Scion of a Swan

by A. R. Stern, Steven Noll (Editor)

Descending from a long line of witches, Daire Delacroix has been practicing magick since she was a witchling, and with the gift to see all magick, her gifts are unparalleled. But when Daire’s mother suddenly falls ill only to perish without a valid diagnosis, Daire grows vengeful and bitter for answers.

Half a year after her death, Daire reintroduces herself into the witch community to celebrate her first Wiccan holiday without her mother. When the Shadow People make an appearance and attack at one of the most renowned Wiccan sabbats, Daire's world starts to fall apart once again.

Now with the Shadows growing violent and haunting Daire, she is determined to destroy them and protect what remains of her family. The deeper she searches the more secrets come to the surface, along with the truth about her mother’s death and her lineage.

Nothing will stop her from unveiling the truth - even when it means walking the line of right and wrong.

358 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2025

About the author

A. R. Stern is an author from Minnesota, blending dark fantasy, horror, and new adult elements in her writing. Her current series, Age of Shadows, showcases her unique style of prose while exploring emotional depth in her stories.

Stern has always found a love and fascination with words and fantastical worlds. She loves to write stories that incorporate real world topics exploring the darker parts of the human psyche and the flame of hope and resilience that resides in all of us. When she isn't writing novels, Stern dabbles in crafting short stories.

In her spare time, she is an avid reader of all genres, enjoys motorcycle rides with her husband, and exploring the outdoors with her pets. She also takes pleasure in cooking, the art of sourdough baking, and meeting with other indie authors, and of course, her readers.

Reviews

[Israh Azizi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ᴀ ꜱᴜʀɢᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ʀᴜꜱʜᴇꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴍᴇ, ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ꜱɪɴɢ. ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ʙᴇɢɪɴꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴜᴢᴢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇʟɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴛᴀꜱᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴋ ᴄᴏᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴇxʜᴀʟᴇ, ꜱʜᴀʀᴘ ᴛᴇɴᴅʀɪʟꜱ ᴏꜰ ʀᴇᴅ ʙᴀʀʙᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏʀᴀɴɢᴇ ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴀʙꜱᴏʀʙɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ. ᴏɴᴄᴇ ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ.
ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ.
ᴍʏ ɴᴇᴡ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ɪꜱ ᴛʜɪꜱ: ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ'ꜱ ʀᴇᴄᴋᴏɴɪɴɢ.— Scion of a Swan by A. R. Stern

A thrilling story with a strong female protagonist who’s not afraid to fight for her loved ones. The world sucked me in with descriptions so detailed I felt I was there right along with the characters. The Shadow beings sent chills down my spine, but even though I wanted our main character to run as fast as possible in the opposite direction, she stood her ground no matter her fear which is such an admirable trait. And what an ending! I’m excited to see where the journey leads in book 2😍

[E.H. Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for something action packed, you'll be waiting until the last act. BUT before that is a lot of suspense and mystery to draw you in and keep you guessing. Along with a very complicated character.

This book was one I had to stop and start a few times. It asked a lot of me as the reader and I sometimes needed a break to process. Be aware Stern is a friend; take my review with your preferred dose of sodium.

[Sydney Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.R. Stern is such an amazing story teller! She keeps you guessing at every page, gets your heart pumping, makes you cry, and makes you angry (in a good way!). This book has been wonderful to read, I cannot wait for book 2 this fall 🤭

[Lindsey Merritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me guessing. I enjoyed the characters and how the story kept you engaged. A good mix of family, mystery, horror and friendship. Excited to read book 2 when it comes out!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scion of a Swan ~ Age of Shadows is A. R. Stern’s debut novel.
I thought the story was good but I got frustrated with the angst and anger of the main character’s personality throughout the whole book. I enjoyed that many of the characters were Pagan.
The story kept me curious to where it was leading and what would happen with the friends being stalked by shadow figures.
When A.R.Stern writes another book I will buy it to see where Book Two will lead. Hopefully the main character will have developed a broader personality but looking forward to some more answers to the mystery set up in the first book.

[Mandy Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me coming back and guessing. Character's were easy to care about theorize about motives. Daire was a strong female lead but still had flaws that kept her human and relatable. The ending left me with questions and theories in a compelling way and I'll be sure to follow up with the next installment.

[Kayla Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read, and I can't wait for the rest of the series. 100% would recommend!