The Swan's Daughter

by Roshani Chokshi

In this lush and romantic novel from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi, a prince is only as good as his beating heart and a maiden is only as good as her honest word. But when love and the truth become impossibly tangled, the two must figure out how to survive together, or fall completely apart.

To find love is a curse ...

Prince Arris knows that marriage means murder. Thanks to a poorly worded wish to a sea witch, all one needs to rule the Isle of Malys is the heart and hand of the kingdom’s heir. Historically, this has been construed quite literally.

Thus, Arris expects that the day after his marriage and murder he will wake up as a sentient tree alongside the rest of his predecessors. His only chance at a long life is finding true and lasting love. When Arris's parents announce a tournament of brides to compete for his hand and heart, a slew of eligible, lovely and (possibly murderous) bachelorettes make their way to Rathe Castle. Amidst glittering balls in ozorald caves, strolls through menageries of daydream trees and pearl crocodiles, tea time on glass boats and kisses that leave his head spinning, Arris cannot tell who is here out of love for him…or lust for power.

Until he meets Demelza.

As a veritas swan, Demelza’s song wrings out the truth. Forced into hiding, Demelza strikes a deal. Arris will provide her with safekeeping in exchange for her truth-telling song to sort through his potential brides.

While Arris is used to dodging death threats and Demelza is accustomed to fighting for her voice to be heard, to survive the tournament of brides requires a different kind of bravery. And perhaps the bravest thing one can do is not merely protect one’s life, but find the courage to chase a life worth living.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Romantasy, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published January 6, 2026

About the author

Roshani Chokshi is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling series The Star-Touched Queen, The Gilded Wolves and Aru Shah and The End of Time, which Time Magazine named one of the Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time. Her adult debut, The Last Tale of The Flower Bride, was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and often draw upon world mythology and folklore. Chokshi is a member of the National Leadership Board for the Michael C. Carlos Museum and lives in Georgia with her husband and their cat whose diabolical plans must regularly be thwarted.

Reviews

[Esta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dating show with a tournament of brides but if you pick wrong, you turn into a tree, so you have to enlist the help of a truthful swan.

If you think that premise is wild and you're intrigued, trust me it gets wilder.

The Swan’s Daughter was one of the most phantasmagorical, nefarious yet decadent examples of worldbuilding I’ve ever read before. But the vibes are subversive, tongue in cheek even. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading a retelling like I did in this. I found certain moments genuinely hilarious and I feel that Prince Arris is my spirit animal. 🦌

What worked for me was that despite the bedazzling lyrical prose (which I loved, but it may not work for people who don't like flowery writing), plus the magic of sentient castles, library wyverns masquerading as rabbits and daydream trees, there is a macabre undercurrent to this world which prevented this Ugly Duckling retelling x The Bachelor reality TV satire from veering into something too saccharine for my personal tastes. It was sumptuous but it didn’t give me a toothache.

Speaking of sumptuousness, if you're a foodie, you're probably going to get hungry reading this book. I'd like to try Ursula’s pastries and cakes please, but I’ll pass on the candied aphids and locust custard buns thanks.

But yeah anyway, I was torn how to rate this. Because critically, it was 4 stars (I wanted to feel more passion and yearning between the two main characters), yet for serotonin + vibes it was 5 stars. But the truth is, if a book induces that much joy, even if I have minor quibbles, I can’t not give it five stars. Hence the: “F it, it's getting 5 stars,” route.

Anyway, if you’ve ever watched The Bachelor and thought this needs higher stakes, more found family and sisterhood amongst interesting contestants, and more truth-telling swans and talking trees, I present to you this deliriously delightful gem of a read.

Always a treat reading with my sis from another mis Ivana.

Thanks so much to Hodder & Stoughton & NetGalley for the ARC.

[AG · Rating 5 out of 5]

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!!🎉

HUGE thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc! (Getting to read my favorite author's newest release almost 6 months earlier has been one of the best things that has happened to me)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Reading this felt like indulging in a favorite dessert of mine. Calling all Studio Ghibli and Stephanie Garber fans, this gorgeously whimsical, witty, and laugh-out-loud hilarious fairytale that's a feast for the imagination might just become your newest obsession! Although I intended to savour this like it's meant to be, I inhaled this within 24 hours because it was simply exceptional.

Here's everything I loved about this:
● First of all, let's take a moment to appreciate the UK cover (the US one is pretty too, but the UK cover is on a whole another level) at which I spent more time than I'd like to admit gazing longingly.
● Roshani Chokshi's prose is the most gorgeous of all authors I've ever read. Call it unnecessarily purple, call it pretentious, I LIVE for her words. The prose perfectly compliments the decadent vibes her stories have.
● 'The Swan's Daughter' is the most dream-like of Chokshi's books so far.
The aesthetics were the highlight of this one. This was such an enchanting and immersive read. The descriptions were lush and stunning and I found myself revisting several lines just to appreciate their beauty.
● This is a relatively low stakes book. Definitely not too intense but also not so cozy as to lull the non-fans of cozy fantasy to sleep. This book offeres the familiar comfort of fairytales while being utterly creative in its storytelling.
● 'The Swan's Daughter' is incredibly hilarious. I had forgotten how good Chokshi is at writing humor. The chapters have funny titles! (This has become quite rare in recent years)
● I adored both protagonists! Arris and Demelza's longings were well written. I always appreciate an imperfect female character and Demelza was no exception. I loved how she didn't let go of her quirky personality (she literally eats bugs) right until the end. Arris' desire to make a life for himself resonated with me. Their romance was just the right amount of sweet.
●The side characters were excellent! Arris' twin sister Yvelle, who gave off peak Wednesday vibes, was my favorite. I loved how the potential brides developed a sense of solidarity and became friends eventually.
● Few autors understand fairytales as well as Roshani Chokshi. From the cover to the story inside, this is a fairytale through and through. If Chokshi's adult debut (and my favorite book of all time) 'The Last Tale of the Flower Bride' is about how fairytales serve as cautionary tales, 'The Swan's Daughter' is a representation of how fairytales bring us joy with a dash of whimsy.
● Although a fully developed world is neither present nor a necessity for the narrative, the way the author sprinkled in attributes of various mythical beings from regions of the Isle of Malys made this a fun time. There are some abstract concepts like candied sunlight and Cloud poetry that might not be palatable for every reader but serve as the perfect embellishment to a whimsical tale like this.
● How the magic worked in this world was a delight to read about. I loved how all mortals spent the first of their two lives as humans and the second as a tree or a rock or something else while contemplating the meaning of life, among other things. There's a multitude of tiny quirks like this (including a creation myth) that added to the magic.
● I loved how Chokshi acknowledges that no matter how madly two people are in love with each other, they can grow out of it. In this story, that's literally a matter of life or death. How the MCs deal with it was well done.
● Roshani Chokshi often puts in tiny easter eggs from one of her books/series into another and I may have spotted one or two (I've read every single on of her works, after all😌).

Although not my favorite of Roshani Chokshi's works, 'The Swan's Daughter' deserves no less than a solid 5. I'll definitely be rereading this soon. If you're looking for a book that feels like a warm hug, you might love this one.



Pre-read:
If you just sensed a disturbance in the atmosphere that was me screaming because my favorite author ever announced a new book!!!! 2024 has been a sad year without a new release from Roshani Chokshi, and apparently 2025 will be as well.

