I enjoyed reading this novel, which has taken inspiration from Swan Lake. The idea of the nobility turning into different birds is a fun idea, and I liked the little character traits or physical aspects that allowed Aderyn to spot their bird. The difference between the flighted and flightless plays well within the world and within court, and provides some drama in the novel
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What starts as a mystery regarding Aderyn’s mother turns into something more as the story goes on, and it becomes obvious that some characters are hiding their own secrets, and I enjoyed reading to see where it would end up, especially in the second half, when the pace really picked up
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The pacing itself begins quite slow, yet Aderyn goes to Court so fast without much world building to allow the reader to understand her or the situation. As it moves on the pacing does pick up, helping to build the danger that Aderyn and her friends face. The plot itself is quite predictable, with many traditional YA tropes in it, and I was able to guess who would be the bad characters, the good and those in the middle very quickly, and I found there was little depth to any of them. The romantic relationship could have been strengthened by allowing a little more time on the characters, just as the mystery of who murdered her mother needed more focus on it
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A Throne of Swans is a fun YA fantasy story, and I will read the sequel, but I do think it needed more world building and character focus for me to be really immersed in the world
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What starts as a mystery regarding Aderyn’s mother turns into something more as the story goes on, and it becomes obvious that some characters are hiding their own secrets, and I enjoyed reading to see where it would end up, especially in the second half, when the pace really picked up
.
The pacing itself begins quite slow, yet Aderyn goes to Court so fast without much world building to allow the reader to understand her or the situation. As it moves on the pacing does pick up, helping to build the danger that Aderyn and her friends face. The plot itself is quite predictable, with many traditional YA tropes in it, and I was able to guess who would be the bad characters, the good and those in the middle very quickly, and I found there was little depth to any of them. The romantic relationship could have been strengthened by allowing a little more time on the characters, just as the mystery of who murdered her mother needed more focus on it
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A Throne of Swans is a fun YA fantasy story, and I will read the sequel, but I do think it needed more world building and character focus for me to be really immersed in the world