New Book: Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler

  

Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler is released tomorrow, her third fairy  tale retelling and this time of Wild Swans/Six Swans, etc. And there is to be a fourth one, too. A nice little library to have! This one has a few versions that are equally popular from Andersen and Grimms, primarily, that it is always hard to choose which tale title to use. But it's a wonderful tale and I am looking forward to reading this one sometime, hopefully soon. (And, by the way, you can order a new hardcover of this one and get the previous hardcovers at a bargain price on Amazon if the inventory lasts on them. Look for the bargain links on the book pages.)

I know so many people who grew up loving this tale or discovering it and falling in love with it through Juliet Marillier's Daughter of the Forest. And it is surprising how many novel length retellings there have been over the years in comparison to how obcure the tale is to the general population. (Same goes with Twelve Dancing Princesses, but Six Swans wins for having novelizations that are decades old, too.) But they are not frequent and Zahler's book is a welcome addition.

Since my TBR pile is high and I have to purchase this one yet, I think I will be waiting a few months until I get to start working on the SurLaLune Six/Wild Swans anthology. I've been collecting them for years and have to publish a collection even if hardly anyone buys it! I think this novel will be a perfect inspiration to kick off the final collecting and editing process.

Book description:

Princess Meriel’s brothers have been cursed. A terrible enchantment—cast by their conniving new stepmother—has transformed the handsome princes into swans. They now swim forlornly on a beautiful heart-shaped lake that lies just beyond the castle walls.

Meriel will do whatever it takes to rescue her beloved brothers. But she must act quickly. If Heart Lake freezes, her brothers will be forced to fly south or perish.

With help from her newfound friends Riona and Liam—a pretty half-witch and her clever brother—Meriel vows to finish a seemingly impossible task. If she completes it, her brothers may be saved.

But if she fails . . . all will be lost.