The Swan's Daughter is a beautifully written fairytale, with love, friendships and powerful choices!

I really enjoyed the central competition for a prince’s hand in marriage. The trials were engaging, the veritas swans added a unique touch, and the world and characters were both vivid and intriguing.

The only small issue I had was with the world-building, I sometimes struggled to understand the different species and regions, and would have appreciated a brief summary or guide to help keep things clear. While this confusion didn’t take away from my enjoyment or stop me from reading the entire book in one sitting, it did occasionally pull me out of the story. That said, the writing was lyrical and immersive, the pacing was smooth, and the overall tone was wonderfully cosy.

I especially loved the message woven into the narrative: that love is not just a feeling but a choice. You choose to continue trusting and loving someone knowing they may hurt or fall out of love with you. This book doesn’t rely on high-stakes drama, shocking twists, or betrayals. For me, that was a strength. It made for a gentle, comforting fantasy that felt like the perfect escape.

Summary: Prince Arris must marry to survive - but only true love will save him. Enter Demelza, a truth-singing swan in hiding running away from her own tragic fate.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

HUGE thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc! (Getting to read my favorite author's newest release almost 6 months earlier has been one of the best things that has happened to me)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Reading this felt like indulging in a favorite dessert of mine. Calling all Studio Ghibli and Stephanie Garber fans, this gorgeously whimsical, witty, and laugh-out-loud hilarious fairytale that's a feast for the imaginable might just become your newest obsession!

Here's everything I loved about this:
● First of all, let's take a moment to appreciate the UK cover (the US one is pretty too, but the UK cover is on a whole another level) at which I spent more time than I'd like to admit gazing longingly.
● Roshani Chokshi's prose is the most gorgeous of all authors I've ever read. Call it unnecessarily purple, call it pretentious, I LIVE for her words. The prose perfectly compliments the decadent vibes her stories have.
● 'The Swan's Daughter' is the most dream-like of Chokshi's books so far.
The aesthetics were the highlight of this one. This was such an enchanting and immersive read. The descriptions were lush and stunning and I found myself revisting several lines just to appreciate their beauty.
● This is a relatively low stakes book. Definitely not too intense but also not so cozy as to lull the non-fans on cozy fantasy to sleep. This book offered me the familiar comfort of fairytales while being utterly unique in its creativity.
● 'The Swan's Daughter' is incredibly hilarious. I had forgotten how good Chokshi is at writing humor. The chapters have funny titles! (This has become quite rare in recent years)
● I adored both protagonists! Arris and Demelza's longings were well written. I always appreciate an imperfect female character and Demelza was no exception. I loved how she didn't let go of her quirky personality (she literally eats bugs) right until the end. Arris' desire to make a life for himself resonated with me. Their romance was just the right amount of sweet.
●The side characters were excellent! Arris' twin sister Yvelle, who gave off peak Wednesday vibes, was my favorite. I loved how the potential brides developed a sense of solidarity and became friends eventually.
● Few autors understand fairytales as well as Roshani Chokshi. From the cover to the story inside, this is a fairytale through and through. If Chokshi's adult debut (and my favorite book of all time) 'The Last Tale of the Flower Bride' is about how fairytales serve as cautionary tales, 'The Swan's Daughter' is a representation of how fairytales bring us joy with a dash of whimsy.
● Although a fully developed world is neither present nor a necessity for the narrative, the way the author sprinkled in attributes of various mythical beings from regions of the Isle of Malys made this a fun time. There are some abstract concepts like candied sunlight and Cloud poetry that might not be palatable for every reader but serve as the prefer embellishment for a whimsical tale like this.
● How the magic worked in this world was a delight to read about. I loved how all mortals spent the first of their two lives as humans and the second as a tree or a rock or something else while contemplating the meaning of life, among other things. There's a multitude of tiny quirks like this (including a creation myth) that added to the magic.
● I loved how Chokshi acknowledges that no matter how madly two people are in love with each other, they can grow out of it. In this story, that's literally a matter of life or death. How the MCs deal with it was well done.
● Roshani Chokshi often puts in tiny easter eggs from one of her books/series into another and I may have spotted one or two (I've read every single on of her works, after all😌).

Although not my favorite of Roshani Chokshi's works, 'The Swan's Daughter' deserves no less than a solid 5. I'll definitely be rereading this soon. If you're looking for a book that feels like a warm hug, you might love this one.

The book was as coded and engaging as a fairy tale. I loved the whimsical world and the symbolism of the story. The friendship and blossoming romance were so sweet and rewarding.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Hodderscape for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading The Swan's Daughter. For some reason, I thought this was going to be a gothic Swan Lake retelling, but it wasn’t. I would actually describe it as a mythical, whimsical version of The Selection with magical creatures. It was a very funny and cute read, and I had such a good time with it. The writing style is lovely and elegant, perfectly complementing the story without ever overpowering it.

I also really liked our main character, Delmeza and the MMC's sister!

The beginning of the story immediately draws you in, with its quirky family dynamics and the intriguing worldbuilding and mythology. The second half, however, becomes a bit repetitive, with Delmeza using her gift of revealing the truth to help the prince during his “selection,” trying to find out which of the lovely contenders is actually there to kill him. The ending is fairly predictable, but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the plot.

I like that this is a standalone, but the epilogue does hint that there might be more to come in this world, and I can't wait!

An incredible read, just not gothic, which some reviews seem to have expected.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Roshani Chokshi has done it again!
I am absolutely in love with the way Chokshi writes. This book is dark, whimsical, lush and romantic.
The writing is so captivating i was obsessed from page one.
Chokshi is most definitely an auto-buy author for me.

I just finished The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi and… wow, I absolutely loved it.I didn't want it to end.
The writing is gorgeous (as always with Roshani), but this one felt extra whimsical, like a fairytale told at dusk with candlelight flickering. The world is full of weird and wonderful things — talking castles, secret spells, even a swan that sings the truth (which I weirdly adored). Every detail was rich without being overwhelming.

Demelza was such a refreshing main character — sharp, honest, and unapologetically herself. I loved how she wasn’t your typical fantasy heroine. And Arris? Sweet, gentle, slightly clueless in a charming way. Their chemistry built slowly but beautifully.

It’s definitely a “cozy up with tea and disappear for a while” kind of book. If you like fairytales with heart, a bit of bite, and lush storytelling, this is such a treat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book.