A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams

by Dax Murray

This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B074D7CGT1

For as long as Katya can remember, her partner Ivan, a powerful sorcerer, has given her anything she's ever wanted. Life is simple, until soldiers escorting Princess Yi Zhen enter the magical woods they call home. When Ivan captures the princess and demands Katya watch over her, she reluctantly agrees, entering a dark web of political grudges spanning centuries. Katya soon finds herself falling for the captive princess — and is pretty sure the princess is into her, too. To make matters worse, Yi Zhen is betrothed to a roguish princen who's made it their mission to set her free. As forces rally to rescue Yi Zhen or go to war, Katya must take measure of her own powers and decide what she is willing to sacrifice. Will she retreat to the safety of what's familiar or give up everything she knows to spread her wings and fly?

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Lesbian, Retellings, LGBT, Romance, Polyamory

320 pages, ebook

First published October 20, 2017

About the author

Dax Murray is a software engineer by day but fights demons and writes queer fantasy by moonlight. Dax writes worlds where being queer is not remarkable, and futures are held in the hands of the many instead of the few. Dax can often be found listening to the same seven songs on repeat, or getting way too into a video game. Dax is owned and operated by feir two cats. Fey currently resides in Washington, DC.

Reviews

[✨ jami ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's the year 2018 and u still haven't quite been able to fill the hole in your heart from your childhood where rewatching Barbie's The Swan Lake everyday used to be or is that just me ??

"I do not have a type! I am a type. I am the mysterious maiden who will not let anyone get close, who tempts people yet holds them at bay. I'm a siren who leads people toward their doom, the swan song of a love that never could be. I am the beautiful Fairy Queen, the entrancing witch in the forest who is lethally beautiful and forever out of reach."

I have been so looking forward to reading this book ever since it was pitched to me on twitter. It's a queer retelling of Swan Lake with a polyamorous ship. I love Swan Lake a lot, it's one of my favourite stories, and adding more fantasy elements + queer relationships to it sounded ideal. Overall I liked reading this, I just didn't LOVE it.

I am only going to make this a quick review of pros and cons because I do not have a LOT to say so lets get into it

Pros

- Swan Lake Elements: I really liked how this adapted and interpreted Swan Lake. It was both original and also had so many hallmarks of the story I loved. I also really liked some of the influences that the story had on the worldbuilding.

- Queerness: so this follows three main characters: Katya who is bisexual, Alexis who is non-binary and Zhen who is Asian and bisexual. The main ships are f/f and f/nb. There is also other polyam characters mentioned, lesbian and asexual side characters and more. I loved the queer focus in this world and how natural and embedded queerness was here. It's nice to have fantasy worlds that aren't focussed on reinforcing the gender binary and heterosexuality.

- Good set up: I loved the first 50% of this book. The set up with the characters and world was great. I also really liked how the dynamic was set up between Katya and Ivan and how the warring factions within the kingdom were set up. I flew through the first 50%. The pacing was also great throughout and there was lots of things happening.

Cons

- Characters: I personally didn't feel very attached to many of the characters. I liked all of them but I wasn't particularly invested and it made it kind of hard to root for them. I don't feel like I got to know much about these characters, even though this book was nearly 300 pages which is not EXTREMELY short

- Romance: While I loved the ship set ups, the romance was a little rushed for my preference. I really like slow burn and if this was on a scale this is more on the insta-love side (it's not insta-love, but the romance happens pretty quickly). Without super setting up the romance I never feel that engaged or invested

- Didn't stick the landing: While I loved the first 50%, the next 50% didn't work as well for me. I felt this book set up the beginning so well and created all this intrigue and then the last 50% was kind of rushed. The ending was pretty unsatisfying to me, although I do love that it had a happy ending where all the ships work out.

Overall this was fun and definitely unique! I don't think I've read any fantasies that incorporate queerness to this length so it was really nice to see. While it wasn't my favourite book by any means, I liked reading it and would recommend if you're looking for a Swan Lake retelling or a book that delivers f/f and f/nb romances in a fantasy setting!

