Black Swan Rising (Black Swan Rising #1)

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Black Swan Rising (Black Swan Rising #1)

by Lee Carroll, Carol Goodman (Goodreads Author)

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 1,079 ratings · 244 reviews

When New York City jewelry designer Garet James stumbles into a strange antiques shop in her neighborhood, her life is about to be turned upside down. John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can’t b...more

Paperback, 400 pages

Published August 3rd 2010 by Tor Books (first published July 12th 2010)

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Feb 02, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, in-by-of-the-americas, vamps-and-other-mythical-beasts, reviewed, fantasy-sci-fi, fey

Why hasn't anyone read this? Don't I know a hundred people on this site who like urban fantasy and will read, if not anything, than a lot weird stuff? Isn't that what we love about fantasy after all? It could be anything, just based on the author's ability to imagine possibilities, and that can lead me all sorts of weird and wonderful places. It is almost always worth taking some sort of chance, if only for a few pages, because when it's good, it is like spending an afternoon with a good friend...more Why hasn't anyone read this? Don't I know a hundred people on this site who like urban fantasy and will read, if not anything, than a lot weird stuff? Isn't that what we love about fantasy after all? It could be anything, just based on the author's ability to imagine possibilities, and that can lead me all sorts of weird and wonderful places. It is almost always worth taking some sort of chance, if only for a few pages, because when it's good, it is like spending an afternoon with a good friend and eating scones. It's not exactly a healthy activity but you certainly had a lot of fun while doing it.

I thought this one would be worth a few pages. It was free, after all. The authors visited my mother's store and gave her a copy, which I then borrowed while visiting last weekend and looking forward to a five hour train ride. I read the back: fairies in Manhattan. Okay, I've seen that before. John Dee is still around. Yup, seen that too. Oh, and a vampire? Well, now I'm beginning to wonder if I haven't actually read it before.

Thing is, it was good. Surprisingly, despite the odds (and the disappointing last chapter), the story was engaging, well realized, and most importantly well researched! How many times have I complained about authors not paying attention, not checking their facts, not even bothering to do a five second google search? Not this time, baby. The authors (Lee Carroll is a writing team) did a lot of research and it is apparent in the novel. They used fairy tales and legends and mixed them into a woman-learns-about-her-strength-and-destiny plot line and in a good way. I like the idea of the fey living in New York City, caring for people in hospital and running coffee shops. I like the idea of menace coming out of the fog. I did love all of the New Yorkisms that are in here: the streets of the West Village, the manticore in the Cloisters, the bowels of City Hall. It was done cleverly, even if it isn't a new idea, and the new age babble about auras didn't bother me because it was blended well with the rest of the story.

But that's it. That's all I've got. I read it quickly. There isn't complexity or lingering anything. It's just fun for a long afternoon somewhere.(less)

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Apr 18, 2013 AH rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-netgalley, banshee, dark, dragons, fae, fantasy, magic, paranormal, read-mar-2013, urban-fantasy, vamps, babr-reviews

I was excited to get a copy of Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll – the husband and wife writing team of Carol Goodman and Lee Slonimsky. I enjoyed the Carol Goodman’s The Demon Lover and The Water Witch and as I settled down to read Black Swan Rising, I knew I was in for a treat.

Black Swan Rising is a beautifully written gothic style tale. The world is richly described, a modern day New York City layered with the magical world of the fae and an assortment of many different paranormal creatures. I...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Book Chick City rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, book-list-2011

'Black Swan Rising' is a little different to other urban fantasy novels I've read, in that it is quite a gentle read. Garet James is not the typical kick-arse chick - she's a fairly normal, down-to-earth woman struggling to make ends meet. She knows nothing of the supernatural world which surrounds her and so when she finds out that the world is not as it seems we see her trying to come to terms with the revelation that there are faeries, vampires and demons to contend with.

The beginning of the...more 'Black Swan Rising' is a little different to other urban fantasy novels I've read, in that it is quite a gentle read. Garet James is not the typical kick-arse chick - she's a fairly normal, down-to-earth woman struggling to make ends meet. She knows nothing of the supernatural world which surrounds her and so when she finds out that the world is not as it seems we see her trying to come to terms with the revelation that there are faeries, vampires and demons to contend with.

