we don’t get many interactions between them but the middle to end really had me hooked. And oh don’t even get me started on how that ending tore my heart out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Especially as a huge fan of Barbie’s Swan Lake - this was extremely fun to read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for this ARC!

A Treachery of Swans is a sapphic Swan Lake retelling following Odile who is planning to restore magic to her kingdom when it gets disrupted by a murder—forcing her to get help from the young woman whose identity she stole….

Let me start by saying that I LOVED this book. I was intrigued by the premise, and the cover is also gorgeous!

Odile is more of the anti-hero, as her main mission is to help her father steal the king’s crown which will help restore the magic they both want. This causes Odile to do some questionable things , main one being impersonating Marie and turning her into a swan. We get to see how Odile’s childhood shaped her and caused her to make the choices in the book. Apart from all of these actions Odile chooses, you can see her internal conflict and how it’s not truly how she wants to act. I found this to make me root for her and I enjoyed seeing her thoughts. Her relationships with all the characters were different but I kept wanting to read more.

My only qualms were seeing more interactions between Odile and Marie. They felt far and few but luckily each interaction was meaningful and really developed their relationship.

The ending felt like there was going to be a second book but then it wasn’t? I was slightly confused but happy but still confused.

Overall such a refreshing book and the dark vibes were great, i’d recommend to anyone!

✨4.5✨
I am thankful to NetGalley and @abporanek for the ARC copy of this novel. I am faintly familiar with the story of the Swan Princess, mostly from the cartoon movie when I was a kid. So the prospect of a sapphic retelling sounded very interesting to me.

Odile is the black swan and she is our morally grey anti-hero turned hero. I think A.B wrote her in a way where you got her background, and learned of her as the character but at the same time saw her growth in a way that didn’t feel too rushed or fake. I think she was a trouble girl with a hard past - and to see her journey and how she came out is was really beautiful.

Marie is the white swan/swan princess and at first you think she’s this “pretty, delicate” princess but as the story goes and you learn of Marie (through Odile’s eyes) you along with Odile discover she isn’t what you assume. She is this beautiful, strong character that really grows in the span of the book.

The relationships between all the characters was done so so well. My two favorites were Odile and Marie and also Odile with Regnault. You could see that struggle, tug and pull within Odile with how she felt toward Marie and how that influenced her relationship with her adoptive father (and vice versa)

But at the same time Odile wanted to be loved and accepted so bad, she accepted it from the first man to show her kindness. It sad to read and see how yes, Regnault loved her in a twisted way, but she truly was just a tool for him. How Regnault was able to twist her mind and give her the false sense of belonging it set up her relationship with Marie and her brother, Damien, to almost fail.

This has a gothic sense to it, that I really really liked. Reading I was like “this could be a Tim Burton or Guillermo Del Toro movie”.

You know when you vibe with a book so much it becomes your entire personality?

Yeah—A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek had me waltzing around my apartment in my silk chemise, craving cream puffs and speaking in an overly dramatic French accent.

𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 | 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book is very reminiscent of Little Thieves, a YA folklore retelling featuring thieves and liars and court drama….
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥!

ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ
17th century France.
Shakespearean theatre.
Powdered faces and doublets.
Gaudy castles and mist soaked mazes with gilded roses and whispered secrets.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏꜱᴇ
Lush and lyrical, but never overwrought.
Opulent and romantic and poetic in all the right ways.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘺, 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘵.”

ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ
I’m OBSESSED with the FMC.
She’s a thief and a liar and a little cruel. She’s witty and tricky and an actress. She’s desperately in need of a hug.
“𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.
𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵.
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩.”

If you like your folktales queer and enchanting, your heroines morally grey, and your drama dripping in powdered sugar and deception—add this to your TBR immediately.

As I will be publishing my full review with The Game of Nerds, which I will be linking once it's up on the site, this is only a portion of my review.

A Treachery of Swans is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves books with a meaningful romance with an excellent plot full of surprises and secrets.

I wouldn’t consider A Treachery of Swans a dark fantasy, but it feels dark in the details. The nature of Odile and Regnault’s relationship makes me feel mildly ill, tainting the otherwise magical story every time he successfully manipulates her. The balance between light and airy, fantastical magic (befitting of a ballet) and the dark nature of the characters and some of their relationships is done exceptionally well. The story has depth and the existence of the horrors gives the relationship between Odile and Marie more meaning.

I really enjoyed my read of A Treachery of Swans, especially as someone who loves a romance with lots of yearning, when the boundaries between love and hate blur, leading to misunderstood feelings and a rivalry that only serves to fuel such feelings. If that’s also something you like, then you definitely have to add this to your TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster’s Children Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. A Treachery of Swans is published on June 24th, 2025.

A Treachery of Swans took me on a wild ride in the best way. I was drawn in by the title, the cover, and the fact that it's a sapphic retelling of Swan Lake. I have been D Y I N G to read this ever since I found out it was coming to existence and I'm so happy and excited I finally got to. I took every bit of time I could restrain from myself to truly savor this story over the course of days rather than greedily taking it in in a day, cause that is how precious and delectable this book truly is.

