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The Swan Kingdom
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Review
"Lyrical, psychological... the stuff of fairy tale, which means in this instance danger and darkness and what we all want - a kiss and a happy ending." (The Irish Times) "The writing is confident and the multilayered plot never falters. A book for all ages to read and re-read. More please, author!" (Amazon user review)"
Book Description
Romance and adventure combine in a breathtaking reworking of a classic fairy tale.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This debut novel is a brilliant new take on the Hans Christian Anderson story The Wild Swans. In the tradition of Robin McKinely and Patricia A McKillip, Marriott takes a seemingly straightforward fairytale and strips it back to reveal layers of complex emotion and fantasy history seething beneath the surface. The intense first person narrative follows the journey of a frightened but determined princess struggling to regain her home and family after her Queenly mother is murdered and her royal father re-marries a typical wicked step-mother. Through dreams and nightmares, attempted murder and malevolent magic, Princess Alexandra survives and triumphs, and in her realistic battles with her own destiny and her enemies new children's classic is born. Definitely one to watch.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is now among my other favourite books that are also retold fairytales, for example the Goose Girl by Shannon Hale and Beauty by Robin Mckinley.
The book is really well written with some really nice pieces of description and though the ending is a little rushed I think there is little you could do to improve it.
The book is really well written with some really nice pieces of description and though the ending is a little rushed I think there is little you could do to improve it.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read this book twice now and it was way better the second time, lots of things that I missed the first time made sense now. If I was reviewing it now for the first time I would give this book five stars but I can't change the star rating here so I'm just changing what I say in this review.
The heroine is the princess from a fairy story called the Wild Swans but in this book you don't just read that she does this and that - you get to see WHY. Alexandra lives in a beautifull kingdom with her mother and her brothers who she loves. She doesn't get on with her father. She thinks he just cares about hunting and being in charge and he wants her to be a proper lady, but she wants to be like her mother who is a famous healer. Then a **horrible** thing happens and thats when the wicked stepmother comes in. She's not like a normal wicked stepmother, and she is so frightening. I can't say anymore details becase it would ruin it. The way it is written is so good, because its not like in the fairytail were the brothers are just THERE and you don't know anything about them. You get to know them and you see why Alexandra would do anything to get them back. It is so beautifully written too, the images stay in your mind for ages and there are bits that feel just like dreams because they are so poetic. BUT The most important thing is the hero Gabrial who is amazing. If he was in real life I would fight Alexanda for him! The only hero I like better is Beast from Beauty by Robin McKinley. The only reason Gabrial is not quite as good is Gabrial is younger, he's not as grown up, but he is still georgeous, especially at the end.
The reason I gave the book four stars instead of five the first time is that sometimes I felt like the heroine was a bit weak and i wanted her to fight back but she would run away instead. When I read it again I realised that Alex is that way because of the way her family was and it made sense and also it was good that she was not like some typical fantasy heroine who are always wanting to kick butts - she was more sensible and normal really. I also get the ending now, which before I didn't understand. There is a song in the story which you need to pay attention to, thats all im going to say! What I also really liked was the way that at the end the heroine realises why her mum and dad were like they were and they aren't just like black and white in her mind anymore, which was cool because in real life people are not black and white like that even if they are in fairytales.
I cried at the end this time even more than I did the first time because I understood it better, and I think this is one of my favorite books now. I will read this again, definately.
The heroine is the princess from a fairy story called the Wild Swans but in this book you don't just read that she does this and that - you get to see WHY. Alexandra lives in a beautifull kingdom with her mother and her brothers who she loves. She doesn't get on with her father. She thinks he just cares about hunting and being in charge and he wants her to be a proper lady, but she wants to be like her mother who is a famous healer. Then a **horrible** thing happens and thats when the wicked stepmother comes in. She's not like a normal wicked stepmother, and she is so frightening. I can't say anymore details becase it would ruin it. The way it is written is so good, because its not like in the fairytail were the brothers are just THERE and you don't know anything about them. You get to know them and you see why Alexandra would do anything to get them back. It is so beautifully written too, the images stay in your mind for ages and there are bits that feel just like dreams because they are so poetic. BUT The most important thing is the hero Gabrial who is amazing. If he was in real life I would fight Alexanda for him! The only hero I like better is Beast from Beauty by Robin McKinley. The only reason Gabrial is not quite as good is Gabrial is younger, he's not as grown up, but he is still georgeous, especially at the end.
The reason I gave the book four stars instead of five the first time is that sometimes I felt like the heroine was a bit weak and i wanted her to fight back but she would run away instead. When I read it again I realised that Alex is that way because of the way her family was and it made sense and also it was good that she was not like some typical fantasy heroine who are always wanting to kick butts - she was more sensible and normal really. I also get the ending now, which before I didn't understand. There is a song in the story which you need to pay attention to, thats all im going to say! What I also really liked was the way that at the end the heroine realises why her mum and dad were like they were and they aren't just like black and white in her mind anymore, which was cool because in real life people are not black and white like that even if they are in fairytales.
I cried at the end this time even more than I did the first time because I understood it better, and I think this is one of my favorite books now. I will read this again, definately.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
grim but good
Was a bit worried this would be a bit of a dark AND GRIM STORY WHEN I STARTED, and even though it did stay quite dark, it was fantastic, a well put together story that kept me... Read more
Published 20 days ago by dizzychicc
Enjoyable, But Has Been Done Better
I really enjoyed this book, and it kept me riveted start to finish. I love the descriptions of the workings, and the land, as well as the rules that the magic follows. Read more
Published 4 months ago by GemT
A real gem of a book on any shelf
This was a recommendation to me by the lovely Viv over on Serendipity Reads and she deserves a big thank you and pat on the back for that. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sisterspooky
Brilliant
I absolutely loved the novel. It felt a bit rushed in the end or maybe i was just too sad to see the novel end.
its just magical
its just magical
Published 8 months ago by A. Friedrich
The Swan Kingdom
An absolutely amazing read, every page is intriguing and i loved it from the moment i picked it up. Marriott transports you to a magic land in this novel and lets you in to the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Skevingtons
The Swan Kingdom
Alexandra is youngest child and only daughter of the King & Queen and has always felt like an ugly duckling amongst her family. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Sarah Gibson
An Epic Fantasy Adventure
Princess Alexandra views herself as the sparrow in a clutch of swans - she loves her head strong mother and talented brothers, but despises her father, the power hungry King. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Miss Bond
If this was her debut, can't wait to read the rest!
This book is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's 'The Wild Swans.' I have never read the original story, but after reading Zoe's enchanting interpretation of it, I feel an... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Vivienne Serendipity
Read Juliet Marillier's 'Daughter of the Forest' instead
This is based on the Wild Swans fairytale, as are quite a few fantasy/historical books - but the best one, by far, is Juliet Marillier's 'Daughter of the Forest', which retells the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Bella Noire
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
As the brightly colored cover suggests, Zoë Marriott's novel THE SWAN KINGDOM is a fantastical read. Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2008 by TeensReadToo
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