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The Wing and the Ways #1
A Snake Among Swans
A dark and propulsive new epic fantasy from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Fallen Gods trilogy. An intricate tale of warring kingdoms, 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 unite the people and finally stop the bloodshed, she marries the aging warlord, King Liran. Her duty is to bind their nations and bear him a son.
But the swan 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, to the princess Elise who has only ever known loyalty to her family, and to the priests who own them all.
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.
“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 unite the people and finally stop the bloodshed, she marries the aging warlord, King Liran. Her duty is to bind their nations and bear him a son.
But the swan 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, to the princess Elise who has only ever known loyalty to her family, and to the priests who own them all.
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.
448 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 8, 2026
About the author
Hannah Kaner
6 books2,307 followersHannah 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
Did Not Finish
July 23, 2026DNF @ 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.
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.
July 17, 2026
that’s not my queen that’s my KING🧎♀️➡️🧎♀️➡️🧎♀️➡️
Want to Read
January 6, 2026didn’t even read the description before adding to tbr if nobody got me I know hannah kaner got me
August 6, 2026
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
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
Read
June 18, 20263.5⭐️
"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.
"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.
August 10, 2026
“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.
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.
Want to Read
April 14, 2026New Hannah Kaner book this year??! 🥹😍
July 15, 2026
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.
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.
July 27, 2026
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.
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.
August 10, 2026
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.
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.
May 19, 2026
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.
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.
Did Not Finish
April 27, 2026First 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.
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.
July 2, 2026
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.
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.
August 2, 2026
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.
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.
May 24, 2026
Thank you Net Galley for an Arc of A Snake Among Swans. I was very excited for his book, Hannah Kaner is an instant buy author for me.
My first thoughts are that I wish I could have had a physical copy so I could easily reference the map and dramatis personae. This book is very intricate and it really helped having those references on who is who and where territories are. It is difficult in the begining keeping track of how this world is built but if you push through it does get easier and you will be captivated. I also hope to use the audiobook to help pronounce some of the names because this world is intricate. Next I enjoyed how much the book references and pulls in aspects of The Wild Swans fairy tale. The religion, the mention of swan lines, the royal family and 13 children. The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing. The world is fantastic and there is a lot of political intrigue. A conquering nation who is bringing the world under one rule and our FMC Tilde is offered as a bride to form a truce and save her people. This book is very heavy because war is going on, but it pulls you in and you become immersed into the politics, the intrigue, and the rooting for a rebellion. But be warned in war there is always sacrifices that must be made and this book is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of sabotage and so many political maneuverings that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Elise-
She is the daughter of the Swan King. Elise seems quiet and a caretaker for her brothers. She has been relegated to the side lines by her family and now is being pulled out to be a companion to her new stepmother. She has to bite her tongue in so many situations, but I can feel how much it costs her and when she erupts it will be glorious. Her brothers are ruthless and they underestimate Elise because she is a female and has been ignored by her father and not offered the same education and standing as her brothers.
Tilde- She is strong, brave, and has experienced much loss in her life. It has hardened her and made her headstrong into plotting against the King. Her anger is felt, but now that she is married to the Swan King she has to be strategic and cunning. She has to watch as her people continue to be mistreated and she is in the middle of a nest of hissing and biting swans. One wrong move and she will go down with her people.
The romance in this book to me was a small part compared to the plot and what else is going on in the book which I enjoyed and appreciated. It felt like a tease right now and hopefully in more books the romance will grow and blossom, but this was the perfect start to their story. Right now it is a forbidden teasing of want between Elise and Tilde. The attraction, small touches, and stolen moments make you want them to be together, but to overcome being married to a king and a kings daughter is going to be a challenge and I can’t wait to see what happens.
That ending!!! I have my mouth on the floor. What a cliff hanger and what is going to happen. I need book 2 now. Stunning, perfection, I loved it so much!
My first thoughts are that I wish I could have had a physical copy so I could easily reference the map and dramatis personae. This book is very intricate and it really helped having those references on who is who and where territories are. It is difficult in the begining keeping track of how this world is built but if you push through it does get easier and you will be captivated. I also hope to use the audiobook to help pronounce some of the names because this world is intricate. Next I enjoyed how much the book references and pulls in aspects of The Wild Swans fairy tale. The religion, the mention of swan lines, the royal family and 13 children. The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing. The world is fantastic and there is a lot of political intrigue. A conquering nation who is bringing the world under one rule and our FMC Tilde is offered as a bride to form a truce and save her people. This book is very heavy because war is going on, but it pulls you in and you become immersed into the politics, the intrigue, and the rooting for a rebellion. But be warned in war there is always sacrifices that must be made and this book is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of sabotage and so many political maneuverings that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Elise-
She is the daughter of the Swan King. Elise seems quiet and a caretaker for her brothers. She has been relegated to the side lines by her family and now is being pulled out to be a companion to her new stepmother. She has to bite her tongue in so many situations, but I can feel how much it costs her and when she erupts it will be glorious. Her brothers are ruthless and they underestimate Elise because she is a female and has been ignored by her father and not offered the same education and standing as her brothers.
Tilde- She is strong, brave, and has experienced much loss in her life. It has hardened her and made her headstrong into plotting against the King. Her anger is felt, but now that she is married to the Swan King she has to be strategic and cunning. She has to watch as her people continue to be mistreated and she is in the middle of a nest of hissing and biting swans. One wrong move and she will go down with her people.
The romance in this book to me was a small part compared to the plot and what else is going on in the book which I enjoyed and appreciated. It felt like a tease right now and hopefully in more books the romance will grow and blossom, but this was the perfect start to their story. Right now it is a forbidden teasing of want between Elise and Tilde. The attraction, small touches, and stolen moments make you want them to be together, but to overcome being married to a king and a kings daughter is going to be a challenge and I can’t wait to see what happens.
That ending!!! I have my mouth on the floor. What a cliff hanger and what is going to happen. I need book 2 now. Stunning, perfection, I loved it so much!
June 21, 2026
HANNAH KANER WHEN I CATCH YOU HANNAH KANER
This book was a true, bonafide tour de force.
If you love politicking and courtly maneuvering, A Snake Among Swans is the book for you. Kaner is an expert at crafting richly political worlds, and this new series is no different. This world and these characters do not operate within the dichotomous binary of "good" and "evil" - they cover every shade of morally Pantone grey in between, and the story was all the more complex and nuanced as a result.
