A Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner: A New Epic Fantasy Teeming With Political Intrigue, Courtly Manoeuvrings and Female Rage

‘For the queen to rise, the swans must fall.’

A Snake Among Swans is a new epic fantasy from the author of Godkiller, crammed full of political intrigue, courtly manoeuvrings and morally ambiguous characters who very much toe the line between good and evil. At its heart, it is a tale of two women, Tilde and Elise, whose lives have both been shaped by the warmongering that has torn Tilde’s kingdom apart. The disgraced Merogian princess, eaten alive by rage at the death of her two siblings and father, forges a marriage alliance to her aged conqueror King Liran. Pledging vengeance for her country, she schemes to slay the swan king in their marriage bed. Only, when Tilde and her retinue arrive at court, she discovers that it might not be that simple; Liran’s death would simply set into motion a fierce and brutal succession war and the end of the Merogian line. Instead, Tilde finds herself in a foreign court surrounded by enemies who would rather see her dead than bear the king a son. The only person half-sympathetic to her is the king’s daughter Elise, ever-loyal to her family but finding herself torn between brothers jostling for her father’s throne.

There is a hint of magic in the kithwood, whose whispers Tilde has heard all her life, but the focus is very much on the court and the characters. There is a part of me that wishes the forest magic had been more developed but I suspect this is something we’ll see more of in subsequent books. This book is definitely a slow burn – and I don’t just mean that with regards to the romance. The plot requires patience (and quite a lot of brain power too, I admit. The dramatic personae listed at the start was very much needed as there are a lot of players.)

Speaking of the romance, it is very minimal… but the crumbs we got! I am a sucker for a really complex, very often toxic relationship in my high/epic fantasy – another that comes to mind is Saffron and Levan in Silvercloak (even more so in the sequel Turncloak). I like my lovers to be on opposite sides of wars and factions, battling between their loyalty to their family/country/ideology and their heart, and this is very much where Elise and Tilde’s relationship lies.

This is a dark, realistic depiction of a kingdom torn apart by war. It’s visceral, often uncomfortable, and Kaner’s writing does credit to the heavy subject matter. If you’ve been craving an atmospheric medieval fantasy, this will satisfy in spades. Kaner has clearly put a lot of thought into the word building – everything from the clothing, food and religion reflects the contrasting cultures of the kingdom meshed together. And I didn’t even realise this was a fairytale retelling until the very last chapter, which is always testament to an author’s skill at breathing new life into reimaginings. (Side note: I’ve read two retellings of the Six Swans fairytale in the month of July completely by accident – this and Daughter of the Forest, of which I also have a review up on the blog if you’re interested. I think the only other retelling I’m aware of is Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, so maybe I need to end the month with that, just to complete the triad?)

If you enjoyed the grittiness of the Poet Empress, I think you’d similarly enjoy this. As I’ve mentioned, it was heavy on the political intrigue – I need to make a post about some of my favourite books that are heavy on political intrigue, because I seem to have read tons lately! But this one is definitely worth the investment in my opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the digital ARC! A Snake Among Swans is out September 8th.