A Treachery Of Swans

This was stunning, just as beautiful as the original telling of swan lake but with a sapphic twist. I loved swan lake as a child and Odette was always such a beautiful and tragic character to me. She is just as beautiful in this retelling. I remember having a jewellery box, my late gran gave me, that had a wind up music box underneath a mirror, with these two little magnetic swans dancing around in a circle to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. I honestly had this song in my head reading this book at the last chapter more so.
This was a very nostalgic book for me due to a familiar shared love with my gran of Swan Lake. And I utterly devoured it in 3 days. Beautifully written and the characters captivate you from the beginning until the gripping end. I can’t wait to read more by this author. 🦢

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for this ARC for my honest review

A story like a piece of magic imbued goddess-gold. Enchanting and captivating from the first page. Intriguingly flawed characters with beautiful growth. An original twist of the known and treasured Swanlake narrative from the POV of the anti-heroine taking over the story - and the readers. Looking forward to more of her adventures! How she became the grand sorciere with the powers of the goddesses of creation and death.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of A Treachery of Swans.

A Treachery of Swans is a beautiful YA homage to Swan Lake and, to a lesser extent, Phantom of the Opera. It's full of atmosphere, with delectable prose and fairy-tale spookiness. And it is so very queer. Not only do you get the sapphic main pairing, but there's also m/m rep, heartwarming queer friendships, and hints of a lavender marriage in the making.

But this book is so much more than a queer fairy tale. It's about being badly hurt but growing to trust others, to be vulnerable, to break away from harmful relationships and choose healthier ones — and more than anything, to believe that you are worthy of love. Our POV character may be a villain, but I wanted to give her a hug so many times. (And especially when I realised that she was so starved of affection that she didn't even recognise what a hug was!)

As much as my heart went out to our black swan protagonist, at times I felt frustrated by her tendency to make the wrong choices. I also felt that she was forgiven far too easily on multiple occasions. She is messy and at times unlikeable. But within the context of the story, I also believed she was real. I understood why she made those bad decisions.

I will say that this isn't the book to read if you want a fully fleshed-out world with lots of realism. This is an homage to the ballet, and the court and the wider world often feels like painted scenery. Princes are left unaccompanied when they want to be; royal weddings are organised by theatre directors. I didn't mind this because it's the same suspension of disbelief that I do when I go to see Swan Lake or other ballet performances. However, I can see some readers feeling frustrated by this.

Also, I went into A Treachery of Swans thinking it was a standalone, but it absolutely shouldn't be. It feels like it was written as the first book of a duology or trilogy, and then later on, they decided to release it as a standalone and an epilogue was hastily added to assure us that there was a HEA at some point. I am desperately hoping that book two gets released.

really familiar with this story because I distinctly remember having The Swan Princess on VHS as a kid. I probably watched it 100 times. I barely remember the story it portrays, but I remember the beautiful princess being turned into a swan. I'm eager to rewatch it now that I've finished this story. A.B. Poranek is such a great writer. I love the way she tells stories and wow can she put together a sexy sentence. I went back and forth with my enjoyment of ATOS. For one, it felt like a story that's been told a thousand times, if you will (I mean it kind of has). Even though I haven't spent much time on Swan Lake retellings, I felt as if I'd read this already. The characters and plot were not original enough, I guess, and I would've loved to see a bit more depth to both. I think in part I just couldn't connect with Odile. However, I really liked the characters of Marie and Aimé. I wish they'd had POV chapters, as I think it would've added that extra something I was looking for. The ending, as I suggested, was pretty predictable. I thought for a moment she was going to leave us wondering if a sequel was forthcoming (the way she did in WTDSS; WHICH hilariously she apologizes for (kind of) in the acknowledgements of this book), but the epilogue wrapped things up nicely. If I'm being honest, the epilogue was my favorite part of the whole book. Beautifully written and stunning and emotional to visualize. I think I would've enjoyed more a story with the more realized and mature Odile that we see in the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for my advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨4 stars✨

This was an atmospheric sapphic retelling of Swan Lake, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The writing fully transformed me into the world of this French folktale with evocative descriptions which created a whimsical feel to the book. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed Poranek’s previous book, as both were engaging reads that I couldn’t put down.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This is a dark, sapphic Swan Lake retelling with gothic vibes, scheming sorcerers, and just enough murder to keep things spicy. A wickedly fun ride with beautiful prose and the kind of vibes you want to drown in.

