An unwilling swan maiden. A deadly plague. Can a mother’s love defeat death?For Swanhild and Raphael, life is perfect. Betrothed and about to be married, their future should hold only happiness.Until the plague arrives.Swanhild’s mother transforms her into a swan, hoping to help her survive the plague. Instead, Swanhild finds herself in more danger than ever.Can she survive the intrigues of the … ever.
Can she survive the intrigues of the royal court and be reunited with Raphael?
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A very small village is in trouble with the plague. Everyone is dying but Raphael and Swanhild, boyfriend and girlfriend can’t keep their hands off each other and planned on getting married. Both were healers but Swanhild had magic and after getting home her mother was afraid she was going to get the plague so her mother changed Swanhild into something and told her to get out of there, leave. Raphael saw the whole thing and asked Swanhild’s mother why she would do such a thing as she lay dying after using magic and slicing her arms. Their future is in jeopardy and so are the people left in the village.
Feather is a retelling of the Swan Maidens and book 22 in the Romance a Medieval Fairytale series. You do not have to read all 21 previous books to enjoy this one; almost all of the books are entirely standalone. However, this book runs parallel to Call: Pied Piper Retold (they occur simultaneously) and feature most of the same characters. I would call this a companion piece to Call. You can read it alone, but I think you will miss much and be disappointed where you won’t otherwise. It is written in third person omniscient from both leads’ (alternating) point of view.
As with all of her retellings, Mrs. Carlton turns this story on its head: it is vastly different from what you’ve read/heard. I was excited to hear Swanhild’s and Raphael’s tale since reading Call. They are both great characters who compliment each other perfectly. Swanhild is brash, daring, and outspoken while Raphael is quiet and content to follow her lead. My heart broke for them, but it also rejoiced in their reunion.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review. I’ve purchased the other 21, however, so don’t let that mislead you.
This, swan princesses tale has tie ins to both Call and Float, but you don’t need to have read either to thoroughly enjoy the romance and magic of a classic fairy tale.
I loved this one.
The opening chapter was quite unexpected and a bit of a turn off. It wasn’t until memories, at the beck of subtle prompts, of other stories in the series began filtering back in my mind, that I really got into the story. The plight which Swanhild and Raphael faced is interleaved with the other stories in such a delightful manner. And while the ending might be tragic for some of the minor characters, it was heartwarming on behalf of the main couple.
I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.
Great retelling of one of the lesser know tales. I like how the author manages to turn a fairytale into something far more and especially love the appearances of characters form her other books in this one.
I have to admit, I had to look for and read the original ‘Swan Maidens’ just so I’d know the story before I started this one and I was truly amazed. Demelza Carlton used such imagination and creativity to turn the original into ‘Feather’. The story flowed easily and as I read, I was really amazed at the characters I’d recognized from other fairytales and even wrote down the ones I didn’t know so I could check those out. There’s also a list at the end referencing the characters. The journey for Swanhild and Raphael was an adventure filled with intrigue and mystery while intertwined with romance and passion. It was enjoyable getting to know a new fairytale and reading Ms. Carlton’s retold version.
A plague on all your houses! Medieval tale with a touch of heat
4.5 stars
I really liked the pacing and plot of this revived, reshaped fairytale not for children set in a plague-ridden medieval countryside where witches vie with traditional herbal healers for the job of keeping the locals healthy. But no one can cure the plague and the lovers in this tale are torn apart in the effort to keep them safe.
Swanhild and Raphael have big plans for their joint future and know they want nothing more than to reunite and to be together. Most of the story alternates between Swanhild’s efforts to return to Raphael and his work to keep as many as possible healthy enough to survive until the plague has passed.
It’s all a short, pageturner gem, a swift-moving story with magic aplenty and references to previous fairytales in this Carlton series. But the great thing is, if you’ve never read the referenced stories or you read them awhile ago and no longer recall the details, you can enjoy this fairytale as a standalone on its own merits.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the story; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
Demelza Carlton has done it again. She’s taken a fairy-tale upgraded it so adults can read it and wish they could live it.. Great story with great characters.