Odette is an updated version of the Swan Princess meets Kate & Leopold with a LGBTQ slant. It's a pit of things that should't work together but they do and it ends up being the most interesting version of this story I've read. There is romance and mystery, and that special feeling a fairy tale in the modern world lends to stories. Odette was an interesting well rounded character without falling prey to a lot of the "woman out of time" tropes that are easily done. Mitzi was by far my favorite mostly because it takes a lot of work to accept the impossible and role with the punches and I thought she was funny.
For all of you who know all the words to every song from The Swan Princess, this one's for you!

I try not to read too much of a synopsis about a book before I crack the cover because I don't want to have the plot spoiled. I prefer to allow the story to unfold as the writer intended. Sometimes that means I'm confused for a bit, but I find having a little faith and turning the pages will get me there before long. That was how I approached Odette by Jessica Duchen. I knew it was some sort of modern fairy tale, but that was it. I won't share too much and ruin it for you, but I want to pique your interest.

Mitzi is a struggling freelance reporter, living in a tiny apartment in London, when a swan comes crashing through her front window during a bizarre and unprecedented storm. Mitzi cares for the swan as best she can and is shocked when at sunset the swan turns into a beautiful young woman named Odette. Mitzi does what she can to help Odette, letting her stay with her and becoming her friend, but the one thing Odette can't escape is the curse that turns her into a bird every morning at dawn.

Maybe this already sounds familiar to you, but whether it does or doesn't, this book is worth reading. It was beautifully written with charming characters and plenty of magic, both the fairy tale kind and the friendship kind. I was a little saddened that the ending flew up so quickly, leaving me wanting more, but maybe that's a good thing. I think fairy tales are a wonderful distraction from the real world so I hope you'll give this one a try.

This is a wonderful modern day retelling of Swan Lake, a beautiful and engrossing piece of escapism. Highly recommended.

This is an incredibly unique re-telling of swan lake. I wasn't really sure what to think going into this book but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This isn't my usual type of story but I did find myself getting lost in the fairytale. While at times predictable the writing was great and I could really get behind the characters.

This was kinda slow to start but the more I got into it, the more I enjoyed this. Odette was a compelling character and the story really revolved around her even though she didn't appear for a while into the book. The writing was good but I wish it had an epilogue at the end just to say what happened after all the drama. However that was the only thing it was missing for me.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I have always had a love for fairytales from all over the world and this books is a modern retelling of the Swan Princess. It is just as enjoyable the original tale. This version to me seems great for the modern times. It is one of those books I would most likely go back and read it again.

Marvellous, magical, pure...
I thought it was an impossible task to re-tell The Swan Lake with its haunting beauty. This book succeeds to evoke the same longing, the same elation and the same joy. This is basically Chaikovsky's music in words.
Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound Digital for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I took a wee while to get into this book, but then couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen. I enjoy a good fairy story, and liked the character development too. Only criticism would be that it seemed to end quite abruptly after the story had built up.

Wonderful retelling that I definitely recommend. I loved the swan princess and love the vibes in this modern retelling

When I was a child I was OBSESSED with the story of the Swan Princess and The Swan Lake. Every kind of version, storybook, movie, ballet, you name it - I was in love with it - and whilst i've grown older that love has not faded.

As soon as I saw the title 'Odette' I immediately knew what it was going to be about, I was instantly enthralled and upon reading the description I knew I HAD to read it.

Jessica Duchen has such a unique and magical way of weaving this classic tale, that we all know and love, into something new, exciting and engaging.

I couldn't put it down and just fell completely in love with the magical story telling from Jessica.

I cannot recommend enough, especially to those who adore the story of the Swan Princess/Swan Lake!

A charming read, but one that didn't quite live up to its potential / the hype I got from reading other reviews. My attention dipped about a third of the way in, so much so I actually read another book entirely before returning to finish this. But I'm glad I did.

The premise and the writing are excellent, but the characters are unshaded and you don't really care what's going on (hence the putting it down for ages). The villain / twist is also rather more than obvious. I did appreciate the modern 'self-respect / fraternal love is more important than romance' slant, but I felt it could have been more fully realised.

PHENOMENAL!!! As someone who loved the swan princess growing up (and still does) this book is a must. I was hooked from the first page to the end. If you want a new take on this story, Odette is a must.

Odette was an average read for me. I'm not a huge fan of Swan Lake, and this is a retelling of that story. A swan crashes through a woman's window. Oddly enough, the swan can change into a girl who has been cursed. I think it's bizarre. The writing was good. It's just not my type of book. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Odette was a cute little read but didn’t grab my attention. I liked the idea of a swan princess retelling but felt this fell short. The main thing I struggled with was Odette’s accent, I appreciate that someone who was Russian with little understanding of English would struggle with English but the jilted way it was written felt unnecessary and distracting.