[Margherita]

dnf @ 49%

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

"I do not have a type! I am a type. I am the mysterious maiden who will not let anyone get close, who tempts people yet holds them at bay. I'm a siren who leads people toward their doom, the swan song of a love that never could be. I am the beautiful Fairy Queen, the entrancing witch in the forest who is lethally beautiful and forever out of reach."

So this is a queer Swan Lake retelling. Basically the only thing I could tell you about Swan Lake is 'uh ...she gets turned into a swan at some point?' so I'm not sure how closely this follows along with the original version, but it's still a fun read even if you only have a passing familiarity with the original subject matter. The main characters are two bisexual girls and a non-binary princen [apparently the gender neutral term for prince[ss], you learn something new every day] and it's an actual poly-amorous relationship instead of a horrible love triangle! Hallelujah!

The writing style is very reminiscent of a fairy tale, by which I guess I mean it's very lyrical but also kind of stripped down and basic. I feel like this kind of writing style works well for fairy tale retellings because it evokes the feel of the original, but also it makes it a bit harder for me to relate to the characters because they all seem just a little bit distant. It was definitely a very interesting read though and I like the general world the author has built, obviously basing it on Russia and China but changing some things around. If you're looking for queer fairy tale retellings I would definitely recommend this.

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Complete garbage. Also the author of this garbage was on bluesky the day Charlie Kirk was murdered and said 'there's only one good kind of... and its the kind that is past tense'

[suvi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A queer, polyamorous retelling of Swan Lake? Sign me up!

Swan Lake is one of my favourite stories of all time! I have seen the ballet twice, I think? Maybe even three times? I love the Barbie version, so much actually that the DVD stopped working and I had to go on a hunt of my own to find a replacement in a thrift store.

....sadly though I seem to be in my hater era, I don't like anything I read lately? And like, I know I would have loved this so much if I had read this any other time? Now I was like... yeah, it's a book.

The romance was sooooooo fast-paced. And by soooooooo I mean so fast that it felt extremely unrealistic. Okay, yes, it is fantasy, which is unrealistic in itself but you know what I mean, don't you?

Magic stuff was nice and interesting, enjoyed that a lot!

I don't know, the writing just felt really rushed to me? Like what's the hurry? Where are we going? And why are we going there so fast?

I honestly don't even remember that much of this book even though it's been only a week since I finished this. Had no internet connection to write a review then...... No thoughts, head empty

Actual rating would be like 2,5 stars ????


TRIGGER WARNINGS:
(emotional) abuse, gaslighting, kidnapping, mentions of death as well as torture and some violence at the end

[m i l o u ✨ (Grumpy Hobbit) · Rating 3 out of 5]

↠ 3 stars

I have to admit that my knowledge about the Swan Princess isn't that great and that my only introduction to it was through the movie I watched as a child, but I remember very little from it. This book is a retelling of that classic tale and it feels very different.

I wasn't that invested into the plot and found it to be somewhat lacking. The characters were nice and the unique relationship between them was surely heartwarming and I indulged reading them.

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams is a queer Swan Lake retelling, and honestly, it just had to live up to that premise to win me over. I may not be incredibly familiar with the ballet, but I grew up watching Swan Princess constantly. Besides, queer fairy tale(-esque) retellings are one of my favourite things to read. Add to that the beautiful cover and the promise of a positive polyamorous relationship, and I was sold. So I was impressed to find that not only did this satisfy those queer fairy tale cravings, it went beyond that to create an engaging and emotionally compelling story in its own right.

When I think of a queer retelling, I expect it to stick pretty closely to the original, just massaged to include queer characters. A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams shifts the narrative dramatically, however, changing not just the trappings of the story, but the heart of it. Katya, the main character (though there are multiple POV characters), doesn't exist in the original story. At least, as far as I have gleaned from reading the Swan Lake Wikipedia article, she would have been an anonymous background character at best with no story line of her own. Although the central plot of Swan Lake does carry over to this retelling, the tension of the story comes from Katya's unique position in this world.

