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The Swan Maiden

by Heather Tomlinson (Goodreads Author)

3.41 of 5 stars 3.41 · rating details · 937 ratings · 106 reviews

In the quiet hour before dawn,anything can happen. Doucette can dream of being a creature of flight and magic, of wearing a swan skin like her older sisters. But she must run the castle household while her sisterslearn to weave spells.Her dream of flying is exactly that . . . until the day she discovers her own hidden birthright. Sudden, soaring freedom—it is a wish come t...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published September 30th 2008 by Square Fish (first published August 7th 2007)

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Oct 28, 2008 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

I enjoyed this book, though it was nothing spectacular. It held a sense of "old fairy tales" for me--the traditional ones that have a lot of magic and wonder but rather flat characters. Some of the descriptions in "Swan Maiden" are exquisite, and I enjoyed the attention to the French countryside (right down to the herbs and flowers) and the sense of magic that flowed through our heroine, Doucette. However, I did not really sympathize with Doucette--or any of the characters, for that matter; they...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Lia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: retellings

Bleh. Stupid. No thanks. Not recommended. The main character isn't a character at all. She only reacts to what goes on around her, and never consistently, only in ways that will forward the very tenuous plot. All of the characters are this way. They only do things to make the plot move. When the plot requires them to be nice, they're nice. When it requires them to be beastly, they're beastly. The only interesting thing is seen coming a mile off, and is rather a disappointment when it does come....more Bleh. Stupid. No thanks. Not recommended. The main character isn't a character at all. She only reacts to what goes on around her, and never consistently, only in ways that will forward the very tenuous plot. All of the characters are this way. They only do things to make the plot move. When the plot requires them to be nice, they're nice. When it requires them to be beastly, they're beastly. The only interesting thing is seen coming a mile off, and is rather a disappointment when it does come.

And, **potential spoilers---that is, if you're going to waste time reading this book** the ending proves what a miserable excuse for a character Doucette (yes, that's really her name) is. After ditching her betrothed because a dog licked him (ah, ah, ah! I said, let NO ONE kiss you---and well, you know, that dog lick . . .) and spending her time building a castle with a moat and tormenting every visitor she has in spiteful ways, and then burning down her castle in a fit of rage because, guess what, her betrothed is getting married . . . well, she comes down out of the sky and says, "Aren't you marrying the wrong girl?" And proceeds to throw herself at him and kiss him while his bride-to-be is standing right there. But then, to make sure everything is okay, the author commands the bride to actually be in love with the brother, so everything works out, thus making things so that Doucette isn't a jerk (!).

Bleh. Again, bleh.

At the end of one of the chapters, the mysterious question was asked, just how far would her mother go to get her way, and I seriously muttered aloud, under my breath, "Who gives a d---." I was fed up.

Why did I finish reading it? Well, that is a good question. Probably partly because I was hoping it would get better. Which it never did. Probably partly because I was supposed to be taking a break from my grading and wanted the book to distract me . . . I don't know.

But it really was wasted time. I wish I had read something else instead. Ah, but then I wouldn't have had the chance to write this one-star review. So, something good from all things, I suppose.(less)

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Dec 17, 2007 Jane Meyer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: wouldn't really...

Shelves: middlegrade

There were parts of this book that were lovely--a fast moving plot and some interesting description, but there are better books in this genre that I would recommend... I was pulled to the cash register by the cover, but there were holes, and the most ridiculous scene with one of the main characters, Jaume, walking on his hands, playing a pipe. I read the passage tens of times trying to make out how it might be possible--being a gymnast, I know you can't walk on your hands and play a tune on the...more

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Jul 19, 2012 K.W. McCabe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson 3.5 out of 5 stars

Doucette Aigleron is trapped. Trapped by her mother, trapped by her position but, most of all, trapped because she has no wings.

Her two sisters, Cecilia and Azelais, are swan maidens: Sorceresses who can use their swan feathers to change into swans as well as perform many kinds of magic.

