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Feather & Nettle
Prince Topaz is the younger brother of eleven older sisters, but despite their differences, they are as tight-knit as can be. They will have to rely on each other more than ever when their father returns with a witch for a wife, and if they hope to save their family and the kingdom, they must risk all. For a curse paid for in nettle can only be broken by the same.
Subscribe to the author's website and receive a link to Feather & Nettle, a 4,400 word gender-swap retelling of The Wild Swans!
Subscribe to the author's website and receive a link to Feather & Nettle, a 4,400 word gender-swap retelling of The Wild Swans!
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First published June 27, 2018
About the author
H.S.J. Williams
6 books337 followersFrom the beginning, H. S. J. Williams has loved stories and all the forms they take. Whether with word, art, or costume, she has always been fascinated with the magic of imagination. She lives in a real fantastical kingdom, the beautiful Pacific Northwest, with her very own array of animal friends and royally loving family. Williams taught Fantasy Illustration at MSOA. She may also be a part-time elf.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 6, 2019
This is such a sweet retelling of one of my ever-favorite Hans Christian Anderson’s faerietales, ‘The Wild Swans’. I love the gender-bent twist! It’s a quick, easy read & the writing style is well written, with the perfect feel of a faerietale.
June 28, 2018
Oh, goodness! This was such a marvelous story... I simply cannot wait for Fairest Son! <3
July 9, 2018
Very cute, quick and easy read. I don't know the fairytale it's retelling, so I'll have to look it up and see how it compares, but this version felt very traditional and I really enjoyed it. And it's free for subscribers to the author's website, so can't really go wrong with that! ;)
April 3, 2020
A really good gender-swap retelling of "The Wild Swans". Short and to the point.
Even though I would have liked a little more description and character development, I did really enjoy the characters personalities. Especially Topaz's.
Content in Book:
1. Violence. (Trying to attack someone with knives and a dinner knife. Hand-to-hand combat. Etc.)
2. Trying to burn someone alive.
3. Curses, magic, witches.
Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:
Those who like fairytale retellings. Those who want a gender-swap retelling of "The Wild Swans". Those who want a quick free book to read.
Even though I would have liked a little more description and character development, I did really enjoy the characters personalities. Especially Topaz's.
Content in Book:
1. Violence. (Trying to attack someone with knives and a dinner knife. Hand-to-hand combat. Etc.)
2. Trying to burn someone alive.
3. Curses, magic, witches.
Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:
Those who like fairytale retellings. Those who want a gender-swap retelling of "The Wild Swans". Those who want a quick free book to read.
October 25, 2019
Well that was definitely a wondrous adventure captured in few words. The description was magical and the plot was excellent.
It's got the wonderful feels of a fairy tale. . . ^.^ And it's free link for subscribers!
I'm sure however, one or two more good edits could have filled in all the areas I didn't like. ^.^
That cover is pretty neat though.
It's got the wonderful feels of a fairy tale. . . ^.^ And it's free link for subscribers!
I'm sure however, one or two more good edits could have filled in all the areas I didn't like. ^.^
That cover is pretty neat though.
April 19, 2021
A sweet story to read!
July 6, 2018
A lovely little gender-swapped retelling of The Seven Swans— except, in this case, there's eleven of them, but oh well. I liked the concept and the way the curse was handled; my only real complaint is that I wish it had been expanded a bit more.
September 8, 2024
LOVED THIS!
Despite being the only boy among eleven sisters, Topaz stands so well on his own two feet as a strong and capable young man. And each of his sisters stand out so perfectly! (From the motherly eldest Garnette to quiet librarian Diamond to Topaz's mischievous twin Citrine... I could go on and on!) But when a wicked witch ensnares their father the king and transforms the princesses into swans, Topaz and his sisters work together to save their kingdom.
This was such a beautiful fairy-tale retelling, especially when romance is replaced by the strong theme of family! (Honestly, it's SO hard to find a fairytale retelling that's not a romance, so this is a treat.)
You'll want to subscribe to H.SJ. Williams' newsletter to read it!
Despite being the only boy among eleven sisters, Topaz stands so well on his own two feet as a strong and capable young man. And each of his sisters stand out so perfectly! (From the motherly eldest Garnette to quiet librarian Diamond to Topaz's mischievous twin Citrine... I could go on and on!) But when a wicked witch ensnares their father the king and transforms the princesses into swans, Topaz and his sisters work together to save their kingdom.
This was such a beautiful fairy-tale retelling, especially when romance is replaced by the strong theme of family! (Honestly, it's SO hard to find a fairytale retelling that's not a romance, so this is a treat.)
You'll want to subscribe to H.SJ. Williams' newsletter to read it!
May 1, 2022
A super sweet yet also intense and high stakes retelling of The Wild Swans! I liked how you really get to know the characters even though this story is only like 17 pages, and the gender bent/swapped element just added to this sweet tale.
It read like a classic fairytale but with a more updated, modern style, and I really enjoyed it.
Content: magic; characters are transformed into birds; injuries (not detailed); a character is nearly burned to death (not detailed and he is saved)
It read like a classic fairytale but with a more updated, modern style, and I really enjoyed it.
Content: magic; characters are transformed into birds; injuries (not detailed); a character is nearly burned to death (not detailed and he is saved)
February 16, 2026
Tbh, if you're trying to decide if you like this author's style, I feel you'll be better served by looking at the free saamples for Moonscript and or Fairest Son then this.
