A Snake Among Swans

The Wing and the Ways #1

by Hannah Kaner

The #1 internationally bestselling author of Godkiller begins a bold new fantasy trilogy—a dark tale of warring kingdoms, deadly court politics, female rage, and a wild magic that refuses to be tamed.“Death is come to take you home, death of blood and thorn and bone…”

Tilde has always heard the whispers of the kithwood, the voices of her ancestors speaking through the mysterious forest of her homeland. But now both the kithwood and her kingdom are in danger. For Tilde is the only surviving heir of a conquered land. To finally stop the bloodshed, she must marry the aging Swan King, Liran, and bear him a son.

But the king’s court is dangerous. Tilde is a threat to the claim of Liran’s older sons, who will do whatever it takes to remove her. And her presence stirs conflict in the heart of Liran's daughter, the princess Elise, who has only ever known loyalty to her family.

Yet none of them know that Tilde is a snake in their midst, with allies on her side and dark, forbidden power of her own. She wants her kingdom back, and she will sacrifice everything to claim it.

For the queen to rise, the swans must fall.

A Snake Among Swans marks the explosive start to a new trilogy from the #1 internationally bestselling author of Godkiller—a dark, atmospheric fantasy of power, betrayal, and the cost of choosing love in a world ruled by conquest.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Lesbian, Romantasy, Adult, LGBT, Fiction

Audible Audio

First published September 8, 2026

About the author

Hannah has her heart in Scotland and her roots in the north of England.

Hannah’s trade has always been story telling. From creating and unravelling mysteries in Northumberland with her mates, to annoying the hell out of her supervisors at the University of Cambridge by insisting on comparing Terry Pratchett to Charles Dickens, and studying narrative theory in video games.

 They grudgingly (or joyfully?) gave her a 1st Class degree in English.

​She puts the desire to communicate and challenge into her work in the technology sector, specialising in creating digital tools for hard to reach communities.

Hannah loves the histories and mythologies shared through our cultural histories, the stories we tell ourselves about being human. She also likes stabby swords and angry women.

​

Reviews

[Robin]

that’s not my queen that’s my KING🧎‍♀️‍➡️🧎‍♀️‍➡️🧎‍♀️‍➡️

[Zana]

DNF @ 65%

I want to love Hannah Kaner's books, but they feel very generic or beginner fantasy for someone who has been knee deep in the fantasy trenches since I was a child. I think if I wasn't well read in fantasy, then I might like her books a lot more.

I can see where the author was going with this novel, but every story beat and plot twist felt very predictable. I wish I could love the FMCs, but like the storyline itself, they just felt like they were fulling fantasy archetypes: the royal whose people were conquered and the oppressed daughter of a king.

The worldbuilding is your typical white European fantasy with a kingdom that upholds misogyny and is a proponent of organized religion. And of course, they're out here colonizing like nobody's business. There are other nations who are more accepting of queer folk and magic. Add in some Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon level of (pseudo?) incest and there you have it.

Sadly, the FMCs, the slowburn revenge plotline, the political intrigue, the forbidden magic, or the side characters (so many princes that they felt like one indistinguishable conglomerate) couldn't sustain my interest.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this arc.

[katie 🌙]

didn’t even read the description before adding to tbr if nobody got me I know hannah kaner got me

[Krysta ꕤ]

3.5 ☆

”One day, I would tell my own story. How I made the swans pluck out their own feathers, how I wrung their pretty necks and fed them to each other.”

another book that started off strong & then meandered to no avail in the middle. if it weren’t for the pacing, i would’ve given this book a 4 star. i wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m invested in Tilde or Elise, but i was so curious to see what would happen around them.

i actually did really like Tilde, she falls more under the morally grey category.. words cannot express how much i appreciate that she didn’t let the romance interfere with her initial plan. i couldn’t get a proper read on Elise, her personality was more prone to changing.

the plot of this book is heavily politically focused, but i tend to enjoy watching two warring kingdoms plot & scheme against one another. i will say, I didn’t always understand certain verbiage, but im glad there was a glossary. i need more explanation on the magic too bc most of the time this didn’t even feel like a fantasy. the ending was definitely intriguing too, so let’s see.

➺ many thanks to NetGalley, the author, Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[Hillary (abookishmarriage)]

I support women’s wrongs

This is the most excited I’ve been at the start of an epic fantasy series in…years.