Each year Doucette must stay home and learn how to run a household while her sisters fly off to their aunt, the Queen of Birds, to learn the magical arts. Ev...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Camille rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 18, 2011 Regina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I agree with many of the reviews that the beginning of the book was the best part because it had a very traditional once upon a time feel to it and the main character was a bullied third child. Even though the romance was a bit fast and unbelieveable(tomlinson could have provided more examples of the two falling in love or hinted more at it) I still liked the plot. The story started to drag for me in part two of the story where Doucette and Jaume had to run from her family. Doucette is barely li...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Yune rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Docette is the third daughter of a lord, and her older sisters are both swan-maids, sorceresses allowed to flaunt their abilities and propriety -- fly in their swan skins, even. She, on the other hand, is taught the duties of a chastelaine. She thinks this is as exciting as you do. Naturally, there's more than that fate ahead of her.

Written in a delicate and lovely style, The Swan Maiden captivated me for the first two-thirds or so. I was initially willing to overlook rather...blocky messaging....more

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Jan 14, 2013 Lydia Shellenbarger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked the overall re-imagining/re-working of this fairy-tale situition, which takes multiple elements from classic European fairy-tales, but can't actually be said to be based on a certain one. However, that was about all I liked; though the actually writing was good, the characters themselves were too convincing in their flaws, and not very convincing in their virtues (Doucette's family in particular!). But, a strong, likable, lead can cover a multitude of sins, and at the beginning of the st...more I liked the overall re-imagining/re-working of this fairy-tale situition, which takes multiple elements from classic European fairy-tales, but can't actually be said to be based on a certain one. However, that was about all I liked; though the actually writing was good, the characters themselves were too convincing in their flaws, and not very convincing in their virtues (Doucette's family in particular!). But, a strong, likable, lead can cover a multitude of sins, and at the beginning of the story, Doucette seems to be that character and becomes more and more likable until the middle of the book, when she becomes less and less likable until she's as bad as the rest of her family. At the very end, redemption is hinted, but it felt very shallow. Pop quiz! (view spoiler)

Content warning, one of Doucette's sisters is a horrible flirt and loves to use innuendo. Most likely this won't register with younger readers, but the teen audience it is intended for is sure to understand. She is never worse than prime-time tv, or PG movie rating, but it is there and wasn't necessary.

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Sep 26, 2008 Katie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't know if it's fair that I rate this book. I didn't read it all. At the begining it was similar to Goose Girl, so I was pretty sure that I would like it. However it was so slow that I started skipping pages and then chapters. I did read the last chapter and I was glad I didn't waste my time reading it all. I suggest someone else read it and then you can tell me what a wonderful book it was and maybe I'll try reading it again.

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Jul 31, 2011 Brandy Painter rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tale-retellings, fantasy, young-adult

Review originally posted here.

The Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson is a novel that uses the idea of a girl who can transform into a swan via a magical swan skin. This is not a direct retelling of any specific swan maiden tale, but uses elements prevalent in several, and sets it against a backdrop of medieval France. It has many fairy tale staples in it. The impoverished man seeking to perform a task to gain the hand of a maiden, magic, transformations, enchantresses. If you go into it keeping in...more Review originally posted here.

The Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson is a novel that uses the idea of a girl who can transform into a swan via a magical swan skin. This is not a direct retelling of any specific swan maiden tale, but uses elements prevalent in several, and sets it against a backdrop of medieval France. It has many fairy tale staples in it. The impoverished man seeking to perform a task to gain the hand of a maiden, magic, transformations, enchantresses. If you go into it keeping in mind that it is really just a long form fairy tale and are not expecting much more you may enjoy it. I didn't have this mindset going in and it really didn't do much for me as a result.

The main character, Doucette, is a bullied doormat when we meet her. Unable to practice the magic her sisters, both swan maidens, were born to she is being trained by her mother to be a good wife and chatelaine. Her sisters bully her and use their magic to make her miserable. Then, during a time of spring cleaning, she finds a swan skin. Her swan skin that her mother has been hiding from her for years. Angry and energized with the knowledge that she can do magic too she strikes out on her own to join her sisters for their summer of magic learning with their aunt. She puts no thought or planning into her flight and takes absolutely no precautions. Then, intoxicated by her freedom and new found power, she propositions a guy she barely knows but has the hots for, then flies off in a huff before he can completely respond. (Showing her to be way too immature to be even thinking about a relationship like that.) This never changes throughout the entire novel. The only things standing between Doucette and her happy ever after is her own bratty petulance. Once she is reunited (the first time) with this young man they declare their love and intention wed. This is the most interesting part of the story. He has to complete three impossible tasks set by her father and she is struggling against her controlling mother. When they conquer her parents and have fled for his home, Doucette flies off in a huff again for no good reason other than she has to have her own way at all times. Clearly she was not ready for marriage. After spending some months alone she seeks out her love, who is then planning to wed some one else. Except I'm not convinced she really learned anything from any of this. The resolution of the story lacks closure because I couldn't help but feel she was going to repeat the same cycle over and over.

