A.B. Poranek’s A Treachery of Swans emerges as a breathtaking reimagining of the classical Swan Lake ballet, weaving together threads of 17th-century French court intrigue, sapphic romance, and a magic system that feels both ancient and startlingly original. Following her New York Times bestselling debut Where the Dark Stands Still, Poranek demonstrates her mastery of atmospheric world-building while delivering a narrative that challenges every assumption readers might have about heroes, villains, and the stories we tell ourselves about both.
The Stage is Set: Plot and Structure
The novel opens with theatrical flair—literally. Odile Regnault, our complex protagonist, performs at the Théâtre du Roi, immediately establishing the performative nature that will define both her character and the broader narrative. Rather than following the traditional Swan Lake structure, Poranek subverts expectations by making Odile—traditionally the villain—our unreliable narrator and emotional center.
The plot unfolds across thirty-eight scenes, each meticulously crafted like acts in an opera. Odile’s mission appears straightforward: infiltrate the palace disguised as Princess Marie d’Odette, steal the king’s magical crown (the Couronne), and restore magic to the kingdom of Auréal. However, when King Honoré is murdered, Odile must forge an unlikely alliance with the real princess, Marie, whom she has inadvertently transformed into a swan.
What follows is a labyrinthine tale of political machinations, family betrayals, and the slow unraveling of everything Odile believed about her father Regnault and their shared mission. The pacing occasionally stumbles in the middle acts, particularly when exposition about the magical system threatens to overwhelm character development. Yet Poranek’s skill at weaving reveals throughout the narrative ensures that each revelation feels both surprising and inevitable.
Characters: Shades of Gray in a Black and White World
Odile: The Anti-Heroine We Deserve
Poranek’s greatest achievement lies in crafting Odile as a genuinely morally ambiguous protagonist. She’s sharp-tongued, ruthless when necessary, and harbors deep-seated insecurities masked by theatrical bravado. Her voice—sardonic, vulnerable, and occasionally cruel—drives the narrative with compelling urgency. The author skillfully peels back Odile’s layers throughout the story, revealing a young woman shaped by manipulation and desperate for agency in her own life.
Odile’s relationship with performance and identity forms the novel’s thematic backbone. As an actress trained to deceive, she struggles to distinguish between her true self and the roles she plays. This internal conflict becomes particularly poignant during her romance with Marie, where genuine feelings threaten to derail carefully laid plans.
Marie: More Than a Pretty Princess
Marie d’Odette defies the typical damsel-in-distress archetype from the opening pages. Poranek imbues her with intelligence, wit, and a quiet strength that proves essential to the plot’s progression. Her transformation into a swan becomes metaphorically rich—representing both imprisonment and freedom, curse and gift. The author explores Marie’s own struggles with autonomy and expectation, creating a character who complements rather than simply serves Odile’s arc.
The Ensemble: A Court of Secrets
The supporting characters, from the cursed Dauphin Aimé to the manipulative Regnault, feel lived-in and purposeful. Each serves specific plot functions while maintaining individual motivations and believable contradictions. Particularly noteworthy is Poranek’s handling of Regnault, who evolves from mentor figure to primary antagonist through subtle character work rather than dramatic reveals.
Romance: Love in the Time of Deception
The sapphic romance between Odile and Marie unfolds with delicious tension and genuine emotional stakes. Poranek excels at building their relationship through stolen moments and shared vulnerabilities, rather than relying on instalove or purely physical attraction. Their dynamic—built on lies but grounded in growing understanding—creates compelling internal conflict for both characters.
The romantic subplot never overshadows the larger narrative, instead enhancing themes of identity, trust, and redemption. However, some readers may find the pacing of their relationship development occasionally uneven, particularly in the middle sections where plot demands sometimes interrupt emotional momentum.
World-Building: Magic and Politics Intertwined
Poranek constructs a richly detailed world inspired by 17th-century France but enhanced with a magic system both elegant and terrifying. The concept of the Bonnes Mères (Good Mothers) as source deities, particularly Morgane as the spirit of transformation, feels both mythologically grounded and thematically relevant. The way magic has been stripped from the kingdom creates genuine stakes and supports the novel’s exploration of power, both political and personal.
