A review by ktbeth143
The Savage and the Swan by Ella Fields

dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

So I normally reserve 1⭐️ ratings for books that I liked nothing about, but I’m making an exception for this one. There were parts that I enjoyed, but overall this is not well written. The writing is a mess. The plot is all over the place. The world building is lacking. And it strays from its original premise so much, it’s riddled with plot holes.

Originally this was suggested to me as a “Swan Lake” retelling, but literally the only similarity between the two stories is that the princess turns into a swan. Then there’s at one point a part that could have been a “Rumpelstiltsken” retelling, but it’s never really explained and it pretty much gets abandoned. And then it turns into a “A Beauty in the Beast” story. So the main problem with this book is that it appears the author couldn’t make up their mind what they wanted to do.

So what did I enjoy? It’s clear the author was trying to write for romantasy readers, as there are several tropes and archetypes employed between the two love interests that are common in this types of stories. So some of the scenes between the FMC and MMC were fun. And others were…confusing. And some were just distracting (I personally am not a fan of spice for the sake of spice).

Overall, this book reminds me of fan fiction written around someone’s favorite tropes and not an actual plot.
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