It was a nice, quick read though!
CONTENT magic (spells and talk or how to break them, but the words for spells are not written), threat of buring alive, and what was probably solitary confinement
MESSAGES some things are worth the sacrifice - when can destory ourselves with selfishness
WRITING fast, but fairly descriptive. I liked how she handled the large cast in so short an amount of time
CONCLUSION Not sorry I read it. Not sorry it took me this long to do so XD
It was a nice, quick read though!
CONTENT magic (spells and talk or how to break them, but the words for spells are not written), threat of buring alive, and what was probably solitary confinement
MESSAGES some things are worth the sacrifice - when can destory ourselves with selfishness
WRITING fast, but fairly descriptive. I liked how she handled the large cast in so short an amount of time
CONCLUSION Not sorry I read it. Not sorry it took me this long to do so XD
May 7, 2026
Very short retelling of the Wild Swans… I’ve often read retellings of this one with a bunch of brothers and one sister, but this one is sisters with one brother.
Yes, it’s rushed in the short format, but it wasn’t long for the Grim brothers either. I think I’ve just gotten spoiled lately from several indie authors turning this beloved tale into a deeper, full-length novel.
In this version each child is named after a gem, as they were the best treasure their parents could have ever hoped for… which is sweet. Most of the names work well in this manner, but I don’t think that would have worked in a longer format.
The girls do bleed together a bit, though one is a brainy reader and one stutters… otherwise they are fairly indistinguishable from one another. But even with those small issues the story is still compelling and pulls you along, even if I don’t understand why Prince Topaz doesn’t want his sisters visiting the cottage or why an abandoned cottage within sight of the castle could be abandoned and yet still have the appropriate tools for Topaz to use? A carder and brush are easily portable, even if someone had no room for a loom large enough to weave for fabric… and I’m fuzzy, because nothing was said of a spinning wheel or a drop spindle to trust the fibers into thread.
And even if the owner didn’t take a spinning SNL or loom with them, a neighbor would have taken possession of the items immediately.
Also, how does a Prince know to soak and split fibers, spin them to thread, weave it into cloth and then put out and sew dresses from the fabric? Wait… that means someone also left behind scissors.
Okay, for the sake of the sweet storytelling, let me just toss those questions out the window and just go with the flow?
Story can be found on the author’s website after signing up for her online newsletter- a link will be sent to you. It’s cute and it’s short enough to hop online and enjoy while we wait for the author’s next book to release.
Yes, it’s rushed in the short format, but it wasn’t long for the Grim brothers either. I think I’ve just gotten spoiled lately from several indie authors turning this beloved tale into a deeper, full-length novel.
In this version each child is named after a gem, as they were the best treasure their parents could have ever hoped for… which is sweet. Most of the names work well in this manner, but I don’t think that would have worked in a longer format.
The girls do bleed together a bit, though one is a brainy reader and one stutters… otherwise they are fairly indistinguishable from one another. But even with those small issues the story is still compelling and pulls you along, even if I don’t understand why Prince Topaz doesn’t want his sisters visiting the cottage or why an abandoned cottage within sight of the castle could be abandoned and yet still have the appropriate tools for Topaz to use? A carder and brush are easily portable, even if someone had no room for a loom large enough to weave for fabric… and I’m fuzzy, because nothing was said of a spinning wheel or a drop spindle to trust the fibers into thread.
And even if the owner didn’t take a spinning SNL or loom with them, a neighbor would have taken possession of the items immediately.
Also, how does a Prince know to soak and split fibers, spin them to thread, weave it into cloth and then put out and sew dresses from the fabric? Wait… that means someone also left behind scissors.
Okay, for the sake of the sweet storytelling, let me just toss those questions out the window and just go with the flow?
Story can be found on the author’s website after signing up for her online newsletter- a link will be sent to you. It’s cute and it’s short enough to hop online and enjoy while we wait for the author’s next book to release.
November 25, 2020
It seemed like the beginning of an interesting story, rather than an actual interesting story. Feather & Nettle is just... a version of the Wild Swans story with most of the action taken out. I'm not really sure what the point of it is. The main character is a boy, and the siblings have a small little bit of personality, and other than that, this doesn't add anything to the Hans Christian Anderson story. It's predictable and a little boring. I feel like all I did was read a paraphrase of 1/3 of Anderson's story. It wasn't specifically bad, but I just don't see the point.
September 25, 2024
I thought it was very creative how the author used a gender-swap to retell the fairy tale "The Wild Swans". I loved the sacrifice and heroism exhibited by Prince Topaz out of love for his older sisters. The story is told as a short story, but I think it would be interesting to see this plotline in a longer piece of work, perhaps as a novelette or a novella.
August 13, 2020
This was a super sweet and short retelling of The Wild Swans with a gender-swap twist!
I don't think I've ever heard of The Wild Swans... But I'm definitely intrigued enough to do some research!
I am absolutely dying to read more H. S. J. Williams! Her books sound so magical. ✨
I don't think I've ever heard of The Wild Swans... But I'm definitely intrigued enough to do some research!
I am absolutely dying to read more H. S. J. Williams! Her books sound so magical. ✨
April 25, 2020
A sweet story if a little predictable
August 29, 2021
Very enjoyable retelling of one of my absolute favorite fairytales!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews