A Captive of Wing and Feather by Melanie Cellier Review

A while back I challenged myself to read Swan Lake retellings in honor of my late Grandmother who was a dance critic and had introduced me to the ballet Swan Lake. The tragic story of an Odette a princess cursed to be a swan by day and her love prince Seigfreid whose unintentional betrayal leads them to an unhappy fate is a classic among ballet lovers. In recent years Swan Lake has been the inspiration of several books and movies proving its popularity beyond the ballet world. Unfortunately, not all retellings reach the same level of enjoyment. Sadly, A Captive of Wing and Feathers was somewhat disappointing. 

Princess Adelaide has been running from her past for a long time. Even after hearing the curse that was placed on her kingdom and brother King Dominic is broken and he is a changed man she refuses to believe it. How could she when he once abandoned her when she needed him most? Having found a home in the kingdom of Talinos she works at the Haven a place where the elderly and orphaned children reside, she has no desire to return to her former position as princess of Palinar. Besides even if she wanted to, she can't leave thanks to the curse placed upon her by a local nobleman Leander. The curse prevents her from speaking to anyone but her seven swan friends during the day and even though she gets her voice back at night magic compels her to return to a clearing in the forest and not return until morning. With only her swans to keep her company Adelaide lives a lonely and fearful existence until the day she is discovered by Prince Gabe a childhood acquaintance from years past. Along with their friend Audrey they search for a way to break Adelaide's curse and learn what Leander's true sinister plans are for the kingdom. But just when victory seams near, an accidental betrayal of love could not only destroy the kingdom...but end Adelaide's life. Can Gabe and Adelaide discover the source of the fear tainting the kingdom but somehow find their happy ending too? Read it and find out!

I normally enjoy Melanie Cellier's twists to traditional fairy tales but this book sadly didn't hit the mark. I wish she had stuck more to the original ballet plot by having the princess turn into a swan during the day for at least part of the story. I found it a bit annoying that Adelaide's swan friends are just regular swans who she can magically communicate with. While the storyline does improve towards the end it suffers from pacing issues throughout the beginning and middle making it one of Melanie Cellier's slower books. 

This book's main highlight were the characters. Adelaide is an enjoyable protagonist, and I liked her love story with Gabe the proves opposites can attract. Adelaide is sweet and timid while Gabe is brave and impulsive and together, they bring the best out of each other. While I wish Gabe's sisters Peal and Opal would have made an appearance the cast of side characters were nice additions to the series. The seven swans while not very interesting still made me smile over their silly antics and their desire to protect the fearful princess. Adelaide's friends Cora, Audrey, and Wren were all well-written and I believe Wren's tragic backstory and her fears for the future will no doubt resonate with single mothers everywhere. And while Leander isn't a very interesting villain I'll admit to being surprised when the full extent of his plans is revealed. Let's just say he really knows how to strike fear into the characters hearts.

Overall while A Captive of Wing and Feather's is not my favorite retelling of Swan Lake and the book I enjoyed the least in the Beyond the Four Kingdoms series it is still an enjoyable read. The characters keep the book entertaining, and the story really picks up at the end. I give this book 3.9 stars. I hope you enjoyed this review and keep an eye out for more to come. Until next time.