The story alternates between two points of view. They are identified by a simple, stylized illustration at the beginning of each chapter of either a swan (Katya's chapters) or a castle (Alexis's). I liked this little details of the design. I'll start with discussing the queer elements of this story, because... that's what we're here for, right? This is a world that is completely accepting of queer people and nonbinary genders. Princen Alexis uses they/them pronouns, and no one is fazed about having a nonbinary heir to the kingdom. In fact, when they attend a ball, they are "immediately greeted by people of all genders vying for their attention." There are other nonbinary characters who use neopronouns, such as Larde Tanis, who goes by xie. This is own voices nonbinary representation (Dax Murphy uses fey/fem/feir prounouns in feir "About the author" blurb.)

Bisexuality seems to be the norm in this world, or at least not worth remarking on. Katya, Zhen, and Alexis's mother all show attraction to multiple genders. Alexis's best friend and guard, Tatiana, frequently mentions her girlfriend, Inna. Alexis's parents are in a polyamorous triad, with their mother having two partners (the Czar and Lady Natalya). While attraction to multiple genders is unremarkable in this setting, it does seem somewhat unusual to have multiple partners (though obviously not unheard of, because there doesn't seem to be any pushback to the leaders of the country being in a triad). Alexis's parents talk about the difficulties and negotiation that they went through to make this a healthy relationship, but it is clearly worth the effort for all three of them, and Alexis is happy to have three parents.

As I mentioned earlier, the queer and polyamorous additions are not the most dramatic changes in this retelling. We begin with Katya, who has no memory when she bumps into Ivan in the forest. He helps get her acclimated, and she stays with him. She learns magic from him. Their relationship builds slowly and turns romantic. It is against this backdrop of trust (and dependence) that the rest of the story plays out. Ivan captures Zhen--Alexis's fiancee. Their arranged marriage is meant to unite their two kingdoms. (Although this is a fairy tale world, Alexis's country is clearly coded as Russia, and Zhen's is coded as China.) Ivan tells Katya that Zhen is a threat to their life together, and asks her to pretend to be captive with her, in order to gain information. Katya is shaken. This is unlike Ivan. As she observes Zhen--and sneaks away to share her findings with Ivan and beg him to explain the situation--she finds herself falling for her.

It's this tension between Katya, Ivan, and Zhen as well as the triangle between Katya, Zhen, and Alexis that form the core of the book. Katya is torn between Zhen, this new element in her life, and Ivan, the person who she loves and trusts. She wants to believe that there must be a good reason to hold Zhen prisoner, that she must be a legitimate threat, but she also struggles to find that threat in Zhen. At first, I found it difficult to believe that Zhen would be flirting with Katya while she had been kidnapped and trapped in the woods, but Zhen addresses this directly: “Yes, we are trapped. Yes, we are waiting for someone to save us. That doesn’t mean I want to dwell on the fact!”

It's this internal struggle between Katya's loyalty for Ivan and her growing relationship with Zhen that really fascinates me, so I do want to discuss some spoilers.  

Initially, I felt that Katya was a passive character. Because she seems to appear out of nowhere as an adult, she can seems naive and inexperienced--quick to believe whoever she is speaking to at any moment. I found it especially hard to believe that she would so easily go along with Ivan's plan for her to kill the "threats" at the palace. As the story continues, however, I think that shifts. After all, it is ambiguous how much agency she has at first: Ivan has been manipulating her from the beginning, hiding her from her origins, protecting himself by using her. He tells her "Say you will never leave me," she immediately (involuntarily?) responds with "I will never leave you."