I'd literally sell my soul right now for an arc.

[len ❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

If “romantic” and “love” are used to promote a novel, you would expect them to actually be a part of the novel, right?

I think I’m hitting that point in my reading journey where I can no longer say that it takes me at least 20% to think/realize I will be enjoying a book, because here I was, 30% in, thinking I was going to love this until the end, only to start loving it less and less as I kept reading more.

I would be lying if I said I grabbed the opportunity to read an ARC of this because I’ve read the author before, because sadly I haven’t. I have heard so much about Roshani, as her The Star-Touched Queen and The Gilded Wolves series were everywhere on this site when they came out. But with the premise related to swans, I didn’t even think about it. The Swan Princess (although really unrelated) is one of my favorite princess movies (and I firmly believe it is too underrated), so a story featuring swans and royalty sounded like a bit of perfection. And what started off as perfection later settled into underdeveloped platonic relationships, boring trials, uninteresting conversations severely lacking a lot of emotion, and underwhelming characters.

I’ve seen a lot of comments on Roshani’s writing, and I can confirm that the purple prose is her forte. I know many aren’t a fan, but I personally love it. The imagery of the story is brilliant, highly accessible to imagine and is not hidden in any words. The prose paints everything into a picture, from the settings and characters to the obstacles inside the story. I could easily imagine every aspect created, making the story stand out as if it was a film inside my head. The descriptions are vivid and clear, giving the reader the ability to understand everything that is happening, how the characters look, and what is going on. It’s quite enchanting, and the fairy tale aspect of it is definitely there. But I do have to say that those who aren’t a fan of purple prose or very lyrical writing, this won’t be for you. The author also wrote the world building moderately easy, providing sufficient historical background on different people, families, and elements of the story, which help understand the characters' backgrounds more. I really appreciated how it wasn’t something the author just threw into our face and instead delivers it all slowly, allowing us to grasp necessary and useful information. When it comes to fantasy and world building, I always need it to be written slowly and processed carefully, as it lets me grasp everything without confusion.

Unfortunately, the writing is the only thing that stood out the entire time. The novel is prompted as a lush, romantic tale, and love is used to describe the tone. However, I found the main relationship to be highly platonic at best, with the characters feeling underwhelming and underdeveloped. I felt like our main leads, Demelza and Arris, never really got to know each other. While it can be understandable at first, as the two start off as nothing but friends who are not attracted to each other in the slightest (which I actually loved because most of the time, in YA romance, insta love is always at the front), it became tiring to see no development in them as characters, friends, and future lovers. I have read other YA romance stories with insane chemistry, and these two had none. We see them grow in their friendship but that is about it. The time they spend together gives me no clear understanding of where they stand on the romantic side. And I don’t even want to get started on the fact that Arris spends a little more time with the other girls than Demelza. Even if he is supposed to because of the trials and competition, I feel like the author should have shown us more of their time together and told us more about the others. Sometimes it felt like we were actually supposed to root for Arris to be with one of the other girls. There’s really no specific moment both characters realize their feelings for each other. I don’t know, I just was not a fan at all of how the author wrote the relationship.

Adding on to that, the characters remain uninteresting for most of the time. I really enjoyed learning about Demelza and her history at first, but as we made progress, her character arc felt flat instead of interesting. Her quirkiness and bright personality make the reading experience a bit more reliable and better overall, but her entire arc lacked emotion. The concept of her using her “powers” to bring out the truth for Arris (how she was helping him) is interesting yet plays a minor role in the story. I’m honestly so damn tired of these books and authors promoting their stories a certain way only for that entire concept to be rarely used throughout the entire book. First it was my previous read and now this? I really thought Demelza was going to be more useful and use this ability of hers more. As for Prince Arris, I found him adorable at first, but then I found him so boring. His awkwardness was endearing in the beginning but then he felt like he had an emotionless attitude. He wasn’t rude or angry or anything, but I felt as if his character had no spark. He never really knew what to say, his actions were sometimes childless, and other times it felt like he just didn’t know what the hell he was doing.

With meaningless conversations that didn’t really progress the story, boring characters, and a disappointing resolution, The Swan’s Daughter did not convince me of this author, unfortunately. All in all, once again, I’m severely disappointed. This had potential to be something I would be raving about but everything started falling down before the second half.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ricarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous cover, gorgeous story, gorgeous prose. It's been a while since I've last picked up a book by Roshani Chokshi and now I feel the need to consume all of her works, because this was absolutely fantastic. It reads like an odd fairytale set in its own whimsical world and I truly absorbed all the lush descriptions of strange magic.

The story opens with a swan being married to a monstrous wizard and them living in a magical manor sitting upon clouds. It was such a strong beginning and it swept me up and pulled me right into the tale. After a while the pair has seven swan daughters and the evil wizard has great plans for them. While he loves them fiercely, he also uses them to gain more power and so he sends each one to a different land where they spy and seduce and conquer. All except the youngest, Demelza. She is the ugly duckling among her pretty swan sisters, has no wings and no beautiful song, and tries to make herself useful to her father by gathering all the knowledge that she can. But she still wishes to leave the nest and opportunity arrives when every young woman is invited to the castle to compete to marry the prince. Usually I wouldn't be drawn to a YA novel with this premise, but everything was different here. You see, at least half of the marriage candidates wants to kill the heir and claim his throne for themselves and prince Arris has to be really careful who to pick. Assassination of the heir is very common in his family and it's more or less expected of the bride to kill her new husband, but why not try for real love in the meantime? All the characters are strange and magical and a joy to read about. There are women who are wolves or bears, women made of ice, women who are definitely cannibals and here to eat the prince. There's a lot of silly magic, but the world still feels coherent and overall like a fairytale setting where everything is possible. And well, books that successfully pull that off always get the five-star treatment from me. It's just REALLY my thing.

Not that I ever expected Roshani Chokshi to write a generic YA romantasy, but this book of course strayed from the typical formula and was its own thing entirely. Demelza joins the competition and she is by far not the frontrunner. While every other candidate always looks and acts their best, Demelza is constantly covered in mud (for protection, you know), wearing a weird dress out of plants and is currently having a bit of an identity crisis. But she manages to strike a deal with Arris to unveil the true intentions of the other women and their connection slowly grows from that point onward. There is actually very little focus on their romance and I'm sure that this will be disappointing for other readers, but I liked it a lot. Because love is still very much the most prominent theme in this book, just not in the way it's usually talked about. It's discussed how even true love can be a prison and how it's the thing that makes one vulnerable to heartbreak and sorrow in the first place, but also how people still freely choose love with the full knowledge that it might not end well. The message was very powerful and it was great that such a different view was presented here.

The story does feel refreshing in multiple ways, but it still didn't have the most extraordinary plot and I wish that the characters were explored a bit more. I think we learn more about Arris than about Demelza and I would have loved to read more chapters about her upbringing and her family. Still, the world had me completely and the gorgeous writing made this a fantastic read for me. I would definitely pick up more books set in these strange fairytale lands, even one book for every swan daughter, or one about Arris’ half-goth-half-mad-scientist sister Yvelle (preferably with Talvi, because I ship it).

