A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek – 4 stars
Odile, the adoptive daughter of a sorcerer, must steal the identity of the beautiful Marie, get herself engaged to the crown prince, and get her hands on the only remnant of magic in the kingdom to bring it back everywhere. But when a brutal murder rocks the palace, Odile finds herself turning to an unexpected ally – Marie herself.
Guys, I’m obsessed with the cover.
This book is more inspired by Swan Lake than a true retelling, but the dark and haunting spirit of the original shines through. The mystery was compelling, the romance between Odile and Marie was sweet, and I enjoyed the atmospheric writing and the cast of supporting characters.
On the other hand, the magic system was a little hand-wavey and the death of a character halfway through the story is under-explored – maybe to keep the story racing along. Towards the end of the book I began to wonder if it was going to be the first in a duology, but having skimmed over lots of apparent adventures the final issues gets resolved in a quick epilogue. I wish the author had committed either to a second book or a cleaner wrap-up to the story – as it stands it feels a little neither fish nor fowl.
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The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton – 2.75 stars
A year after their marriage of convenience failed, Elodie and Gabriel Tarrant must work together to prevent a magic catastrophe overtaking all of Great Britain – and may end up rekindling their relationship along the way.
It’s tricky when you’re reading a romance and keep comparing it to the previous book in the series. Since each book will follow a new couple, it’s hard to pin down whether it’s the characters you liked better, or if it’s the plot. Here’s it’s a bit of both for me.
The romance between Elodie and Gabriel is cute, and I can get behind a pair of idiots pining for each other when a single (alas vulnerable) conversation could solve all their problems. Holton’s writing is hilarious and energetic and chockful of the most unexpected allusions, and I enjoyed how the plot (marital and magical both) was resolved in the end.
On the other hand, I found the supporting characters and the magic both more compelling in the first book, The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love – Holton’s use of humorous bit characters especially fell flat here. The mystery of the trove’s location sort of meanders on for a while, and I never could get too invested. And while Elodie is charming in a book, the thought repeatedly occured to me that if I knew her in real life, I too would probably find her a bit much as a person.