Katya really has to struggle to accept that despite him being the only relationship she's ever known, her introduction to love and belonging, he doesn't deserve her loyalty. The extent of his manipulation is slowly revealed to both us as readers and Katya: not only did her use her in this instance, he has been draining the life from their forest and using her life force to bind Zhen to the lake. It's despicable, and I'm tempted to question how he can both be this villain and be the person who supported her in the beginning of the book--but that's not impossible. Abusers can seem loving and supportive when it suits them. They can even justify their actions to themselves that way. And Ivan certainly seems to think he can violate Katya and care for her at the same time: he claims "I loved you, Katya," with "a mixture of devotion and sorrow in his eyes," even when she knows the extent of what he has done to her.

An element I really liked was when Katya realizes that she doesn't owe him an explanation for why she turned against him. It's such an important moment, to realize that you can't control someone else's narrative. Ivan will likely always believe he was in the right. Katya could try to communicate with him, could pour her heart and soul out trying to get him to see how he violated her, how he betrayed her, but it would be a waste. He doesn't deserve her energy.

Overall, I thought it was a satisfying conclusion. There's enough loss and struggle to feel realistic, but it manages to be a happy ending anyway. I liked the nod to compersion: "An inkling of a feeling bubbled in Alexis, seeing Katya and Zhen happy, together, made them feel happy, too." The novel leads us to think there is no way that Zhen, Katya, and Alexis can all three be happy with their situation, but the ending challenges that, showing that relationships can be built in many creative ways and still be fulfilling.

Now I'll address a few bits and pieces I wasn't able to work in to the rest of the review! I liked the magic system, which seems to hang together well, and it also introduces a type of magic that I've never seen in a book before: nuclear magic! It's an interesting concept, and the scenes that depict it are striking. I did have some minor issues. I didn't entirely understand some details of the political plot (how did the son betray the Czar, for instance?), but that's not my strength as a reader. I'm so caught up in characters that I often miss really obvious plot points. Also, the characters don't use any contractions in dialogue, presumable to feel more fairy tale-esque, but I found it a bit awkward and distracting. Although I only noticed a handful of typos, one error I saw repeated throughout the book were numerous comma splices ("Leave that to me, I am still Czar." and "We need to settle this dispute, it's been too many generations." for instance.)

Those are some very minor complaints, however, in a story I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the queer-positive fairy tale world, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that was only the backdrop for a subtle story about trust, betrayal, and new possibilities. I highly recommend A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams, even if you're not familiar with the original story!

[Review originally posted at the Lesbrary]

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a very interesting, altogether enjoyable, queer retelling! Read the full review on my blog.

[Gabriella Crivilare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not mean to read this book in one day, but whoops, here we are! This started off a bit slow for me as I got into the fairy tale-ish style of narration, but by the time I hit the halfway point, I knew I wasn't going to be able to put it down. I enjoyed all the characters, but I have to say I absolutely adored Alexis. I also have to say I was intrigued by the number of magic systems mentioned and the world created here. I'll be picking up The Resignation Letter soon, I think!

[Martina Weiß · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 /5 Stars

CW: Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mentions of Death & Torture


Placeholder Review:

- A little bit Insta-Love-y
- Communication 10/10
- Poly Rep also 10/10
- Villain 2000 / 10

[Richie]

DNF at 30%. i wish this book was better edited :/

[Keturah Sergeant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, short romance story with magic, action, politics, betrayal and growth. I liked the open nature of the world, the acceptance of LGBTQ+ relationships and identities, even in royal arranged marriages! I enjoyed the general plot line, especially the duplicitous, self-questioning of the MFC, and the magic background. The political side was less intricate as the Princen was mostly absent from the court, running to save their missing bride, and showed little interest in getting the necessary contextual information before jumping in to the situation.

The typical evil sorcerer villain was enriched here by the relationship with the MFC, her trust in him, the background we were given beforehand. It was really well done, and allowed the MFC to play a reluctant double agent role, leading to romance and questioning of her whole life. Though there were moments when she refused to acknowledge information right in front of her nose, she usually came around. The final battle was well written and constructed, the development of the different character's roles, their magical growth, their character growth, their increasing confidence all shone through and it was really well done!