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton / Hodderscape for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew from the start I would love this book. Roshani Chokshi’s writing is right up my alley and I have liked every single book of hers I ever read, so there was no surprise here. However, this is so different from her other books and I love that. 
This is a “possibly doomed love story” as the title states, and the dark fairytale feel is absolutely perfect. The way it handles love in the sweet but also monstrous and damaging form is so clever and I couldn't stop reading. It was the perfect length but I would also like 500 more pages, please. 
The writing reminds me of a less whimsical, more cruel and sharper Stephanie Garber, which I absolutely loved. The world building was done seamlessly, I didn't even notice I had a whole new world in my mind until I suddenly did. I love when a book doesn't info dump you and just construct a world little by little. 
The side characters were brilliant, there's a (possible)couple that I would die to have a book about just them. I would actually like books from each character, now that I think about it. I love them all. I'm serious, give me a book about the king and queen and each of the competitors, I WILL read it. 
If you also loved ouabh you NEED to read this. If you read that and wanted a more brutal version, there you go. 
It's honestly perfect. A new favorite. 

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday books for the ARC!

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re craving a fairytale that feels both whimsical and dangerous—where every kiss could be salvation or betrayal—The Swan’s Daughter will sweep you away.

Every once in a while, a book comes along that makes you forget the world outside its pages. The Swan’s Daughter did that for me. From the very first chapter, I felt like I’d stepped into a fairytale spun from moonlight and shadows—full of glittering ballrooms carved into emerald caves, glass boats drifting across dreamlike waters, and a love story that feels both impossibly fragile and earth-shatteringly powerful.

At its heart, this is the story of Prince Arris and Demelza, two characters so vividly drawn that they linger long after you close the book. Arris, cursed to know that marriage means murder, carries his fate with a sort of reckless charm—savoring every laugh, every stolen glance, every moment of beauty as though it might be his last. Demelza, with her truth-singing voice and a life spent fighting to be heard, is raw, fierce, and deeply human. Their connection begins as a bargain, but every page peels away another layer until what’s left between them is something much more dangerous: love, hope, and the unbearable risk of losing it all.

What struck me most was how Roshani Chokshi writes with such lush beauty while never losing sight of the darkness beneath the glitter. There’s whimsy here—talking swans, jeweled menageries, kisses that spark like flint—but there’s also betrayal, fear, and the question of whether love is strong enough to rewrite destiny. That contrast made the story feel richer, like stepping into a fairytale told by candlelight, where you’re just as likely to swoon as to shiver.

I found myself holding my breath through the bride tournament, turning pages as though the book itself had enchanted me. The suspense was sharp, the betrayals cutting, and yet what I carried with me most was the tenderness between Arris and Demelza. The small moments—an unexpected laugh, a truth spoken at the worst possible time, the silent courage in a shared glance—felt more powerful than any spell.

As someone who has devoured every one of Roshani Chokshi’s novels, I can say this might be her most enchanting work yet. It reminded me of why I fell in love with her storytelling in the first place: the prose that feels like music, the worlds that feel achingly alive, and the characters who bleed and hope and love in ways that make your chest ache. This isn’t just a book you read—it’s a book you live inside for a while.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A gorgeously crafted, heart-tugging romantasy that blends beauty with danger, whimsy with truth, and leaves you believing—against all odds—that love might just be worth the risk.

A very huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books for sharing this remarkable romantasy’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts that I highly appreciated. I am, and will always be, a devoted fan of Roshani Chokshi’s magical worlds.

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[edie-may ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ── 3.50 stars .ᐟ ₊˚꩜⋆


‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ 「 ‎ ❛ Just because something was brief did not mean it shouldn’t be beautiful too. ❜ ‎ 」


‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ read: january 04 • january 07 • 2026
‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ age rating: 12+
‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ spice level: 0.5/5


‎ ‎ ‎ ᯓ thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!


‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✦•····•⋆୨୧⋆•····•✦


ꪆৎ.༄° ⋮ ⌗ 🦢 ‎꒰ main tropes: ꒱

‎ ‎ ⤿ fairytale
‎ ‎ ⤿ marriage competition
‎ ‎ ⤿ ugly duckling retelling


ꪆৎ.༄° ⋮ ⌗ 🌲 ‎꒰ review: ꒱

‎ ‎ this was such a whimsical book. the idea was intriguing, the characters were loveable, and the aesthetic was beautiful. the imagery was magical and fairytale-esque. i completely adored the concepts surrounding life and death in regards to nature. overall, i’d say this book had a super peaceful vibe.


ꪆৎ.༄° ⋮ ⌗ 🪻 ‎꒰ writing style: ꒱

‎ ‎ the prose in this book was incredibly flowery and metaphorical. personally, i’m a lover of pretty writing, and love getting my head around abstract concepts and sentences. that being said, i do think it got a bit out of hand in some places, and took away from the plot a little overall. while it wasn’t enough to deter me, i completely understand why another would be thrown off by it.


ꪆৎ.༄° ⋮ ⌗ 🫀 ‎꒰ characters: ꒱

‎ ‎ ‎ ↝ demelza .ᐟ
‎ ‎ daughter of an evil wizard and descended from a veritas swan, demelza is forced to hide in the prince’s castle.
‎ ‎ bless her little cotton socks. demelza was such a sweetheart, even if she spends over half the book as a filthy, dirt-covered mess. not 100% sure how she pulled this man when he repeatedly acknowledges that she smells like ‘pond’ but i’m not about to put a sister down.

‎ ‎ ‎ ↝ arris .ᐟ
‎ ‎ ‎ a lover of life destined to be killed by his bride, prince arris holds a competition to decide which fair lady gets to take his heart (literally).
‎ ‎ ‎ i feel like i got much more out of arris’ character than i did out of demelza’s. i really did love him—his absolute love and appreciation for the world around him and the time he has left was really endearing (and potentially a bit eye-opening).

‎ ‎ ‎ ↝ others .ᐟ
‎ ‎ ‎ talvi & yvlle ; i love these girlies so so so much. i was genuinely more invested in them than i was in the main two at times, i won’t lie.


‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✦•····•⋆୨୧⋆•····•✦


ꪆৎ.༄° ⋮ ⌗ pre-read:

‎ ‎ gulp…i am cutting this arc so close to the deadline because this literally comes out in four days and i am slumping so bad.. — ( prediction ; 3.75 ☆ )


જ⁀➴ ₊˚⊹ ᰔ

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

i’ve read a few books by roshani chokshi, and this is the one i’ve enjoyed the most.

the swan’s daughter was a very quirky and satirical retelling of the ugly duckling, full of magical competitions, royals who turn into flora and fauna and other natural things instead of dying, and a friends to lovers romance.

i do wish the romance was a little more fleshed out, because it felt a tad too lackluster for my liking.

as for the audio, the narrator did a good job!

i’m very excited see the fairyloot edition!

[TheConnieFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This young adult whimsical fantasy novel was a lot of fun! It made me feel lighthearted, emotional and hopeful. This book has a beautiful cover and comes with an equally beautiful story! I really enjoyed the characters in the story. Protagonist Demelza and Prince Arris were my favorite characters! I feel like the side characters in the story stood out as well, which I loved! This novel comes with a diverse cast of characters that change and grew throughout the novel. Furthermore, the characters were lovable and memorable. It comes with an enchanted, atmospheric and magical setting.

