A Throne of Swans by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publishing Info: eARC from Bonnier Zaffre
Pages: 352
Star Rating: 2/5
Back Cover Summary:
In a
world where the flightless are ruled by those who can fly…
When
her father dies just before her birthday, seventeen-year-old Aderyn inherits
the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles are able
to transform at will into the bird that represents their family bloodline.
Aderyn’s ancestral bird is a swan. But she has not transformed for years, not
since witnessing the death of her mother – ripped apart by hawks that have
supposedly been extinct since the long-ago War of the Raptors.
With the benevolent shelter of her mother and her father now lost, Aderyn is at
the mercy of her brutal uncle, the King, and his royal court. Driven by revenge
and love, she must venture into the malevolent heart of the Citadel in order to
seek the truth about the attack that so nearly destroyed her, to fight for the
only home she has ever known and for the land she has vowed to protect.
Written in rich detail and evocative language, this is the start of an
irresistible, soaring duology about courage, broken loyalties and fighting for
your place in the world.
Thank
you so much to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.
The
concept for this book’s world is what first caught my attention. Also, the
cover is striking and the title, A Throne
of Swans, is clearly similar to A
Game of Thrones. In this book’s world, shape-shifters are the rulers and
the flightless, those who cannot transform into birds, are inferior. This is
the strongest aspect of A Throne of Swans.
This societal structure is well thought out and depicted, including integration
into the characters’ language and interactions.
Aderyn
is a likeable but uninteresting protagonist. She has a strong character arc, as
she seeks to overcome her own fears and regain her ability to fly. However
compared to most of the other characters she seems entirely honourable and
above reproach. Lucien criticises some of her actions, as she thinks before she
acts at times, and is unversed in court manners. But I felt her character
lacked depth. Other characters were quite one-dimensional, and the antagonists
weren’t intimidating and lacked motivation beyond a need for power. Any reasons
for their actions are left a mystery, making them into almost caricature
power-hungry villains plotting to take the throne. One antagonist in particular
features substantially in the book, having multiple conversations with Aderyn,
and giving the authors ample opportunity to provide insight into that
characters motivations. But sadly that wasn’t explored at all, missing an
opportunity to add more depth.
Read More »
The Last Book On The Left 