A review by abbyreads8
Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood
4.0
Wild Swans is a story of grit, self-discovery, and love. Readers are introduced to Ivy Milbourn, a teenage girl who lives with her grandfather in a tiny town where the Milbourn name is known-- both for the family's talents and knack for dying young and tragically. The story starts during the summer before Ivy's senior year in high school, and it doesn't look like her break will be the relaxing time she hoped it would. Instead, her mother Erica (to whom Ivy hasn't spoken to since she left her as a child) decides to return to the family home with two new daughters in tow-- a complete surprise to both Ivy and her granddad, whom Erica quite vocally dislikes. She goes as far as to tell her daughters that Ivy is their aunt, not their half-sister. And, to top it off, there's a massive love triangle between Ivy, her best childhood friend, and her granddad's best poetry student.
I'm so impressed with the level of character-building that Spotswood created in such a short novel. The main characters are intricately created with lots of backstory and unique personalities. I was especially intrigued with Erica, as her character was so captivatingly irritating. I found my blood pressure rising as I read scenes in which she was involved-- she was so cruel, but I also felt a distinct sympathy for her character.
While the familial situation was well-constructed, I felt as though something was missing from Ivy's love triangle. This pollen happened a bit too quickly for my taste, and I feel as though we were not given enough context or development for these relationships. I'm aware that I'm being vague on this point, but don't want to spoil anything!
Overall, I truly enjoyed Wild Swans. It was endearing and captivating-- but a bit shorter than I would have liked! 4 STARS!
Note: Sourcebooks Fire has provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so impressed with the level of character-building that Spotswood created in such a short novel. The main characters are intricately created with lots of backstory and unique personalities. I was especially intrigued with Erica, as her character was so captivatingly irritating. I found my blood pressure rising as I read scenes in which she was involved-- she was so cruel, but I also felt a distinct sympathy for her character.
While the familial situation was well-constructed, I felt as though something was missing from Ivy's love triangle. This pollen happened a bit too quickly for my taste, and I feel as though we were not given enough context or development for these relationships. I'm aware that I'm being vague on this point, but don't want to spoil anything!
Overall, I truly enjoyed Wild Swans. It was endearing and captivating-- but a bit shorter than I would have liked! 4 STARS!
Note: Sourcebooks Fire has provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.