This novel definitely has a lyrical, fairytale feel to it. The world building and the vivid descriptions were fantastic! The plot was fast paced and exciting! The pacing in this book stayed steady throughout its entirety. I appreciated the originality the story. Overall, I give this beautiful novel 4 out of 5 stars! Be sure to check out the content warnings. This book gave me “The Hazel Wood” by Melissa Albert, along with “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern vibes!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Roshani Chokshi and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is set to be released on January 6, 2026!

[⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ Kim ⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 2 stars

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books, Roshani Chokshi, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Swan's Daughter is out now!

"All this time, she imagined she had no power, but in this she was wrong. To sing and summon truth was not a power, but a mere instrument. True power lay in perception. In belief. And Demelza believed she could be anything."

. ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆
Well, this was....interesting, to say the least. This story was like a combination of Cinderella meets The Ugly Duckling with a dash of The Selection,, and while that may intrigue many readers who are fans of those stories, or maybe they're just fairy tale retelling fans, I think so much of the story got lost in the sauce, for lack of better wording.

Demelza is the youngest daughter of a veritas swan and an evil wizard. Her six older sisters have been trained in everything related to court politics, fashion, and how to live as an elegant noblewoman. Demelza, on the other hand, has...well, none of that. She doesn't even have wings like the rest of her sisters. Confined to the ground, everything that her sisters have been taught has been turned into pipe dreams. She spends her days studying and reading books in her home library. When Prince Arris hosts a competition to find his future wife, Demelza enters, but not to become his wife. No, she has no intentions of doing that. She strikes a bargain with Arris instead: she'll help him weed out the competitors and see who's here for love and who's here for the crown, and Arris can marry the woman he loves without dying.

While many readers may love the lush and atmospheric storytelling—I know it's been a while since I've personally read a story with writing as descriptive and imaginative as this—I feel like the majority of the plot and the romance got lost or fell flat in exchange for descriptive writing (purple prose, if you will) and overly excessive details about the atmosphere and the worldbuilding. Having read The Gilded Wolves trilogy by the same author a few years back, I don't recall the writing in those books ever being this overly flowery. Maybe it's just because so much time has passed since I read them (2021 up until now, so it's been half a decade), but this was on another level.

The romance was barely there, and nothing about the competition that takes place in the story felt high stakes at any point, considering the story quite literally has "A Possibly Doomed Love Story" on the cover. I don't know, I think that made me believe that would imply that there would be some angst and tension and high-stakes romance going on in the story, but there was never a moment where I felt any of that while reading. I know some people will LOVE the purple prose and how detailed and atmospheric it makes the story, but I feel like this was a little too over-the-top.

With that said, as I said before, the story got lost within its own writing. I think we legitimately got more details about Arris's morning routine and how meticulous it is than moments with Arris and Demelza. Yes, I know he has to go around and spend a lot of time with the other contestants (and all of those interactions are most likely off-page), but when most of their interactions consist of Demelza giving Arris and his sister, Yvlde, intel on the competitors, it's hard for me to believe that Arris is supposed to be Arris's love interest and vice versa.

Additionally, there's a sideplot in the story where Demelza spends a lot of time trying to decipher this one spell that's supposed to help her wizard father take over the world, and somehow, that plot gets lost in the process of the story and the writing. That's literally all that Demelza and her sisters were raised to do, but that was only relevant for the first like, 10-15% of the story, and then it's just....forgotten. Perhaps it's just because she falls in love and gets lost in the throes of the competition and forgets about it, but for the amount of time she spends struggling over this, and how big a deal it is that she needs to crack the last bit of the spell for her father, we hear nothing about it for the majority of the book.

As a completely unrelated side note, I have a hard time believing that Arris is also fit to run a kingdom after his father passes it onto him. Like, seriously, bro's morning routine consists of journaling and reflecting on his life and his manifesting, spending 30 minutes trying to figure out what to wear, and having breakfast. He can't even tell when someone's trying to kill him unless Demelza tells him, because he can't even see it, even if it's in front of his face (sometimes literally). He's just one of the girly pops, and he'd love Pinterest if he were real😂😭

The one thing I loved about this story is how Demelza grew to find herself. She defied everyone's expectations of her: her parents, the way the other competitors see her, the queen and the royal family, and proved not only to them, but to herself, that she can be her own person and stand out from everyone else despite her flaws as a veritas swan. No, she can't sing, and no, she can't fly, but she discovered a lot about herself during the competition and even made friends along the way, which is something that seems so insignificant to many people but was a huge deal for her. I loved Talvi and Ursula; they seem like loyal friends.

Overall, while this was a unique take on a fantasy book, and the first–but not last—fantasy book I'll read this year, this wasn't the book for me. I'm hoping that other readers will love this story, but it's not me. The cover is pretty to look at, though!
. ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆. 𐙚 ˚ . ݁₊ 🦢 . ݁˖⋆
⋅˚₊‧ ୨ 𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹: ୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ Onto book 2/75 of 2026! I have a lot of ARCs to get through this month so I’m doing my best to read them all if I get the chance🥹🤞🏼🍀 (Can we just take a moment to appreciate the pretty cover art? It’s absolutely gorgeous💜🩷🦢✨)

[dak ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ ༄.° 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓮 𝓿𝓲𝓫𝓮𝓼 .ೃ࿔*:･

🏰 🦢💓☁️✨🗝️🫀🪾

the magic + magical creatures, the characters, this world!! so good i am obsessed with this vibe!!💫

⋆. 𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓈 ೃ࿔ well let’s just say his family is cursed to basically come back as a tree once he dies and live eternity like that. safe to say i was immediately locked in cause hellllooo?? tell me more!! oh and he is holding a contest at his castle in hopes to find his true love and the trials are so interesting

ִֶָ. ..𓂃 𝒹𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓁𝓏𝒶 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ my sweet sweet girl. her journey is so beautiful, she’s such a real character that resonated with me. all her little quirks🪲🫶🏻

i love the little moments between 𝒹𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓁𝓏𝒶 & 𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓈 💗 watching them slowly fall into one another warmed my heart. their love was so pure

this was also really funny and the contest created for such a interesting plot🤭 i kept telling myself just one more chapter!!
which speaking of chapters i wish this was longer or we were getting a second book. that ending gives me hope though🤞🏻🤩

[Mai ༊*·˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ★— An evil sorcerer, an enchanted swan girl, a bachelor-style bride competition for a crown prince, and a whole lot of shenanigans are just a few of the things featured in this whimsical, fairytale-like story.

For the first few chapters, this book had me hooked. I really enjoyed the introduction to the setting and to Demelza, the heroine of the tale, who’s the last-born daughter of a swan mother and a sorcerer father. The author’s dreamy writing style and the magical, storybook atmosphere made me excited to finally get to the main plot: Demelza meeting the prince and aiding him in his search for a wife.

But from that point on, there was a large stretch of the book where I found myself less engaged. While I was thoroughly entertained by the humor and the fantastical world-building, I was honestly bored by Prince Arris and Demelza’s blossoming romance. I definitely think it was the weakest aspect of the story for me, because I never really felt invested in their connection. Arris is a mild-mannered, gentle sort of love interest, which I found refreshing, but their falling in love came across as weirdly sudden, and their subsequent pining didn’t feel earned.

