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ALC Book Review: The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 6th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this lush and romantic novel from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi, a prince is only as good as his beating heart and a maiden is only as good as her honest word. But when love and the truth become impossibly tangled, the two must figure out how to survive together, or fall completely apart.

To find love is a curse …

Prince Arris knows that marriage means murder. Thanks to a poorly worded wish to a sea witch, all one needs to rule the Isle of Malys is the heart and hand of the kingdom’s heir. Historically, this has been construed quite literally.

Thus, Arris expects that the day after his marriage and murder he will wake up as a sentient tree alongside the rest of his predecessors. His only chance at a long life is finding true and lasting love. When Arris’s parents announce a tournament of brides to compete for his hand and heart, a slew of eligible, lovely and (possibly murderous) bachelorettes make their way to Rathe Castle. Amidst glittering balls in ozorald caves, strolls through menageries of daydream trees and pearl crocodiles, tea time on glass boats and kisses that leave his head spinning, Arris cannot tell who is here out of love for him…or lust for power.

Until he meets Demelza.

As a veritas swan, Demelza’s song wrings out the truth. Forced into hiding, Demelza strikes a deal. Arris will provide her with safekeeping in exchange for her truth-telling song to sort through his potential brides.

While Arris is used to dodging death threats and Demelza is accustomed to fighting for her voice to be heard, to survive the tournament of brides requires a different kind of bravery. And perhaps the bravest thing one can do is not merely protect one’s life, but find the courage to chase a life worth living.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

THIS WAS FUN.

I went purely off of the cover x author on this one without knowing a single thing about the book. And it was fun! It’s kind of in the same vein as Assistant to the Villain where it’s fantasy but has a more humorous and cheeky air to it. With that frame of mind I enjoyed the story.

This doesn’t scream ROMANCE to me but it is heavily featured in the plot and alongside that is a whimsical plot with Arris trying to find a bride that won’t kill him. I loved Demelza and her ability to forge her own path and what her love story was going to look like.

I actually really enjoyed Demelza’s parents too. It was a different vibe than I usually read in fantasy and it made them all the more interesting. The rotating POV’s worked well too and I thought it wrapped things up well for a standalone.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild

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Monthly Reading Wrap-up: December 2025

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How is it the end of 2025 already? I love that I somehow wrapped up the book so *evenly* with 40 books read and a grand total of 420 for the year! There were a lot of Sanderson novellas this month and I’m looking forward to all of the awesome books coming in 2026.

  • Red Tempest Brother (The Winter Sea #3) by H.M. Long
  • [Novella] You Better Not Pout (Home for the Holidays) by Mia Sosa
  • Ruin the Friendship by K. Sinko
  • The Last Wish of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats #2) by Mary E. Pearson
  • [Novella] I Hate Dragons by Brandon Sanderson
  • [Novella] Dreamer by Brandon Sanderson
  • Falling in a Sea of Stars (Green Rider #8) by Kristen Britain
  • A Bond so Fierce and Fragile (Compelling Fates Saga #3) by Sophia St. Germain
  • [Novella] I’m Gonna Get You Back by Elena Armas
  • [Novella] Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Rebel and the Rose (The City of Fantome #2) by Catherine Doyle
  • [Novella] Mitosis (The Reckoners #1.5) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [Novella] Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • Gilded in Vengeance by Lyssa Mia Smith
  • Meet Me at the Christmas Cottage by Christen Krumm
  • [Novella] The Holiday Club by Ashley Manley
  • [ARC] Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Strength of the Few (Hierarchy #2) by James Islington
  • [ARC/ALC] In Your Dreams (When in Rome #4) by Sarah Adams
  • The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chane Cleeton
  • [ARC] To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before the Graphic Novel by Jenny Han
  • Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher
  • The Sacred Space Between by Kalie Reid
  • Seven Deadly Thorns by Amber Hamilton
  • Pick Me by Victoria Schade
  • I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
  • [ARC/ALC] Room to Breathe by Kasie West
  • Planes, Reins, and Automobiles (Catching Feelings #2) by Kate Watson
  • [ARC] House of Shadows (Royal Houses #2) by K.A. Linde
  • [ARC] Silver & Blood (Silver & Blood #1) by Jessie Mihalik
  • Anne of Avenue A (For the Love of Austen #3) by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding
  • Lessons in Falling by Christy Schillig
  • Some Kind of Famous by Ava Wilder
  • Mourner for Hire by Caitlin Moss
  • The Tempest Blade (The Bridge Kingdom #6) by Danielle L. Jensen
  • Love’s Racing Line by Hope Snyder
  • Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh
  • Bound by Ali Hazelwood
  • Fallen Gods (Fallen Gods #1) by Rachel Van Dyken
  • The Governess and the Rogue (Somerset Stories #6) by Mimi Matthews

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: November 2025

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Celebrating another turn around the sun! I hit it hard with holiday romances and found a couple new gems! Future reviews will be out soon or check my socials to see more breakdowns.

  • Princess of Blood (The Shards of Magic #2) by Sarah Hawley
  • [ARC] We Fell Apart (We Were Liars) by E. Lockhart
  • [ARC] Coldwire (Coldwire #1) by Chloe Gong
  • Check the Halls (The Ottawa Otters #2) by K.M. Gillis
  • The Things Gods Break (The Crucible #2) by Abigail Owen
  • [ARC] The Wild Card (Sheet Cake #4) by Emma St. Clair
  • Soul Searching (Sweetwater Peak #1) by Lyla Sage
  • How He Got the Girl (Sweeter Than Fiction #2) by Amanda Schimmoeller
  • Mate (Bride #2) by Ali Hazelwood
  • Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou
  • My Merry Mistake (Holidays with Hart #3) by Courtney Walsh
  • Thorn Season (Thorn Season #1) by Kiera Azar
  • A Wraith Beneath the Tides (Beyond the Tides #1) by Emilia Jae
  • Smoke and Scar (Shattered Crown #1) by Gretchen Powell Fox
  • The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
  • About Last Christmas by Rachel Scott McDaniel
  • Never Over by Clare Gilmore
  • [ALC] Arrow of Fortune (The Raiders of the Arcana #3) by Jacquelyn Benson
  • Highland Holiday by Kasey Stockton
  • [ARC/ALC] The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
  • That’s A Great Question, I’d Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers
  • Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey
  • Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms by Claire Kingsley
  • [ALC] Moms of Mayhem (Mayhem Hockey Club #1) by Aimee Vance
  • Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (Catching Feelings #1) by Kate Watson
  • Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy #2) by Callie Hart
  • Silent Heist by Jenessa Fayeth
  • [ARC/ALC] Better in Black (Shadowhunter Chronicles) by Cassandra Clare
  • [ARC] The Bodyguard Affair by Amy Lea
  • [Novella] The Holidate Switch by Torie Jean
  • [ARC/ALC] Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana
  • [Novella] Mistletoe Fall Out by Larissa Hommes
  • A Little Holiday Fling by Farrah Heron
  • [Novella/ARC] How to Kiss on Christmas Morning by Jenny Proctor
  • [Novella] Merrily Ever After by Catherine Walsh
  • Eclipse of the Crown (Villains & Virtues #3) by A.K. Caggiano
  • Please Don’t Go (Midnight Strike #1) by E. Salvador
  • [Novella] Snow Place Like Home (Home Sweet Holidays) by Laura Pavlov
  • [Novella] Merry and Bright (Home Sweet Holidays) by Ali Rosen
  • [Novella] All Wrapped Up in You (Home Sweet Holidays) by Rosie Danan

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: October 2025

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I had to amp up the reading to combat the fact that I had EIGHT arcs coming out on November 4th. But all is good, all has been read. Reviews will be out over the next few months!

  • Town of Shadows (Slanted London #1) by Jessica Scarlet
  • The Weaver Bride (The Weaver Bride #1) by Lydia Gregovic
  • [ARC] Marriage is Shore Thing (Wilks Beach #2) by Laura Langa
  • Throne in the Dark (Villains & Virtues #1) by A.K. Caggiano
  • Unending (The Unseelie Duology #2) by Ivelisse Housman
  • Our Beautiful Mess by B.K. Clark
  • The Mummy Snatcher Curse (The Wand Keepers #2) by Tiffany McDaniel
  • Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause
  • [ARC/ALC] Secret Haven (Sparrow Falls #6) by Catherine Cowles
  • Ghost Business (Boneyard Key #2) by Jen DeLuca
  • A Steeping of Blood (A Tempest of Tea Duology #2) by Hafsah Faizal
  • The Sound of Summer (The House on Harrison Blvd #1) by Meagan Williamson
  • [ALC] Red City (The New Alchemists #1) by Marie Lu
  • [ARC]The Demon and the Light (The Floating World #2) by Axie Oh
  • House of Dragons (Royal Houses #1) by K.A. Linde
  • [ARC/ALC] An Ocean Apart by Jill Tew
  • Summoned to the Wilds (Villains & Virtues #1) by A.K. Caggiano
  • Kill the Beast by Serra Swift
  • The Arrow and the Alder by Barbara Kloss
  • The Last Tiger by Julia Riew & Brad Riew
  • [ALC] The Heir (Crownhaven #1) by Sophia Travers
  • [ALC] Never Ever After (Never Ever After #1) by Sue Lynn Tan
  • Sonnets and Serpents (Casters & Crowns #2) by Elizabeth Lowham
  • [ARC] Against a Crescent Storm (The Balkan Legends #3) by A.L. Sowards
  • For No Mortal Creature by Kenshe Chow
  • [ALC] The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
  • [ARC] The Prince of Mourning by Jenn Bennett
  • [ARC] The Maid of Sherwood Forest (A McQuivey’s Costume Shop Romance #2) by Sian Ann Bessey
  • Every Spiral of Fate (This Woven Kingdom #4) by Tahereh Mafi
  • [ALC] Fallen City (Fallen City Duology #1) by Adrienne Young
  • [ARC] Through Each Tomorrow (Timeless #6) by Gabrielle Meyer
  • A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig
  • [Novella] A Very Merry Matchup by Becca Kinzer
  • [ARC/ALC] A Queen’s Match (A Queen’s Duet #2) by Katharine McGee
  • [ARC] Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson
  • [Novella] Holly (Belladonna #3.5) by Adalyn Grace

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