A Snake Among Swans is a remarkable achievement in the fantasy space in 2026: a book reminiscent of the moral complexity and violence of popular series like Game of Thrones that also manages to investigate that morality and violence from a new lense.

Kaner does such excellent character work here that readers will sympathize with the choices of her heroine, Tilde. And yet as we watch her choices throughout the book, we worry she’s becoming a different woman than the one we knew at the start. Even so, in some of the darkest moments, I found myself trying to justify the unjustiable in her defense. That is SKILLED writing.

Think like a king

As the daughter of a conquered “Queen” (King!) Tilde has revenge on the mind. When she is sold at the start of the book to become her enemy’s new bride, she plans for a violent wedding night. But her mother counsels the long game.

Justice is not justice unless the one who wields the sword knows who will wash the blood from the stones.

Let the games begin…

What Tilde does not expect is her husband’s daughter, Elise, a woman with limited choices and strength of her own.

By the end of the book, we are left with the gut-wrenching feeling that our heroines are headed for conflict despite the common challenges they share.

This is where the book truly excels. Kaner explores worlds where violence and patriarchy have destroyed whole cultures and ways of life, where women like Tilde and Elise must shape their responses to that world, but nothing is ever simple and easy. The avenues open to them are not straight and clear. They must compromise, and in doing so, become closer to the monsters they’re trying to outrun.

Unlike series that occasionally revel in violence towards women or queer characters as a dramatic plot device that impacts other characters, this book interrogates how to live in that world and focuses on the characters themselves. They remain fully human and they respond as they must to this world.

Pick up this book, fantasy lovers. It’s incredible.

[Maeghan 🦋]

DNF. Sorry but I can’t do this. It’s been a chore since page 1. My work meeting gave me more than this

[Elizabeth]

A Snake Among Swans (The Wing and the Ways #1) by Hannah Kaner
Book Blurb: An intricate tale of warring kingdoms, female rage and a wild magic that refuses to be tamed.

Rating: ****
Feels: Wonder, Invested, Tense, Smug
Style: Fantasy, Queer, Epic Fantasy
First published September 8, 2026 : 464 pages

Themes & Setting: The true beauty of the way this book approached how systems take advantage of those they see as lesser ! The women of this book and their rebellions, everyone had a plot and everyone wanted something !! So much tension So many power struggles in this book. The feminine rage was truly delicious.
FMC: Tilde is not some wilting flower. She volunteers to go to the wolves and marry the enemy. Can we say morally grey and seeped in the desire to be king (not just a queen.) She is the kind of wild glorious feminine rage filled gal I can get behind !!
Conclusion: Epic feminine rage with political machinations and the realization of a lifetime of strife. This read had that vast fantasy feel with nations moving players about a board for the ultimate goal. The writing style was lyrical and a true pleasure to read. Tilde really spoke to me as she was dismissed as being only good for her womb and was just “wife “. She knew that life was not for her. It was such a treat seeing Tilde take down those who wanted to keep her in “her place .” Very complicated relationships between the characters which I enjoyed watching develop. Overall a very engaging read !!

Favorite Quote: Sometimes, at night, when the air was still, she dreamed she could hear the trees speak.

This book has:
Hidden Power
Feminine Rage
Political Intrigue
Arranged Marriage
Revenge Plotline

[Patrycja]

3.5⭐️

"A Snake Among Swans" is a story of Tilde, the last heir of conquered kingdom. She is forced to marry a powerful Swan King. While living at his court, she must navigate politics and dangerous alliances. In the meanwhile she still desires to regain everything her people have lost.

I did enjoy the book, especially the characters. Tilde was my favourite as she had clear goals and knew what she wanted. She was portrayed as neither hero nor villain, which made her fell realistic. I liked how determined she was, even when she had to make difficult choices.

The relationship between the characters was also well written. They needed to choose between duty, loyalty and their own feelings. These conflicts made the story more engaging.

However, I feel like the pacing wasn't always great. Some parts, especially the middle, felt really slow. It focused more on alliances and politics, than on moving the plot forward. The world-building was good enough to support the plot, but was not very deep. I wanted to learn more about this world and its history.

That said, this was still an enjoyable read with strong characters. I've had a good time reading it and would consider continuing the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Mindy]

“I disappeared into the whisper, the moss and the peace, the roots and thorns and nettle green, the light in branches that I stored in my heart, for I did not want to be anywhere but there. I did not want to see anywhere but home. I did not want to feel anything but power.”

