The Year the Swans Came

I could read this book over and over and never tire of it. A brilliantly crafted and beautiful story, with magic flowing through every page. Although the truth is not revealed until close to the end, there is a definite sense of it in the undercurrents running through the plot from the start, which immediately drew me in and kept me captivated throughout. 
The descriptive writing transported  me to a whole new world. Seen through the eyes of the main character the ordinary becomes extraordinary and anything seems possible. 
The characters themselves are drawn with great imagination and flair.
This is a grown-up fairytale without the expected ending. Regarding the ending, I find myself hoping that this is not a stand alone book, but rather just the beginning. I would love to re-enter this world and see more from the characters within. I loved it.

A different and unique twist on the usual fantasy novel, really imaginative. I loved the characters these were well written and relatable, so much I happily disliked other characters on their behalf. A well crafted tale, good pacing and interesting plot. 

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book is fantastic!!!!! I’m mesmerized. You don't come across such books often. The story is really unusual and I loved the conclusion, too. I honestly wish that the author writes sequels to this book.

 However, the characters were not well-developed, and I expect to see a better and more relevant cover for this book in the future editions. The writing style is quite wordy but I could go with it assuming its a historical novel in that the story is set on the backdrop of war. 

Nevertheless, I had a great time reading this book and I'll definitely recommend it to others. 

Many many thank to NetGalley and the publisher as well for making the ARC of this book available online.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting post World War telling of a myth/fairytale taking place in what I think was The Netherlands. Without revealing too much and as you can assume from the title, this novel is about swans, curses, family, love and friendship. The story was beautiful though a bit long in places. The author did a wonderful job with the characters; I adored Margrit and at the same time I wanted to slap Ruth and shake some sense into Margrit's mother and all of the boys in general. Zande's character was deliciously complicated and I think that an entire novel could be written about him (both his back story and the aftermath from this story).

I really enjoyed it but I felt cheated by the ending. I kept swiping to make sure that I had in fact, just finished the last page. Where's the rest of it? Is there going to be another book? It left so many things up in the air and there are questions I need answered!

Heart wrenching novel of epic scope!  I picked this book for the title-I love swans-but this far exceeded my hopes. Ms Spenser has woven a tale of magic and myth that will live in my heart and head forever!  Two teenage girls from a land torn by war and occupation come of age together-one gorgeous and selfish, the other insightful and reserved-learning I’d love, loss, family and the frailty of outward appearances. This book seemed slow and steady at the beginning and a little too full of secrets that happened prior to the opening pages but once it got going it just flew fast and furious like a summer storm and the secrets were revealed one after another.  I loved it! Thanks to #netgalley  for #theyeartheswanscame in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what I can say about this book without giving away any spoilers, except that it is beautifully written, the descriptions powerful, tender, evocative, the characters rounded - some that you will love, some that you will pity, some that you may despise or be irritated by, but all imprinting themselves on your mind and staying with you long after the end of the book - as will the ending, which is very well crafted, and although it fits with all that went before I was still taken be surprise by the details. All I will say is that it had me scurrying off to look up legends about swans and I would totally recommend it as a wonderful read.