A Treachery of Swans blends folklore, magic, and quiet menace into a beautifully written tale that lingers long after the last page. A. B. Poranek crafts a haunting atmosphere, with lyrical prose that feels both grounded and dreamlike. The world is rich in detail, steeped in myth, and full of a creeping tension that builds steadily.

The characters, particularly the protagonist, are complex and emotionally layered. The book explores themes of loyalty, transformation, and identity in a way that feels both intimate and mythic. Some pacing dips slightly in the middle, and a few threads could have been tied more tightly, but the payoff is rewarding.

Perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings and slow-burn fantasy, A Treachery of Swans is a gorgeously crafted story with real emotional weight.

Are we bored of reimaginings of classics yet? Not when they're well done and beautifully written. I loved this empowering retelling of Swan Lake...

Odile and Odette always felt like two halves of a whole, and now they've been given a story all of their own - there was a minute there where I thought we were going to get a sequel but this standalone is giving a touching last minute ending. It was a touch predictable, but I'm ok with it!

As a YA novel, there are some great messages in there about found family, manipulation and acceptance too - I would have loved something like this as a teenager, and nothing has changed.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Children's for the arc

I loved the retelling of swan lake what I enjoyed was the atmosphere and fun and magical elements to it

I enjoyed the characters and the plot wish we had a bit more of the world building the romance was good a slow burn overall a good balance and the writing was beautiful 4 stars

Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book took a bit to get going, I went in with really high hopes and I wasn't sure it would meet my expectations at first. As always, if the cover is pretty I can't help but convince myself the story will deliver (it did, after all!).

About halfway through the book I felt like there were about a million things unfolding at once and I loved it, it was exactly the pace and excitement I was initially looking for in this story. Some chapters had my jaw on the floor, I was so sure I had figured out the big secret at one point, and the next thing I know is I was so, very wrong. You just never quite who to trust!

I equally loved and hated the characters, there's a good balance of rooting for some of them and wishing death upon the rest. I highlighted so many gut wrenching quotes in this book that when I made an edit for Booksta I had a hard time picking just one! The banter was also great, easy to relate to Odile's inner monologue.

There wasn't quite as much emphasis on magic as I initially thought, but I didn't mind this in the end, the chapters where it was present were described beautifully, and I couldn't imagine anything else for this book than golden threads, it's perfect.

A brilliant book overall (also my first read from the author, but definitely not the last!), took a moment to really get into but I was satisfied with the rest of the story and the ending.

Absolutely stunning! What a beautifully written story of magic, conflict and sapphic yearning! I was utterly captivated and couldn’t put it down.

I haven’t actually seen the Swan Lake production but the 1994 animated movie,The Swan Princess, was one of my favourite movies as a child!
Where the Dark Stands Still has quickly made its way onto my TBR list!

I was getting worried with the ending when I only had ten minutes left wondering how it was going to be wrapped up. I could have happily accepted another book but it was still a beautiful ending!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this title.

4.5/5

📚review 📚
A Treachery of Swans - A B Poranek

From the moment I opened this and found myself in a theatre with a deranged sorcerer and his adopted daughter planning on scamming the nobles and steal something from the royal family, I was hooked. I mean, who doesn’t love an undercover lesbian with morally grey intentions? Bonus points if she starts to actually care about the people she is supposed to be scamming and have a few extra points if it is all for her dad who has his own sneaky agenda. Seriously, the entire premise of this book has me written all over it - though I was anticipating this being a five star read, it did fall a little short of the mark, but that is not to say that it wasn’t a thoroughly fun time!

A Treachery of Swans is a sapphic retelling of Swan Lake full of magic, mystery and murder - which sounds like a good time to me. I’ll be honest - I know very little about the original story, my entire knowledge of Swan Lake is the movie Black Swan, so I was loving all the various twists and turns and you know how I feel about a morally grey MC. Were some of the plot twists a little predictable? Yes. Do I think there could have been more of a build-up before the Marie/Odile team-up? Of course - I definitely wouldn’t have been that forgiving - but it was just a jolly good time.

All you need to know though is that this is a darkly queer fairy tale reimagining with some beautiful prose, some incredible atmosphere and… well… swans. (Cue Hot Fuzz moment of “it’s just the one swan actually…”

That and the UK cover is super pretty or if you’re more into the darker aspects of the story, the US one is all kinds of creepy in a cool, gothic way.

Thank you @netgalley for the early copy, A Treachery of Swans is out at the end of June and there is a very pretty Waterstones exclusive should you want a cover that is as pretty as the narration!
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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 4.0 stars.

This is a beautiful sapphic fantasy with political intrigue, scheming and magic. There are twists in this book, some predictable and some blew my mind. The ending was not what I expected and I reallyyyyy want to know what happens next if there’s a book 2.

This is perfect for fans of an anti-heroine who’s not always likeable, but is witty and strategic keeping you on your toes wondering what she will do next. I really did end up liking our FMC though as the story went on, she’s complex and imperfect. It felt like a retelling of the swan princess and I liked that, it had some darker points than I expected, but it really is worth the read.

I really enjoyed this book, was a little slow in parts but then it quickly turned itself around and the story itself though a retelling was unique, fun and magical. The ending was a little rushed however it was never the less the perfect ending!

*I received an eARC via Netgalley*
A sapphic Swan Lake retelling? I ran to request this. As a lover of YA fantasy and retellings I knew before reading this would be a great book for me and it did not disappoint. I won't say too much as I don't want to spoil anything, but it was very interesting reading 1st person pov of a character who isn't the swan. This was really unique, I loved the clear inspiration of the original story along with the new ideas. There is a lot that happens in this book it's entertaining and captivating from the first chapter. There level of mystery in this story will keep you guessing throughout. The world building and character backgrounds are interesting without being complex to the point of interrupting the flow of the story. Cannot recommend this enough.

Gosh, this was absolutely fabulous! I adored Poranek’s debut novel last year — even the ending which ripped out my heart! So I was really excited going into A Treachery of Swans because I already knew Poranek’s writing style and storytelling were wonderful, but the premise of her sophomore novel is so incredibly unique. From the very beginning, I was hooked, from the worldbuilding to the decadent writing style, but ultimately I just adored Odile, our main character. I was a bit hesitant when I realised we wouldn’t get Marie’s POV and everything was solely from Odile’s but I was quickly proved wrong when I realised just how funny, witty, dark and cunning she was. Truly, she was the star of the show for me. She broke my heart at times, I wanted to cry for her and everything she’d been through (and I eventually did lol). The romance between Odile and Marie was truly so lovely I really enjoyed it, especially the imagery of the white swan and the black, that they were each other’s foils and greatest loves.

The plot itself was perfectly paced and I was really intrigued by it. I also appreciated that it wasn’t overly complicated that I wouldn’t be able to understand it but still layered enough it didn’t feel predictable or lazy. And the ending??? Poranek really knows how to rip your heart out, huh? Kinda scared for whatever she releases next but I’m so here for it! Sign me up :)

A Treachery of Swans honestly and truly blew me away. I’m going to try to put how this book made me feel into words- so bear with me.
There is something about gothic books, especially gothic retellings that just give such an immersive atmosphere. A.B Poranek painted such a vivid and enthralling picture of the scene- that when I close my eyes tonight, I feel like I could truly be there. Be it in the palace, at the lake or at the theatre house.
One of my favourite things is when our main character is morally grey. Don’t get me wrong. I love a morally grey love interest as much as the next gal- but there’s something about watching your heroine trying to be good that is so satisfying. It’s so subversive and human. Odile was both wonderful and dreadful at the same time.
Overall the writing was exquisite, it was moody and enrapturing. The characters were engaging and dynamic. But the mood, the mood was what stole the show for me. I urge you to read this book on vibes alone- I swear it’ll leave you with a certain “je ne sais quoi.”

I absolutely loved where the dark stands still by A. B Poranek. So I was so excited to read her next book early. I must say I loved this one jsut as much. The author has such a way with words. I cant wait to read more of her books!

Not my favourite but an interesting and quick read. The writing was good and easy to follow and the characters and plot fun, but I personally didn't love them. If you are on the fence about reading this book I would suggest giving it ago.

In a Treachery of Swans, we follow Odile who has been trained by her father to undertake a mission to steal an enchanted crown to bring magic back to the lands. The plan, however, is complicated by a murder and Odile is forced to seek the help of Marie, the princess she has been impersonating.

This is a YA sapphic retelling of Swan Lake and is compulsively readable. I was immediately drawn into the world and didn’t want to put the book down. I enjoyed both the intrigue and plot twists alongside the development of the relationships between the main characters.