Don’t get me wrong, I still had fun with this. I’ve always enjoyed fairy tales, and I like books with characters and worlds rooted in that tradition. But I just wasn’t fully taken with the story’s central romance between Demelza and Prince Arris, which never felt as enchanting as the rest of the world around them.

I would still recommend this to anyone that wants a dreamy escapist read with some cute moments (because there are cute moments!) and a lighthearted tone, even if the romance didn’t quite sweep me away as I hoped.

____________

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

protecting our hearts in the literal sense (mine from being cut out and being used to give my father immortality and you from your future wife on the moment of your marriage to secure your kingdom)

prince arris WOULD be into astrology and crystals if he was in our time. i love him so much

oh to be a tree in a forest with squirrels in your boughs

Bookstagram | Blog

[minnie. [semi hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

𖤝 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎started: 10.04.25 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⌝
‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⌞ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎finished: 11.11.25 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ᝰ.

minnie's journal ᯓ⟢ review #20
3.5 stars!

── .✦Now playing:
꒰Love Story - Indila꒱
2:39 ─〇───── 5:17
╰┈➤ “Dans sa love story,”

ꫂ᭪ Publishing date: 01.06.25
ꫂ᭪ Age rating: 11+
ꫂ᭪ Spice level: 0/5
ꫂ᭪ Would recommend? Yes

𓂃⋮🍧₊⊹𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬｡🫧°‧𓂃
Because of a poorly worded wish by his ancestry, Prince Arris, her to the Isle of Malys knows that marriage means his death. To have the power of the kingdom, one must have the hand and heart of the heir, and for generations, this has been carried out quite literally. So, in an attempt to find lasting love, Arris holds a tournament for ladies to fight for his hand in marriage. However, he is unsure whether the potential brides care about love, or only about power, but then he meets Demelza. Demelza is a veritas swan, meaning that her song forces the hearer to tell the truth, and since she is forced into hiding, Arris and Demelza strike a deal: Rathe Castle will provide Demelza with safety if Demelza uses her magic to discover the true intentions of the ladies in the competition.

⤿🔮⸝⸝𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬𑣲🩰ˎˊ˗
This novel was very lush, and the world was beautiful and intricate, with many fantastical details. The romance between Demelza and Arris was very sweet, and I do have a soft spot for hand in marriage competitions, and so of course, I enjoyed the story. I especially liked the veritas swans, and how they are doomed once they fall in love, much like Arris and his entire family line. Also, Demelza is the ugly duckling of her family, and she tries to prove her worth with her studies and intelligence, and all she wanted at the beginning of the book was to be useful. I think that is very relatable since at times I look around and see others who are doing better than me, and I feel useless, so in many ways, I could relate to Demelza. Watching Demelza transform and grow, and seeing her become more confident in her own powers and abilities, was so wonderful.

꒰✧₊⁺💜⋆.˚୨ৎ⸝⸝⸝⸝꒷꒦⋮゛🌷 ⸝⸝.ᐟ⋆𓂃

While I did like Demelza a lot, I did not feel the same way about Arris. I’m not really sure why, but his character was written in a way that I just did not connect with or like him. I don’t dislike him, but I don’t care much about him either. The romance was sweet, like I said above, but it was also very rushed. For 90% of the book, the relationship between Demelza and Arris is platonic, and then it suddenly changes and they fall in love. Very rushed, and it’s slightly insta-love. (Might this be a good time to say that a couple that did have good development is Talvi and Yvelle. I mean, you know I love a good yuri romance, and while they were only a side romance, I loved it so much. I mean Yvelle is actually a diva, and I just loved Talvi. Yvelle is the caring twin sister who’s prepared to murder anyone who hurts her brother. In other words she’s the fantasy version of a Wednesday Adams of sorts. That’s just her vibe, and I loved it.)

꒰✧₊⁺🌸⋆.˚୨ৎ⸝⸝⸝⸝꒷꒦⋮゛🍇 ⸝⸝.ᐟ⋆𓂃

The lyrical prose of The Swan’s Daughter was whimsical and fantastical, and I enjoyed it despite it being different from what I’m used to reading. I don’t often read purple prose in books, but I found that I enjoyed it in this novel, since it went well with the plot, the world building and the over fairy tale vibes. It did take me a little bit to get into the writing style (which is evident by me taking over a month to read the book). The writing painted a beautiful picture in my mind, the imagery was lavish and detailed, and honestly, Roshani Chokshi is very good at writing purple prose.

꒰✧₊⁺🪻⋆.˚୨ৎ⸝⸝⸝⸝꒷꒦⋮゛💞 ⸝⸝.ᐟ⋆𓂃

The tournament of brides is like most you find in books; we have three main character types: the protagonist (Demelza) joins–but not to fall in love of course, the protagonist’s only friends in the competition (Talvi and Ursula), and the rich, beautiful contestant who everyone thinks will win, and therefore has a bunch of followers (Edmea). I can’t lie, I loved Edmea from the start. Yes, she was a little mean, but I mean, she’s literally Evangeline Fox in another life (and more arrogant). I was so excited every time she came up in a chapter, because it meant a descriptive imagery of a gorgeously designed dress. All the characters in the book were wonderful because they all had distinct personalities and talents that set them apart: Ursula with her cooking, Edmea with her fashion design, Demelza with her truth magic, etc.

꒰✧₊⁺🦩⋆.˚୨ৎ⸝⸝⸝⸝꒷꒦⋮゛☂️ ⸝⸝.ᐟ⋆𓂃

ᢉ𐭩𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭ꗃ◞
⟡ Fairytale vibes
⟡ Intricate and lush fantasy world
⟡ Purple prose
⟡ The Ugly Duckling retelling
⟡ Competition for marriage

「 ⊹` ࣪ ˖ 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 .ᐟ° 」
I enjoyed this book, but the lyrical purple prose might not be for everyone. It did take me a little bit to get used to the prose, but after that, the reading experience was magical and whimsical. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys purple prose and the ugly duckling retellings.

╰┈➤Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book! All thoughts are my own <3
-----------------------------------------------------

꒰🦢꒱ 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙‧₊ ᵎᵎ
Gasp whats this? 👀 An ugly duckling retelling where our fmc is the ugly duckling, the daughter of the sorcerer from Swan Lake, and the heroine? I'm sat 🪑.

[⋆˙⟡ ashley marie ⟡˙⋆ (semi-hiatus : pregnant&tootired) · Rating 5 out of 5]

˚₊‧꒰ა 𝟦.𝟧 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈, 𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝓊𝓅 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

→ 𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟼𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟼

*thank you to netgalley for an earc in exchange for my honest review*

🦢🤍

The Swan’s Daughter was such a delightful read! I had a really fun time and it became one of my favourite young adult books I’ve read this year.

I really liked the concept of the ‘ugly duckling’ venturing off from her nest and finding love, friends, strength, purpose, and ultimately herself. I also felt some Cinderella and Princess Diaries vibes as our fmc Demelza slowly transformed from beast to beauty while competing for the Prince’s heart. Even though it was her personality that really made her stand out to Arris (as he definitely wasn’t interested in her looks to start 😂- their first scene together really made me giggle).