It’s usually really easy for me to write a review about a book I love. I always get this fluttering feeling when a book hits a note that I love, and so I just follow those notes until the end.

But A Snake Among Swans washed over me so completely that I have a hard time putting my feelings into words. It enchanted me from the first page with its forest magic, its tale of war and imperialism, its young, tragically brief sapphic love, and I quickly found myself tumbling into a complex story of longing– for power, for peace, for love, for justice–and the violence that accompanies it. Everything about this book made me feel unsettled by the end, and I loved it for it.

This book is not for the faint of heart. The term “feminine rage” has never seemed so apt to me, and the way this book explores the cycle of violence and trauma, and specifically how women so often bear the brunt of it while being denied the power to stop it, will make you furious.

At the same time, Robin (@literaryrobin) used the word “gender euphoria” to describe this book to me, and I can think of nothing more fitting. It feels a bit odd to say when so much in this book made me so angry and reminded me of how powerless it can feel to be a woman, but Kaner does an incredible job at balancing those feelings with moments that remind the reader of the power they are capable of wielding–and makes you sit and wonder whether you want that sort of power after all.

Both Tilde and Elise burrowed into my heart, and while I found myself gravitating more towards Tilde’s point-of-view at the beginning, Elise’s stuck with me just a tad more by the end. This book employs one first-person and one third-person POV, and I was impressed with just how well we flowed from one to the other. Tilde is such a vibrant figure from the first page, and it’s fitting that she takes the narrative by the throat and makes it her own. Elise, on the other hand, spends much of this book unsure of herself and her place in this world, and the third-person POV suited her journey perfectly.

I am usually drawn to characters and themes above all else while reading, which this book has in abundance, but I was surprised by how much the writing itself struck me. Hannah Kaner clearly has a gift, and I particularly loved the way she was able to describe feelings that are so familiar to me as a woman in this world with the precision of a knife. She is able to write about colonialism and war with equal strength, and I was thrilled by just how complex the politics she’s drawn out in this world are so far, and it’s only book 1.

Hannah Kaner has found a new fan in me by writing this gripping story of power and loss and womanhood, and I truly can’t wait to see what the next book brings. I clearly need to become acquainted with her other work as soon as possible, so you can find me making my way through the Fallen Gods trilogy as I wait for the sequel.

[Bailey Chadwick]

I'm really torn about this book. On one hand, I did like Hannah Kaner's writing style a lot. And I think this was a cool idea for a book. But I don't think the execution was there.

It started out really strong for me. Our FMC sacrifices herself into a political marriage with a truly awful man in order to bring down his kingdom from the inside. But she starts catching feelings for the King's daughter which is definitely not helping her plan to take out the entire bloodline of the family who killed her family.

First 20% of this book? I'm in. I'm sold. This is not a happy-go-lucky book. There's some serious shit happening. I'm preparing to be destroyed.

And then....it didn't do a whole lot.

First off, way too many characters. Tons and tons. And there is a dramatis persona at the beginning of the book. But I struggled with having to flip back and forth. If you do this on audio? Good luck! You're gonna be confused. Some characters had multiple names as well. Their real name, a nickname, and a court title. Not all of them were listed in the glossary. 3 times I flipped back to remind myself who someone was only to not have any info. Or if there was info, it's because this character was being referred to as a court title in this chapter but in other chapters, his real name. I could not keep ANYONE straight and really, really struggled with trying to understand who was betraying who.

The pacing was SLOW. Very slow. And at times nonsensical why our FMC was doing what she did. You know that scene in Doctor Who where the Doctor tells Prime Minster Harriet Jones he could end her political ambitions with six words? And then turns to an aide and says "Dont you think she looks tired?" And then it all comes crumbling down? That's what I was hoping for. Smart, conniving, vicious scheming. Instead we got an FMC who wants to keep certain people alive for no good reason with no real end goal sorted out. She keeps talking about how much power the princess holds....but we are constantly shown how little everyone thinks of the princess. She let's everyone around her scheme and does nothing to puppet master anything to reach her end goal.

Oh, and there's forest magic. A non quantified forest magic that is never explained well or flushed out.

Ultimately, I won't be reading book 2. Which is a shame. Cause the idea was there. I was a very willing participant. And then it disappointed me so much.