This will not be a book for everyone, but it was CERTAINLY the one for me - it is slow-moving and there's a steady power creep that lurks beneath every interaction. There are very few grand "battle" scenes, and the romance is a VERY minor subplot. If I had to describe this book in any which way, it would be by drawing a parallel to a chessboard - every player is trying to outmaneuver and win one out over the others, consequences and fallout be damned. Each person is holding their cards close to their chest and donning their best poker-face lest they risk losing their hard-won power, which is the highest form of currency in such a regimented and hierarchical society.
Oh and lest I forget the sapphics - truly the icing on top of the gorgeous, decadent cake that is this book.
Please heed that this is a VERY heavy book in terms of content. Note (some) of the trigger warnings below. I have left some out due to concerns over story spoilers.
Sexual assault, extreme violence (including graphic deaths of children), misogyny, homophobia, parental and spousal abuse.
This book was a true, bonafide tour de force.
If you love politicking and courtly maneuvering, A Snake Among Swans is the book for you. Kaner is an expert at crafting richly political worlds, and this new series is no different. This world and these characters do not operate within the dichotomous binary of "good" and "evil" - they cover every shade of morally Pantone grey in between, and the story was all the more complex and nuanced as a result.
This will not be a book for everyone, but it was CERTAINLY the one for me - it is slow-moving and there's a steady power creep that lurks beneath every interaction. There are very few grand "battle" scenes, and the romance is a VERY minor subplot. If I had to describe this book in any which way, it would be by drawing a parallel to a chessboard - every player is trying to outmaneuver and win one out over the others, consequences and fallout be damned. Each person is holding their cards close to their chest and donning their best poker-face lest they risk losing their hard-won power, which is the highest form of currency in such a regimented and hierarchical society.
Oh and lest I forget the sapphics - truly the icing on top of the gorgeous, decadent cake that is this book.
Please heed that this is a VERY heavy book in terms of content. Note (some) of the trigger warnings below. I have left some out due to concerns over story spoilers.
Sexual assault, extreme violence (including graphic deaths of children), misogyny, homophobia, parental and spousal abuse.
July 30, 2026
Hannah Kaner’s A Snake Among Swans follows two narratives; Tilde, a Merogian and now the newly married Queen of Cynghal, and Elise, the only surviving daughter of the King of Cynghal. Tilde has a slim chance of surviving in her new court, she is a threat to the several sons who stand to inherit the kingdom, to the priests of the The Wing who call her a heretic for her links to the kithwood, and to Elise who is a loyal to a fault. But, Tilde will stop at nothing to wield the power she is owed alongside its kingdom.
Compared to Godkiller, the prologue was FANTASTIC. It sets up the action quickly and helps determine who Tilde is, what she is motivated by and her values.
The Merogians are a matriarchy, and call their female ruler King (which is a huge box tick for me). Kaner is talented in subverting the norm and making the reader accept it; I never questioned the choices. With all fantasy books, you need some worldbuilding, but I never felt dogged down by info dumping. I love a book that makes me adjust my way of thinking in order to understand factions, religions, royalty because it’s so different from my normal way of life. It’s the sign of a great fantasy book for me.
The magic system of druidim was fun to read, I love a nature-based magic. Alongside the brutality of the human characters throughout the novel, seeing the brutality of nature against the humans that destroy it was the divine smite I needed. AND THE FEMALE RAGE I LOVED IT. Tilde is ruthless, powered by vengeance but never oversteps despite what might befall her. Everything is calculated which I love seeing in a female character. She has a plan and is going to enact it, no matter who or what it takes.
Between the two narratives, Elise’s chapters were easier to digest at first but I did question whether this was a product of me being able to understand the politics of court set out in Tilde’s). From Elise, her perception of the world and the palace are shaped by the full male cast of characters that surround her. Her father and many brothers are growing into men who care only about violence and conquering, whereas Elise just wants the small freedoms she cannot have as a woman.
The character growth from both Elise and Tilde is what truly sets this book apart from others. Tilde is motivated by hurt and betrayal; she is ripped from her kingdom to become the simpering queen of a tyrant King. However, she grows into her position. As queen, we truly start to see her confidence grow and her plotting start to take form. She becomes the true King Tilde she was destined to be. Elise, too, grows a backbone!! She too is motivated by hurt and betrayal, and feels no sense of belonging in the kingdom she was born into. We learn she can wield a weapon, can speak up after living a life of silence in court, and can bring her own plots into fruition.
Seeing these two women bond and their relationship grow was so well done. They can’t stay away from each other. Tilde knows what she wants from the beginning and Elise discovers new parts of herself because of and with Tilde. AND I loved that by the end, it wasn’t a traditional love-plot, Tilde stuck to her guns and Elise had to make a decision that would change her direction in life. (One of the bigger conversations between the two of them reminded me of Ser Criston Cole asking Rhaenyra to run away with him and eat oranges…like sir? She has a kingdom to collect).
Whilst some parts in the middle lost me, by the end I understood why certain scenes were included and plot points played out. As someone who lives for a good book around courtly drama, I really enjoyed it. And I bow before King Tilde 🧎🏻♀️
thank you to HarperFiction/Netgalley for the arc!
Compared to Godkiller, the prologue was FANTASTIC. It sets up the action quickly and helps determine who Tilde is, what she is motivated by and her values.
The Merogians are a matriarchy, and call their female ruler King (which is a huge box tick for me). Kaner is talented in subverting the norm and making the reader accept it; I never questioned the choices. With all fantasy books, you need some worldbuilding, but I never felt dogged down by info dumping. I love a book that makes me adjust my way of thinking in order to understand factions, religions, royalty because it’s so different from my normal way of life. It’s the sign of a great fantasy book for me.
The magic system of druidim was fun to read, I love a nature-based magic. Alongside the brutality of the human characters throughout the novel, seeing the brutality of nature against the humans that destroy it was the divine smite I needed. AND THE FEMALE RAGE I LOVED IT. Tilde is ruthless, powered by vengeance but never oversteps despite what might befall her. Everything is calculated which I love seeing in a female character. She has a plan and is going to enact it, no matter who or what it takes.