The beginning of the book is great and very atmospheric. I liked Garet straight away as I did her father and her two friends, Becky and Jay. Garet and her dad have lived together since her mother was killed in a car accident, but Garet's memories are tested when she finds out that her mother wasn't who she thought she was and Garet has a role to play in the newly discovered supernatural world.

One cold, foggy night Garet finds herself taking refuge in an antique shop, where she is asked by the antique dealer to use her jewelry making skills to open an ancient silver box. Garet agrees and this is when strange things begin to happen. I loved this part of the book, it was intriguing and it was fun to discover that the antique dealer was a demon called Dee who has been in and out of Garet's life for sometime without her knowledge.

Unfortunately, even with Garet and the other characters, 'Black Swan Rising' started to lose some of it's charm for me half way through when Garet is taken on a journey by the Faery King to learn magical skills from different elementals. One of these elementals is Melusine. She is a water elemental. It is from this particular moment in the book that I lost virtually all interest and struggled to finish the book, as it just didn't make any sense.

Garet and Melusine are torn apart into atoms and then form molecules to travel through water. Then they evaporate to come back down as rain. While this is happening their molecules intertwine and they can "see" each others memories and "feel" each others emotions...also, Melusine "sniffs to find Dee's presence"...really? sniffs? While they are molecules? Don't you need a nose and some lungs to sniff?

I know I should suspend my disbelief further, as this book is about vampires, demon's and other supernatural creatures, but I just couldn't and as this went on for the rest of the book, I was unfortunately lost to this part of story.

Also, for some reason the author thought it a good idea for this particular elemental to spit at people:

As if to remind me of that greeting she [Mesuline] cleared her throat and hawked up a great gob of spit that landed six inches from the polished loafers of a lunching businessman."

The honking and spitting went on for some pages and I found myself wanting to gag. This just wasn't necessary and I can't for the life of me think why this was thought to be a good personality trait.

There is a love interest for Garet too in the form of yummy vampire, Will Hughes. I liked Will very much but the romance between them is slightly tainted by the fact that you don't know whether he is falling in love with Garet or because she resembles a woman he used to love called Marguerite, who is part of Garet's lineage. I'm hoping it's the former.

VERDICT:

'Black Swan Rising' has a great first half and a poor second half. It's the first that has the potential to be a really interesting, albeit a slightly gentler, urban fantasy. Sadly there are a few additions in this instalment I could definitely have done without, but they won't stop me from picking up the next book in the series, 'The Watchtower', as I really liked the characters, especially Garet and I would like to continue her story.(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, fae, faerie, vampire, dragon

Young jewelry designer, Garet James, has just gotten some really bad news. Her aging father has mortgage their home and gallery to the hilt and they might loose it all. Lost in thought, Garet walks aimlessly around NYC only to end up in front of an usual shop. She enters the shop for directions and meets the keeper, John Dee. John Dee has a box with exactly the same symbol on it as the treasured ring her mother gave her. John Dee tells Garet if she opens the box he will give her $1000. Needing t...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Douglas Meeks rated it 5 of 5 stars

While I thoroughly enjoyed Black Swan Rising, it dragged in a couple of places and I found myself scanning. Usually, this means it was a boring book but in this one it was more of a "I got to get to what happens next" like I can get any little hints later. I loved the story, I love the characters, although a couple of them could have used a bit more development but then again this is book 1 of a trilogy so i hope for better in the future. The way I rate books is how I feel when I finish them and...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Austin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this in April, but I am just getting around to reviewing it. After watching the film, Black Swan, I loved the movie so much that I looked everywhere to see if it was based on a book. Unfortunately, it wasn't. But instead, I found this book. And it was awesome!
So this book opens up with our main character, Garet James entering a strange antique store. In the antique store, Garet is persuaded into opening a silver box with a swan symbol on it by the store owner, John Dee. Strangely enoug...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: black-swan-rising, lee-carroll, magic, vampires, faries

Garet James is no ordinary woman, but, when the book begins, she doesn’t know that yet! Even though she has a thriving jewellery-making business she has financial troubles of her own. With an aging father to look after and his art gallery business under threat she is worried that they may lose their home which also doubles as their business premises.