The writing was beautiful, whimsical, and at times honestly quite funny. What a magical and enchanting world Roshani created. She really brought this fairytale to life for me. Between the enchanted manors, the world building, the characters, the food.. everything was so descriptive I felt like I jumped right into the book and became one of the contestants myself 🤭

I absolutely loved the characters and their development throughout the book. Even some that I didn’t care much for ended up surprising me and won me over! Demelza showed so much growth throughout and I really liked her character, her tenacity and wits.

This was the first book I’ve read from Roshani Chokshi and it will not be the last! I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed The Swan’s Daughter and I would definitely recommend to those looking for a ya with a light, unique, magical, fairytale vibe that follows a story of trusting your heart.

‹𝟹

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

E-ARC generously provided by Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4.5 stars. Darkly whimsical, embedded with enchantment, and written with the kind of dreamlike wonder that you can only get from a tale told by Roshani Chokshi, The Swan’s Daughter is a confection of a YA romantasy: half fairy-tale and half endearingly awkward romance.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautiful?!!!
Demelza is basically the ugly duckling, but also both the daughter of the sorcerer in Swans Lake and the heroine?

A truth-telling veritas swan, the seventh daughter of an evil wizard, and the only one who does not have wings.
A prince who must figure out which of his potential brides wants to kill him for power.
A deal during a tournament of brides within a magical, living Castle.

Chokshi's imagination created magic oozing from the pages. I didn’t want this book to end. I loved the world, the characters (especially the snarky necromancer royal twin sister), the descriptions, AND the ending.

“At least she spared us one of those villainous monologues.”
“I actually like those,” said Arris. “Knowing someone’s motivations allows me to forgive them and find peace.”
Yvlle sighed. “This is part of the reason why women keep trying to kill you, Brother.”

It balances atmosphere and tension with humour and whimsy. It is dark and fairytale-like, an amalgamation of our childhood tales, Barbie movies, and darker adult realities.

Demelza and Aris are like mirrors, but neither see it. Both have purposes that outweigh their personhood (having their heart cut out, or turning into a tree).

This is Young Adult, but straddles that line where it has no adult content, but feels appealing to all.

“I’m discovering that I enjoy feeling . . . ‘useful’ isn’t quite the right word . . . vital, perhaps? Instrumental without being a literal instrument?”

Despite this being a standalone, I am confident there was a huge ‘wink’ moment towards the end which has me hoping for more in this world.

Arc gifted by Hodderscape.

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[Lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 / 5 Stars
Imagine The Bachelor where he’s just hoping his bride doesn’t kill him and he has a magical human-swan friend who is trying to help him find out everyone’s true motives. That is The Swan’s Daughter in a nutshell plus some more magical lore. This was a really fun, playful, whimsical fairytale that mixed in some darker elements (death, control, love as restricting) in a really interesting way. My only complaint is that the book felt long at times and the end felt rushed.

You will probably like this book if you like:
🦢 A whimsical YA Romantic Fantasy with fairytale vibes
🦢 A marriage competition
🦢 Friends to lovers
🦢 A family curse

The prose in this book is beautiful and fantastical in a way that matched the tone of the story really well. If I am reading a fairytale, I want to feel immersed and wrapped in the text in a way that immediately elicits those feelings of play and fun. It all felt light and airy even when the darker topics were being discussed which was perfect. There were also some really funny moments which made me giggle. The story itself felt verbose at times, but not the text, if that makes sense. I liked how descriptive the sentences were, but I just wasn’t always interested in every piece of lore and history nor did it always feel necessary. Because of that, the book felt long, especially in the second half.

I loved the marriage competition. It was so reminiscent of the chaos of The Bachelor that I would not stop smiling. Having the ladies gather around and talk about who had and had not kissed the prince was perfect. Having silly group dates (competitions in this case) that everyone took exceptionally seriously was great. The women becoming friends while they waited for dates with the prince was lovely. I was just waiting for someone to say “can I steal you for a second?”

The romance was interesting. I really enjoyed Demelza and Arris as friends and how they fell in love with each other. The ending just felt a bit rushed especially since we got into themes of choice and control within love and I would have loved to marinate in all of those discussions a bit longer.

All in all, a good change of pace from my usual reading with some wonderful prose.

Thank you St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
_______________
Pre-Read Thoughts: Sometimes I feel like I add a book to my TBR because the plot is unlike anything I've read before so why not a love story between a prince a swan whose songs wring out the truth from people? Why. Not.

[Kalena ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆.˚✮ 4.75 stars ✮˚.⋆

⤿ Thank you to Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Press for the arc through netgalley and a finished copy in exchange for an honest review!

the bliss i felt when i started reading this on my phone only to find a copy of this book in my mail the next day was glorious i tell you!! i knew from the very first chapter that this book was going to be gorgeous and i was already plotting how i would be able to get a copy. especially as the end pages and the sprayed edges add so much to the whimsical feel of this book! so i am very very grateful to the publishers for not just allowing me to read an arc copy, but also get a physical copy!

Prince Arris knows expects the day after he gets married to be murdered and wake up a sentient tree in his family's ancestral garden. a curse beholden to his family decades ago ensures power to anyone who holds the hand, and heart, of the ruler of his family's kingdom and has often, been taken quite literally. his parents announce that they are having a competition and dozens of young brides from all across the realms flock to join the procession. Arris struggles to determine if they are out for love or power, until he meets Demelza and they strike a deal. as a veritus swan, Demelza's song forces those who hear it to speak the truth. in exchange for gaining information on who wants to kill him in the competition, she will be safeguarded at the palace from her own father. perhaps the bravest thing they can do in this time, is learn to chase a life worth living and not merely work on protecting their lives.

i did not know going into this book that this is a retelling of the goose girl/the ugly duckling with a biiiiig fairytale vibe. i read a few lines of the synopsis initially and immediately requested it, becuase i love Roshani Chokshi's other work and knew this would be no different. so i was surprised with where the book opened up and the immediate fairytale vibe i got, and was so pleasently surprised as fairytale retellings are some of my favorite stories to read.

the prose that Roshani Chokshi employs to create the feeling of whimsy and magic within this world is simply fantastic. there were so many moments i was baffled i wasn't in the book itself, it truly made me forget i was reading. the plot moved a bit slowly in the first third, but it was all necessary to set up the world and dive deeper into the background of both Demelza and Arris. i would say overall this is a slower story, but i never really noticed becuase i devoured this book in three days. i loved the trails that the competing girls had to go through and also really enjoyed seeing them, eventually, bonding together. that camaraderie is rare in books with premises like these, so it was actually a nice surprise.

Demelza is an amazing character herself too, she's strong-willed but doesn't always know how to use this or her own voice to be heard by others. she is the youngest of all her sisters and so she has often been babied, and when she finally strikes out on her own, she has a lot of learning to do. i really enjoyed the process that she goes through and the growth we see, especially juxtaposed against Prince Arris who also has things to learn but in a seperate way. i felt their two stories worked well alongside one another, though Arris was just a tad less interesting to me.

the only and i mean ONLY reason this isn't a full five star is becuase i wish there had been more build up of the romance. we start with Arris barely thinking about Demelza at all, commenting about how she isn't pretty, to suddenly second guessing and Demelza saying of course she liked him all along. while this can definitely work sometimes, and mostly did for me, i wish there had just been a bit more build up to the actual romance when it started. it felt a bit out of the blue, but i did really enjoy Demelza and Arris together at the end of the day.

