Feather: Swan Maidens Retold

Romance a Medieval Fairytale #22

by Demelza Carlton

An unwilling swan maiden. A deadly plague. Can a mother's love defeat death?
For Swanhild and Raphael, life is perfect. Betrothed and about to be married, their future should hold only happiness.
Until the plague arrives.
Swanhild's mother transforms her into a swan, hoping to help her survive the plague. Instead, Swanhild finds herself in more danger than ever.
Can she survive the intrigues of the royal court and be reunited with Raphael?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tales, Ebooks

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2021

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.
She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.

Reviews

[Shawna Sears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feather is a retelling of the Swan Maidens and book 22 in the Romance a Medieval Fairytale series. You do not have to read all 21 previous books to enjoy this one; almost all of the books are entirely standalone. However, this book runs parallel to Call: Pied Piper Retold (they occur simultaneously) and feature most of the same characters. I would call this a companion piece to Call. You can read it alone, but I think you will miss much and be disappointed where you won't otherwise. It is written in third person omniscient from both leads' (alternating) point of view.

As with all of her retellings, Mrs. Carlton turns this story on its head: it is vastly different from what you've read/heard. I was excited to hear Swanhild's and Raphael's tale since reading Call. They are both great characters who compliment each other perfectly. Swanhild is brash, daring, and outspoken while Raphael is quiet and content to follow her lead. My heart broke for them, but it also rejoiced in their reunion.

I received a free copy of this book for an honest review. I've purchased the other 21, however, so don't let that mislead you.

If you like your fairytales with magic, assassins, a touch of steamy romance, dangerous days, and love to survive any trials, this is a good little book for you.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌝💫A plague on all your houses! Medieval tale with a touch of heat👸

4.5🌟 stars
I really liked the pacing and plot of this revived, reshaped fairytale not for children set in a plague-ridden medieval countryside where witches vie with traditional herbal healers for the job of keeping the locals healthy. But no one can cure the plague and the lovers in this tale are torn apart in the effort to keep them safe.

Swanhild and Raphael have big plans for their joint future and know they want nothing more than to reunite and to be together. Most of the story alternates between Swanhild's efforts to return to Raphael and his work to keep as many as possible healthy enough to survive until the plague has passed.

It's all a short, pageturner gem, a swift-moving story with magic aplenty and references to previous fairytales in this Carlton series. But the great thing is, if you've never read the referenced stories or you read them awhile ago and no longer recall the details, you can enjoy this fairytale as a standalone on its own merits.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the story; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

[Elizabeth Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book because I am a big fan of Demelza Carlton’s fairytale retellings. This is a story with which I am unfamiliar, but I am certain her retelling is quite different from the original. For one thing, I can pretty much guarantee the children’s telling did not include sex. Conversely, Raphael and Swanhilde are laser-focused on this aspect of their relationship and spend most of their time together making love. I found myself wondering what else they had in common. Healing, maybe?

The book is more about the story than it is about character development or being realistic. It is a fairytale, after all. I like the appearance of characters from previous stories (Miss Sarah, Zoticus, etc.) and it makes me want to go back and look for the appearance of these characters in other stories—something I probably won’t do.

The book is short and easy to read. The pacing is good and the setting is consistent with other books in the series. Overall, I enjoyed it but would not consider it one of her best.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story incorporates things that happen in other fairytales by Demelza. It stands alone, though having read other books in the series will enhance your reading experience.

Swanhild and Raphael are two lovers who are about to have a bad time. Raphael has been trying to get Swanhild to marry him and she has been putting him off, but she has finally said "yes". When she goes back home to tell her mother she is grabbed and dragged to the lake where her mother turns her into a swan to protect her from the plague which has found its way to their small village. Swanhild will be unable to turn back until the danger is gone. Raphael finds Swanhild's mother on the verge of death after turning her daughter. He thinks it is because of their engagement, but Tola tells him about the plague and begs him to get the young people out of town and to a nearby monastery.

So begins two different adventures that will, hopefully, merge into a HEA for our two lovers. I was given a copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary.

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the Feather retold, I read a former Swan Maidens story and again I was amazed at the talent and imagination of the author who turns fairy tales into stories full of adventure, intrigue and mystery with her touch of romance and passion. Swanhild and Raphael's story is full of challenges, magic, despair and hope at the same time. The story kept me engrossed with no time to get bored because I wanted to know the outcome. Love how familiar characters intertwine with other past stories! It makes me exclaim ‘Ah, I read that story!’ o ‘Um, I'm going to look up that story to see what happened!’ I don't intend to miss any future stories. I voluntarily reviewed this interesting book that I received from BookFunnel and loved it.

