The Flight of Swans

Twelve-year-old Princess Andaryn will do anything to save her father, her six older brothers, and her kingdom from her father’s new “witch-wife,” even if it means her silence. Her father hasn’t been the same since he was lost in the forest and then rescued by the imperious woman he then married. Once kind and attentive, he is now distracted; once gentle and just, he now permits brutal, capricious punishments. When the queen threatens to kill her brothers, Ryn bargains for their lives. She agrees to remain silent for six years while her brothers are changed into swans. Rather than stay at the castle to be tormented, Ryn flees, fakes her own death, and disappears into the countryside. There, she seeks the help of the queen’s mentor, a strange, addled old woman living in the midst of a nettle bush. She learns that the only way to break the spell is to fashion tunics made of nettles for each of her brothers. Relentlessly pursued by Otherworldly creatures drawn from the Great Hunt, Ryn is forced to stay on the move. She is soon joined by a hen, her sister-in-law, and later by her baby nephew, but it is not until she meets a ruler from another land that she begins to turn her eyes toward home again. Ryn is depicted as white on the cover; diversity in this Europe-esque fantasy land is limited to magical creatures. This imaginative retelling of a familiar Brothers Grimm story is filled with magic, romance, and peril, but where it shines is in the quiet moments. Ryn’s strength, love, and sacrifice make her heroic, but her fear, fatigue, and insecurity make her human. An imaginative retelling with an unforgettable heroine. (Fantasy. 9-13)

Copyright 2018 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

Grades 4-8. A girl does not speak for six years to save her brothers’ lives in this riveting retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Six Swans. Princess Andaryn’s idyllic life with her six older brothers comes to a disturbing end when a mind-controlling enchantress marries her father. When the enchantress turns her brothers into swans, Andaryn promises silence for six years in order to free them. Over those six years, Andaryn goes on the run to escape the enchantress-queen’s army, sees her brothers in their human forms on full moons, and figures out how to defeat the enchantress. Even though Andaryn does not speak for most of the book, she is far from voiceless. Her discovery of how to fight back with seemingly useless weapons such as silence, spindles, and stinging nettles sends an empowering message. Andaryn’s change from a protected princess to a resilient woman adds a poignant coming-of-age element to the story, and her relationships with her six brothers offer plenty of humor and depth. A captivating adventure about power, memory, and love.

Copyright 2018 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

Princess Ryn's older brothers are turned into swans by their new stepmother. This retelling of the Grimms' tale "The Six Swans" is fleshed out with a fantasy framework that employs believable catalysts to unpack some of the tale's more mystical plot points, bringing readers into close sympathy with protagonist Ryn. Inventive twists on the original bring vitality to the well-known ending.

Copyright 2019 Hornbook, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 5-8--For fans of reworked fairy tales, McGuire takes on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Wild Swans." Princess Andaryn, aka Ryn, is the youngest in her family, which includes her widower father and her six older brothers. When her father remarries a beautiful witch who enchants him and the rest of the kingdom, they are all in jeopardy. A showdown with the witch puts Ryn's prince brothers into danger, so the princess strikes a bargain with her stepmother: to spare her brothers' lives, Ryn must remain silent for six years. During that time, her brothers will live as swans. Now Ryn must run away and try to discover how to thwart the evil queen before the six years are up--all without endangering the lives of her brothers. Darker than most contemporary reworkings of classic tales, McGuire hews closely to the source material and keeps it in the original time and place. It is refreshing to see the princess (and youngest sibling at that) save the princes. She is clever, courageous, and persistent, and she experiences much growth and maturity as the novel progresses. At first, the identities of the brothers seem confusing, but they are written distinctly enough that readers will be able to tell them apart as the story progresses. There is some violence and romance, yet nothing too intense, making it an acceptable choice for older elementary and middle school students, especially those interested in the world of Game of Thrones, but not mature enough to watch the show. VERDICT A finely crafted and compelling fairy-tale retelling. Hand to voracious fantasy readers and fans of Gail Carson Levine and Shannon Hale.--Kate Nafz, Fair Lawn Public Library, NJ