“And so, far away from the eyes and ears of the mortals and in the loamy argot of roots and brambles, the Isle whispered to the foundation of Rathe Castle. It whispered of all the things it held in its soil… of heartache and sly glances, prayers murmured into flowers, the tiny splash of a child’s feet in the tidal pools by the shore. The Isle spoke of magic mislaid and misused, of the way things had been … and the way things could be.”

Demelza is both the daughter of a veritas swan and a monstrous wizard. When all of her sisters are married off and have useful roles throughout the kingdom to feed their father’s ambitions, Demelza is left behind and longs to find a purpose for her life.  Prince Arris is fated to die. He is the Kingdom’s heir and all it takes for a bride to rule the Isle of Malys is a marriage and Prince Arris’ heart…preferably carved out. Obviously the Prince has been trying to avoid his life being cut short but when his parents announce a tournament of brides, time begins to run out. Until he meets Demelza. With her song Demelza can compel others to tell the truth and so Prince Arris strikes a deal. Can Demelza help him find true and long lasting love? 

The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi is an enchanting fairytale featuring doomed characters in a world that is both strange and delightful. 

The first aspect of this novel that I found truly striking was how the worldbuilding is bursting with magic and whimsy. It’s not only inventive and fun but it really embodies the true essence of a fairytale setting. On the Isle of Malys, there are two castles situated on opposite sides of a lake, both are heavily magical, grand and full of beauty. Up in the clouds is Hush Manor, a place run by the wizard Prava, Demelza’s father. Every room is full of wonder and magical artefacts, there is even an elaborate library cared for by a bunny-like wyvern librarian. Rathe castle is where the royal family reside. It has rooms that change to suit the desires of the occupant, there’s enchanted weather, a fantastical menagerie, and The Grove of Ancestors where Prince Arris’s ancestors are living their second life as trees. We learn that both castles were built by Prava, and therefore there were many echoes but throughout the novel we get a deeper exploration of Rathe castle as the tournament takes place. There are almost no bounds to the magic in this book, almost every desire can be magically created, yes often with undesirable consequences, but I just loved that there were so many random and surprising sprinkles of magical use throughout. From a spying eyeball, to a daydream tree, sentient vines, a cave of mirrors to show who you’ll become and floating cloud bears! The contestants within the tournament of brides all came from different parts of the kingdom and therefore each had their own abilities and talents, which served to showcase different types of magic. For instance, Edmea could change and create highly elaborate clothes at whim, Ursula, being a Wyldefolke who had one human form and one animal form, could turn into a bear. I admire when an author really celebrates magic and Roshani makes every page vibrant and truly immerses a reader into this fantastical world. I feel like a lot of modern fantasy books have lost this, opting for more realism, but sometimes you just want an enchanting world to escape to and this certainly ticks that box. 

Although there are no evil stepmothers in this novel, there are two very different but fantastically portrayed mothers. Demelza’s mother, Araminta, is very protective of her, but this protectiveness is misinterpreted by Demelza who believes her mother to be uncaring and deliberately stopping her from growing up and leaving the nest. I feel this is an age-old conflict between mothers and daughters and here Roshani shows us both sides and how miscommunication causes them to become adrift. On the other hand Arris’s mother, Queen Yzara, tries to nurture her son to become ready for marriage, she’s strong and powerful, but is not cruel, she loves her children dearly, even though she is technically sending her son to his death! It’s that kind of book where there’s a lot of tongue in cheek! As for the fathers, well Arris’s father is much more wholesome and homely but Prava is a little more complex, it’s probably best to experience him for yourself because he’s quite the character! The portrayal of siblings was something I quite enjoyed too as there is no sibling rivalry between Demelza and her sisters and Yville is quite hilariously and fiercely protective of Arris.  

“He could not remove someone’s pity or perspective. He could

not take away someone’s bias or belittling. But he could slip off his shoes, and if there was anything he could meet in true honesty, it was the earth beneath his feet.”

As you can see Roshani both pays homage to fairytale tropes and also looks at them through a critical eye. Within The Swan’s Daughter there are of course curses, talking animals (and trees!), royalty, magical items, witches, marriage, kisses and true love. My favourite of course was the exploration of true love. This was both a hilarious aspect to the book, but also very poignant at times too. What does it mean to love when that love is ultimately doomed? How can you truly trust someone when you give your life to them? When you make yourself vulnerable? For some of the brides their plans on killing Prince Arris made me laugh, especially when they were found out and the castle would quite literally throws them out! Then we have the ones who seemed more genuine and yet still felt superficial in their desire for marriage. It is only really Demelza who truly gets to know Prince Arris because by being a veritas Swan herself, she too knows the danger of giving your heart to someone. This shared understanding was so beautifully played out as Roshani illustrates a yearning for these two lonely people to find not just love but companionship. Both characters transform by the end, but what Roshani ultimately shows us is that their transformation is on their terms, it is not for the kingdom but for themselves, their choices, and that is what brings about true love. 

“In an instant, one could be disarmed by the hint of a smile. Every piece of armor knowingly and unknowingly constructed around the heart could be rendered flimsy and useless by a single glance. It was the equivalent of showing up to a sword fight with a spoon. There was nothing to be done for it. Nothing to protect oneself against it. All you could do was hope to survive this feeling with your heart mostly intact.”

The Swan’s Daughter effortlessly brings back the essence of a classic fairytale with a fresh take on true love. This is a spellbinding read that celebrates magic and whimsy.

ARC provided by Kate at Hodderscape in exchange for an honest review—thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. 

The Swan’s Daughter is out 8th January 2026. You can pre-order your copy on Bookshop.org