˖ ࣪ ⋆୨୧⋆ ࣪ ˖ quotes ˖ ࣪ ⋆୨୧⋆ ࣪ ˖
✧ "Araminta had no reason to suspect anything would be amiss with her hatchlings." (1)

✧ "Her father smelled like hot metal and bog smoke. Anyone else would think the wizard reeked of death. But the daughter of the monster knows only that the monster sits beside her each night to sing her to sleep." (23)

✧ "Demelza had read tales of heartbreak, but she had never known it. She had thought heartbreak was loud as a thunderstorm, but what she felt was far more quiet. Sinuous. It was a venom slipping into the cracks of herself, corroding memory, and shadowing words." (43)

✧ "Arris shrugged. 'If my betrothed must be the death of me, then may she make these final weeks worth several lives." (76)

✧ "It was why he liked removing his shoes wherever he went. He could not remove someone's pity or perspective. He could not take away someone else's bias or belittling. But he could slip off his shoes, and if there was anything he could meet in true honesty, it was the earth beneath his feet." (97)

✧ "I think anyone who makes themself vunerable to such a thing as love is brave.' said Arris. 'And I would rather be a brave fool than a cowardly sage." (180)

✧ "This kiss was no prelude to something else, it simply was, and it felt so natural as to be uncanny. Arris could not imagine that he existed for any other purpose than to kiss Demelza surrounded by the blousy, dark blooms of the myrtles and the silver gleam of the fog roses." (242)

✧ "Her features were striking but that wasn't what grabbed him, for if he could be lured by beauty alone he would long since be married and dead. It was the fact that every time he looked at Demelza or spoke to her, he recognized a bit more of himself." (296)

↬ trigger warnings: kidnapping and imprisonment, murder and death mentioned, poisoning, attempted murder

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel feels like a Bachelor season set in a whimsical fairytale and you already have your favorite contestant chosen! However, can Demelza, a veritas swan, trust Prince Arris with her life and love? Should she even be in the running or only use her power to help the prince choose the most deserving princess?
Fans of Sarah Beth Durst and T. Kingslayer will also be amused by Chokshi’s witty novels, especially this insightful, tender, yet amusing retelling of Swan Lake! – Sara W.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you SO much, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, for sending me this ARC. I've heard such great things about this book, and it really did live up to my expectations...for the most part!

"A prince is only as good as his beating heart and a maiden is only as good as her honest word. But when love and the truth become impossibly tangled, the two must figure out how to survive together, or fall completely apart.

To find love is a curse..."

I have to admit that the first chapter or so, I was a little confused, but everything quickly tied together nicely, and I was able to follow along. The concept of the plot was very interesting to me, and I really loved the characters in this book. The storyline was compelling. That said, I think it could have been a bit shorter. There seemed to be more filler than necessary, which I believe distracted from the plot. Some readers might enjoy that, so that’s just my personal view. There were also some parts toward the end that I thought the book might have been better without. Overall, it’s a solid book, and I would still recommend it. Just not an all-time favorite! I'd love to try the audiobook on publication day. Maybe that would enhance my experience.

For now, I will give this a 3.5, but I am rounding up!


Pub Date Jan 06 2026
As always, all thoughts are my own. 🖤✨

[Melanie (meltotheany)]

i truly need this immediately

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*

4.25 out of 5 stars!

The Swan’s Daughter was my first introduction to this author’s work, and I was eager to finally read her after hearing so many great things about her books for years. I’m very glad this was the one I started with.

The fairytale atmosphere and lyrical storytelling were exactly what I hoped for — rich, immersive, and full of the kind of magical, emotional depth that made it difficult to put down. The worldbuilding felt vivid and evocative, and the fairytale vibes were beautifully woven into the narrative, enhancing rather than overwhelming the story.

The characters were compelling and memorable, and I appreciated the way their journeys unfolded with nuance and heart. The pacing was engaging throughout, and the writing conveyed both enchantment and emotional resonance.

Overall, The Swan’s Daughter was a thoroughly enjoyable read that exceeded my expectations. It was the perfect introduction to the author’s work, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

—————
TWO covers. Not one, but TWO. One for the US, one for the UK (presumably)—and both are so drop-dead gorgeous I physically cannot handle it. HOW is this even legal?? Who gave them the right to slay this hard?? *ugly sobbing, collapses on the floor*

AND GUESS WHAT—
I. HAVE. AN. ARC.
I’m screaming, shaking, crying, combusting—I don’t even know how I’m supposed to survive this reading experience!!

[littlefox · Rating 3 out of 5]

~ 3.5 stars ~

A big thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Expected Publication Date: January 6th, 2026

The highlight of this book was undoubtedly the writing. This isn’t my first book of Roshani Chokshi’s and although they’re not always my taste, her writing never fails. In this book, she tried a more flowery, poetic style and it was beautiful.

Unfortunately, that’s all that drew me to the book. I liked the beginning with the introduction to Demelza’s background and the world-building, but throughout the book I found myself more and more uninterested in the characters and even MORE uninterested in their romance. I think this book would’ve benefited from being a fantasy book rather than a romantasy book because the romance was so dull. SO DULL. I preferred the romance of Yvlle and Talvi and they had like 20 pages of page time.

I was also exceedingly annoyed with the MMC, Arris. #demelzadeservesbetter

At least the cover is stunning 🥲

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars (rounded up)

Excuse me, but The Swan’s Daughter was so positively delightful?!? Unfairly delightful. Rude, actually. I picked this up expecting just a cute fairytale-esque adventure and instead got emotionally enchanted, mildly (?) unhinged, and completely obsessed, and I kinda love that for me.

The Swan’s Daughter is serving ugly duckling energy but make it iconic. Demelza is a truth-telling veritas swan, seventh daughter of an evil wizard, with no wings but all heart. Arris is a prince who knows marriage equals murder and must survive a tournament of brides in his living, magical castle where half the contestants want his heart (literally). Like, hello romance with consequences, we love to see it!!

I have really enjoyed Chokshi’s writing in the past, especially The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, but I somehow still wasn’t expecting how much I would love this one. Everything about The Swan’s Daughter just worked for me, and I found myself actively slowing down the audiobook (highly recommend!) because I didn’t want it to end. The whimsical vibes are absolutely immaculate, the characters are irresistibly endearing and wickedly charming, the world is so wonderfully enchanting, and the cheeky, silly, slightly satirical tone just had me giggling the entire way through.

Though, like all good fairytales, there’s also quite a bit of darkness and hard-hitting emotional/thematic depth hidden beneath all the fun and whimsy. I loved the exploration of how Demelza and Arris are like mirrors to each other, both being used as tools instead of people. She is expected to sing out the truth until it destroys her, while he is expected to die politely and become a decorative tree. Casual, you know? Neither of them quite realizes how deeply they reflect each other, and watching their slow crawl toward that realization was so satisfying in the most painfully bittersweet way possible.

This was just everything I didn’t know I needed, and while it stands so beautifully on its own, I would die to return to this world for more adventures (possibly following my fave snarky sapphic necromancer twin sister Yvelle, please?!). It might be YA, but it has something to love for anyone and everyone regardless of age of reading preference, so just do yourself a favour and pick up The Swan's Daughter if you're in the mood for a slightly satirical fairytale fantasy with teeth, heart, and just a touch of menace.