[Miranda]

We are living in a golden age of fantasy. Alix Harrow, Tasha Suri, and now, Hannah Kaner. I read and liked Godkiller--her debut, but A Snake Among Swans is on a different level. Godkiller was good, A Snake Among Swans is excellent. It is rich, it is propulsive. Kaner weaves an intricate web of politcal entanglements but so deftly you’re never confused about which faction is which or who is getting stabbed in the back.

When Tilde’s land is conquered, she is the last heir left. She volunteers to wed their aging, deteriorating warlord conqueror, planning to stab him in his sleep and die a martyr to the cause. Instead, she finds an old magic, and realizes that her death will only plunge her people further into the abyss of war. So she chooses to live. As she plays the delicate dance of politics in a court where her allies are few, will she become the tyrant she swore to kill?

Make no mistake, this is a dark, dark fantasy. The magic is bloody; the wars are dirty; pay attention to the trigger warnings at the beginning--Kaner is not here to play. But what a treatise on power, sacrifice, betrayal and aging. For such difficult content, this book went down remarkably easy--I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading.

Recommended for fans of The Jasmine Throne trilogy, King Lear, and all those really messed up German fairytales.

I received an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

[Marie]

New Hannah Kaner book this year??! 🥹😍

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit]

I’ve been waiting to see what Kaner came up with after the smashing success of her “Fallen Gods” trilogy, and this follow-up is everything I had hoped for. I absolutely love the new world, magic system and characters. Tilde and Elise are both women without a lot of choices in a man’s world, and it’s so interesting to see how their characters develop as various choices need to be made. One is a snake, one is a swan.

Tilde agrees to marry the conquering king, and she heads to the palace at the beginning of the story. Add to the mix a plethora of sons the king already has, and Tilde’s task to bear a new prince becomes a significant threat to the existing offspring. Her life is constantly in danger, and her allies are few and far between.

There is a fair amount of politicking and court intrigue throughout the book, but that’s a given in this type of setting, and the scheming is necessary to understand everyone’s motives. Some readers may consider those parts boring, but I found them to be vital to the plot.

The ending is shocking, and I am beyond impatient to read more, more, and more of these characters. I’m not sure if this is intended to be a trilogy, but I sure hope so!

4.5 stars, rounded up.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an advance copy. I am writing this review entirely voluntarily.

[zara]

4.25/5 stars

if you like game of thrones you'll probably like this too (and this has been debated over and over again between me and oomf so we're correct!) genuinely so mind blowing. the more i read the more shit hits the fan and TILDE! one of my new fav characters i love her and her determination and brutality. she always stands on business

[Genoveva Dimova]

Hannah Kaner has outdone herself with this one. This is the sort of complex, political epic fantasy where everyone is a little bit morally grey, and where everyone has their own complicated loyalties and motivations. Tilde is a superb main character. At the start of the story, she is a young woman forced into a marriage she doesn't want with the aging conqueror of her land - by the end of it, she is a deft political player. And while watching her grow into her new role felt satisfying, and all her choices felt justified, there was definitely a tinge of corruption to her character arc. Princess Elise, our second POV character, starts out softer, meeker, and more pliable - but I'm looking forward to seeing her come into her own in the next book. I'm also very intrigued by how the magic in this book works through sacrifice, and I'm curious how this will develop in the next instalment. Overall, I'd recommend this to everyone who enjoys their epic fantasy on the darker, grittier side, with a good helping of politics.

[Andi]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 | 4.25 stars rounded down

I loved the Godkiller trilogy by Hannah Kaner, so I was so hyped to read the start of her new trilogy!

A Snake Among Swans is dark epic fantasy that is brimming with deadly court politics and VERY complex characters. I loved reading both Tilde's and Elise's POVs and getting to witness them lean into their rage (and brutality in some cases 👀).

This book took me about 15% to really get into because there are so many moving parts and the world building is dense - but once I was in, I was IN. I read some of the book on my e-reader and some on audio, and Amy McAllister is a truly phenomenal narrator. Both formats were excellent!

I will definitely be reading the next installment.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager for the eARC via NetGalley and LibroFM for the ALC!

[Mela]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a dark and unsettling fantasy and I could not put it down.

