I'm back with my first book review of 2020!
This is the first book I've finished this year and here is what I thought of it...
First, here is the synopsis for A Throne of Swans:
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.
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Right, let's get on with the review...
The storyline was really interesting. I do love a fantasy book. This idea that those of noble birth could turn into a particular bird depending on their family and that those who were not of nobility were labelled 'flightless' was an idea that I was invested in immediately. If you read the synopsis above, you will know that the main character's ancestral bird is a swan. However, she has not been able to transform since the death of her mother, which puts her in a very vulnerable position if the other nobles were to discover this secret.
The first part of the book seems to focus on world-building, giving descriptions of the kingdom of Solanum. This allowed me to really immerse myself in this fictional world before getting into the finer plot details and getting to know the characters more. I liked that there was a map and a family tree included at the front of the book. I do love a map and the family tree was very helpful at the beginning when you're having lots of new, unfamiliar names thrown at you. They both allowed me to see how people were linked and how close their lands were. The second part of the book is definitely more character-driven, which I loved.
I liked the main character of Aderyn. She had a good story arc, great development for a young girl who has lost her parents and you can really see how far she has come when looking back to the opening pages.
There were a lot of other great, well-written characters. I honestly wouldn't say there was a single character that I didn't enjoy reading about, because even if they weren't the nicest person they added so much to the story. I really liked Letya, Aderyn's 'flightless' lady-in-waiting, who was such a good friend to Aderyn. I also like Aderyn's cousins, Aron and Odette. I especially liked Odette and the nod it had to The Swan Princess.
I could honestly talk about every character as I didn't really have a favourite, but I loved all of their interactions and relationships so it's hard not to mention everyone. The last ones I will mention in this post are Lucien and Siegfried, who are both very different from each other in so many ways but I think they are both brilliantly-written characters.
Katherine and Elizabeth Corr's joint writing style makes for a beautiful read. I struggled to put it down because of how easily it flowed. The only thing that got me to put it down one night was the fact that I was going back to work after having two weeks off over Christmas and needing to get a good night's sleep before going back. It was really addictive in parts and I read the entire book in only a few sittings.
I also really like the book cover, despite knowing that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (but I am a sucker for a nice book cover!)
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to reading the second book, A Crown of Talons, when it's released.
You can buy your copy of A Throne of Swans here.
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