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is everything I love about fairy tales. It has a whimsical and enchanting world that feels almost dream like and had me falling into the world and wishing I could live there. The prose were beautiful and full of lush descriptions that brought everything to life. I especially love the sentient castle! I also wasn’t expecting the humour in this book which I absolutely loved! (Especially the sentient castle vines). It added such distinct voices to the characters.

The characters were refreshing, especially Demelza. I like how real and relatable she felt with all her quirks and that her main motivations were discovering her wants and proving that true power lies in her beliefs in herself. Arris’ appreciation for life and savouring each moment is so endearing. Also, the female friendships were wonderful!

The romance is sweet, but what stands out to me is how love is portrayed as something that comes with unknowns and fear, but it is this that makes the joys of love all the more worthwhile. Although we may hurt the people we love, that doesn’t always mean it’s the end.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this arc💕

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Wednesday Books|St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing ARCs at 2025 YAll Fest so that I had the opportunity to read this book. It came out January 6th of this year. All opinions are my own.

I haven’t had the pleasure of reading something by Roshani Chokshi until now but if her stories read like this, sign me up. I don’t normally love it when an author gets too flowery with their writing UNLESS it matches the vibe of the story and draws you into the world and the atmosphere the book is trying to create and that is exactly what happened here. The language is beautiful, painting the rich fairytale world you’ve stepped into. I was immediately hooked and wanted to spend all the spare time I had with this story.

Demelza is the youngest daughter of an “evil sorcerer” and a veritas swan. Her father has used his family and their precious truth-telling abilities to increase his power in the realm until one day Demelza runs away. When she’s drawn into a royal tournament designed to choose a bride for Prince Arris, she agrees to help him in exchange for his protection. They become hesitant allies as they navigate rivals, tests, and attempt to out maneuver his curse that will turn his marriage into a death sentence. Slowly they find that their love tests the limits of their ideas on the importance of freedom and trust.

A five star read has a lot of gut feeling behind it. I’m reading the book, and I can tell just by the way the words are taking me away into the story that it will be a five star read. I enjoyed the storytelling right off the bat and almost instantly knew this would one of those books for me. Demelza is such a strong character, fighting for herself and taking no shit from anyone throughout the story. I liked that their love wasn’t automatic or even easy to the very last minute, it was thoughtful and honest considering their broken circumstances. I get tired of reading trial based fantasy stories over and over again but I thought these were a little more whimsical and I liked the fantastical elements that colored the personalities of the contestants too. Highly recommend all around.

“And to love! May the existential panic of such a devastating emotion be worth it!”

[Maeghan &#x1f98b; · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for a chance to review this ARC! All thoughts are my own.

3.5 ✨
Swan’s daughter was an amusing and peculiar tale. The initial setting distantly reminded me of The Last Tale of The Flower Bride by the same author.

I was very intrigued by the FMC’s parents and their toxic relationship. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t end up having a solid reason/answer as to why her father what the way he was. Are some people just inherently bad? Maybe I’m looking too deep.

The second setting of this book - where the rest of the story takes place - was where I sadly lost interest. The secondary characters became more interesting than the primary storyline. The romance was very platonic through my perspective. There was also a lot of fluff about everything and I think it could’ve been shorter.

The writing was excellent - as the previous works of this author. It has a very fairytale sort of writing and it was engaging. I just think the pacing of this was a bit uneven.

Closer to the end, a few events happened subsequently that weren’t brought up again… which added to the peculiar tone of this book. I wish this book would’ve focussed a bit more on the veritas swans and a little less on the romance.

Overall, it’s a well balanced read that makes for a good palate cleanser. It reads very easily and the writing flows well.

[Devin The Book Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 50%

This book has such a fun and unique premise, and the writing style is beautiful. I usually love stories with tournaments and a bit of weirdness, so I really thought this would be my kind of book.

But honestly, the humor just wasn’t for me, and some of the plot elements, like the prince trying to avoid becoming a tree, were a little too out there. I usually love weird books, but this one crossed that line for me.

I made it to the halfway point before deciding to put it down. I can see why other readers might love its quirky, surreal vibe, but it just wasn’t a match for me.




Received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I truly love working with St. Martin's. Their releases are always so intriguing.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A guilty pleasure of mine will always be The Bachelor inspired books. So putting one in a fantasy setting is a one way ticket to being an absolutely delightful reading experience for me.

The Swan’s Daughter is a very silly, whimsical, and deeply romantic novel. We follow Prince Arris who has grown up knowing that one day he will most likely be murdered by his wife for power, and his second life will be spent as a sentient tree alongside his predecessors. His only chance of survival is to find true lasting love. Thus, a tournament is held for bachelorettes to compete for his hand and heart. But Arris is unable to distinguish between who is there for love and who for power. That is until he meets Demelza, a veritas swan whose song can pull out the truth from anyone who hears it. They strike a bargain where she will help him find a non-murderous bride in exchange for keeping her safe from her father who wants to kill her for immortality.

There are such unique and complex depictions of love in this story. Both Arris and Demelza are raised by parents who have a very unconventional type of bond. Demelza’s wizard father tricked her mother into love, so that he could control her and use their offspring to conquer the world. However, despite the incredibly cruel foundation of their marriage he truly loves her as well. He is incredibly fond of, and cherishes, his wife and daughters. We see this kind of warring between his heart and his nature. Arris’ mother became his father’s bride with the intention of killing him. However, after falling in love with him she gave up her mission. Through their long years of marriage, she still occasionally tries to kill him as a kind of fond agreement between them.

The romance that blooms between Arris and Demelza is much sweeter and softer than what we see from their parents. They share a connection through their mutual naked want for life. Arris has grown up under the crushing knowledge that he will die young. And so through this, he has tried to live life to the fullest and embrace what he can in his short time. Demelza has never really gotten to live. Completely sheltered by her parents, she grew up watching her sisters come into their own and travel the world. Now that her story has truly begun, she wants to know who she is and discover everything there is.

They both want freedom, in their own way. Their romance, therefore, becomes a point of contention. Surrendering yourself to another is poised as another form of imprisonment. Their parents warn them about the danger of love. How deeply vulnerable it is to bare yourself to another. To give them the dagger that could kill you, to prey on your weaknesses. Everything is a lead up to Demelza and Arris understanding that love may be a surrender, but it is done through a foundation of trust. The choice of giving trust, trust that the other will not harm you. It’s so beautiful to watch because their romance is built upon friendship. Their bargain strips away the typical guarding and hardship of courtship. Instead, they are able to be themselves and learn about each other in a more relaxed environment. And I loved how it’s mentioned that food is a vehicle for love. Being able to nourish someone is the ultimate sign of love. Like how Arris always made food for Demelza. It’s so lovely I could cry.

I do wish we delved more into the world building, it was so intriguing. I couldn’t quite grasp all the different people and cultures, or types of magic. I want to know more!

Side note: Talvi and Yvlle novel next??? I am so deeply invested in their brewing romance and the ending seems to suggest it might be coming. Ice Queen and Necromancer Shadow Princess, what more could I possibly need in my life? The butterflies I was getting from their very brief interactions is making me foam at the mouth for a sequel. I need to start making a folder specially for lesbians with eye patches…

This was so beautiful and just so much fun, I completely devoured it in two sittings. I love Roshani Chokshi’s prose and will continue to read whatever she writes!