Tilde is the princess of a fallen kingdom and she is set to marry Liran, her country’s conqueror king. The court is a mess of intrigue between Liran’s sons fighting with each other and trying to get rid of Tilde. Will Tilde be able to have a child herself and get revenge for her country? Or will she fail due to her impulsive personality?

This book took me by surprise. I generally have a very difficult time relating to grey characters, but thanks to Kaner’s writing I was able to understand Tilde’s actions and feel for her. The political intrigue was fun to follow, although the princes were a mess. Elise was also an interesting character, I did really like her growth through the story, but I did wish she had a different ending. Overall I did enjoy the ending though, it tied everything perfectly. I loved the author’s previous series and this one did not disappoint, this was entirely different from her previous works but so so good. This is definitely a super dark story so please check trigger warnings because some scenes are graphic. I feel like if you like “the poet empress” this story might be perfect for you.

[Lea]

Themes & Sparks: dark epic fantasy, sapphic fantasy, inspired by The Wild Swans by Hans Chrsitian Andersen, a feast of female rage and power, wonderful trans and queer rep, whispered alliances and unapologetic enmities, intrigues and betrayals hidden in every corner, beautiful and wonderfully detailed descriptions of the different regional styles and colours of garments

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner is the first book in an an epic dark sapphic adult fantasy trilogy that tasted like a grand feast of female rage and power.

Inspired by the literary fairytale “The Wild Swans” by Hans Christian Andersen, Hannah Kaner crafted a world in which women could be kings in one country, hunted for witchcraft in another, and used as a vessel in the eye of faith in yet another one.

All of which, creating the catalyst for a tragic, merciless and brutal story of revenge. Tilde’s story of revenge, to be precise, a princess turned queen, who had to make sacrifices that butchered one’s heart, but who still ruthlessly and cunningly slithered into a fragile court, its stolen stone halls echoing with both whispered alliances and unapologetic enmities.

Intertwined into this, whilst both contrasting and leaning into the Andersen fairytale, I loved how we explored the dark and twisted past of the Cynghal ruling family throughout the story and how the intrigues and betrayals, hidden in every corner, created moments that made me reminiscent of the family dynamics in House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones. On that note, I also adored how cleverly Hannah Kaner incorporated the fairytale into the religious foundation of the Cynghal family and government they represented by threading and forcing the faith of The Swan, through the daily life and every decision of its people. In contrast to that, there was the sentient wild forest, whose ancient magic never stopped stirring or choosing certain individuals to wield its brutal but demanding powers.

Additionally, something that particularly stood out to me in regard to the world building, was how important of a role clothing and its connection to the different regions and countries played. I believe many people forget how deeply clothing is rooted in our own lives, histories and cultures. So, to see an author taking their sweet time to give the reader beautiful and wonderfully detailed descriptions of the different regional styles and colours of garments as well as their adornments and fabrics, was just brilliant.

Lastly and unsurprisingly for a Hannah Kaner novel, A Snake Among Swans was steeped in beautiful prose that saturated every description and conversation in deep layers of anger, yearning, hatred, love, mercy and cruelty. This prose also wound its way into the heart-aching sapphic romance of this novel, which I won’t go into too deeply, so that you all can experience what it means to lose your guard and to welcome what you always knew would feel like one thing and one thing only…the fangs and poison of a snake.

Thank you so much to Harper Voyager or the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren]

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

A Snake Among Swans is so good that I didn't even realise it was a fairytale retelling until the last chapter of the book. Hannah Kaner's Instagram promises HOTD season 1 meets Princess Monokoke, and it was blurbed by Samantha Shannon, so expectations were set very high, and this book does not disappoint. It is astonishingly different from Godkiller, and reads more like Game of Thrones, or Daughter of the Forest than anything else published recently. This is not a light read -it is unflinching, deliciously gory, and full of gorgeous medieval fashion. (God I love a cotehardie.) The myriad of characters and allegiances made my brain work hard to keep up with everything in the best way possible. I will be anxiously awaiting the next one.

[Vanessa Hermanns]

First and foremost, a huge thank you to Harper Voyager/Harper Collins for the ARC! Receiving one genuinely makes my entire day. I walk around buzzing with excitement like I’ve just been handed something precious. Which is exactly why it stings so much when a DNF happens.

All the cry face emojis. Every single one.