Between the two narratives, Elise’s chapters were easier to digest at first but I did question whether this was a product of me being able to understand the politics of court set out in Tilde’s). From Elise, her perception of the world and the palace are shaped by the full male cast of characters that surround her. Her father and many brothers are growing into men who care only about violence and conquering, whereas Elise just wants the small freedoms she cannot have as a woman.
The character growth from both Elise and Tilde is what truly sets this book apart from others. Tilde is motivated by hurt and betrayal; she is ripped from her kingdom to become the simpering queen of a tyrant King. However, she grows into her position. As queen, we truly start to see her confidence grow and her plotting start to take form. She becomes the true King Tilde she was destined to be. Elise, too, grows a backbone!! She too is motivated by hurt and betrayal, and feels no sense of belonging in the kingdom she was born into. We learn she can wield a weapon, can speak up after living a life of silence in court, and can bring her own plots into fruition.
Seeing these two women bond and their relationship grow was so well done. They can’t stay away from each other. Tilde knows what she wants from the beginning and Elise discovers new parts of herself because of and with Tilde. AND I loved that by the end, it wasn’t a traditional love-plot, Tilde stuck to her guns and Elise had to make a decision that would change her direction in life. (One of the bigger conversations between the two of them reminded me of Ser Criston Cole asking Rhaenyra to run away with him and eat oranges…like sir? She has a kingdom to collect).
Whilst some parts in the middle lost me, by the end I understood why certain scenes were included and plot points played out. As someone who lives for a good book around courtly drama, I really enjoyed it. And I bow before King Tilde 🧎🏻♀️
thank you to HarperFiction/Netgalley for the arc!
August 14, 2026
CUNNING. CLEVER. COLLECTED. CALCULATED.
First off, Hannah Kaner’s writing in the Godkiller series was incredible, so as soon as I knew a new series from her was slithering its way towards us, I knew I’d be picking it up.
A Snake Among Swans is definitely a different direction, and a much darker exploration of fantasy, power and ambition. Tilde is a woman who has been thrust into a situation not of her making, but she’ll be damned if she lets it define her.
What I particularly loved was how cleverly Kaner writes Tilde and Elise. There’s so much thought behind the way their characters are constructed, their motivations and the choices they make. You’re constantly questioning who you can trust, what people really want, and whether you’re seeing the full picture. Kaner is incredibly clever at planting little details and letting the characters’ actions speak for themselves, rather than simply telling us who they are.
Tilde’s plans and plots are captivating, and what makes her so interesting is that Kaner never tries to make her the perfect hero. She isn’t necessarily on the “right” side, but she’s certainly not a damsel waiting to be rescued either. She is unapologetically herself, knows exactly what she wants and, more importantly, knows exactly how she intends to get it.
And honestly….. I loved that about her.
There’s something incredibly compelling about a character who doesn’t need to be morally perfect to be fascinating. Tilde is ambitious, calculating and fiercely determined, and watching her navigate the world around her had me constantly wondering what she would do next.
Another brilliant read from Hannah Kaner: darker, cleverer and completely captivating. 🐍🦢
If you enjoyed Godkiller, don’t go into this expecting more of the same… but absolutely go into it expecting Hannah Kaner to give you characters you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve put the book down.
First off, Hannah Kaner’s writing in the Godkiller series was incredible, so as soon as I knew a new series from her was slithering its way towards us, I knew I’d be picking it up.
A Snake Among Swans is definitely a different direction, and a much darker exploration of fantasy, power and ambition. Tilde is a woman who has been thrust into a situation not of her making, but she’ll be damned if she lets it define her.
What I particularly loved was how cleverly Kaner writes Tilde and Elise. There’s so much thought behind the way their characters are constructed, their motivations and the choices they make. You’re constantly questioning who you can trust, what people really want, and whether you’re seeing the full picture. Kaner is incredibly clever at planting little details and letting the characters’ actions speak for themselves, rather than simply telling us who they are.
Tilde’s plans and plots are captivating, and what makes her so interesting is that Kaner never tries to make her the perfect hero. She isn’t necessarily on the “right” side, but she’s certainly not a damsel waiting to be rescued either. She is unapologetically herself, knows exactly what she wants and, more importantly, knows exactly how she intends to get it.
And honestly….. I loved that about her.
There’s something incredibly compelling about a character who doesn’t need to be morally perfect to be fascinating. Tilde is ambitious, calculating and fiercely determined, and watching her navigate the world around her had me constantly wondering what she would do next.
Another brilliant read from Hannah Kaner: darker, cleverer and completely captivating. 🐍🦢
If you enjoyed Godkiller, don’t go into this expecting more of the same… but absolutely go into it expecting Hannah Kaner to give you characters you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve put the book down.
July 24, 2026
Now this is what I call an epic fantasy. Though there aren’t really battles taking place on the page, we get to see far reaching impacts of events, political tensions, a slow descent towards monstrosity - all without straying from only two narrators. Two narrators who are extremely gay, just by the way.
Kaner doesn’t shy away from the brutality of conquerors; we hear of torture and enslavement, constantly shifting allegiances, betrayals, violence begetting violence. And we see how ill prepared for it both Tilde and Elise are, despite being brought up in its shadow.
Because most of the focus of the story is on the political/religious tension between the factions of the conquerors, it feels a little slow, particularly in the beginning. But Tilde’s transformation is extremely compelling (I always love a monstrous woman), and since we’re tuned into her mind, we know exactly how difficult each choice down the road to monstrosity is for her.
Elise makes a very good foil for her. Raised with and by monsters but left behind by a sexist culture that won’t empower women, she is content to languish in solitude. Until Tilde breaks her cage and opens her world. But Elise and Tilde have such different perspectives and goals that it can’t stay sunshine and rainbows for long.
I’ll be very interested to see where things go from here (and if there will be a time jump between books one and two…)
{Thank you HarperVoyager for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
Kaner doesn’t shy away from the brutality of conquerors; we hear of torture and enslavement, constantly shifting allegiances, betrayals, violence begetting violence. And we see how ill prepared for it both Tilde and Elise are, despite being brought up in its shadow.
Because most of the focus of the story is on the political/religious tension between the factions of the conquerors, it feels a little slow, particularly in the beginning. But Tilde’s transformation is extremely compelling (I always love a monstrous woman), and since we’re tuned into her mind, we know exactly how difficult each choice down the road to monstrosity is for her.