The romance, while central to the plot, did not overtake the book. It was not sexual, it was sweet and innocent. The acceptance all the characters have of each others needs was well done, though it doesn't end up as polyamory in the end, which I had thought it might, instead it was more of an open marriage situation? Still, it was nicely written, if a little sudden in places.

A nice read! Short, sweet, with magic, action and a happy ending!

[Mary the Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5?

[Frida · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

[sapphic-b00ks · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 reads: 96/100

Katya has no memory of her life before she turned eighteen. The first thing she remembers is walking through the woods and running into a stranger. The man takes her in, lets her live with him and encourages her to learn magic. He tells her he has to protect the forest from the people entering it. Why wouldn't she trust and help him?

Princess Yi Zhen has been travelling by carriage for quite a while, her destination Lebedia where she is set to marry Princen Alexis. Only she never gets there.

Princen Alexis is nervous. They exchanged letters with their bride and are now going to meet her for the first time. What will they do, when the princess is in danger?

Representation:
- M-spec, nonbinary, polyam mc
- M-spec, polyam mc
- Sapphic, polyam mc
- Lesbian sc
- Polyamorous side couple

Genre(s):
- Fantasy
- Romance
- Themes & Tropes:
- Magic
- War
- Enemies to lovers

CW/TW:
- Manipulation & gaslighting
- Kidnapping
- Blood & injury

I stumbled across this book very recently and as I had read a sapphic swan lake retelling last month, which I adored and the premise sounded interesting, I decided to give it a read.

This story was told from both Alexis and Katya's POV, giving us insight into the charcter supposed to fall in love with the princess and the character not supposed to fall in love with the princess which made it even more interesting.

With Katya, it was intriguing to get to witness her inner conflict and the way she was torn between believing in what she knew, supporting the one person, the only person, that has always been there for her and helping Zhen for whom she was developing feelings.

Seeing part of the story from Alexis POV was also interesting as they had formed a relationship with Zhen as they exchanged letters and did truly care for her/was developing feelings as well. Having grown up with their parents in a polyamorous relationship, it was interesting to see how they tried to find a solution that pleased Katya, Zhen and themselves in the latter half of the book.

We didn't get to experience the book from Zhen's perspective, but her time in captivity with Katya revealed a lot about her character. For one, she had a strong sense of duty and even when she was catching feelings for Katya, she told both herself and Katya that she had to marry the princen no matter what, in order to protect both kingdoms and stop them from starting a war.

I did love both Katya & Zhen's and Zhen & Alexis' relationship and wish we'd have gotten to see more of their dynamic(s) which might've been possible if the book had another few chapters. Still, the length made it a perfect quick read with great pacing.

I'd recommend this to anyone, who enjoys retellings, romantasy or longs for a book with polyam rep.

[Dannica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's a retelling of Swan Lake. But I can't remember the plot of Swan Lake. Oh well, I think I got the gist?

Premise
Katya's a young sorceress who lives in the forest with a sorcerer named Ivan whom she has known all her life. He taught her magic, and they are each other's sole companions. One day a princess named Yi Zhen comes travelling through the forest, and Ivan kidnaps her. He tells Katya to pretend to be Zhen's fellow prisoner and watch her, and places an enchantment on Zhen that turns her into a swan if she leaves a certain section of the forest. Meanwhile, Zhen's fiance, Princen Alexis, is wondering where she is, and sets out to find and rescue her.

My Thoughts
-If you couldn't tell from the summary above, this book is pretty queer. Princen Alexis is nonbinary and uses "they/them/their" pronouns, Katya is probably bisexual as at different points in the story she is in love with both Zhen and Ivan, and Zhen is both bisexual and probably polyamorous as she falls in love with both Alexis and Katya. It's a whole tangle of relationships. But yep, pretty queer.