I DNF’d A Snake Among Swans at 36%, and I genuinely tried to push through, but it just wasn’t for me. The writing feels a little dry, which isn’t my usual vibe. I am also a girl who simply cannot function without a magic system. It’s a need. A requirement. Non-negotiable terms of my reading contract.

The world building is relatively robust, but the story leans heavily into politics, and that particular flavor of political intrigue just didn’t land for me. I love an arranged marriage trope, like, genuinely, give me all of it, but unfortunately this one fell flat.

The sapphic romance subplot had such a promising setup and I was rooting for it, but I wasn’t connected enough to the characters to really invest in where it was going. That disconnect was probably the final nail.

Also, there are a LOT of people to keep track of. Brothers, sisters, cousins, staff, priests, my head was spinning trying to sort out who was who and why I should care about any of them.

This one just wasn’t for me, but I hope it finds its readers, especially those who love politics-heavy fantasy and don’t require a magic system to feel at home in a world.

[hailee]

thank you to the publisher for the arc. all opinions are my own.

“The truth has always been in you; its roots are in your bones.”

this was my first impression of this author and, let me say, i am thoroughly impressed. i was immediately sucked into this world of political machinations and twisted families and horrible patriarchies and strong, resilient women.

“There is more to my mind than you might imagjne, and more to my strength than I have let you see. My fate is not yours to choose for me.”

this book is, obviously, the epitome of female rage. this story explores the various ways women are oppressed within organized religion, governments, society as a whole, within families, etc. while also exploring the various ways women challenge this oppression however they can, in both “small” and larger ways.

this book also, to me, further reiterates the need to dismantle the belief behind & the reliance on the expression “boys will be boys.” the way that the atrocious acts committed by boys in this story are swept under the rug, dismissed completely, or turn the blame on blameless women…. GOD I WAS SO FRUSTRATED (which, yes, is the point but still).

i really enjoyed our two main characters, but i especially liked being in elise’s perspective. it was fascinating to me to see the way this woman, who grew up in the very heart of this toxic patriarchal environment, reacted to the events of the story. i appreciated how realistic the author made her in the sense that completely changing your beliefs and idealizations does not happen overnight. it takes time and effort and is a long, difficult road.

i also loved tilde and my heart ached for her. she was also fascinating to read about, particularly the way her ruthlessness develops and how she continued to do right by her people and country in the best way she could, given her circumstances.

the two magic systems/beliefs in this world were pretty cool, though i’ll be honest and say that i was more interested in the scheming and court politics.

while overall i found this to be fantastic, there were a few parts in the middle section of the book that dragged a bit and i found that some of the writing choices, for me personally, were a bit claggy and took me out of the story at times.

[Kim (readerbydusk)]

In a kingdom full of swans, it turns out the snake is the one with the most interesting story.

Tilde is the last living heir to her kingdom after the brutal slaughter of her kin years ago, and she’s been hearing the whispers of the mysterious kithwood. To secure her kingdom’s survival, she marries ageing King Liran with the sole purpose of producing an heir. It’s a setup ripe for political manoeuvring, and as a huge fan of politics woven into fantasy, I was immediately hooked.

One of my favorite parts of this book is how it allows women to exist as women actually do: complicated and deep, hard and soft, selfish and loving, angry and vulnerable. Tilde and Elise are two very different women raised in warring courts, ultimately forced together by circumstances far bigger than either of them. Their differences and parallels are fascinating on paper, and conceptually I loved what the author was doing.

But emotionally I wasn’t fully taken by their relationship. I’m a huge fan of yearning, and I wanted a much slower burn.

The magic system is genuinely interesting. It could be more fleshed out, but it makes sense that it isn’t yet as there’s clearly more to uncover in the next instalment(s).

All in all, this was a solid read with two complex women at its center. Even with my reservations about the relationship pacing, I enjoyed the experience and rounded my 3.5 up to 4 stars.

↪ 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley Sawyer]

Thank you to Hannah Kaner and Harper Voyager for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tilde, the daughter of a conquered king, has nothing but revenge and blood on her mind. After being sold into marriage with the enemy following his wife’s death, she and her mother put a plan into motion that could help them reclaim what was taken from them. Tilde and a few trusted allies enter the enemy court with one goal in mind: tear it apart from within. And that is where the mind games, schemes, and power struggles begin.