Elise makes a very good foil for her. Raised with and by monsters but left behind by a sexist culture that won’t empower women, she is content to languish in solitude. Until Tilde breaks her cage and opens her world. But Elise and Tilde have such different perspectives and goals that it can’t stay sunshine and rainbows for long.
I’ll be very interested to see where things go from here (and if there will be a time jump between books one and two…)
{Thank you HarperVoyager for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
Did Not Finish
August 14, 2026First off thank you netgalley for the arc!
DNF this one at 40% and it was a hard choice for me to not fully finish since I do want my arc reviews to be fair to the whole book!
By all accounts this book is something I should love, we've got strong fmc who is choosing to fight to her people and her family to try and take back control from a tyrannical lord. But I was completely unprepared for the level of abuse and cruelty I was going to run into. Obviously I was expecting some of it, its clearly part of the struggle of the book. But personally, I could not deal with it. I decided I needed to quit reading when I felt physically ill from the casual cruelty being displayed.
I skipped ahead to the end to try and decide if it was something I would be willing to push through for. While I think the ending of this book will be satisfying for some, I didnt feel it wort it for me, especially with it being only the first book.
I may circle back to this down the road when there are more books that I wont have to wait for, but until then, not for me.
DNF this one at 40% and it was a hard choice for me to not fully finish since I do want my arc reviews to be fair to the whole book!
By all accounts this book is something I should love, we've got strong fmc who is choosing to fight to her people and her family to try and take back control from a tyrannical lord. But I was completely unprepared for the level of abuse and cruelty I was going to run into. Obviously I was expecting some of it, its clearly part of the struggle of the book. But personally, I could not deal with it. I decided I needed to quit reading when I felt physically ill from the casual cruelty being displayed.
I skipped ahead to the end to try and decide if it was something I would be willing to push through for. While I think the ending of this book will be satisfying for some, I didnt feel it wort it for me, especially with it being only the first book.
I may circle back to this down the road when there are more books that I wont have to wait for, but until then, not for me.
August 18, 2026
3,75/5 rounded up
"It is one thing to kill a king. Another to undo an empire"
This book was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I really loved the Fallen Gods trilogy, so I couldn’t wait to dive into another story crafted by Hannah Kaner.
Let’s start by saying that this is a completely different book from Godkiller. This is a dark and twisted fantasy, with a plot centered around court intrigue—and let’s just say that the politics were politicking a lot in this one. It’s full of power struggles and scheming, which made it very captivating.
I really like vengeance plots, especially when the author really sticks to them. The writing was also very good.
Now, let’s talk about what bothered me a bit. I didn’t really connect with, nor did I really care about, either of the two main characters. And it saddens me a lot because I thought the cast of Fallen Gods was the real highlight of the trilogy. I get that Tilde is probably not a character you’re meant to really root for, because she’s very much morally grey (like, very much), but I don’t know, I just didn’t care about her that much.
But I’ll definitely read the next book!
"It is one thing to kill a king. Another to undo an empire"
This book was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I really loved the Fallen Gods trilogy, so I couldn’t wait to dive into another story crafted by Hannah Kaner.
Let’s start by saying that this is a completely different book from Godkiller. This is a dark and twisted fantasy, with a plot centered around court intrigue—and let’s just say that the politics were politicking a lot in this one. It’s full of power struggles and scheming, which made it very captivating.
I really like vengeance plots, especially when the author really sticks to them. The writing was also very good.
Now, let’s talk about what bothered me a bit. I didn’t really connect with, nor did I really care about, either of the two main characters. And it saddens me a lot because I thought the cast of Fallen Gods was the real highlight of the trilogy. I get that Tilde is probably not a character you’re meant to really root for, because she’s very much morally grey (like, very much), but I don’t know, I just didn’t care about her that much.
But I’ll definitely read the next book!
July 27, 2026
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 4.25 stars.
What a dark and brilliant read! This took me by surprise, I did not know what our FMC Tilde would be like when she makes this sacrifice as a bargaining chip a.k.a new wife to the opposing king, but she surprised me and yeah I’m not sure I like her, but I can admire her guts and intelligence throughout.
Now another pivotal character Elise, she is the daughter to the king and I think I found her to show so much growth and loyalty throughout even if things were constantly changing for her.
With the arrival of Tilde it throws the balance of the court and it’s royalty completely into chaos, there’s a fantastic level of scheming and cruelty, but a sub plot with seduction and romance that fires up the little optimist in me that everything may work out. The game is really just getting started I feel and in a 2nd book I think we will see the mettle of our characters and what lengths they can sink to in order to hold on to what they hold dear and desire.
What a dark and brilliant read! This took me by surprise, I did not know what our FMC Tilde would be like when she makes this sacrifice as a bargaining chip a.k.a new wife to the opposing king, but she surprised me and yeah I’m not sure I like her, but I can admire her guts and intelligence throughout.
Now another pivotal character Elise, she is the daughter to the king and I think I found her to show so much growth and loyalty throughout even if things were constantly changing for her.
With the arrival of Tilde it throws the balance of the court and it’s royalty completely into chaos, there’s a fantastic level of scheming and cruelty, but a sub plot with seduction and romance that fires up the little optimist in me that everything may work out. The game is really just getting started I feel and in a 2nd book I think we will see the mettle of our characters and what lengths they can sink to in order to hold on to what they hold dear and desire.
June 12, 2026
Thank you to Harper Voyager for the eARC!
A Snake Among Swans was a tough read, often times very unflinching in its brutality, but it also was a really well built epic fantasy that has me super excited for the next book.
Think of Game of Thrones had sapphic lead characters and you’ll get a feel for this. There was a lot of political movement and drama, warring familial factions, and LOTS of betrayal. Kaner also creates two magic systems that are both very dangerous in different ways that impact the world. Tilde and Elise were fantastic FMCs and I loved the dual POV we got from both of them to see each side of their upbringing and perspective.
My main gripe is that the cast of character is pretty large, but luckily there is a guide at the beginning and with a physical copy I think that’ll allow people to flip back and forth more easily than I was able to on my kindle lol
Overall, this is a dark fantasy that really gets you in the heads of some morally questionable characters who are willing to do anything to secure the throne. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs!
A Snake Among Swans was a tough read, often times very unflinching in its brutality, but it also was a really well built epic fantasy that has me super excited for the next book.
