Swan Lake by K.M. Shea

The Swan Lake by K.M. Shea is a classic tale that has been re-written into a lovely, enchanting and modern, yet magical story. ​This was my first K.M. Shea book and it immediately got me hooked and made me want to read more of her fairy tale retellings!

The story was so beautifully told that it felt magical, yet simple, old, yet new, and narrated in a way that pulled you into a shining fairytale world, but still felt modern. I absolutely adored the female protagonist, Odette, and her fierce attitude combined with her selflessness and the protective way she took care of her smuggler band The Black Swans. It was such a great twist that Odette and the other swans were smugglers, it added a flavor of adventure and made Odette and her friends so much more bad-ass and relatable.

I also liked the other female characters in this story, especially lady Benno and the Empress. The way the Empress tells her sons off is so hilarious! I would have liked to have more of that in the story and also to get to know more about lady Benno’s background to fully understand her. But all in all, the women in this story really makes this story shine. The two princes could perhaps have gotten some more depths, but I immediately took a liking in Prince Alexsei. So gentle and noble, and the romance between him and Odette was so sweet and enjoyable.

This book also left with some really potential stories - especially the mystery with the evil sorcerer Rothbart and the hints that he was not as evil as expected - that makes me want to continue exploring K.M. Shea’s retellings right away.

Overall, this is a very lovely read that brings you shining happy magic, a sweet love story and bad-ass female characters, something you can never get enough of!

Find out more about the book and the author here: K.M. Shea