As she is heading back from a meeting with her bank manager, she stumbles across an old jewellery shop which she hasn’t noticed before. Trying to e...more Garet James is no ordinary woman, but, when the book begins, she doesn’t know that yet! Even though she has a thriving jewellery-making business she has financial troubles of her own. With an aging father to look after and his art gallery business under threat she is worried that they may lose their home which also doubles as their business premises.

As she is heading back from a meeting with her bank manager, she stumbles across an old jewellery shop which she hasn’t noticed before. Trying to escape a sudden downpour she steps inside the shop and is immediately drawn to an old silver jewellery box. There is something very special about this box which seems to shimmer under her touch. The shopkeeper seems to know of Garet’s talent of working with silver and gold and asks her if she can open the box as it has been somehow soldered shut. Not an easy task to perform and keep the intricate work on the box intact but with the offer of $1000 from the shopkeeper, she takes on the challenge. She heads home with the box and takes it to her workshop where she begins on opening the seal.

That is when her life changes forever.

I first read this book when it was newly published in 2010 and loved it. Having just re-read it, I fell in love with it all over again. It is a fantastical tale of magic, fairies, vampires and a centuries-old love affair. Garet James is the latest in a long line of female protectors of humankind, it’s just that she has no idea about her powers or her heritage as her mother died before she could tell her the truth. So in Black Swan Rising, Garet makes the journey of finding out about herself and her ancestors’ story without the guidance of her mother’s wisdom and experience and she takes the reader along with her too. She does have some help along the way as Oberon, King of the Fairies, makes an appearance and leads her through various challenges to help her realise who she really is.

This is the first book in a trilogy which chronicle the tale of the Black Swan. The second book, Watchtower was published in 2011 and the final book, Shape Stealer, is to be published in March this year. I can hardly wait to read it!

If you love a fantastic story filled with magic and a tale of the age old battle of good versus evil, then pick up these books. You will not be sorry.
Black Swan Rising (less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My full review can be found at A Secret Book Affair.

I really truly enjoyed reading this one, and I found it to be a mostly smooth quick read. Urban fantasies tend to be one of my favorite sub-genres of adult fiction to read because there is always an abundance of elements thrown at you in terms of characters and sub-plots. Black Swan Rising is no exception to this rule, with it's wide variety of charismatic characters and intertwining plots that keep you wondering what the true direction of the...more My full review can be found at A Secret Book Affair.

I really truly enjoyed reading this one, and I found it to be a mostly smooth quick read. Urban fantasies tend to be one of my favorite sub-genres of adult fiction to read because there is always an abundance of elements thrown at you in terms of characters and sub-plots. Black Swan Rising is no exception to this rule, with it's wide variety of charismatic characters and intertwining plots that keep you wondering what the true direction of the story is. But I must be bluntly honest and say readers be warned, there are a few wandering moments about mid-point into reading that tend to wane down on your pace in this one. I don't want to make it sound as if the writing was lacking in context or anything like that, because it wasn't, its just... well, I felt myself skimming a little bit in the middle of the book. I'm not even sure why exactly, but Black Swan Rising's pace just seemed to have a few little bumps in the road. It is definitely still worth reading though!

I had the most fun with this book with it's dynamic characters. Although the story itself is widely based on traditional myths and legends Lee Carroll definitely puts their own twist on things. If there was ever a way to hide the Fae mythical creatures out in the open, then Lee Carroll nailed it, and can be seen in the way our heroine Garet slowly peels back the layers of the mythical world behind everyday people and places. One of my favorite Fae characters within Black Swan Rising is Lol, a red fiery little version of tinker bell in my opinion, who of course has no real dialog of her own, but through comical gestures and fluttering around she makes her presence and her opinions known. She may sound like a character with little effect on the story, but there are scenes were her importance is definitely a heavy one.

All in all the buildup in the story line is well maintained, and the main characters growth in self confidence is an obviously rocky one. The only thing I found confusing was the Garet's heritage; in some scenes were led to believe it is an inheritance of generations, and in others it's almost as if all past versions of Margarette are her. By the end it is a little bit more clear, but still somewhat unknown for sure. The only thing I actually take issue with is the ending. The climatic point in the story ended rather abruptly and then there was about fifteen minutes of reading afterwards that didn't really bring closure to anything or present any loose ends that would be apparently leading to a second book. I understand that the authors were trying to invoke certain emotions in those last pages, but I'm just not sure they were necessary.

