The Swan's Daughter by Roshani Chokshi

The quick cut: A cursed prince and a female swan become partners to help with one another's problems.

A real review:

Fairy tales have a way of inspiring greatness, even if the stories themselves are somewhat ridiculous. In this story of a prince most likely to die and a girl who is most likely to be held captive by love, these two find a way to work together and try to get the life they hoped for.

Prince Arris is most likely going to die and he knows it. Due to a poorly worded wish from his ancestors, anyone with the heart and hand of the heir can rule the land. Unfortunately, this has led to many heirs being murdered to hold that power alone. Demelza is a veritas swan who longs to have control of her own life. Except veritas swans end up controlled by whoever they love, with no ability to control the form they take. They also have the ability to wrong the truth through their song. Can these two find a way together to their happy endings?

I've read Roshani's books and enjoyed them before, so I anticipated enjoying them this time. Unfortunately, the fairy tale element really didn't capture my interest and I found the ending very unsatisfying. Some characters' final resolutions really irritated me in a way I can't get past.

Arris wants to live and there's nothing he can do to escape his curse. While he can't avoid having a target on his back and he can't avoid marrying, he can hope to live by finding true love. It's something that anyone can relate to, especially since everyone wants to be loved for who they are.

Demelza is the oddity among all her sisters and she's never forgotten it. With a mother who treats her poorly and a father who is obsessed with his own power, it's understandable that she wants to remain in control of her life. When the prince offers her a chance to use her abilities to help him and in turn give her protection, of course she says yes. She finds that she gets more than she expects from the deal and it's hard not to love her character. She deserves a happy ending for all she's been through.

A cute fairy tale oriented story.

My rating: 3 out of 5