The Swan Kingdom
by Zoë Marriott
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Book Summary Information
Author: Zoë MarriottEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-03-25
ISBN: 0763634816
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Candlewick
Book Reviews of The Swan Kingdom
Book Review: A Superb Retelling of "The Wild Swans" By a Talented New Author
Summary: 5 Stars
Even though her father (the king) does not love her, Alexandra is happy playing with her three loving brothers and learning about plants and controlling the enaid (essentially, the land's life force) from her mother. Then, after her fifteenth birthday, Alexandra's mother is brutally mauled by a dangerous and mysterious wild beast and not even Alexandra's great healing skills can save her life. Her father goes out into the woods to hunt the beast and every day he comes back empty-handed--until the day he brings back a woman named Zella with black eyes that reflect no light. With the power to control those around her, Zella makes the king so besotted he makes her his bride and everyone she encounters comes under her sway. Only Alexandra and her brothers are immune and they realize they have to try and stop Zella from taking over the kingdom. When they try to destroy the talisman providing strength to her malicious powers, they fail. Alexandra's brothers disappear (the official story is that they're banished) and she is sent to live with her aunt in the neighboring kingdom. Her aunt is a strict and bitter woman, but Alexandra finds a measure of solace in escaping to the beach each night, where she meets a kind and handsome young man named Gabriel. But in Alexandra's absence, her home country is dying as her stepmother drains it of its power and the people are suffering under the new queen's tyrannical rule. Alexandra hopes that her brothers will appear and rescue her, but they remain missing. When her stepmother's poisonous influence reaches Alexandra at her aunt's house, she realizes that it is up to her to save her kingdom and bring back her brothers.
This is a retelling of Hans Christen Anderson's "The Wild Swans," which is very, very similar to (but not exactly the same as) the Grimm Brother's "The Six Swans." Since I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, I was really looking forward to THE SWAN KINGDOM, and I was not disappointed. This is a very well-written and engaging book and so good that I'm surprised that it's the work of a first-time author.
Although they are absent for much of the book, I really liked Alexandra's three brothers (David, Hugh & Robert). Marriott captured the playful and protective nature of the brothers perfectly and in a short time was able to make them into three distinct characters (instead of the personality-less blobs that some siblings & peripheral characters are sometimes condemned to be). It helped that Marriott decreased the number of brothers from eleven in the original fairy tale to three in her work--with eleven brothers it would have been a lot harder to make them so vibrant and likeable.
Not only the brothers, but also nearly all the characters are well-written. Alexandra is a clever and courageous heroine and Gabriel is a likeable romantic lead. The stepmother in particular was incredibly well-done as she was really terrifying: with her powers, the princess and her brothers couldn't trust even those closest to them.
Marriott keeps the plot humming along and I never got bored or felt that the book dragged. In fact, this was a stay-up-to-the-wee-hours-to-finish book, as I read it all in one sitting. An amazing debut by Marriott, I am eager to read her next novel (already out in Britain, out in the US likely sometime next year). I highly recommend THE SWAN KINGDOM to YA fans, as it is a great book in general and an excellent fairy tale retelling in particular. I especially recommend this to fans of The Goose Girl, another retelling of a lesser-known fairy tale.
Summary of The Swan Kingdom
A new voice in fantasy weaves a rich, entrancing tale of a girl with powerful healing gifts ?- and the courage to use them to save her ailing kingdom.Shadows fall across the beautiful, lush kingdom after the queen is attacked by an unnatural beast, and the healing skills of her daughter, Alexandra, cannot save her. Too soon the widowed king is spellbound by a frightening stranger, a woman whose eyes reflect no light. In a terrifying moment, all Alexandra knows disappears, including her beloved brothers, leaving her banished to a barren land. But Alexandra has more gifts than she realizes as she confronts magic, murder, and the strongest of evil forces, and is unflinchingly brave as she struggles to reclaim what is rightfully hers. Fantasy lovers will be held in thrall by this tale full of visual detail, peppered with a formidable destructive force and sweetened with familial and romantic love.
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