The hero of the tale is sacrificing, loving, caring, considerate and way to good for Doucette. I didn't have much respect for him because he made himself an endless victim of her fickle magical tantrums. I think his happily ever after will consist of being a doormat for his enchantress wife.

Some of these are issues inherent in fairy tales. You see them pop up all the time. The characters are selfish, two dimensional, self consumed, and focused on their own wishes. This is why Sondheim had so much fodder for writing Into the Woods. There are two acts to that play though, and in the end four of the characters have at least learned something and grown. You have hope for their future. This should be true of a fairy tale told in full novel form as well. You can do more, and I think should do more, with the character arcs. I was disappointed with The Swan Maiden because the characters never became real people. They were their two dimensional fairy tale caricatures from beginning to end.

There was an interesting question underneath the story. Could Doucette have both love and her magic? Does she have to choose or is there room for compromise? This mirrors the thoughts and struggles of many young women starting out in life. It would have been a compelling component if Doucette had been in any way sympathetic. Her behavior was too childish for this to be explored fully. (For a wonderful book that explores this conflict thoroughly and amazingly well read Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers.)

All that being said, the language of the book is beautifully descriptive and definitely conveys the old French setting well. If I had gone into reading this expecting nothing more than a longer form fairy tale I may not have been as disappointed.(less)

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May 12, 2009 Snorkle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2009, young-adult, review-on-blog

I was really into the beginning pages of this book, it had that certain fairy tale feel and I linked it with something written by Shannon Hale. But then there was a twist in the plot and I knew that the rest of the book would be dealing with that aspect. I was disappointed with how the story went, and I was almost compelled to take out my laptop and write out the way it should have ended. I probably would have ended the story in a different spot and I most definitely would have cut out some scen...more

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May 08, 2011 Geeta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Some teens; mostly girls

Recommended to Geeta by: booksmugglers.com

*slight spoiler alert*
Yet again I have been disappointed with a YA book. I first saw this book on booksmugglers.com and was intrigued mostly due to the cover and then a little bit by the blurb. Unfortunately, the lack of character depth and excitement in the plot I must say it was a slightly boring and predictable read. There was potential in the relationship between Doucette and her aunt could have been explored further for I felt that we were barely told of their time together even though it w...more

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Dec 11, 2010 Elentarien rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quite enjoyed this one. It smacked of some of the old fairy tales, though I could not pinpoint which one, but it put some life into them that the old ones never had. A little odd in some parts, and I still wonder how the relationship between the two main characters grew to love when they spent so very little time together.

I did find myself annoyed at the main character for some of her actions, particularly later on - and some early on, though I did not mind so much near the beginning, as she had...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy

Doucette is the youngest sister. Her two older sisters are mysterious and powerful swan maidens, who can transform themselves into swans at will. Sorcery is their birthright, and Doucette longs to be like them. She may have more magic than she ever imagined...

Heather Tomlinson once again shamlessly uses French as a crutch in her fantasy world, but this time it is not so painful because she claims to have based her story off of a French fairy tale to begin with. If so, it doesn't have the continu...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Aileen Shara rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Doucette sort of...bored me, as a main character. And the plot was oversimplified. I thought there would be some intrigue here...some developed characters...something like that?

In the end, it was just the same old "complete the impossible tasks to get the girl, whoa, hold on, a cliche misunderstanding must pop up to fill another fifty pages...and some randomness about Doucette throwing guys out of her fabulously magical castle. Then a marriage. The end."

Yes...happily ever after. And then they di...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Anne Osterlund rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Doucette is jealous.

Her sisters are both swan maidens, free to escape for months at a time from the constant orders and sharp tongue of their mother. While Doucette has been raised to be a lady. NOT a sorceress. Even the kind words of the young shepherd, Jaume, cannot free her from the drudgery of an ordinary life.

