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A Throne of Swans
(A Throne of Swans #1)
by
In a world where the flightless are ruled by those who can fly...
When her father dies just before her birthday, seventeen-year-old Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles are able to transform at will into the bird that represents their family bloodline. Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan. But she has not transformed for years, ...more
When her father dies just before her birthday, seventeen-year-old Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles are able to transform at will into the bird that represents their family bloodline. Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan. But she has not transformed for years, ...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
January 9th 2020
by Hot Key Books
(first published December 5th 2019)
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#1 A Throne of Swans - ★★★★

A Throne of Swans by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr is the first book in the series. An epic fantasy about courage, secrets, betrayals and love.
Synopsis
When her father dies, Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles can transform into birds. Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan, But since witnessing the death of her mother, Aderyn hasn't been able to transform. Adery ...more
#1 A Throne of Swans - ★★★★

A Throne of Swans by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr is the first book in the series. An epic fantasy about courage, secrets, betrayals and love.
Synopsis
When her father dies, Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles can transform into birds. Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan, But since witnessing the death of her mother, Aderyn hasn't been able to transform. Adery ...more

Oh. My. God.
This was absolutely amazing! A little savage, a little heartbreaking and very original. Why aren’t more people talking about it???
This was absolutely amazing! A little savage, a little heartbreaking and very original. Why aren’t more people talking about it???

Dec 30, 2019
Bookphenomena (Micky)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
ya,
bookstagram-tour,
2019-read,
ya-fantasy,
bookstagram-review,
cover-beauty,
triangles,
duo-authors,
fc-review
4.5 stars
I think this will be the final completed read of 2019 for me and the year couldn’t have finished in a better way. What more can a bookworm ask for than a book that you cannot put down and that you think of when you aren’t reading it? A THRONE OF SWANS was all of this and with the most delicious cover too.
This book had the sense of a traditional fairytale but with more identifiable traits in the characters. So, while it had a historical feel, the behaviours and actions had more of a fan ...more
I think this will be the final completed read of 2019 for me and the year couldn’t have finished in a better way. What more can a bookworm ask for than a book that you cannot put down and that you think of when you aren’t reading it? A THRONE OF SWANS was all of this and with the most delicious cover too.
This book had the sense of a traditional fairytale but with more identifiable traits in the characters. So, while it had a historical feel, the behaviours and actions had more of a fan ...more

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
I picked up this book at the right time when I needed a bit of escapism with an easy-going book.
It's a fantasy kingdom inspired by Swan Lake, where there are people who can shapeshift into a bird and fly, and ones who can't. So, the flightless serve the ones who can fly.
I loved the shapeshifting magic and the strong female protagonist. She lost her father at the beginning of the book, and had to discover some secrets for herself. There's a bit of a love story, lots of ...more
I picked up this book at the right time when I needed a bit of escapism with an easy-going book.
It's a fantasy kingdom inspired by Swan Lake, where there are people who can shapeshift into a bird and fly, and ones who can't. So, the flightless serve the ones who can fly.
I loved the shapeshifting magic and the strong female protagonist. She lost her father at the beginning of the book, and had to discover some secrets for herself. There's a bit of a love story, lots of ...more

One of my long-time goals as a British book blogger is to uplift more UK-authored/UKYA novels, and I find I can do that steadily with UKYA contemporary (due to the amount consistently being released), but I slack with UKYA fantasy. UKYA fantasy gets buried under all the releases from the American market, which my bookstagram and twitter feeds are often filled by. Often UKYA SFF won't get pub'd in American because the US SFF market is already so full. But I have noticed that Hot Key (the publishe
...more

A Throne of Swans is an engaging story of royalty, betrayal & secrets inspired by Swan Lake.
Right from the start Katherine & Elizabeth Corr takes us into this magical world where nobility can transform into the bird that represents their house, where as those that aren't nobility are called flightless and are seen as lesser beings that are there to serve.
Aderyn is Protector of Atratys now that her father has passed away, one of the few people keeping her secret that she is flightless, before hi ...more
Right from the start Katherine & Elizabeth Corr takes us into this magical world where nobility can transform into the bird that represents their house, where as those that aren't nobility are called flightless and are seen as lesser beings that are there to serve.
Aderyn is Protector of Atratys now that her father has passed away, one of the few people keeping her secret that she is flightless, before hi ...more