-With all these relationships in the mix I definitely cared about some more than others. Zhen and Katya's relationship is developed at an even pace, but Alexis and Zhen get much less time, so it's harder to care about their being in love apart from their relationship's political connotations. Actually the relationship that I thought was the most interesting, though, was Ivan and Katya's, which gets a lot of time in the first half of this book but much less in the second and does not end up staying together. I originally thought that the poly relationship in this book was going to be Ivan/Katya/Zhen, but it did not turn out that way.

-Writing style is that of a fairy tale. So, a bit lyrical but also a bit...stripped down to the basics? Hard to describe, but basically essence of Andrew Lang, we all know it when we see it. I like that kind of tone personally, as it's compact and atmospheric.

Overall
It's probably a good novella for you if you like polyamorous fairy tales (or have never read any but want to).
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicole Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

This queer retelling of Swan Lake is one of those novels that had a lot more plot than it spent time lingering in the emotional journey of each of the characters. Makes sense, not only did it need to establish how and why it was a retelling of Swan Lake, it had to establish what made this fantasy world different from the original telling.

I think my favourite self contained story in this book was what we got that served as a prologue in the beginning of the book, about Alexis' royal parents who are, if not a polyamorous triad, at least a very happily committed V, with the mother's girlfriend being like a second mother to Alexis and Alexis' father telling him the story.

This basically sets the rest of the story up to have polyamory in it because, much like many kids dream of having a romance just like their own parents, Alexis does the same but has a polyamourous relationship model in his mind.

When we meet Katya, she's in some kind of relationship with a magician named Ivan. It becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that he's keeping things from her, the most of it being when he traps Katya and the travelling princess Zhen together in a curse that turns them both into swans before Zhen can get to the palace to marry her arranged intended Alexis.

There are a lot of political things that happen here, such as Alexis' and Zhen's countries both suspecting war coming from the other and going on the offensive, and Katya wondering why Ivan is doing what he's suddenly doing. I think that's the reason why, although it was clear from what we got that this was the time in which Zhen and Katya were meant to be falling in love, it fell a little flat for me in the wake of every other worry going on around them.

I enjoyed the relationship between Alexis and Tatiana, sort of a best friend and guard combination. That relationship was especially fleshed out. I should probably add 'almost like siblings' to that combination of character dynamic. They were fun.

And I did love that we had an explicitly polyamorous ending, not like a previous polyam novel I read earlier in the year.

[Atlas Topone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel "A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams" by Dax Murray is a sweeping LGBTQ and polyamorous retelling of "Swan Lake," set in a mystical forest that bridges two warring kingdoms. It beautifully incorporates queer characters and relationships, making it a standout in the fantasy genre. The main characters are well-developed, and their relationships evolve naturally throughout the story. This evolution is a highlight of the book, as it explores themes of love, loyalty, and identity. The pacing is well-balanced, moving smoothly from slow to fast moments, which keeps the reader engaged. The narrative is emotionally compelling and maintains a sense of intrigue. The world of the story is inclusive, featuring non-binary and trans characters in positions of power, and accepting various sexualities and non-traditional relationship styles. This creates a refreshing and welcoming environment for readers. If you're a fan of queer and cozy books, "A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams" is an excellent choice. It combines the magic of fantasy with the warmth of character-driven storytelling, making it a compelling read for those who enjoy LGBTQ+ representation and retellings of classic tales. For readers interested in similar works, Dax Murray's other books, such as "Stars and Soil" and "Birthing Orion: A Sapphic Love Story in Verse," also offer queer fantasy narratives with rich worldbuilding and character development. In conclusion, "A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams" is a testament to the power of inclusive storytelling in fantasy. It not only entertains but also provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ readers to see themselves represented in magical realms, free from real-world prejudices.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into this story. And then a little while to get the different characters and their roles straight in my head. Particularly when Alexi comes into play – I really never noticed how much I relied on gendered terms until I read this. Now I want to read more full length novels that don’t use gendered terms for all characters – I need to get my head completely around such an idea.