Odile was raised by a man that promises to one day teach her the lost magic of their people, but first she has another mission to set things in motion. She has to trick Marie so she can take her place in Marie's image, and leave Marie in the form of a swan. However, things don't go as smoothly as planned and Odile needs answers only Marie can give her.

Everything about this book is just so beautiful and tantalizing. I wish it wouldn't ever end. I highly recommend it to any and everyone.

Magic has long since abandoned the kingdom of Auréal, ever since the court sorcier betrayed the king and the goddess Morgane cursed the land in retribution. Odile, a born sorcière with the golden blood to prove it, wants nothing more than to please her father and bring magic back. But the only way to do so is through a daring heist to steal the king’s crown, and the only way to get close enough is to impersonate the crown prince’s bride-to-be, Marie d'Odette.

*

This is for everyone who watched Barbie of Swan Lake wayyyy too many times as a child (i.e. me).

This is probably one of my favorite retellings, ever, and I will never shut up about it.

To begin, the writing style is poetic and lyrical without being pretentious and self-indulgent. Her descriptions and dialogue were all so lovely and fairytale-like, but they also felt like words that were true to the characters—a group of melodramatic young adults engaged in a mystery/heist. At no point was I thinking that a character didn’t sound natural, or that they all sounded similar.

Following a similar vein, I want to praise the atmosphere Poranek creates in this. The reader is immersed in the setting from the very first chapter. From the Théâtre du Roi to the Château, there’s this dark, hazy, dream-like quality to each location. Poranek is not overly verbose when describing the setting, but she doesn’t need to be—her power lies in the sensory and evocative language she wields throughout the pages. She writes that the dressing rooms of the theater stink of cheap perfume, sweat, and strong liquor, and it’s like I’m there. She writes of the mist and fog that chokes the lake, and I can see it in my mind perfectly. The setting often fades away as the chapters focus on the characters and the plot, much like the setting of a stage play, but it contributes so much to the overall story.

The characterization is also phenomenal. Odile is perfection in her insecure, scheming, plotting, villain-by-circumstance self. A complaint that I have with many retellings is that they fall into the pit of redeeming the villain by making them a (misunderstood) saint and turning the hero into a caricature of societal evil. Odile is doing objectively wrong things out of selfish motivations. She is a character who wants desperately: she wants approval from her cold adoptive father, she wants magic, she wants power, she wants attention. There is nothing heroic about her intentions to bring magic back, but you find yourself rooting for her anyway. Marie and the other characters got less insight into their internal strife, but they each had their own personalities. I do wish I could have gotten more of Marie, Aimé, and Damien, as I grew to really enjoy all of their characters, but I honestly can’t pinpoint a place where they could have been expanded upon without inserting chapters from their perspectives. Regardless, they were quite well-developed and rounded as characters.

Finally, the romance. Oh, the romance.The slowburn enemies to lovers going on was an absolute joy to read. This was a moment when I wished we got chapters from Marie’s perspective, as it did feel a bit abrupt on her part, considering the betrayal and history between the two girls. I was able to look past it as the relationship developed and we got more explanation through dialogue, and I grew to enjoy their dynamic a lot.

As a note, I did appreciate the epilogue a lot, as someone who prefers a standalone with a happy ending over a duology with a cliffhanger.

5/5 stars

I’ll be honest, the first half didn’t really rope me in. The beginning was a bit slow and I found myself struggling to stay interested. BUT having loved Where the Dark Stands Still, I was determined to keep going. I'm glad I did because once it hit the halfway point, I was hooked! The pacing picked up, the plot twists started rolling in, and I flew through the rest of it.

I do wish the romance had come into play much earlier. It's definitely a slow burn, but maybe a little too slow, especially considering it ends up being a major part by the end. The worldbuilding and mystery elements really shine. The plot had some cool reveals, clever layers, and just enough dark whimsy to keep things feeling unique. I loved how certain pieces came together unexpectedly.

If you're into retellings with secretive magic, extremely slow burn intrigue, and that rich folklore atmosphere, this is worth sticking with. Powering through the slow start definitely makes the later half more rewarding.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing me with this ARC for my honest review!

This book was very interesting. The imagery was beautifully done, and the characters were well-written. I thought the ending needed more detail, it felt a little rushed in the epilogue. I would have enjoyed reading more about Odile’s journey.

I had really high hopes for this. There were a lot of things I enjoyed, but it just didn’t really land for me. It’s YA and I knew it was YA, and sometimes I find that refreshing and easy to read, but this was just a little too YA for me.

I don’t feel like I can judge this book fairly because it is exactly what it said it was. I enjoyed the mystery and Odile and Marie’s little romance, but I didn’t care much for them or anyone else. Everyone read a little too dramatic and childish for me.

I think the book is good for what it is. It just isn’t what I wanted.

3.75

I was so excited for this release! A.B. Poranek’s debut, Where the Dark Stands Still, was one of my favorite reads of 2024. Because of that, I knew I would enjoy this book. I did not have unrealistic expectations for it, but I did expect to like it. Which I’m glad to say I did. A.B. Poranek has a very easy-to-read writing style that draws you in.

My reasoning for losing some stars is that the story was quite predictable and I did not connect much with with characters (there was one character I found quite interesting but we didn’t get that much time with them). I also had some issues with the pacing, especially at the end. I still recommend this book because of how much I love A.B. Poranek and it is a quick and easy read.

4.25 - An incredibly lovely sapphic retelling of swan lake. Atmospheric and poetic, absolutely incredible!

I really truly enjoyed this retelling. I was a little unsure going in just because I don’t really care about the story of Swan Lake, but this was gothic and atmospheric and incredibly immersive. This absolutely would’ve been five stars for me had we gotten just a little bit more background on Odile. I feel like it would’ve given the opportunity for me to be much more invested in her actions earlier on. Overall, I adored this and after loving this authors debut as well she’s become an auto-buy author for me!

“I miss the flowers dearly, Odile. I want to see real white snow, not the soot-black curse that smothers us every winter. And I wish more than anything, for a world where you don’t have to be afraid every time you spill blood.”

Odile Regnault is a master of disguise, a born thief, an actress for the Theatre du Roi, and the adopted daughter of a vengeful and cruel sorcerer. She has been raised and trained for the most important mission of her life: sneaking into the royal palace to steal the king’s crown and restore magic. The one thing standing in her way is her ex-childhood best friend and royal, Marie d’Odette. To succeed, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and steals her identity. As Odile grows closer to the charming and soft Dauphin and uncovers secrets within the royal family, she begins to question everything. Once her brother is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, she is torn between her loyalty to her father and the blood that binds her to her brother. She seeks help from Marie and begins to doubt her ability to be a villain.

I absolutely adored A Treachery of Swans. The writing is beautiful, gothic, and immersive in a way that makes me wildly jealous of A.B. Poranek’s talent. Every word felt carefully chosen, crafting a unique and vivid fantasy world. All of the characters are unforgettable, but Odile and Marie stole my heart. Odile’s journey from villain to hero evoked strong emotions for me, and Marie’s character is soft and brave in a way I haven’t seen before. The slow-burn sapphic romance is swoon-worthy, and the mystery had me dropping my jaw, gasping, and mumbling to myself in public. There are so many twists and turns and I couldn’t predict any of them. I did find myself wishing for more scenes between Odile’s brother and the Dauphin. The ending ripped my heart out, and I did not expect to cry as much as I did, though I was a bit thrown off by the epilogue since the chapter before felt like a lead up to the sequel. But the world-building was layered and included so much history, the found family trope was heartwarming, and the romance was one of my favorites of all time. I completely adored this story and immediately purchased A.B. Poranek’s other novel, Where the Dark Stands Still. If you’re looking for a gothic sapphic fantasy with Phantom of the Opera vibes and a Swan Lake retelling, this is the book for you!

Characters: 4.00⭐️
Setting: 4.50⭐️
Plot: 4.00⭐️
Themes: 4.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 4.00⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4.00⭐️
Overall rating: 4.00⭐️

A Treachery of Swans is s sapphic, gothic, retelling of Swan Lake. The story has a lot of French influences which I loved, and the story mostly circles around a girl named Odile who was raised by a secret sorcerer to steal the one remaining piece of magic left in the realm of Aureal, the Couronne dei Roi. Odile impersonates Marie d'Odette who is rumored to become the Dauphin's betrothed to steal the crown for her father and bring magic back. She transforms Marie into a swan while Odile takes on her appearance. The king is mysteriously murdered, and everything changes.

For a standalone novel, there is a lot going on in this book and not in a bad way. The story moves along consistently and there are no pacing issues. I really would have liked a little more character development between Marie and Odile, and have their relationship flourish more on page. I liked the world building and the influences of what felt like 1800s French culture prior to the French revolution. The chapters are laid like scenes in a play which the theatre is present in the beginning of the story. This is my first book by this author, and I think I will go back and read her other book. I really enjoyed her writing style and her prose.

Would I recommend this book? Yes.

Thank you to Simon Teen for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I keep getting burned by books with beautiful covers and interesting ideas, but terrible writing. I found this impossible to get through. This really needed some developmental edits or something, because there were sooooo many long sections of Odile just wandering around unsupervised with no plans or goals. What are we doing here? Certainly not being as witty or clever as we were told she’d be. Also, how are we calling this a romance?

Both the blurb and the cover art implied that this would be atmospheric and moody. Instead, it was clunky and directionless, with a main character who acts like a little kid far too much of the time. I don’t even mean that she’s unlikeable. I mean that she’s written too poorly to feel like a person.

It’s Pride month. I’m not going to drag this book with a public review, but this was not good for me.