As the new Protector of Atratys and the niece of the King, Aderyn has to go to court, the one place her father tried to protect her from. She has to work out who to trust, and protect her secret - she can't fly.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Aderyn lives in a world where the ruling class transform into birds. The 'Flightless' lower class live and die by their harsh rules.
After an attack when she was a child, which killed her mother and left Aderyn both phy ...more
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Aderyn lives in a world where the ruling class transform into birds. The 'Flightless' lower class live and die by their harsh rules.
After an attack when she was a child, which killed her mother and left Aderyn both phy ...more

Wow!! Just wow! Why aren't people talking about this book?
...more

A Throne of Swans is the first book in a young adult fantasy duology by the sisters Katharine and Elizabeth Corr. I found it was a well-written, fast paced, fun read with excellent (and surprising) plot twists, humour and just the right touch of romance. I loved the ingenious, unique magic system involving birds that links to how the society in this book is structure. I absolutely cannot wait to find out how the story thickens and what happens to Aderyn, Odette, Lucien and Aron in the conclusive
...more

Thank you so much to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.
The concept for this book’s world is what first caught my attention. Also, the cover is striking and the title, A Throne of Swans, is clearly similar to A Game of Thrones. In this book’s world, shape-shifters are the rulers and the flightless, those who cannot transform into birds, are inferior. This is the strongest aspect of A Throne of Swans. This societal structure is well thought out and depicted, including integrat ...more
The concept for this book’s world is what first caught my attention. Also, the cover is striking and the title, A Throne of Swans, is clearly similar to A Game of Thrones. In this book’s world, shape-shifters are the rulers and the flightless, those who cannot transform into birds, are inferior. This is the strongest aspect of A Throne of Swans. This societal structure is well thought out and depicted, including integrat ...more

Proudly proclaiming itself as ‘the most thrilling fantasy you will read all year’ Throne of Swans boasts high expectations on its cover. With dull prose, a washed out lead and predictable storyline, sadly this novel does nothing but disappoint. Throne of Swans will be published January 2020, I read a proof I won at YALC this year.
Set to inherit the powerful dominion she is trapped in Aderyn longs for freedom. Seizing her opportunity upon her father’s death, with nothing but fleeting knowledge o ...more
Set to inherit the powerful dominion she is trapped in Aderyn longs for freedom. Seizing her opportunity upon her father’s death, with nothing but fleeting knowledge o ...more

4 stars
I was so excited about this book and although it didn't quite hit my expectations, I still really really enjoyed it.
I am a massive lover of birds and merging with my love of YA fantasy, this book was always going to appeal to me. I wish I could transform into a bird!
The worldbuilding was really interesting and the inclusion of the map and family tree was helpful. The elite having the powers and the poor not having any is not a new idea, however the different houses and the ideas behind t ...more
I was so excited about this book and although it didn't quite hit my expectations, I still really really enjoyed it.
I am a massive lover of birds and merging with my love of YA fantasy, this book was always going to appeal to me. I wish I could transform into a bird!
The worldbuilding was really interesting and the inclusion of the map and family tree was helpful. The elite having the powers and the poor not having any is not a new idea, however the different houses and the ideas behind t ...more

Thank you so much to Darkroom Tours and HotKey books for sending me a free copy of this book for review.
From the very first page, Katharine & Elizabeth take us into a a vivid, magical world where nobility are able to transform into birds which represent each noble household and where those unable to transform are known as flightless. The flightless are viewed, by the nobles, as lesser than themselves and are basically only kept around to serve.
In this book our main character, Aderyn, is made P ...more
From the very first page, Katharine & Elizabeth take us into a a vivid, magical world where nobility are able to transform into birds which represent each noble household and where those unable to transform are known as flightless. The flightless are viewed, by the nobles, as lesser than themselves and are basically only kept around to serve.
In this book our main character, Aderyn, is made P ...more