Until Doucette discovers her own swanskin.

Now she has a choice, which takes her all of thirty seconds to make. To drop her boring, magicless existence and exchange it for the promise o...more

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Mar 21, 2010 Marybeth Taylor rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 28, 2009 Susie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The main character in this book bothered me. At first I felt so sorry for her - teased by her sisters, enslaved by her mother. Then she just got annoying, and threw her whole life away for magic. I guess the overwhelming-ness of the magic wasn't realistic to me. Her sisters seemed to deal ok. So I thought she was stupid for immediately taking the swan skin and jumping out the window; for leaving her parents for months; for turning her back on her true love both because she thought he was laughin...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Faith Chin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grade-6

If you like, magic, fantasy, adventure birds (especially swans), then this book is for you! Who has ever heard of princesses learning magic and spells and become a wizard!!! Not in this kingdom they don't! Take flight on this adventure as you fly through this book as Princess Doucette learns that not only her sisters are wizards and can change into swans, she herself can do it too! For a long time, she doesn't know that she has the ability to weave spells and turn into a swan herself! She goes t...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read2008, ya-teen

Cute variation of the swan princess. Doucette has always been jealous of her sisters magical powers and swan skins (allow the wearer to transform into a bird). When she discovers her own swan skin, hidden away by her mother, she uses it to escape the life she has never loved. I liked the story, sometimes it wasn't very cohesive and would jump abruptly from scene to scene. One thing that was kind of frustrating throughout the story, Doucette is the cause of her own unhappiness, and many of her st...more

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Aug 22, 2009 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first 2/3rds of the book I would have rated a 4. However, the last 1/3 of the book, I would have rated a 2. I just did not think the end of the book fit the tone of the rest of the book and I disliked the ending, feeling it was a rush conclusion--as though the author just wanted to be done with a story that, up to that point, had been carefully crafted. Actually, I disliked the turn the story took in the last 1/3rd of the book. I would not read any other books in the series although I would...more

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May 09, 2012 Jo Oehrlein rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Doucette is jealous of her sisters, who are both swan maidens. Both can change into swans and fly away at any time. They're known for their beauty and men adore them. She is the dutiful clumsy younger sister who must train to be the castle chatelain. Her sisters go away each summer to spend time with their aunt, also a swan maiden, in the hope that one of them will be her heir.

Just after they leave for that trip one year, Doucette finds the swan skin that means that she, too, is a swan maiden. S...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, youth

Doucette is the youngest of three sisters; her elder two are swan maidens, able to assume the form of a swan and perform High Magics. They are vain, selfish, and unkinds. Doucette is condemned by her mundane nature to be a chastelain- able to direct her servants in all their work and thus capably run a home and a demesne. This is a much more practical and useful ability, but the reality is that everyone bosses her around; she dreams of better things, a bigger world, she envies her sisters their...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books, own

I've always loved fairy tales. Their full of hope, conquer, despair, hatred and obviously love. There is always a villain, a damsel in distress, a prince (or someone type of boy who is deeply in love with the damsel), something to overcome, and finally the happy ending. I think that pretty much sums up what a fairy tale consists of. Yup.

The Swan Maiden has all these concepts. It is, like I've read in other reviews, one long fairy tale. Actually, I think it's a mash up of fairy tales. We have mag...more I've always loved fairy tales. Their full of hope, conquer, despair, hatred and obviously love. There is always a villain, a damsel in distress, a prince (or someone type of boy who is deeply in love with the damsel), something to overcome, and finally the happy ending. I think that pretty much sums up what a fairy tale consists of. Yup.

The Swan Maiden has all these concepts. It is, like I've read in other reviews, one long fairy tale. Actually, I think it's a mash up of fairy tales. We have magic, swans, someone locked in a tower, people flying about and the pauper in love with the princess. Yup, definitely a mash up.

I loved this book nonetheless.

This book was NOT realistic. I think one reason so many people were turned off by this book was because of how unrealistic it was. It's a fairy tale, people! The guy gets the girl, the bad guy loses, people fall in love really fast and the characters don't make wise decisions. That is what fairy tale stories do. We are all so used to vivid, air-breathing characters that we forgot how fairy tales are written. The main character's make stupid mistakes and she always falls in love really fast. Red ridding hood went into the forest. Snow white ate an apple from a stranger. Cinderella let her step mother boss her around. Their all young and naive. That is exactly how our swan maiden, Doucette, acts.