The political intrigue surrounding the court feels authentic to the period while remaining accessible to modern readers. The author balances complex succession politics with clear emotional stakes, ensuring that larger machinations never overshadow character-driven storytelling.
Technical Craft: Strengths and Weaknesses
What Works Brilliantly
Poranek’s prose style adapts beautifully to her reimagined Swan Lake setting. Her language carries theatrical flair without becoming overwrought, and her scene-setting consistently immerses readers in the world. The author demonstrates particular skill in crafting dialogue that reveals character while advancing plot, and her handling of Odile’s internal monologue maintains engagement throughout.
The novel’s structure, divided into scenes rather than traditional chapters, reinforces the theatrical elements while providing natural pacing breaks. Poranek’s ability to weave multiple plot threads—romance, political intrigue, family drama, magical mystery—into a cohesive whole demonstrates sophisticated storytelling craft.
Areas for Improvement
Despite its many strengths, A Treachery of Swans occasionally suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the middle third where exposition sometimes overshadows character development. The magical system, while interesting, requires significant explanation that can slow narrative momentum.
Some secondary plot elements feel underdeveloped, particularly the broader political implications of the kingdom’s magical drought. While the focus on character relationships serves the story well, readers seeking epic fantasy scope may find the relatively contained setting limiting.
The novel’s ending, while emotionally satisfying, resolves certain plot threads with convenient timing that may strain credulity for some readers. However, the emotional payoff largely compensates for these structural concerns.
Thematic Depth: Beyond the Surface
A Treachery of Swans succeeds as both entertainment and examination of deeper themes. The novel explores:
- Identity and Performance: How much of ourselves is authentic versus constructed for others’ consumption?
- Power and Corruption: The ways absolute power corrupts, even with initially noble intentions
- Redemption and Choice: Whether past actions define us or if we can choose different paths
- Love and Trust: How genuine connection can develop even amid deception
These themes emerge naturally from character interactions and plot developments rather than feeling artificially imposed, demonstrating Poranek’s maturity as a storyteller.
Comparative Context: Standing Among Peers
A Treachery of Swans joins a growing catalog of successful fairy tale retellings while distinguishing itself through its focus on moral ambiguity and political complexity. Fans of Allison Saft’s atmospheric fantasies or V.E. Schwab’s morally gray protagonists will find much to appreciate here. The novel shares DNA with other successful LGBTQ+ fantasy romances while maintaining its own distinct voice and concerns.
Compared to Poranek’s debut Where the Dark Stands Still, this sophomore effort demonstrates increased confidence in handling complex plot structures while maintaining the atmospheric prose that made her first novel successful.
Final Verdict: A Mesmerizing Ballet of Words
A Treachery of Swans succeeds as both a compelling standalone fantasy and a thoughtful exploration of agency, identity, and love. While not without minor flaws in pacing and exposition, the novel delivers on its promise of reimagining a classic tale for modern audiences. Poranek has crafted characters worth caring about, a world worth exploring, and a romance worth investing in emotionally.
The novel will particularly appeal to readers seeking morally complex protagonists, atmospheric world-building, and sapphic romance with genuine emotional stakes. Those looking for traditional heroic fantasy or fast-paced action may find the character-focused approach less engaging, but patient readers will be rewarded with a rich, immersive experience.
Recommended for Readers Who Enjoyed
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
- The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
- House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
- The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith
A Treachery of Swans establishes A.B. Poranek as a fantasy author to watch, delivering a sophomore effort that expands her range while deepening her exploration of human complexity. In a genre sometimes criticized for moral simplicity, Poranek offers nuanced characters navigating impossible choices—and reminds us that the most interesting stories often lie in the shadows between black and white.
Recommendation: A captivating reimagining that mostly succeeds in its ambitious scope, with minor pacing issues preventing it from achieving true greatness.