A thrilling read, I enjoyed the new take on fantasy here. I thought the world building was really good, the characters were well developed and relatable, the story was fast paced and lots of twists to keep you guessing. A Throne of Swans feels really fresh, interesting and is a breath of fresh air in YA fantasy. Looking for something new to devour , jump in here , I wasn’t disappointed at all, I loved it and I can’t wait for the sequel
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an ...more
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an ...more

Nov 22, 2019
KitKat The #BookNerd KBbookreviews
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
A Throne Of Swans, by Elizabeth and Katharine Corr is a Swan Lake inspired story of magic, royalty and murder.
Synopsis. Follwing the tragic loss of her mother at an early age, Aderyn is unable to transform into a swan. All noble bloodlines can transforms into a different bird, those who cannot are kown as the flightless and cannot rule. Aderyn’s father has just died and she is now the Protector of Atratys, her dominion, no longer protected by her family.
She decides to attend the court of her Ucl ...more

Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to Darkroom Tours and Hot Key Books for sending me a copy of this fantastic book for review. I mean I just took one look at the cover and fell in love with it. It’s apparently inspired by Swan Lake which I have to admit I really know little about which probably helped with how original and intriguing I found this story. From the first page I was totally drawn into the story in way I’ve not been for a long while. I just didn’t want to put it down as ev
...more

If you love YA fantasy and/or retellings, make sure to read everything by these talented writers!
Yes,I'm gonna fangirl hard in this review, so brace yourselves.
This book is SO GOOD! It has everything you want from a YA fantasy retelling AND EVEN MORE because it is written by the Corr sisters so what did you expect? I expected nothing but excellence and I was not proven wrong!
There is nothing as soothing for the mind as a really good book! Although I have to admit, it is not good for the amount ...more
Yes,I'm gonna fangirl hard in this review, so brace yourselves.
This book is SO GOOD! It has everything you want from a YA fantasy retelling AND EVEN MORE because it is written by the Corr sisters so what did you expect? I expected nothing but excellence and I was not proven wrong!
There is nothing as soothing for the mind as a really good book! Although I have to admit, it is not good for the amount ...more

Dec 02, 2020
Jadey (the Bookish)
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
lgbt,
ya,
read-in-2020,
books-i-own,
fairy-tales-retold,
magical-girls,
fantasy,
murder,
cover-love
3.5/5
A really solid dark YA fantasy with an original and compelling magical element, and oodles of court intrigue.
The fantasy element of A Throne of Swans is that each noble has the ability to transform into the bird of their house. When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was worried that this would just be the books Unique Selling Point that was just tacked on to make it different; but it really did work and I loved how it drove the plot.
I think it's also worth saying that if the two aut ...more
A really solid dark YA fantasy with an original and compelling magical element, and oodles of court intrigue.
The fantasy element of A Throne of Swans is that each noble has the ability to transform into the bird of their house. When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was worried that this would just be the books Unique Selling Point that was just tacked on to make it different; but it really did work and I loved how it drove the plot.
I think it's also worth saying that if the two aut ...more


I requested a copy of A Throne of Swans to review because I’m deeply shallow and the cover is stunning. Luckily, the story was amazing and proved my shallowest instincts were absolutely correct.
Taking inspiration from Swan Lake, but not so close as to be a retelling, A Throne of Swans has incredible and original world-building and is chock full of political, royal intrigue.
I loved Aderyn. She’s such a compelling character, moving from sheltered and slight stroppy teen to a dynamic and thoughtful ...more

Why are there SO MANY AMAZING BOOKS!!!!!???
My heart and brain just cannot cope with it
Read the synopsis on Goodreads but this one is crazy. The royals turn into animals... Aderyn, the female protagonist is meant to transform into a swan, but she can't since her mother was killed. She leaves her home to go tonthe Citadel to find out what really happened.
It's really cool!! I was rooting and LOVING Lucien the whole way through the book. I didn't really care for Aderyn... why do the main female char ...more
My heart and brain just cannot cope with it
Read the synopsis on Goodreads but this one is crazy. The royals turn into animals... Aderyn, the female protagonist is meant to transform into a swan, but she can't since her mother was killed. She leaves her home to go tonthe Citadel to find out what really happened.
It's really cool!! I was rooting and LOVING Lucien the whole way through the book. I didn't really care for Aderyn... why do the main female char ...more