My King Tilde! 👑 This book has so many elements that I love in fantasy: warring kingdoms, plots within plots, feminine rage, and a romance that never changes the characters’ motives. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the power struggle as Tilde leads the charge to overtake King Liran from within his own court. Watching her navigate the court while trying to figure out who she could trust made this such an interesting read.

If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up!

[Angela]

4.5
This slayed so hard and still gets 4.5 stars despite the glaring and numerous punctuation and editorial errors <3
But this was truly so awesome and written so well. If you like political high fantasies plz read this you won’t regret it. I know for a fact this book will not get the hype it deserves so consider me hyping it big time

[AndaReadsTooMuch]

Fans of The Serpent Queen, have I got a book for you! This was MAGNIFICENT! Filled with political intrigue, living magic, corrupt religion, machinations left and right… a sapphic romantic interest, and oh, the double crossing. It’s absolute perfection.

This is not a romantasy. It’s bloody. It’s brutal. It’s cold, unfeeling, and at times filled with gore. It’s plots upon plots, twists on twists, moves on moves, and every day is a fight to survive. This is high fantasy at its finest. You are vaulted into a world where the only way to survive is to sell your hand to the enemy and hope against hope you’ll be able to bring his poisoned reign down around him.

Hannah Kaner paints such a vivid picture, you can’t help bull fall through the pages with Tilde as she struggles to survive in, well let’s face it, calling it a hostile environment is an understatement.

I found myself reading slower and slower as I got towards the end because I just didn’t want to let it go. I wanted to stay with Tilde just a bit longer to see what she would become. And friends, I was not disappointed.

Mark your calendars, A Snake Among Swans comes out September 8. You are definitely going to want to clear your TBR for this one.

Bonus: Illumicrate’s selection for August was the special edition of this title and OMG it is gorgeous! The sprayed edges, reversible dust jacket, and the art on the inside covers is spectacular.

Five twisty, sneaky snakes for this beauty.

Huge thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Katie]

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Harper Voyager for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: war, trauma, violence, self harm, rape and sexual violence, references to body horror and miscarriage

Tilde is the last heir of a conquered kingdom, one that sits on the edge of the wild kithwood, a mysterious forest where the voices of her ancestors echo and banned magic lurks. She has always heard their whispers, asking her to join them amongst the trees. In order to stop further bloodshed, Tilde agrees to marry King Liran, the aging warlord, and bear him another (more impressive) son. Pulled from the life she knows and placed within the Swan King’s court, where his other sons wage war against each other from within their factions, Tilde is immediately a threat to their claim for the throne. Determined to remove her at any costs, the sons enlist their sister, the often forgotten Princess Elise to damage Tilde’s reputation. Elise has only ever known her limited life, she’s deeply loyal to her family and committed to her religion that says women have a certain place. Tasked by Liran to aid his new wife, Elise is faced with the impossibly defiant Tilde and soon comes to learn that the Swan Court’s ways aren’t everything. At the centre of everything is a promise sworn by Tilde to her mother before she left home: she will destroy the Swan King and his heirs at any cost, using her dark and forbidden magic in the process- even if it means breaking her own heart.

This book is a brilliant piece of dark fantasy, mixing politics, religion and misogyny into a massively compelling and twisting story I couldn’t put down. Literally every moment is significant and each scene adds something new to the characters- from Tilde’s first sapphic love to Elise being cut off from the written word as a child- meaning I was constantly reevaluating them. Both POV characters are engrossing and I alternated between despairing at their choices and adoring every moment with them. Tilde is a beautiful main character, she’s self sacrificing and deeply brave but faces such terrifying choices ahead of her: to marry and be the mother to his child or to murder him on their wedding night, knowing it will be her end. I loved her connection to the kithwood even if she knows less about it than she should and how it whispers to her. Elise is a very different character to Tilde but I adored her especially as she unlearns everything she knows gradually over the book. I really connected to her grief for her lost mother, her anger at the way her male relatives treat her and the way her dyslexia has been used against her. Her complex relationship with her family- particularly her father- defines so much of her character, I loved how we see her mistakes and their consequences and the way that changes her. Neither of these women are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, they’re so complex and the world they’re in is brutal. I loved how gender is used in ‘A Snake Among Swans’- Elise is forced into the mould of what the Swans think a woman should be (loyal, obedient, silent) despite the growing confusion and frustration she’s feeling; at the same time we have Tilde, who would have been King of her realm if it hadn’t fallen to the Swan’s occupation. The magic system of this book was a particular favourite part for me, I loved how Tilde’s people carry nature so deeply inside of them. One scene halfway through the book with a huge thorn wall was so beautifully written but destructive at the same time. I liked seeing the Swans faced with something so terrifying and realising they can’t control everything. ‘A Snake Among Swans’ is an epic opener to a new trilogy dealing with very dark subject matter and powerful, very human characters. Definitely read the triggers first but I loved it.