Think of Game of Thrones had sapphic lead characters and you’ll get a feel for this. There was a lot of political movement and drama, warring familial factions, and LOTS of betrayal. Kaner also creates two magic systems that are both very dangerous in different ways that impact the world. Tilde and Elise were fantastic FMCs and I loved the dual POV we got from both of them to see each side of their upbringing and perspective.
My main gripe is that the cast of character is pretty large, but luckily there is a guide at the beginning and with a physical copy I think that’ll allow people to flip back and forth more easily than I was able to on my kindle lol
Overall, this is a dark fantasy that really gets you in the heads of some morally questionable characters who are willing to do anything to secure the throne. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs!
May 29, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book!
A Snake Among Swans was a tough read for me for a few reasons. From the blurb I expected the kithwood and wild magic to have more of a place within this story, but there’s hardly any fantasy aspect to this at all. It’s very much about court politics, which I don’t usually enjoy. It’s hard for endless conversations and paranoia to keep my interest.
Unfortunately I didn’t find the main characters particularly likeable, which also contributed to my difficulty getting through this. There are very strong themes of misogyny and religious extremism. This story is also very graphically gory and over-the-top violent. I’m sure some people will enjoy this book, but for all of these reasons, this just wasn’t my cup of tea.
A Snake Among Swans was a tough read for me for a few reasons. From the blurb I expected the kithwood and wild magic to have more of a place within this story, but there’s hardly any fantasy aspect to this at all. It’s very much about court politics, which I don’t usually enjoy. It’s hard for endless conversations and paranoia to keep my interest.
Unfortunately I didn’t find the main characters particularly likeable, which also contributed to my difficulty getting through this. There are very strong themes of misogyny and religious extremism. This story is also very graphically gory and over-the-top violent. I’m sure some people will enjoy this book, but for all of these reasons, this just wasn’t my cup of tea.
July 2, 2026
“I was past longing for death. I had chosen power. I was no martyr.”
Hannah Kaner is a master of her craft — this I already knew, yet time and time again, she proves that she can always outdo herself. A Snake Among Swans was an outcry of rage in a world so silenced; Kaner kicks off her newest trilogy with the suffocated fury of two young women: Tilde, and Elise.
Tilde is the heir to Merogia, the kingdom whose rich history has long been stifled in the aftermath of the Swan Kingdom’s forced conversion. And, the kingdom she needs to protect when she turns herself into the hands of her enemies. Tilde is sure of her ways. She is confident in who she is and what she believes in, but the tempest of her rival court is enough to fester even her resolve, and soon, she isn’t sure if the martyrdom she dreamed of is enough to conquer her enemy.
Elise is princess of the Swan Kingdom, the kingdom whose ways of imperative compliance have smothered the lives of women across its domain. Elise carries the pained naïveté of a young woman who has long been shut out by the ways of the world, she suffers in silence and dreams of a life of her own. As the tides of change turn her life upside down, she has to reckon with the growing sensation that her religion, her life, may not be as pure as she was made to believe.
Together, they forge paths to the freedom they both desire, but soon, they realize the lives they had been dreaming of might not leave their hands as clean as they had hoped.
It was not an easy journey, it was costing and cruel, but it made it all the more compelling to continue. Betrayals were strewed left and right, the corruption of power apparent in even the characters we root for. The complexity of this world will have you question the morality of not only the character’s lives, but our own as well.
If the Godkiller Trilogy was a battle cry, A Snake Among Swans is a cacophony of screams of women’s rage left so long silenced. Kaner’s writing in this is a beast of its own. She knows how to envelop the reader in the worlds she creates; the atmospheres she weaves feel so raw and real, and the emotions she evokes are so potent it almost feels as if you can grasp them. A Snake Among Swans tackles lots of difficult topics, but rather than them being briefly mentioned and cast off, Kaner lets their ragged edges shape the story and its characters, honing its fervor into something powerful and lethal.
While the religion of The Wing was a heavy hand, it also made for one of the most entrancing romances I’ve read. The constant weighing of religion and sin made Tilde and Elise’s shared moments addicting; it is a story of sapphic love in a world where it cannot be told, and it makes their bond even more beloved.
In a world so grand and vast as this, there is no doubt that with the continuation of this series, the already mighty story will be taken to a whole new level. A Snake Among Swans was the grand beginning to The Wing and the Ways series, with hard-bitten protagonists and a smoldering sapphic romance, it is certain to be on the shelves of many readers for years to come.
Huge thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the early copy!!
Hannah Kaner is a master of her craft — this I already knew, yet time and time again, she proves that she can always outdo herself. A Snake Among Swans was an outcry of rage in a world so silenced; Kaner kicks off her newest trilogy with the suffocated fury of two young women: Tilde, and Elise.
Tilde is the heir to Merogia, the kingdom whose rich history has long been stifled in the aftermath of the Swan Kingdom’s forced conversion. And, the kingdom she needs to protect when she turns herself into the hands of her enemies. Tilde is sure of her ways. She is confident in who she is and what she believes in, but the tempest of her rival court is enough to fester even her resolve, and soon, she isn’t sure if the martyrdom she dreamed of is enough to conquer her enemy.
Elise is princess of the Swan Kingdom, the kingdom whose ways of imperative compliance have smothered the lives of women across its domain. Elise carries the pained naïveté of a young woman who has long been shut out by the ways of the world, she suffers in silence and dreams of a life of her own. As the tides of change turn her life upside down, she has to reckon with the growing sensation that her religion, her life, may not be as pure as she was made to believe.
Together, they forge paths to the freedom they both desire, but soon, they realize the lives they had been dreaming of might not leave their hands as clean as they had hoped.
It was not an easy journey, it was costing and cruel, but it made it all the more compelling to continue. Betrayals were strewed left and right, the corruption of power apparent in even the characters we root for. The complexity of this world will have you question the morality of not only the character’s lives, but our own as well.
If the Godkiller Trilogy was a battle cry, A Snake Among Swans is a cacophony of screams of women’s rage left so long silenced. Kaner’s writing in this is a beast of its own. She knows how to envelop the reader in the worlds she creates; the atmospheres she weaves feel so raw and real, and the emotions she evokes are so potent it almost feels as if you can grasp them. A Snake Among Swans tackles lots of difficult topics, but rather than them being briefly mentioned and cast off, Kaner lets their ragged edges shape the story and its characters, honing its fervor into something powerful and lethal.