When all is said and done, I really do recommend Black Swan Rising, especially if your a fan of adult urban fantasy, and even more so... ones that don't end after the first book. Yes, that's right, it appears that Lee Carroll has much more in store for Garet in the sequel The Watchtower.(less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Black Swan Rising" had promise. I was intrigued by the premise of the novel and I thought the intermingling of the fey with the modern human world was beautifully imagined and well-written. Though I wasn't a huge fan of Garet as a character, she did have an interesting background and it would have been enough to propel me through the story.

But then, for whatever reason, Carroll threw in vampires.

I will concede that Will Hughes' origin as a vampire is at least unique. However, the "romance" betw...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Lydia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, supernatural, myth, fantasy, faeries, adult

Premise: I like urban fantasies, though the black swan thing seemed a bit of a cliché.

Characters: The main character, Garet, was interesting at first (because she was a 26-year-old jeweller for one thing, rather than a sixteen-year-old misunderstood high school student) but she never really seemed to develop throughout the story. She seemed a bit wooden with weak interactions, and her sudden passion for Will wasn’t believable. All of the other characters weren’t developed enough and their relati...more Premise: I like urban fantasies, though the black swan thing seemed a bit of a cliché.

Characters: The main character, Garet, was interesting at first (because she was a 26-year-old jeweller for one thing, rather than a sixteen-year-old misunderstood high school student) but she never really seemed to develop throughout the story. She seemed a bit wooden with weak interactions, and her sudden passion for Will wasn’t believable. All of the other characters weren’t developed enough and their relationships weren’t believable either (view spoiler).

Plot: The book had a promising beginning with the mysterious antique dealer and the robbery committed by ‘dybbuks’, but after that it was incredibly meandering and slow and it took me far too long to finish it because I wasn’t enthusiastic about it at all. The story had potential, with Garet discovering her history and role as the watchtower between worlds and having to learn how to use newly gifted powers by visiting magical creatures she had never known existed before to stop the demons of Despair and Discord from escaping the Pandora-style box and destroying the world. However, since none of the characters had much depth everything fell flat for me. There were some interesting ideas (such as a kind of molecule disintegration to travel through water and Garet’s ability to read auras and see how they affect other people)but they were dragged down by the ones that didn’t work for me (such as a fire fairy named Lol because she ‘started lol on the internet as a joke’, and a dragon who follows Snoop Dogg on Twitter). The fact that most of the fairies seemed to be characters from Shakespeare plays was a tad trite if I’m honest, and the rich-vampire-romance was eye-roll worthy. This might have all been forgivable if the book had a fantastic ending… but it didn’t. There was an anti-climax where things seemed to be quickly wrapped up and Garet goes back to her ordinary life.

Other comments: I perhaps would recommend this to fans of The Mortal Instruments, as long as they didn’t expect a lot from it.

(less)

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Feb 05, 2013 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Garret James is an ordinary New Yorker, with a very complicated lineage. On a day out, Garret stumbles upon Lee, the proprietor of a weird store. Lee is not interested in her ability to make jewelery but he does request that she open a silver box for him. Like Pandora's box, when Garret opens it, despair enters the word putting everyone she loves at risk.

Garret quickly learns that as the Watchtower, it is her responsibility to stand guard between the world the humans inhabit and the summer count...more Garret James is an ordinary New Yorker, with a very complicated lineage. On a day out, Garret stumbles upon Lee, the proprietor of a weird store. Lee is not interested in her ability to make jewelery but he does request that she open a silver box for him. Like Pandora's box, when Garret opens it, despair enters the word putting everyone she loves at risk.

Garret quickly learns that as the Watchtower, it is her responsibility to stand guard between the world the humans inhabit and the summer country (the world of the fae). With four days left to save the world, Garret must learn fae magic, deal with the legacy of her ancestors and decide where exactly a billionaire vampire fits into the equation.

I struggled to get through the first eighty pages of this book and thought very hard about rating it a DNF (did not finish). The writing is overly descriptive at times, to the point of downright annoying. Do we really need to know the last detail of what Garret is wearing, or the people around her for that matter? At times I just wanted to scream, "tell the damn story already." The story did pick up briefly but unfortunately returned to it's meandering pace for a time again. In it's best moments, Black Swan Rising was epic, but it was hard to bulldoze thorough the extraneous information to get to the good parts.