[Izzy⁷♡•°]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I truly love books that feel like sitting in dirt and dead leaves and 'A Snake Among Swans' really delivered on that front. To me the writing was the strongest element of this story, everything felt so vivid and the ambience was really wonderfully done, I specially loved the parts set in the woods and that translated really well into the magic and folklore of this world.

Now this book is very gruesome and dark, the plot is very minimal and much more focused on the political intrigue and when things do happen it's mostly horrific things, so that is your warning to what kind of story you are getting yourself into.

After how this book ended I'm really excited to see in which direction the author decides to take us, because technically the story did have an "end", I'm curious to see the exploration of what I asume will be the maintenance of a cycle of violence.

I will just point out that I was really on board with the romantic subplot until the final act of the story, I don't think we development their dynamic enough to enlist the last feelings of loyalty and devotion that where depicted however, I cannot wait or even fathom where book two will takes us.

Overall I think this book will find its audience, if you prefer character driven stories over plot, because there isn't really much of it and the beats of it aren't really that innovative, if you have read quite a bit of fantasy. That being said the writing and character work, specifically Tilde, is where this book shines.

[Stephanie]

Oh, I LOVE the concept of this book. The plot is just so delicious: high stakes, court intrigue, family drama, forbidden romance, feminine rage... GIVE ME ALL OF IT.

Tilde, our main character, is married off to an aging king to safeguard her family and kingdom, and I really enjoyed the premise of her story. There’s so much anger simmering underneath everything, especially in the way she’s forced to navigate power, duty, and the expectations placed on her as a woman.

That said, I wish there had been a little more nuance to her character. At times, she felt more like a familiar fantasy archetype than a fully fleshed-out person: the royal whose people were conquered and the oppressed daughter of a king. I wanted to see more of the contradictions and complexities that made her uniquely her.

My biggest struggle, though, was the writing. It’s undeniably lyrical, but sometimes it felt like there was so much description and embellishment that I just wanted to scream, “OKAY, BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?” I think the story would have had a stronger impact for me with a slightly tighter prose style that let the plot take centre stage.

Because the plot itself? Amazing. The intrigue, the family dynamics, the tension... there’s so much here that I enjoyed, and I’d absolutely come back for book 2

[julia ｡･:*˚:✧｡]

3.5⭐️

Overall I liked this, but I think the pacing felt off, especially in the beginning. For a loooong time absolutely nothing happens. Which is fine, especially considering Tilde is essentially alone and powerless in her enemy's court. BUT she wasn't even thinking about planning anything. She was just... there.

Elise pissed me off. She literally was swinging between mega stupid/naive and plotting/intelligent and I feel like the story could never decide whether she had two brain cells to rub together or not. I started liking her towards the last, like, quarter of the book and then she was so stupid and naive in a chapter that she started pissing me off again.

Both of these points were fairly minor complaints in the grand scheme of things but overall I just thought this was... fine. Not my favourite by a long shot but I'm not mad I read it (and the illumicrate edition of it is stunning!).

[Kayla T (kaylabobayla)]

A strong recommendation if you are looking for warrior female rage, court intrigue and dark betrayals, all entwined with a sapphic element!

This was such a surprise read for me. Not at all a romantasy, the themes are truly best described by the author herself: “This is not a fairytale, but it has the shape of one. This is not a love story, but it has the yearning of one. This is not a battle cry, but the war is never over”.

The story is not a lighthearted read. Truly, the dark content caught me off guard, and I do recommend checking trigger warnings. However this also lends itself to being completely unpredictable, which I enjoyed!

The author weaves a story full of intricate court manipulation, a ruthless conqueror succumbing to madness, mystical nature and pagan elements, and at its heart two women navigating their separate systemic marginalization and positions, fighting to change their circumstances - ultimately at a harrowing cost. The characters are numerous, the plot tense. This was not the story I was expecting, but I really enjoyed that!

Thank you to Hannah Kaner, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!