A Captive of Wing and Feather: A Retelling of Swan Lake by Melanie Cellier
Fairy Tale. 304 Pages. 5 Star
Synopsis:
Princess Adelaide has been missing for years. And that’s exactly the way she wants it. Haunted by her past, not even the curse that entraps her is enough to make her long for her old home.
But her past finds her anyway, in the form of a handsome prince from her childhood. Adelaide doesn’t want to let Gabe in, but a sinister force is spreading fear throughout her new kingdom, and only Gabe has the will to help her. Adelaide can’t refuse his assistance–not when the evil might soon ensnare much more than a solitary princess. But with her friends and her new kingdom in danger, even the help of Gabe and her seven swans might not be enough.
In this reimagining of the classic tale, Swan Lake, the trapped princess must find the courage to overcome her past if she has any hope of turning a tragedy into a happy ending.
My Review:
I love Swan Lake. I always have. It’s a piece of my childhood, sits right next to The Nutcracker and Dance Tanya. I can’t say I’ve read many retellings of Swan Lake, though I know a few film adaptations and The Swan Princess sets the bar pretty high for me. That said, Melanie Cellier knocked it out of the park. Truly, I fell every bit in love with her rendition as I’d hoped I would.
I’ve been following Cellier’s works for a few years now and her fairy tales have a light air to them, an adventurous spirit, and just enough fluff to soothe the itch. Admittedly, going in with high expectations because of my love for Swan Lake puts her at a disadvantage, but Cellier pulled through. She created a cast of characters that I just loved. I had a little trouble remembering Gabe from previous books or even Adelaide since it’s been two years since I read the first two books in this series. But I still enjoyed them both. Their relationship was sweet and fun to watch, too. I liked their childhood and past together. That was special, I thought.
And the side cast was just as much fun! First of all, Cora 😉 I must admit, it’s only the second time I’ve ever run into a character with my own name! But her character was heartwarming and motherly. I loved her! Our Rothbart figure was a little less on screen and, honestly, a little less effectively creepy I thought, but he served his purpose and pulled through for a strong climax and ending, I thought.
The haven was a big part of this story and I loved how it worked into the plot. The lake itself was stunning, enchanting, and perfect. I loved Cellier’s vision of the lake and how she tied it into the plot so beautifully. It wasn’t simply a pretty bit of scenery. The lake served a purpose and that was neat. The Keep was cool, too, adding yet another dimension to the setting.
The plot was, of course, Swan Lake, but it was thoroughly steeped in the Four Kingdoms world and held true to Cellier’s style for something a little more than simply the retelling of a classic tale. The spying and intrigue were some of the coolest twists in this retelling. And the swans were such a treat! It had a thread of Wild Swans/Seven Swans which was honestly a nifty addition, I think.
Cellier writes clean books. No foul language, very little and non-graphic violence, and sweet, clean romance. The themes were uplifting and well threaded into the story. Overall, I really think Cellier did Swan Lake justice and I’d even say this is one of my favorites of the series!
More:
Book 1 in the Beyond the Four Kingdoms series is A Dance of Silver and Shadow: A Retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses (5 Stars)
Book 2 is A Tale of Beauty and Beast: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (5 Stars)
Book 3 is A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen (5 Stars)
Book 4 is A Dream of Ebony and White: A Retelling of Snow White (4 Stars)
Book 6 is A Princess of Wind and Wave: A Retelling of The Little Mermaid (5 Stars)
I have rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. Click the links above to find out more, scroll down, and you’ll see my reviews among the others.
This series doesn’t have to be read in order, necessarily, but I would anyway cause there might be minor spoilers between stories. They stand on their own, but the characters carry over from book to book.
On GraceBought:
If you missed it, check out my thoughts on the previous books here! And stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the final book in the series!
A Dance of Silver and Shadow, A Tale of Beauty and Beast, A Crown of Snow and Ice, and A Dream of Ebony and White
Also, don’t forget to check out the original series, The Four Kingdoms!