HOLY SHIT! AHH AH AH! I am ever so grateful to receive an ARC of this epic tale from @definitelybooks. As a fan of dark medieval fantasy stories, I love this book so freaking much. Think Game of Thrones but it is The White Queen and the Houses are bird names. The deception and court politics is basically a TV drama series packed into 321 pages. I did not anticipate the ending! I had something else in mind BUT HOLY FRICK! This review is going to be all over the place and 100% love.
The hypnosis c ...more
The hypnosis c ...more

A Throne of Swans by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr
This was a book I kept seeing on Instagram. Book Tours and promotions really worked for this book; I couldn’t wait to read it.
A Throne of Swans is the first book in a duology, the second installment A Crown of Talons is due in 2021.
Ok, let’s get started on the review, shall we? A Throne of Swans is a book that you can get swept up in. I found it to be such a wonderfully fast-paced book, that captures the audience immediately. The story itself fe ...more
This was a book I kept seeing on Instagram. Book Tours and promotions really worked for this book; I couldn’t wait to read it.
A Throne of Swans is the first book in a duology, the second installment A Crown of Talons is due in 2021.
Ok, let’s get started on the review, shall we? A Throne of Swans is a book that you can get swept up in. I found it to be such a wonderfully fast-paced book, that captures the audience immediately. The story itself fe ...more

Dec 26, 2019
Kaya
marked it as to-read
a swan lake retelling.
No more words are necessary.
No more words are necessary.

4.5 Stars
Treason, romance, deceit and shape shifting. What was not to love?!
Aderyn desperate to discover the truth of about her mother's murder travels to the capital; despite her father's warning to not go.
There she is under the scrutiny of her uncle the king, her cousins and her clerk Lucien.
Aderyn needs to be careful, not only to protect her domain, but to protect her secret. In a world where nobility transform into birds, Aderyn since her mother's murder has been unable to transform. ...more
Treason, romance, deceit and shape shifting. What was not to love?!
Aderyn desperate to discover the truth of about her mother's murder travels to the capital; despite her father's warning to not go.
There she is under the scrutiny of her uncle the king, her cousins and her clerk Lucien.
Aderyn needs to be careful, not only to protect her domain, but to protect her secret. In a world where nobility transform into birds, Aderyn since her mother's murder has been unable to transform. ...more

I quite enjoyed
A Throne of Swans
.
It did have a unique hierarchy and magic, with nobles being able to transform into birds and their touch burning those who were not of noble birth. I didn't particularly like the concept, but I haven't read anything similar.
It had some intriguing parts, some mystery and suspense, and I liked most of the characters. For the most part, I liked Aderyn, our main character. Yes, she's young and occasionally gullible and foolish, but a good and caring person.
I was ...more
It did have a unique hierarchy and magic, with nobles being able to transform into birds and their touch burning those who were not of noble birth. I didn't particularly like the concept, but I haven't read anything similar.
It had some intriguing parts, some mystery and suspense, and I liked most of the characters. For the most part, I liked Aderyn, our main character. Yes, she's young and occasionally gullible and foolish, but a good and caring person.
I was ...more

I won a copy of the arc of this at YALC, but as always, my opinions are honest.
Ooooooh yes. This was just what I needed! Really beautiful and interesting. I found the concept fascinating - especially the idea that the flighted can’t touch the flightless, which is heartbreaking and a very literal take on a class divide.
As always, I really enjoy politics like this, and I found the scheming by side characters brilliant. And I loved Aaron, Odette and Aderyn in terms of how they handle it and appro ...more
Ooooooh yes. This was just what I needed! Really beautiful and interesting. I found the concept fascinating - especially the idea that the flighted can’t touch the flightless, which is heartbreaking and a very literal take on a class divide.
As always, I really enjoy politics like this, and I found the scheming by side characters brilliant. And I loved Aaron, Odette and Aderyn in terms of how they handle it and appro ...more
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