I truly like Garret the protagonist. Unlike far too many protagonist in this genre, she didn't run around kicking ass and taking names. Garret was simply an ordinary human thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Her power came from the elementals she met along the way, which really fit with the theme of a woman on a journey of self discovery. To survive, Garret had to learn to trust her instincts because everyone around her seemed to have some sort of agenda. I did however find it troubling once again that Carroll employed the dead parent trope in order to build character for Garrett. Why is it so hard to write an urban fantasy novel in which the protagonist doesn't have a tortured past?

Garret's love interest is a vampire. I was quite pleasantly surprised that he sought consent before feeding from her and consent in their love making. Rather than having the usual perverted ancient vampire crushing on a teenage girl, Black Swan Rising suggested that the relationship between Garret and Will Hughes is based on an attraction he has to the descendants of Margarette. This explains Will's emotions but it doesn't really explain Garret being caught up with a person she has just met. This also means it's far more likely that Will has feeling for Garret only because of her resemblance to her ancestor.

It's clear that the authors did historical and mythological research to write this book; however, the attribution of human evil to magic is problematic.

I don't think that you will want to live in the world that Dee will create with the power the box gives him. Even without the ability to open the box Dee has wreaked havoc over the centuries - he was with Cromwell in 1649 and he blighted the Irish Potatoes in the 1840's. It was one of his henchmen who shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and he sat beside Hitler whispering in his ear. (page 101)

I suppose I should just suspend reality but I find this passage extremely offensive. Carroll appropriated historic events in which people died to tell their story and thus did an injustice to the victims People died in the potato famine because Irish landlords wanted to take the land back from the renters. It wasn't just the famine that caused the deaths but outright class warfare. Hitler was the archetype of the death of millions across Europe, not because of magic, but because of Anti-Semitism and a failure on the part of world leaders to act. These events should never be shifted for the sake of a plot point.(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

So, I am wondering why I haven’t heard about Black Swan Rising before now. With an intricately woven tale of vampires, fairies, demons, and other paranormal aspects - this book is a great read for anyone that enjoys fantasy reads. The story is set in modern day Manhattan with unexpected twists and turns.

Garet James is trying to come to grips with her family’s failing art business. The economic struggles have hit the art world head on. After learning that her father’s poor judgment with purchase...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Review featured on www.books-n-kisses.com

Have you ever picked up a book, read the synopsis and thought this will be a great book but it ended up not meeting your expectations? That was this book for me. The synopsis had me thinking I would be pulled into this paranormal world of intrigue and really I just wasn’t pulled in at all.

I almost think there is too much going on in this book. It seems like the author thought “how many paranormal creatures can I throw into one book and have people read it...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Mrs. Kenyon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-2013-books

New York City during a recession is not the place to be an art dealer or jewelry designer. Garet James has just learned that her father heavily mortgaged their studio and home and the bank is calling in the loan. After meeting with their lawyer and trying to clear her mind with a walk, she becomes lost in a rain shower and takes shelter in a strange antique store. The elderly man behind the counter shows her a sealed silver box and encourages her to take it home and attempt to open it. She is su...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Sueij rated it 3 of 5 stars

(Warning: Contains minor spoilers) This was a random "Here's a new author, give it a try" Christmas gift from Scott, which is always a fun thing. And it was a reasonably fun romp, but I'm not sure that I'll bother reading the second (or, Lord help us, the third) book in the trilogy.

First off, it took a while before it felt like we really got into anything worth reading... yet this wasn't because there weren't eventful things happening. It was odd.

Second, this was set in NYC in a way that really...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Em rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Black Swan Rising is the first book in a Trilogy and introduces us to Garet James a jewellery maker living in NYC. However her life is beginning to crumble around her with family illness and financial trouble. However when a strange event result's in Garet taking poseesion of a old silver box which needs opening and a meeting with the mysterious and reclusive Will Hughes, she begins to realise the world is not quiet the normal place she thinks it is and Garet herself begins to discover long hidd...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Chrissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Black Swan Rising, which I'd never heard of until encountering it on a bookshelf in our local megabookstore, turned out to be an unusual and compelling fantasy novel that I'm glad I picked up. The novel follows the awakening of Garet James, a jewelry designer living in NY with her gallery-owner father, to her magical heritage. While familiar fantasy figures are a component of her world, Garet's own heritage is not something with which I was familiar prior to this book.