While the religion of The Wing was a heavy hand, it also made for one of the most entrancing romances I’ve read. The constant weighing of religion and sin made Tilde and Elise’s shared moments addicting; it is a story of sapphic love in a world where it cannot be told, and it makes their bond even more beloved.
In a world so grand and vast as this, there is no doubt that with the continuation of this series, the already mighty story will be taken to a whole new level. A Snake Among Swans was the grand beginning to The Wing and the Ways series, with hard-bitten protagonists and a smoldering sapphic romance, it is certain to be on the shelves of many readers for years to come.
Huge thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the early copy!!
July 22, 2026
°❀⋆ A Snake Among Swans .ೃ࿔*:･
★ ★ ★ ★
'For the queen to rise, the swans must fall.'
A Snake Among Swans is a new epic fantasy from the author of Godkiller, crammed full of political intrigue, courtly manoeuvrings and morally ambiguous characters who very much toe the line between good and evil. At its heart, it is a tale of two women, Tilde and Elise, whose lives have both been shaped by the warmongering that has torn Tilde's kingdom apart. The disgraced Merogian princess, eaten alive by rage at the death of her two siblings and father, forges a marriage alliance to her aged conqueror King Liran. Pledging vengeance for her country, she schemes to slay the swan king in their marriage bed.
Only, when Tilde and her retinue arrive at court, she discovers that it might not be that simple; Liran's death would simply set into motion a fierce and brutal succession war and the end of the Merogian line. Instead, Tilde finds herself in a foreign court surrounded by enemies who would rather see her dead than bear the king a son. The only person half-sympathetic to her is the king's daughter Elise, ever-loyal to her family but finding herself torn between brothers jostling for her father's throne.
There is a hint of magic in the kithwood, whose whispers Tilde has heard all her life, but the focus is very much on the court and the characters. There is a part of me that wishes the forest magic had been more developed but I suspect this is something we'll see more of in subsequent books. This book is definitely a slow burn - and I don't just mean that with regards to the romance. The plot requires patience (and quite a lot of brain power too, I admit. The dramatic personae listed at the start was very much needed as there are a lot of players.)
Speaking of the romance, it is very minimal... but the crumbs we got! I am a sucker for a really complex, very often toxic relationship in my high/epic fantasy - another that comes to mind is Saffron and Levan in Silvercloak (even more so in the sequel Turncloak). I like my lovers to be on opposite sides of wars and factions, battling between their loyalty to their family/country/ideology and their heart, and this is very much where Elise and Tilde's relationship lies.
This is a dark, realistic depiction of a kingdom torn apart by war. It's visceral, often uncomfortable, and Kaner's writing does credit to the heavy subject matter. If you've been craving an atmospheric medieval fantasy, this will satisfy in spades. Kaner has clearly put a lot of thought into the word building - everything from the clothing, food and religion reflects the contrasting cultures of the kingdom meshed together. And I didn't even realise this was a fairytale retelling until the very last chapter, which is always testament to an author's skill at breathing new life into reimaginings. (Side note: I've read two retellings of the Six Swans fairytale in the month of July completely by accident - this and Daughter of the Forest, of which I also have a review up on the blog if you're interested. I think the only other retelling I'm aware of is Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, so maybe I need to end the month with that, just to complete the triad?)
If you enjoyed the grittiness of the Poet Empress, I think you'd similarly enjoy this. As I've mentioned, it was heavy on the political intrigue, but this one is definitely worth the investment in my opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the digital ARC! A Snake Among Swans is out September 8th.
Read my full review at the blog
★ ★ ★ ★
'For the queen to rise, the swans must fall.'
A Snake Among Swans is a new epic fantasy from the author of Godkiller, crammed full of political intrigue, courtly manoeuvrings and morally ambiguous characters who very much toe the line between good and evil. At its heart, it is a tale of two women, Tilde and Elise, whose lives have both been shaped by the warmongering that has torn Tilde's kingdom apart. The disgraced Merogian princess, eaten alive by rage at the death of her two siblings and father, forges a marriage alliance to her aged conqueror King Liran. Pledging vengeance for her country, she schemes to slay the swan king in their marriage bed.
Only, when Tilde and her retinue arrive at court, she discovers that it might not be that simple; Liran's death would simply set into motion a fierce and brutal succession war and the end of the Merogian line. Instead, Tilde finds herself in a foreign court surrounded by enemies who would rather see her dead than bear the king a son. The only person half-sympathetic to her is the king's daughter Elise, ever-loyal to her family but finding herself torn between brothers jostling for her father's throne.
There is a hint of magic in the kithwood, whose whispers Tilde has heard all her life, but the focus is very much on the court and the characters. There is a part of me that wishes the forest magic had been more developed but I suspect this is something we'll see more of in subsequent books. This book is definitely a slow burn - and I don't just mean that with regards to the romance. The plot requires patience (and quite a lot of brain power too, I admit. The dramatic personae listed at the start was very much needed as there are a lot of players.)
Speaking of the romance, it is very minimal... but the crumbs we got! I am a sucker for a really complex, very often toxic relationship in my high/epic fantasy - another that comes to mind is Saffron and Levan in Silvercloak (even more so in the sequel Turncloak). I like my lovers to be on opposite sides of wars and factions, battling between their loyalty to their family/country/ideology and their heart, and this is very much where Elise and Tilde's relationship lies.
This is a dark, realistic depiction of a kingdom torn apart by war. It's visceral, often uncomfortable, and Kaner's writing does credit to the heavy subject matter. If you've been craving an atmospheric medieval fantasy, this will satisfy in spades. Kaner has clearly put a lot of thought into the word building - everything from the clothing, food and religion reflects the contrasting cultures of the kingdom meshed together. And I didn't even realise this was a fairytale retelling until the very last chapter, which is always testament to an author's skill at breathing new life into reimaginings. (Side note: I've read two retellings of the Six Swans fairytale in the month of July completely by accident - this and Daughter of the Forest, of which I also have a review up on the blog if you're interested. I think the only other retelling I'm aware of is Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, so maybe I need to end the month with that, just to complete the triad?)
If you enjoyed the grittiness of the Poet Empress, I think you'd similarly enjoy this. As I've mentioned, it was heavy on the political intrigue, but this one is definitely worth the investment in my opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the digital ARC! A Snake Among Swans is out September 8th.
Read my full review at the blog
August 17, 2026
A Snake Among Swans tells the story of Tilde, a Merogian young woman who is marrying the Cynghal king to soothe the political tensions between their warring kingdoms. The swan king's court, however, with all of the king's sons who'd like to be the sole heir themselves, is a challenging environment to be in for Tilde, who would prefer to just get rid of the king and give freedom back to the snake kingdom. Elise, the swan king's only surviving daughter, also has a tough time dealing with Tilde's intrusion into court and with her brothers' greed for power. Add in a religion that also wants to take control of the kingdom, and we have the perfect recipe for a plot full of conniving, backstabbing, and betrayal through which Tilde and Elise need to find a way to survive.
I had absolutely no expectations going into this story, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find a solid political fantasy with a bunch of morally grey characters. This book is told in dual pov through the eyes of Tilde and Elise. It was interesting to note that one is told in first person and the other in third person, which I found a peculiar choice but made it easy to keep both women apart. I also needed a bit of an adjustment period to get used to the writing style.
The worldbuilding is very extensive. There's quite a bit of travel throughout the story, which gives us a good sense of different parts of the world. There is also a whole court involved into the political machinations, so you can expect a lot of names and titles, which left me sometimes struggling to keep characters apart. The kingdoms have an element of magic to them, of which I would have liked to see a lot more. Especially the druidim, which was quite intriguing with its heavy cost.
The Cynghal kingdom is one that doesn't put much stock in women, and you could just feel Tilde's rage surrounding this suppression dripping from the pages. This story is brutal from start to finish, so definitely beware of this when going into it. I've also seen people talk about this book as a romantasy, but do not go into this book expecting a romantasy. This is a highly political epic fantasy, and I fear many people will be left disappointed when they go in expecting something completely different.
To some, this story might not feel like there is a whole lot going on in terms of action scenes or fast pacing, but I personally was very much enthralled with all the political machinations and backstabbing and just flew through this whole book. In my opinion, Hannah Kaner did a great job of setting up this world for an epic overarching story, and I'm excited to see what comes next.
Big thanks to Harper Voyager for providing me with an e-arc via NetGalley!
I had absolutely no expectations going into this story, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find a solid political fantasy with a bunch of morally grey characters. This book is told in dual pov through the eyes of Tilde and Elise. It was interesting to note that one is told in first person and the other in third person, which I found a peculiar choice but made it easy to keep both women apart. I also needed a bit of an adjustment period to get used to the writing style.
The worldbuilding is very extensive. There's quite a bit of travel throughout the story, which gives us a good sense of different parts of the world. There is also a whole court involved into the political machinations, so you can expect a lot of names and titles, which left me sometimes struggling to keep characters apart. The kingdoms have an element of magic to them, of which I would have liked to see a lot more. Especially the druidim, which was quite intriguing with its heavy cost.
The Cynghal kingdom is one that doesn't put much stock in women, and you could just feel Tilde's rage surrounding this suppression dripping from the pages. This story is brutal from start to finish, so definitely beware of this when going into it. I've also seen people talk about this book as a romantasy, but do not go into this book expecting a romantasy. This is a highly political epic fantasy, and I fear many people will be left disappointed when they go in expecting something completely different.
To some, this story might not feel like there is a whole lot going on in terms of action scenes or fast pacing, but I personally was very much enthralled with all the political machinations and backstabbing and just flew through this whole book. In my opinion, Hannah Kaner did a great job of setting up this world for an epic overarching story, and I'm excited to see what comes next.
Big thanks to Harper Voyager for providing me with an e-arc via NetGalley!
July 30, 2026
This is officially one of my new favourite books of all time and easily my favourite read of the year - this hooked me from the prologue and I don’t think it will ever release me from its claws (and I’m very happy to stay trapped)🥲
Every single word of this novel just shows how talented of a writer Hannah Kaner is, especially when it comes to her writing style. Every single sentence was so beautiful and it all flowed so naturally - the metaphors and imagery all helped make this story come alive masterfully (don’t get me started on the fact that Elise referred to herself using so many bird-related metaphors at the beginning and it slowly started lessening the further we got into the story- I’m sick at how fucking smart that was🫠)
The story begins with such a bang, and the ensuing events are just as intense; watching the way Tilde’s and Elise’s stories and character arcs morphed in the face of this was so well done.
The themes and storylines for all the characters were so highly emotional and devastating - I was constantly sad and angry and righteous on all of these women’s’ behalves, and it made it so easy for me to connect to all of them, and they’re truly some of my favourite characters ever!
Watching Tilde learn to manipulate the court and the web of politics was so much fun and the you can truly see how her character developed over the course of the story.
Elise’s POV and development was just as incredible - seeing first-hand the way she has been manipulated by both her family and the religion of the Wing was so heartbreaking, but I loved seeing her discover herself outside of these.
The romance was everything I wanted it to be!!!! Pls give me wrist-touches and hand-kisses over smut any dayyyy oh my god I ate it up🧎♀️
This was a very dark story, and Hannah truly didn’t shy away from the gory truths of war and its aftermath and I loved how real and emotional this made everything, even if I was sick to my stomach at times…
The magic system of the Ways was so unique and creative and I loved it and can’t wait to see more of it in book 2🙏
Every single moment of this was incredible, and the way all the pieces fell into place in that last 10%… I still get giddy every time I think about it but I’m also devastated and need book 2 as soon as possible🫠
Overall, this book was nothing short of a masterpiece and I feel so grateful that it came into my life and that I got to love and connect with it so much🥹🫶
Tysm Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC <3
Every single word of this novel just shows how talented of a writer Hannah Kaner is, especially when it comes to her writing style. Every single sentence was so beautiful and it all flowed so naturally - the metaphors and imagery all helped make this story come alive masterfully (don’t get me started on the fact that Elise referred to herself using so many bird-related metaphors at the beginning and it slowly started lessening the further we got into the story- I’m sick at how fucking smart that was🫠)
The story begins with such a bang, and the ensuing events are just as intense; watching the way Tilde’s and Elise’s stories and character arcs morphed in the face of this was so well done.
The themes and storylines for all the characters were so highly emotional and devastating - I was constantly sad and angry and righteous on all of these women’s’ behalves, and it made it so easy for me to connect to all of them, and they’re truly some of my favourite characters ever!
Watching Tilde learn to manipulate the court and the web of politics was so much fun and the you can truly see how her character developed over the course of the story.
Elise’s POV and development was just as incredible - seeing first-hand the way she has been manipulated by both her family and the religion of the Wing was so heartbreaking, but I loved seeing her discover herself outside of these.
The romance was everything I wanted it to be!!!! Pls give me wrist-touches and hand-kisses over smut any dayyyy oh my god I ate it up🧎♀️
This was a very dark story, and Hannah truly didn’t shy away from the gory truths of war and its aftermath and I loved how real and emotional this made everything, even if I was sick to my stomach at times…
The magic system of the Ways was so unique and creative and I loved it and can’t wait to see more of it in book 2🙏
Every single moment of this was incredible, and the way all the pieces fell into place in that last 10%… I still get giddy every time I think about it but I’m also devastated and need book 2 as soon as possible🫠
Overall, this book was nothing short of a masterpiece and I feel so grateful that it came into my life and that I got to love and connect with it so much🥹🫶
Tysm Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC <3
August 11, 2026
A huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I really wanted to love this one. The premise had SO many things I normally enjoy: conquered kingdoms, dangerous court politics, shifting alliances, morally grey characters, sapphic tension, forbidden magic and enough backstabbing to cue Reigns of Castamere.
And honestly? There are parts of this book that I really appreciated. Hannah Kaner’s writing is beautiful, and I especially loved all the imagery and symbolism surrounding the snakes and swans. There’s something really clever about the way those motifs weave themselves through the story and its characters. The political plotting was also undeniably well done. Nobody seemed capable of having a conversation without secretly plotting three betrayals ahead, and I respect that commitment!!
Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting through this one… My biggest issue was that I just… didn’t care... About the characters, about their relationships, or even about where the plot was ultimately heading. And when a book is this focused on political manoeuvring, you REALLY need to be invested in the people doing the manoeuvring.
I also think I needed more romance. The sapphic relationship is definitely there, but for me it never quite had enough emotional weight to make me desperately invested in it. Give me more yearning! More tension! I’d loved to see more of the age-gap romance that was inevitably there written out. But maybe that’s just me.
That said, I can completely see why other readers would completely love this. If you love epic fantasy that prioritises political intrigue over action, enjoy morally grey characters making increasingly questionable choices, and want your sapphic romantasy served with a generous side of court scheming, this could very much be your book.
It just turns out that I apparently need my political scheming with a little more romance and a lot more emotional investment 🤭
And honestly? There are parts of this book that I really appreciated. Hannah Kaner’s writing is beautiful, and I especially loved all the imagery and symbolism surrounding the snakes and swans. There’s something really clever about the way those motifs weave themselves through the story and its characters. The political plotting was also undeniably well done. Nobody seemed capable of having a conversation without secretly plotting three betrayals ahead, and I respect that commitment!!
Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting through this one… My biggest issue was that I just… didn’t care... About the characters, about their relationships, or even about where the plot was ultimately heading. And when a book is this focused on political manoeuvring, you REALLY need to be invested in the people doing the manoeuvring.
I also think I needed more romance. The sapphic relationship is definitely there, but for me it never quite had enough emotional weight to make me desperately invested in it. Give me more yearning! More tension! I’d loved to see more of the age-gap romance that was inevitably there written out. But maybe that’s just me.
That said, I can completely see why other readers would completely love this. If you love epic fantasy that prioritises political intrigue over action, enjoy morally grey characters making increasingly questionable choices, and want your sapphic romantasy served with a generous side of court scheming, this could very much be your book.
It just turns out that I apparently need my political scheming with a little more romance and a lot more emotional investment 🤭
July 27, 2026
Some books take a little time to sink their claws into you… and then suddenly you realize you’re completely trapped in their world. This was one of those books.
It took me a little while to settle into the writing style and the sheer amount of names and characters playing a part. But once everything clicked… I was locked in.
The longer I spent reading in one sitting, the deeper I fell into this dark, haunting world of political scheming and court intrigue. I really loved getting both our FMCs’ POVs and watching their individual journeys unfold alongside the main storyline.
This is very different from the fantasy I usually gravitate towards, but I ended up loving it a lot. It’s dark, sapphic, atmospheric, occasionally gory, and filled with fascinating lore. The magic felt unique and eerie, and I personally adored all the bird and snake symbolism woven throughout the story.
Trust the process with this one. If you can push through that initial learning curve of getting to know the court and all its moving pieces, you’re rewarded with an epic fantasy full of plotting, sacrifices, shifting loyalties, and betrayals. (Because let’s be honest… what would epic fantasy be without at least one betrayal? Just maybe not the one you’re expecting.)
The final 20% had me absolutely glued to the pages. The stakes were sky-high, the tension was incredible, and I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. Now I desperately need to know what happens next.
If you love larger casts, political fantasy, intricate court politics, rich lore, and stories that slowly sink their claws into you before refusing to let go, I highly recommend picking this one up. Give yourself a little time to get your bearings because once you’re in, you’re in.
Needless to say, I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel.
Thank you to Harper Voyager for the eARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
It took me a little while to settle into the writing style and the sheer amount of names and characters playing a part. But once everything clicked… I was locked in.
The longer I spent reading in one sitting, the deeper I fell into this dark, haunting world of political scheming and court intrigue. I really loved getting both our FMCs’ POVs and watching their individual journeys unfold alongside the main storyline.
This is very different from the fantasy I usually gravitate towards, but I ended up loving it a lot. It’s dark, sapphic, atmospheric, occasionally gory, and filled with fascinating lore. The magic felt unique and eerie, and I personally adored all the bird and snake symbolism woven throughout the story.
Trust the process with this one. If you can push through that initial learning curve of getting to know the court and all its moving pieces, you’re rewarded with an epic fantasy full of plotting, sacrifices, shifting loyalties, and betrayals. (Because let’s be honest… what would epic fantasy be without at least one betrayal? Just maybe not the one you’re expecting.)
The final 20% had me absolutely glued to the pages. The stakes were sky-high, the tension was incredible, and I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. Now I desperately need to know what happens next.
If you love larger casts, political fantasy, intricate court politics, rich lore, and stories that slowly sink their claws into you before refusing to let go, I highly recommend picking this one up. Give yourself a little time to get your bearings because once you’re in, you’re in.
Needless to say, I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel.
Thank you to Harper Voyager for the eARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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