Roshani Chokshi’s new novel, The Swan’s Daughter: A Possibly Doomed Love Story, belongs in a group reserved for The Princess Bride, The Night Circus, Howl’s Moving Castle, Nettle & Bone, and other works of the fantastic that bring true magic and equal parts whimsy and drama to the world of the reader. Most of all, it brings a level of seriousness and maturity to the world and those within it without depriving the story of its charm and wonder. While this has been marketed as a young adult romantasy, Chokshi delivers a story that celebrates these descriptors but invites readers of all ages in with a story that reminds us that love is beautiful but can only ever be part of an answer, and that choosing your path in life may be lonely, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone.
We begin with our primary protagonist, Demelza. Youngest daughter from the union between her mother Araminta, a Veritas Swan, and an honest-to-goodness evil wizard named Prava, she is the only one of her sisters who lacks the wings and entrancing magical song of her mother. And yet, what she does possess is of great value to her father, whose machinations have been to find immortality at any price. This includes his youngest daughter’s heart. When Prava finally understands this, Demelza is banished from the castle by her mother, and sent into hiding at the one place she is safe: Castle Rathe, seat of the Royal Family of Malys Isle, who secured a treaty with Prava that he could not ever enter the grounds. And it just so happens it’s the perfect place to hide, for the castle is filled with a staggering amount of young women all eager for one thing: to win the hand of Prince Arris as his wife, and for many, instantly murder him thereafter.
You see, Prince Arris (our other protagonist), is part of a family lineage/curse on the Isle of Malys that confers rulership to the Queen upon the death of the current King, who then is reborn as a tree in the Grove of Ancestors. And so, over the generations, weddings one day and then death the next; Arris is the next in a long line of one-day rulers who has known from an early age that he is most likely destined to die the minute he weds. The only exception seems to be his own mother and father, who love each other too much for the whole murder thing. And so, burdened with such knowledge, young Arris has done his best to live his life to the very fullest each day, much to the chagrin and annoyance of his twin sister. And while destiny can only be put off for so long, no one ever said it couldn’t take the long way around. A contest is planned to help Arris find his one and true love amongst the many eager women of the Isle.
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The Swan’s Daughter
But how to trust the intentions of any of them? For the power-hungry, they’ll say anything to get close and win his heart; same for the besotted. If you were Prince Arris, a daughter of a Veritas Swan and a powerful wizard, whose song wrings the truth from those who hear it, that would certainly come in handy, wouldn’t it? It is with this final maneuvering of pieces that the board is set, and Chokshi takes us into a game of hearts, friendship, kindness, and of course, love.
Let it be said: Chokshi did not have to go this hard—and yet she did; we are all thankful, because every aspect of this book just sings, as beautiful as a Veritas Swan. The prose, in Chokshi fashion, is decadent and fun and lush; she has an ability to paint a picture with a multitude of styles and employs many in The Swan’s Daughter. The worldbuilding is creative and smart, complex without being dense, and adds texture and nuance to the cultures and peoples we meet on Malys. And, of course, her characters are delightful from start to finish, each three dimensional and complex, archetypes drawn with skill and without resorting to caricature.
Demelza and Arris in particular are such sweet protagonists, armed with fortitude and heart and humor, doing their best to navigate the labyrinth of fate before them. How do you give away your heart and trust someone not to use it against you? How do you open the door of your soul and trust someone not to take advantage of where they’ve entered? If there is one thing I loved the most about The Swan’s Daughter, it is the idea that love is grand, but it is not enough; relationships are built on more than the storybook idea of love. The relationships between people need to start there, for it makes a strong foundation. But trust, kindness, care, understanding, and much more are needed to really build something immortal and true.
If you can’t tell, I really loved this book, and found myself grinning from ear to ear at every little reveal, plot twist, and snippet of prose or worldbuilding. I couldn’t stop rooting for Demelza and Arris to find their ways into the futures that they want as individuals, and perhaps, together. For the cover promises: This is a *possibly* doomed love story. And isn’t it worth opening the pages of The Swan’s Daughter and finding out what happens next? You know my answer, friends. Yes. Always.
The Swan’s Daughter is published by Wednesday Books.
Loved this one!