Garet's story begins with...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Kell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, reviewed-for-author-publisher

I desperately wanted to like this more than I did. I love dark urban fantasies, especially where vampires are involved, but I found I wanted this to be darker and edgier than it was.

That’s not to say it’s not good – it is good. There’s a fascinating blend of fact and fiction, with real historical figures borrowed from their own times to lend credence to those from folklore and legend. And the characters are pretty solidly written too. I really liked Garet - she’s fallible and real – but there wa...more

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Jan 10, 2012 I Heart Zombies rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received this book to review from Transworld. Urban Fantasy isn't a genre that I read a lot of, I do love it though! After reading the blurb, this book did call out to me and I am so glad I read it. It will appeal to book lovers of YA, the paranormal, fantasy, anyone who likes vampires and fae and if you just want something completely different, like I did then you'll enjoy this.

Garet is from New York and she has various troubles in her life, a failing business, money troubles amongst her pro...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Leeswammes added it

Garet James is offered an old silver box. When she opens it, she find some odd moving shapes inside. Unknown to her, she has released demons from the other world, who, together with the antiques shop owner from which she got the box, try to take over the world.

Soon, she meets a vampire and other otherworldly creatures who teach her skills so she can deal with the demons because it turns out she is an essential part of the events. Will she be able to close the box again so peace returns to the wo...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Violet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lee-carroll

I received this book at part of The Transworld Book Club reading challenge, and I'm very happy to be involved with this. Fantasy isn't a genre that I normally read , however after reading the blurb, this book did call out to me and I am so glad I read it. It will appeal to book lovers of YA, the paranormal, fantasy, anyone who likes vampires and fae and if you just want something completely different, like I did then you'll enjoy this.

Garet is from New York and she has various troubles in her l...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an urban fantasy novel about a woman, Garet, who stumbles on an alchemist's shop and is given a silver box to open. When the box is opened Discord and Despair are released into the world, and Garet learns that she is descended from a long line of women who guard the gateway between the human and fey worlds. She gets a crash course in accessing and controlling all the elemental forces she'll require to fight the alchemist.

For an urban fantasy novel, this is quite literary. Think 'The Hist...more This is an urban fantasy novel about a woman, Garet, who stumbles on an alchemist's shop and is given a silver box to open. When the box is opened Discord and Despair are released into the world, and Garet learns that she is descended from a long line of women who guard the gateway between the human and fey worlds. She gets a crash course in accessing and controlling all the elemental forces she'll require to fight the alchemist.

For an urban fantasy novel, this is quite literary. Think 'The Historian' rather than 'Anita Blake', although after a slow start the story moves faster than that of the former. Lee Carroll (a pseudonym for a husband-wife writing team)introduces many of the fascinating fey that, in their world at least, live in New York City. This includes Oberon, king of the faeries, who is masquerading as a nurse. He is introduced as Haitian, and as far as I can tell is the only black character in the book. For a while I was worried his character would veer into 'Magical Negro' territory, but he is written as more complex than that.

Garet and her father run an art gallery, and Lee Carroll has done...her? his? their?...research and applied it well; there are no info dumps, but it's obvious they know what they're talking about. There are a couple of artist characters who show up in the book; one who is intended to be Jackson Pollock, and another Haitian artist who died of a heroin overdose in the '80s, obviously intended to be Jean-Michael Basquiat. I don't know anything about art, and I could pick that immediately.

My main gripe is that Garet as a character is kind of flat. I get why the reader is supposed to root for her, but there's not much to like. It's not that she's unlikeable, it's that she doesn't have much of a personality that shines through. She's also rescued more than once by the love interest - a vampire. Did I mention there's a vampire? Well, it's urban fantasy, there's always a vampire. In addition, there are some parts of the story that are slooow; not much action, a lot of description. I think the authors had a very clear vision of their world and wanted to describe it in minute detail for the reader, but much of it could really have been left to the reader's imagination.

I recommend this book highly. If you like the genre be aware that this book is more of a slow burn than traditionally hard-boiled urban fantasy novels.(less)

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Aug 15, 2011 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a very pleasant surprise for at least two reasons.
I had not realised this, but Lee Carroll is a pseudonym for Carol Goodman and her husband, Lee Slonimsky.
I have been a fan of Goodman’s books for years, ever since I read The Lake of Dead Languages in 2002 and was delighted to discover that she has (co-) written books I never knew existed.
The second surprise was that this book was more literary than most urban fantasies/vampire novels I’ve read so far. I guess that is probably beca...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Lena rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: alltime-favourites

I so desperately needed a good fantasy book...and I found it. Black Swan Rising made my days and helped me survive for example a 11-hour-car-ride.

Craftsman Garet Jamesis a young women with friends and a loving father. But live's not easy at the moment. Her mother died and Garet takes care of her father Roman and their art gallery. The art's market is rough these times and they have to pay a huge dept.
If that were not enough, Garet discovers a shop for antiques and jewelry. The owner asks her fo...more

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May 31, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aadl, sff

I picked this up one afternoon at the library in order to read it on the bus on the way home. It reminds me of A Discovery of Witches, except the heroine here doesn't have any clue of her fantastic heritage. It is a well written urban fantasy with plenty of literary appeal for those who prefer their reading above the Twilight reading level.

Garet is likable, and amusingly clueless about things both mundane and supernatural. She and her father run an art gallery in Manhattan, and with the economi...more

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Apr 23, 2011 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Black Swan rising has a lot going on it it so I'm not going to give a lot of detail.. For a decent synopsis use the one listed here in good reads.
It is important to understand that our main character, Garet, is a watchtower, a person who stand s guard over the border between the mortal and magical realms. She is initially unaware that she is the Watchtower. John Dee is THE ancient alchemist who desires the power hidden in a silver box. He commissions Garet to open it. Dee wishes to use the box t...more Black Swan rising has a lot going on it it so I'm not going to give a lot of detail.. For a decent synopsis use the one listed here in good reads.
It is important to understand that our main character, Garet, is a watchtower, a person who stand s guard over the border between the mortal and magical realms. She is initially unaware that she is the Watchtower. John Dee is THE ancient alchemist who desires the power hidden in a silver box. He commissions Garet to open it. Dee wishes to use the box to bring about the destruction of the world as it currently is. She opens the box, Dee retrieves the box and then unleashes despair and discord on new York City. Garet, in the meanwhile becomes aware that she must become the watchtower and with the help of Oberon and a variety of elemental spirits learns begins to learn various skills to defeat Dee.
I really enjoyed the firs half of the novel. I liked the author's use of New York City as well as the various magical beings Garet begins to run into. While this author is not the first to put the Fae into New York City (see Holly Black)he/she does create some unique characters and uses some of the Shakespearean fae such as Oberon and Puck to move the story along. I would have actually liked to have spent more time with the mystical beings and had their characters be a little more fleshed out on the page.
My interest began to lag about halfway through however. For me there was a problem of pacing in the second half of the novel. We've been told that Garet James has seven days in which to stop John Dee from completely releasing despair and discord who've already begun to cause problems in
New York City. Therefore I expect things to star to pickup in terms of action yet it seems that Garet's education by various fairies is slow and leisurely. She meets a wind spirit one day and receives what feels to me very rudimentary education in controlling the winds. Then the next day she meets an earth spirit and is given the capability to feel true north and to sense precisely where she is in the city. Then the next day she meets the water elemental Melusine. Things go horribly wrong and she and Melusine are swept out towards the sea. They make it to governors island but Melusine, being a freshwater spirit, basically melts and Garet is stuck overnight on the island.
I am ticking off the days in my mind thinking by the time she is done learning all her new skills it will be too late.
There was another part of the island scene which actually made me really cranky. Garet psychically calls for help in the hopes that the vampire shes met twice earlier can come and rescue her. He does indeed come and because the author feels we have to have a sex scene they end up consummating their passion with one another. Passion is fine but...it is in absolutely the wrong part of the book. The world is going to be destroyed really, really soon. John Dee has shown Garet just a few hours before that one of her best friends might be about to commit suicide at any moment as well and we are doing the deed? Then we don't ask to get the hell off the island we spend the whole bloody night? I don't care how hunky or attracted I am to a guy I'd be more concerned about getting off the island and checking to make sure my friend isn't dead as well as tracking down Dee.
The author also conveniently uses small plot points and then just lets them drop. For example, poor Melusine has been scooped up in a bottle by Garet. She finally gets back home and Oberon says "oh yeah, too bad" then that's it. We have no idea what happened to her. Did Garet stick her in a bottle on a shelf somewhere, dump her down the sink? Who knows. Melusine's melting seemed to be more a convenience for the author - we can't have Melusine be in one piece once they reach the island so that Garet will then nee dot call for the vampire type of deal.
There are other niggling points like this which kept pulling me out of the story. So, for me, while the book started out as promising in the end it was enough of a disappointment that I'll not read the second in ther series.

(less)

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Jan 16, 2011 Nadia rated it 5 of 5 stars

I initially picked this book up because I thought it was the book based on the movie “Black Swan”. It was evidently not about that once I started reading the back. I was somewhat intrigued nonetheless so I picked it up for reading.

I’m glad I did. After not reading for pleasure in years, I’m glad this was the book I started with. It had all the elements I loved in a story: a good writer first of all, good characters, a plot, and something fantastical. Simple enough, right? But that’s not always e...more

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Dec 21, 2010 fennie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, fantasy

3.5 stars

i am probably completely overrating this book but it was right up my alley. not only did i read it at the opportune time (semester has ended and thus i utter a huge sigh of relief), but there is a good mixture of fantasy (fairies, vampires, gnomes, dragons, the list goes on) along with decent characterization (not amazing), little spurts of action and betrayal, glimpses of romance, the discovery of a new world and it all takes place in the city that i've been calling home for the past 5...more 3.5 stars

i am probably completely overrating this book but it was right up my alley. not only did i read it at the opportune time (semester has ended and thus i utter a huge sigh of relief), but there is a good mixture of fantasy (fairies, vampires, gnomes, dragons, the list goes on) along with decent characterization (not amazing), little spurts of action and betrayal, glimpses of romance, the discovery of a new world and it all takes place in the city that i've been calling home for the past 5 months (extra points obviously).

i wasn't the biggest fan of the way the book was written. it took me a while to get into the meat of things - and really, laying the groundwork at the beginning left me a little bored (i'll admit i put the book down and read something else before picking it back up). but once i was engrossed, i was in for the long haul. discovering the unseen magical world and its plethora of personalities was my favorite part of the book; i also liked learning about everything as garet did instead of being told in past tense. though garet is older (as in...an adult), i felt a sense of percy jackson in this book. we discover this fantasy world as she does and instead of percy's sarcastic wittiness, we get garet's slow absorption. i do have to say, sometimes she is quite slow but it works with the pacing and development of things.

i realize that of late, most books are becoming series rather than stand-alone, but i would have much preferred if this was stand-alone. or at least, that more things were wrapped up when the book ended. the next book obviously has to take a very specific path and i begrudgingly admit that i will most likely pick it up. i have high hopes for certain characters (one of which is jay - i'm such a bleeding heart when it comes to guys like him).

on a side note, i love the fact that oberon and puck are present along with another fairy named fen. i was slightly disappointed that titania never showed her face, but perhaps she will show up in a later book.(less)

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Oct 21, 2012 Evelyn Doyle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had the misfortune of only discovering this was the first of a series when I was near the end of this first book, when I looked it up on Goodreads. So when many plotlines were left hanging at the end, I was all the more frustrated and unforgiving, as I'd started the book anticipating a complete and satisfying story experience. (I think it's ethical for cover information to convey when it's part of a series, but clearly many in the publishing industry don't agree, or don't care.)

If I were to p...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this title as part of the Transworld Reading Challenge. It was the third title in my list after having mixed experiences previously. Luckily this time my fortune was on the upswing as I rather enjoyed this title.

I don’t normally read urban fantasy after having had my readers fingers burned with the increasingly disappointing Twilight Series. However this book was well written and was an entertaining page-turner.

Garet James is a young, single New Yorker with a struggling jewellery business...more

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About Lee Carroll

There is more than one author with this name

Lee Carroll is a pseudonym for the collaboration between Hammet Award-winning mystery novelist Carol Goodman and her poet and hedge fund manager husband, Lee Slonimsky. Goodman and Slonimsky live in Great Neck, New York.

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Books by Lee Carroll

The Shape Stealer (Black Swan Rising #3)

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