Doucette is a six-teen year old girl who is born of the Aiglorn's, a very powerful kingdom. Her two sisters are swan maidens. They have magical powers and can do anything they please with them. People fear them and don't dare talk down to them. You just might get turned into a toad if you do! Doucette longs to be one of them instead of a Chastaline. However, one day she discovers her very own swan skin. She also falls in love with Jaum, a shepherd. Of course, her father and mother completely disagree. The couple run a way, but that's not all, something happens, I'm just not telling you what.

This was a cute story. Like I said it was not realistic. You never get a feel for the characters. Their as thin as paper, no, more like rice paper. Doucette makes some naive decisions, she doesn't follow her gut to often. I liked Jaum though. I pictured him very handsome in my mind. He was the perfect example of a man we ladies all wish for. Someone to carry us when our feet hurt. Clear a hillside, dig a pond, retrieve the golden bird, just so he can have our hand.

Yeah right, in what life time?

Overall, I am happy with this book. The writing was beautiful, sounded exactly like that of a fairy tale. Fairy tales always have that special tone, the tone that really stand out amongst non fairy tale stories. The plot was original and creative. I loved the new story about the swan. Crafted so much like the power Doucette manipulates.

Prepare to take flight and soar into a magical fairy tale.
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May 03, 2011 Alana Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As the summary says, The Swan Maiden is about a girl named Doucette. The youngest of three and the daughter of a Comte, Doucette dreams of being a Swan Maiden and weaving spells like her sisters. Unfortunately for her, Doucette is instead doomed to be a Chastelaine. Stuck cleaning and running the household while her sisters run wild with magic, Doucette envies their beauty and confidence. But most of all she envies their swan cloaks, because it's with these coats that her sisters are able to tur...more As the summary says, The Swan Maiden is about a girl named Doucette. The youngest of three and the daughter of a Comte, Doucette dreams of being a Swan Maiden and weaving spells like her sisters. Unfortunately for her, Doucette is instead doomed to be a Chastelaine. Stuck cleaning and running the household while her sisters run wild with magic, Doucette envies their beauty and confidence. But most of all she envies their swan cloaks, because it's with these coats that her sisters are able to turn into swans and fly. On top of having no magic and being plain looking, Doucette's sisters also enjoy using their magic to humiliate Doucette with cruel pranks.

As with all fairy tales or fairy tale retellings, The Swan Maiden starts by showing the reader just how unfair things are for Doucette. Not only is Doucette not as attractive as her sisters, but she also isn't a sorceress. To make matter worse, her sisters play a mean trick on Doucette and embarrass her in front of Jaume, her crush. Jaume also happens to be a sheppard, which follows the standard noble girl and pauper boy meme fairy tales seem to love (or vice versa). Of course their circumstance means they're doomed to never be together and Doucette will likely be married to a man she doesn't love for political reasons, but then something unexpected happens. While helping her mother prepare for an upcoming party, Doucette stumbles across a grey cloak of feathers. It turns out Doucette is a Swan Maiden and her parents have kept her from her magical birthright on purpose. It's at this point Doucette seems to have the power to grasp everything she's ever wanted. The question then becomes, "is it worth the cost?"

Even though this book is a fairy tale retelling, it's also a coming of age story. The reader gets to follow Doucette as she struggles to accept the simple life she doesn't feel happy in, embraces her magical abilities, and then has to decide whether to chose love or freedom. While the story may be pretty expected, The Swan Maiden still has enough charm to make it interesting. Love stories tend to be pretty unimaginative in fairy tales, but the struggle between Doucette and Jaume was actually pretty satisfying. My biggest complaint about the book was how rushed the latter part of the book felt. It lacked the depth the first half had and instead felt a bit hallow. The thing I love about fairy tale retellings though is their familiarity. The Swan Maiden feels familiar while also being wholly its own.(less)

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Jun 11, 2010 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-or-before-2009

This was overall a hit and miss book for me. Upon first glance, I was instantly drawn to it by its lovely cover. I love how the artist plays on the human and swan form. It is beautiful. However, once I got into the book, I learned quickly that covers can be deceiving. Within a few pages, I was overwhelmed with Tomlinson's use of French terminology. It is everywhere. And while I applaud the author for attempting to make this book as authentic as possible, since the original tale has French origin...more

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May 26, 2009 Chelsea rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2009, relationship-centered

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Augh. Auuuugh. At first, everything seemed okay: a few characters were introduced that sparked enough interest in me to keep reading, and the premise seemed intriguing.