I was lucky to receive a copy of this modern retelling of Swan Lake. This book is a fast, fun read. Mitzi, a freelance journalist, has her life change when a swan flies into her apartment. She later finds out that this swan turns into a young woman who has been cursed. Read the book to find out what happens!

This modern take on Swan Lake was unique and I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to. I found the ease of which current social themes evolved in the plot to be brilliant.

Such a unique, creative, and magical story! It took about 40 pages to get to the meat of the story, but once I was in it, I was committed and read it all the way through in one Afternoon. Positively delightful! .

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wasn’t such a fan of this one I didn’t care for the oddnesss of some of the plot and the way they chose to adapt the retelling. It was okay but just not my style I enjoy reading. I don’t read a lot of fantasy so that might be why it was hard for me to get into.

"'I believe in magic too, Mitzi, but a different kind. An everyday magic, when people are their best selves and all things become possible.'"

This is one of those reads that makes me so glad to be a Netgalley member and being able to discover these treasures.

Mitzi Fairweather, who is a journalist, is surprised by the ferocity of storm Odile, which apparently is a weather anomaly. What surprised her next is witnessing a huge, beautiful white swan battling the storm and crashing head first through her window, getting itself cut by millions of shards of glass in the process. After a trip to the vets and an attempt to nurse the swan by herself, regardless of her lack of avian knowledge, she lets the swan rest in her home.
Next, she hears the sound of footsteps in the next room after coming to from a dreary slumber. Mitzi lets her ambitious, curious nature get the best of her and she goes to investigate. She is met by Odette, who has beautiful, pale skin, a grace deserving of royalty, an innocuous wonder in her eyes, and raven silky hair, that looks as soft as feathers.
Odette, in a broken, Russian accent, tries to tell Mitzi her origin, she is the swan that crashed through Mitzi's window and she is under a spell by the manipulative Baron, who traps her as a swan by day, and allows her to be human at night. Odette feels that Mitzi is kind, and seeks her help.

Odette is a modern adaptation of Swan Lake. In 1852, Odette was held captive by a spell that turns her into a swan by daylight, and human by dark, 166 years later, Odette finds herself carried to Cygnford by the storm, much to her fear and dismay. Soon, the swan princess has to meet the real world. A world of cynical doubt, prejudice, and self interest.

Over the course of the story, my heart literally ached for Odette. I felt that Jessica Duchen enforced the purity and naivety in her voice which in turn groomed my emotional investment in her. I desperately wanted her to have her happy ending.

I found myself happily rooting for each of the characters in turn, such was their authenticity. Mitzi with her good heart, Odette with her mystical, tragic past. Harry with his good nature and love for Shakespeare. They were each worthy of a readers admiration.

My favourite aspect of this novel is the writing. There is a genuine clarity and beauty to it that's really rare to see and completely necessary when retelling a fairy tale. There was a hauntingly ethereal quality to the prose that was as graceful as the curve of a swan's neck, and as fast paced as it's flight.
"The full moon would rise alongside the setting sun, but she would see it only from her lakeside haunt. She waited on the shore, wings folded, shivering, watching the fiery malingerer sink, the sky around it turning from aquamarine to gold to lilac, moment by slow moment."

I found myself flying through this book (get it? Flying? Swan reference? Clever, I know) it was completely enriching. I couldn't get enough. I absolutely adored this modern take on one of the most highly regarded fairy tales in the world.
"'We grow up with fairy stories and they stay with us throughout our lives. I don't believe, though, that they're just escapism. I believe that fairy tales, folklore and the traditional mythology of any and every world religion enrich us, help us learn life lessons and allow us to see the magic in our world, all around us, every day. Some people would even say that everything in this world is based on legends and myths - essentially, magical stories.'"

The smart use of magical realism was as enchanting as it was captivating. Obviously, swans mate for life so reading about Odette trying to find her footing a century after she had even interacted with anyone other than her captor the Baron, was utterly intriguing. Her high standards of love are inspiring and infectious. Odette is heartbroken at the casual, empty declarations of love that plague people in these times - her grief made me relate.

The ending was incredible. I was engrossed. Unashamedly reading this book during down times in work whilst slyly fielding one call after another so I could reach the peak. The Baron may as well have put me under a spell for a hundred years - that is how absorbed I was reading this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Unbound for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a light and entertaining read. I do like retellings and Odette sounded great from the description.

I just recently finished A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, which is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and loved it.
Odette was shorter and didn't entirely meet my expectations, which were pretty high I have to admit. It took quite awhile for the swan to actually crash into the window and I kind of wanted a bit more.
Still a cute contemporary read if you like your retellings not fantasy-heavy and long.

Thank you Netgalley and Unbound for providing me with an eARC. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.