I knew that this was a Swan Lake retelling. I didn’t expect to love it so much. And I most definitely didn’t expect to have a mad desire to rush out and watch the movie immediately after finishing the novel. I’m sure I saw it on one of my streaming services… this novel reminded me of all the hope and love that the movie made me feel when I was just a kid.

This is a beautifully intense and emotional novel. It highlights the different ways we can love and when love can actually conquer all. It also shows where love can blind as well. I loved that this story was so multi-faceted when dealing with the question of love. Multi-faceted, complex and truly, deeply beautiful.

One of my favourite themes throughout this novel is the idea that love is seeing someone for who they truly are. And accepting them. There were numerous non-loves throughout where it was the idea of someone, rather than actually the someone which made them think love. Love is about who the person is, not who you want them to be… and Murray is able to highlight this brilliantly in this beautiful novel retelling.

[Witch of Angmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I realized reading this book that my only exposure to the story of Swan Lake is the old animated movie Swan Princess, which is really not very good. But you don't need to know the story of Swan Lake to appreciate this retelling of it!

I really enjoyed that the magic system in this book was not limited to one type. I can appreciate the simplicity that having a singular magic system can create for fantasy novels, but I think there's a certain simplicity and wonder in including them all as well! There was even a type of magic that I have not encountered in any of my long years reading fantasy, and I won't spoil what it was, but it's really interesting!

I feel like Murray really takes advantage of everything fantasy as a genre has to offer, including creating a world where non-binary and trans people are accepted and they and women hold high offices and positions of power and respect, and all sexualities and non-traditional relationship styles are accepted as well. A fantasy world where marginalized people thrive is so refreshing in the present where books like Game of Thrones dominate the genre.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams" by Dax Murray is is an inclusive Swan Lake retelling. I loved the representation in this one! Various relationships, orientations, and identities are just a normal part of life, and we need more of that.

I'm not hugely familiar with Swan Lake, so I can't really judge how much this retelling deviates from the original story. I will say there were parts where I was pretty sure where we would end up but couldn't predict how we would get there, so it did a good job of keeping me engaged with the story.

The main romantic relationships have a bit of an insta-love feel and/or follow a "tell don't show" approach where you're expected to read a building romance into what little you're given. That wasn't as much of a negative for me as I would have expected; since it's a fairy tale, you can kind of just roll with it. Plus, the characters are all adorable/interesting in their own ways and it just kind of works.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second Dax Murphy read and I wanted to sit back and really think before I review.

I definitely enjoyed the concept of the Swan Lake retelling in a LGBTQ+ relationship with also having polyamorous representation. I think both aspects of that were written very well, which is so refreshing. I enjoyed the dynamic overall, but I think what I am finding is that with this being my second book from the author that their relationships are very instant love in my opinion. I feel like we jump very quickly into that and for me I do enjoy something a little bit more of a slow build up into that dynamic. This was something I saw in the other story, but since it was a short story I thought maybe it was due to length.

That being said I enjoy this author’s writing style and though the instant love isn’t for me, I know that’s very much something others enjoy so if that’s something for you I highly recommend this story!

[Hoyt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick-reading fairy tale retelling of Swan Lake, with some queer and poly rep. It read a bit young to really be for me, but I'm sure the right reader would love it. I'll admit to knowing nothing about the plot of Swan Lake, but we've got an evil sorcerer, princesses being turned into swans, haunted forests, etc., so I think that should cover it? The author brought in elements of Russian/Slavic and Chinese culture, which made for an interesting setting, and I appreciated how the author included the acceptance of gender identities as a given in this world. There's all kinds of representation here, with a non-binary main character, sapphic romance, and polyamory. And maybe some day, I won't have to point that out as a surprising thing to find in a book! (Spice level=0, for those who were wondering since this is categorized as a romance)

[Emma Debruyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY:
First I have to say this. This book or at least the edition I recieved has a large lettertype and space between the lines ... that is a good thing for it makes it easier for people with dyslexia to read it because letters don't tent to 'dance' so much like this.

What else can I say? I can tell you it's a retelling of the Swann Lake. So that can be a bad thing when you can't get the music out of your head anymore because of this book.
I can tell you this story has homosexual, bisexual, etc. relationships. If you don't like it don't read it.
I can tell you this book has an amazing cover.
But the most important thing I can tell you is that this is just a very pleasant story that should be read in a nice couch with a blancket, thee and two dogs on your lap.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a bit to warm up to this book, but I was in love with it at the end. Swan Lake is a favorite story, and then you have a non-binary main character? I felt like it picked up once I dug into it. Loved the characters and the love stories in the novel. As to weaknesses, I felt like the dialogue was a bit too stiff for me, in the way it can be when reading dialogue that's meant to sound old-fashioned/anachronistic.

This was also my first time reading through the perspective of a non-binary main character in a novel, and it felt like there was very careful thought put into building this world around non-binary people -- meeting the "princen" (versus the word prince or princess) being the largest and most evident part of that.

[Kiki ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

POV: it’s 2003, you’re sitting in front of your TV. You just pushed in your Barbie of Swan Lame VHS tape in.. ready to go with your snacks!!

That’s how it made me feel! lol so nostalgic!!!

Anyways onto the actual book review!! ✨

Magic system: I really appreciated how this book embraced a diverse and multifaceted magic system rather than sticking to just one type! There’s one in particular - I won’t spoil it, I found it incredibly intriguing and fresh.

Another thing I appreciated was how the book builds a world where non-binary and trans people, as well as women, hold important roles and are treated with respect. All sexualities and relationship styles are accepted too.

I loved how the author didn’t shy away from difficult themes! ❤️

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

 I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I actually got a physical copy of this book from the author. Thank you for that Dax. This was an amazing retelling of Swan Lake. I grew up with the classic fairytale. I love how this did not make any of the character sexual preference awkward or abnormal. It was the norm for them. The describe and world building had me drawn in and going on the adventure. There are a lot of different kind of relationships going on in this book. I have to say just how much the cover art and some inside the book just added to the experience that I had. It is definitely a book that I will read again. 

[Amber Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The underlying story was a beautiful retelling of Swan Lake with a twist. I would have really enjoyed this story if it wasn't for the weird grammar issues. The Prince had plural pronouns referencing him as they and their. At first I was searching for clues of two beings in one body like some werewolf stories, but out of everything I could figure out through context, he was a single character. Another character seemed to have made up pronouns being used. The placement of the words indicated pronouns, but I've never heard of them and they weren't in the dictionary. The strange use of language constantly pulled me out of a story I probably otherwise would want to read again sometime.

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book, but hearing it on audiobook is a whole new experience.

It's a wonderful fantasy tale full of twists and deeply empathetic characters. The plot leads into a final battle of might and magic that could destroy not one but two empires. I'm not one to return to books I've already read, but this was worth it.

The narrator's voice is very clean, beautiful, and easy to listen to, as a good storyteller should be. The voices were subtle and worked well for their characters. The overall tone matched the author's intended voice nicely.

Very enjoyable and definitely worth the listen.

[Wes McGie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this retelling of Swan Lake. I knew very little about Swan Lake’s story, so I went into this with no real preconceptions. This wonderful LGBTQ and polyamorous fantasy version is worth listening to and it makes me want to learn more about the original story. The audiobook is narrated by Danni Deguire. She did an exemplary job, and I would like to hear more work from her. I love reading and hearing LGBTQ stories but am not a big fan of polyamory as I’m too jealous to share my darling loved one. But I really like how everyone’s feelings and individuality are respected in this book. We need more of this in our own society. I recommend this audiobook.