But.

It was like the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be. The plot seemed incredibly contrived, characters existing merely to fill their role and then go away. And even the main characters... I read a whole book about these people and I still have no idea who they are! Doucette had little to no personality besides a few basi...more Augh. Auuuugh. At first, everything seemed okay: a few characters were introduced that sparked enough interest in me to keep reading, and the premise seemed intriguing.

But.

It was like the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be. The plot seemed incredibly contrived, characters existing merely to fill their role and then go away. And even the main characters... I read a whole book about these people and I still have no idea who they are! Doucette had little to no personality besides a few basic character traits until the very end, and even then, she seemed to change at the drop of a hat, no thought process to it whatsoever. Like I said: contrived. And the sad part is, the characters intrigued me at first - but only enough to keep me reading in the hope that they'd get more development. They didn't.

Plot-wise, it felt like nothing ever really happened. I mean, I guess things did, but there were never any real consequences for anyone's actions. Even when she goes through the Rassemblement, which has been lauded as incredibly dangerous with potentially disastrous consequences, blah blah blah... she loses a pinkie toe.

No, seriously. A pinkie toe. That's it.

And when she deserts her lover for no good reason and returns months later, out of the blue, when he's about to be married to someone else? He's annoyed at her for all of two seconds. Then they kiss and make up and everyone gets married and all is sunshine and joy.

God, please, just shoot me now.

It would almost have been better, for me, if the book had been wholly horrible from beginning to end. Then I wouldn't have the urge to take it and rewrite it so as to salvage what little there is that's worthy of salvaging. It could have been good. It just wasn't. At all. The best thing about this book, actually, was that it assured me for the umpteenth time that getting published must not be as hard as I think it is, if this sort of thing makes it into bookstores.

I'd give it one and a half stars, if I could. I think we'll just settle for one.(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Sandra Strange rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Doucette's two older sisters can change into swans at will and control powerful magic, but her mother has reserved Doucette to herself--without magic, to become a chatelaine, mistress of household management. Now Doucette challenges the unfairness of her reality, finding strength, magic and a forbidden love. The story is ok, but there are inconsistencies in the plotting that keep it from being really great. Entertaining and safe, an ok addition to this retold fairy tale genre.

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Apr 22, 2010 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Decided to finally read this book that has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years. It was very cute. The character interaction and development struggled a bit and the story actually could have been made into more than one book with a little more development. But, I really had a fun time reading what it was. If you are in the mood for a sweet coming of age and tender romance than you should read this book. It was worth reading and owning. It was also a very quick read.

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Dec 08, 2011 Katie Clark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The Swan Maiden is a story about a girl named Doucette who wants to be a Swan Maiden liker her two older sisters. Swan Maidens have magical powers and their clocks have the power to turn them into swans. Doucette, however is forced to do chores and clean while her sisters have fun casting spells. Her sisters also like to humiliate her and play mean pranks on her. This is an interesting story that is appropriate for fifth graders and up. It is a good resource to use when talking about bullying.

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Young Adult

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Fantasy > Fairy Tales

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Romance

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Fairy Tales > Fairy Tale Retellings

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Young Adult > Young Adult Fantasy

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Fantasy > Magic

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Childrens

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Fairy Tales > Princesses

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About Heather Tomlinson

Heather Tomlinson grew up in California and New Hampshire, graduating from Wellesley College with a degree in French literature. After teaching English in France and French in the United States, she worked at a book wholesaler. Now she writes the kinds of novels she likes to read.

Heather lives on a sailboat in southern California with her engineer husband, her baby boy, and cats X, Y, and Z.

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3327085-the-swan-maiden?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312016383l/3327085.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3327085-the-swan-maiden?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson[/url]

The Swan Maiden

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