A Treachery of Swans

De: A. B. Poranek

Narrado por: Amalia Vitale

From the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still comes an atmospheric romantasy based on Swan Lake, following Odile as her plan to restore magic to her enchanted kingdom gets disrupted by a murder mystery—forcing her to beg for help from the young woman whose identity she stole.

Can two girls—one enchanted, one the enchantress—save their kingdom and each other?

Two hundred years ago, a slighted deity stole the magic from Auréal and vanished without a trace. But seventeen-year-old Odile has a plan. All her life, her father, a vengeful sorcerer, has raised her for one singular task: infiltrate the royal palace and steal the king’s crown, an artefact with enough power to restore magic. But to enter the palace, she must assume the identity of a noblewoman. She chooses Marie d’Odette: famed for her beauty, a rumored candidate for future queen…and Odile’s childhood-friend-turned-sworn-enemy.

With her father’s help, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and takes her place at court. But when the king is brutally murdered and her own brother is accused, her plans are thrown into chaos. Desperate to free her brother, Odile is forced to team up with none other than elegant, infuriating Marie, the girl she has cursed…and the girl she can’t seem to stop thinking about despite her best efforts.

To make matters worse, there are whispers that the king’s murder was not at the hands of man, but beast. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing feelings for Marie, Odile becomes tangled in a web of treachery and deceit. To save her kingdom, she must find the true path to magic…and find the real killer before they—or it—strikes again.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Amalia Vitale’s thoughtful and well-paced narration captures this darkly enchanted and emotional interpretation of SWAN LAKE. Odile has been raised by her father to steal the king’s crown as an act of revenge. But neither of them planned on her growing connection to Lady Marie—or the king’s murder. Vitale’s quiet intensity suits Odile’s guarded nature and allows moments of vulnerability to break through. She offers clear shifts between characters, keeping the focus on the growing tension and uneasy alliance between Odile and Marie. Her delivery works well with the audiobook’s moody atmosphere, allowing listeners to sit with the tension and ambiguity that define Odile’s choices. Vitale’s grounded, well-measured performance supports the story’s layered character dynamics and slow-burning mystery."

Drama, love, redemption, healing, and wonderful gayness

I adored Poranek's first book and this one establishes a trend of being so compelling I finished it in one go. I was cheering both Odile and Marie on throughout their ups and downs. I loved the evolution of Odile as she finally found herself and her inner voice is hilarious at times. (Heartbreaking at others.) It's not Poranek's style but I wish I could have seen the story from Marie's POV.
I would have loved to read about the trials Odile went through at the close of the story, but it's just as charming and still satisfying that they are mysterious.
This book only just dropped and I already can't wait for her next one, especially after the little Easter Egg she slid in. ;)

Breathless

Once I got used to the narrator, I was absolutely hooked. The story takes so much inspiration from many variations of Swan Lake, while also spinning its own tale. A heist turned murder mystery turned tragic romance with the looming search for magic. The narrator does an amazing job with pronouncing words consistently. she also doing subtle changes to her tone to indicate which character speaks before the text says who it is. A stunning listen that has left me utterly breathless.

Atmospheric and romantic

This book was a Gothic and deeply moving exploration of friendship, love, and familial loyalty. I adored the sapphic romance, and enjoyed following along as they unravelled mysteries and grew to trust each other. The pacing, plot, and narration were all great. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Lovely sapphic fantasy filled with murder, magic, and political intrigue

This book was wonderful, give it it chance! I cant believe it doesn’t have more reviews. The narrator was phenomenal.

It feels like it was supposed to be longer

I found several concepts and plotlines of the story interesting and appreciated the unique magic system. However, it honestly feels like it this book was meant to be much longer, or perhaps a series. Moments that are meant to be important or significant fall flat due to rushed buildup or lack of development. Then there are other areas that are introduced that are intriguing, only to have a paragraph or two devoted to them. I wouldn't be surprised if the author intended for this book to be longer/in a series and their editor or publisher made them squeeze everything into this single work.

the original storyline

I found myself drifting off it was a cute story not my style but I would recommend if you like princess fairytales