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I had to look for and read the original 'Swan Maidens' just so I'd know the story before I started this one and I was truly amazed. Demelza Carlton used such imagination and creativity to turn the original into 'Feather'. The story flowed easily and as I read, I was really amazed at the characters I'd recognized from other fairytales and even wrote down the ones I didn't know so I could check those out. There's also a list at the end referencing the characters. The journey for Swanhild and Raphael was an adventure filled with intrigue and mystery while intertwined with romance and passion. It was enjoyable getting to know a new fairytale and reading Ms. Carlton's retold version.

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening chapter was quite unexpected and a bit of a turn off. It wasn't until memories, at the beck of subtle prompts, of other stories in the series began filtering back in my mind, that I really got into the story. The plight which Swanhild and Raphael faced is interleaved with the other stories in such a delightful manner. And while the ending might be tragic for some of the minor characters, it was heartwarming on behalf of the main couple.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Happily Ever After. Haunting. Romantic. Steamy. Tear-jerker. Tragic. Twisted. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.

I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.

[Joanne H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very small village is in trouble with the plague. Everyone is dying but Raphael and Swanhild, boyfriend and girlfriend can't keep their hands off each other and planned on getting married. Both were healers but Swanhild had magic and after getting home her mother was afraid she was going to get the plague so her mother changed Swanhild into something and told her to get out of there, leave. Raphael saw the whole thing and asked Swanhild's mother why she would do such a thing as she lay dying after using magic and slicing her arms. Their future is in jeopardy and so are the people left in the village.

[Amber Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Swanhild and Raphael’s story. This was a pretty unique version of Swan Lake. It was a bit different than most others in the series since the couple was already in love before the book started and the plot was largely tied to their separate struggles leading up to reuniting. I absolutely love the overlap between the different books in this series; the major one involved here was the overlap with the Pied Piper story.

I received a free copy from the author and this is my honest review.

[Mary Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demelza Carlton has done it again! I was not familiar with the original tale but became engrossed in the story as I saw that characters from other retells were characters in the plot of this one. There is a list at the end of the book with these connections if you are not familiar with Zoticus and Sara. This retell was very well written and charted the plot of Raphael and Swanhild beautifully. Easily read in an afternoon, it's a creative way to escape!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feather: Swan Maden Retold by Demelza Carlton is Book 22 in the Romance a Medieval Fairytale series. A beautifully written retelling of a classic fairytale with wonderful characters. There were characters from other Demelza retellings that helped you get more involved in the story. This is an easy to read, page turning story that is romantic, tragic, haunting and has a HEA. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary review.

[Alejandra Guerrero · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's mind-numbingly boring. For about eleven chapters, nothing important happens, then a bunch of things happen and suddenly— elpisis! Three years passed. During all of that, they barely think of each other, it didn't convince me they had any feelings for one another. There were way too many threads going on, too many stories vying for attention, and as a result all of the plot lines felt underdeveloped and flat. This series for me seems to be either a hit or a miss.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading the books that retell a fairytale. Swanhild and Raphael's Story is the retelling of the Swan Maidens. It was an excellent read that kept you turning the pages. The scariest part is when Swanhild is captured it makes you wonder what is going to happen to her. I would recommend this book. I received a free book and the views and opinions are my own.

[bookbreaks_n_hottakes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh… a short read but honestly I thought the s3x scenes didn’t contribute to the story. It was just awkward. Decent premise for a retelling but I think there were a lot of plot holes that should have been filled in. It honestly would have been better a bit longer.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent retelling of a classic tale

An excellent retelling of a classic tale, and links to an earlier book too. A great read and I look forward to seeing what comes next in the series

[Lisa H · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

A well crafted fairytale retold.
Swanhild and Raphael are young lovers, enjoying their physical intimacies. That idyll is quickly shattered. Like when her mother turns her into a swan to “save” her from the plague.
Recommend.

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great retelling of one of the lesser know tales. I like how the author manages to turn a fairytale into something far more and especially love the appearances of characters form her other books in this one.

[Chris Mckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demelza Carlton has done it again. She's taken a fairy-tale upgraded it so adults can read it and wish they could live it.. Great story with great characters.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, swan princesses tale has tie ins to both Call and Float, but you don't need to have read either to thoroughly enjoy the romance and magic of a classic fairy tale.
I loved this one.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This occurs parallel to Call, but is somewhat less coherent. The Queen is absolutely nuts, and the swan maiden definitely didn't sign up for all she endures.

[Alex L Criddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read and I really enjoyed being back in this world. While I love most of the fairytale retellings in this series, this one did not seem to have the direction and purpose of the others and felt like it wandered. The plot was thin and jumped around quite a lot, often not making sense. Swanhild and Raphael were just there. They lacked character development and seemed so single-minded in finding their way back to one another so they could have sex. I will say, I loved seeing characters from previous books, but in order to appreciate them, one would definitely need to read the other novels in the series. While I liked this book, I think the characters and plot could have been given more weight and development.

[Arielle Pettis · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it

I loved finding out what happened with Swanhilda, and it was wonderfully written. To see the other side of the same tale is amazing.