For fans of Katherine Arden and Kell Woods, an enchanting, feminist fantasy retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale “The Wild Swans”: a young woman’s handiwork and determination is tested to the limits to save her six brothers, cursed to become swans.  

“Know this; no word of yours shall ever break my spell.”

As the only daughter in her noble family, Elisa von Ahlefeldt has always been the untamed outlier. Unlike her six brothers who follow the protocols and duty of the court, she is ellevilde—elf-wild—a child of nature. She spends her days in the woods where she has befriended Nuve, an ash-tree maid who teaches her the ways of forest magic. Elisa finds she has a gift for magic that matches the needlecraft talent she learned from her mother—whose tragic death has torn the family apart.

Following the funeral, Elisa’s father reveals he has been spellbound by a Hexen into marriage and sends his young children into hiding. Years pass before stepmother Belinde locates them, transforms the boys into swans, and alters her husband’s perception of his daughter, casting her out of their lives.

To break her brothers’ curse, Elisa is guided by Nuve to use her needlecraft to create magical garments from stinging nettles for each of them under a vow of silence. A silence she must keep while impersonating a missing noblewoman. A secret she must hold dear even as she is betrothed to a handsome stranger. A power she must wield to defy the evil Belinde and rescue her family before their bird nature steals their human lives away forever. For Elisa, despite the perils of the Hexen and her own fears, knows deep in her heart that:

“Silence has its power, and not all that is wild can be tamed.”

A coming-of-age fantasy adventure, The Curse of Feathers is a tale of inner strength at the crossroads of faith and mysticism, rich with historical details in this retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale.