Book review: Odette

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By Jessica Duchen
Published by Unbound Digital

 Synopsis: When a swan crashes through her window at the height of a winter storm, journalist Mitzi Fairweather decides to nurse the injured bird back to health. But at sunset, the swan becomes a woman.

 This unexpected visitor is Odette, the swan princess – alone, adrift and in danger in 21st-century Britain, entirely dependent on the kindness of strangers. Bird by day, human by night, and with no way to go home, she remains convinced, to Mitzi’s distress, that only a man’s vow of eternal love can break her spell.

 Mitzi is determined to help Odette, but as the two try to hide the improbable truth, their web of deception grows increasingly tangled. Can they find a way to save Odette before it’s too late?

 How did this book end up in my hands? I have read the online serialisation of this novel via The Pigeonhole in December.

 Was it a page-turner? I would have loved to have a copy of this book to devour in one sitting as having to wait 24 hours before being able to read the next instalment was incredibly difficult!

 Having read the synopsis, did the book meet my expectations? I was expecting magic and magic I definitely got, plus a lot more!

 Did I like the ending? [no spoilers] Loved it! I am a sucker for a non-cheesy ending and a feminist twist and Jessica Duchen delivered both. I couldn’t have asked for more!

 Three words to describe it. Ethereal. Funny. Current.

 Do I like the cover? Yes, it makes me think of something strong and fragile at the same time, which here could be used to describe both heroines.

 Have I read any other books by the same author? No, but I would like to. I feel particularly drawn to Hungarian Dances and Songs of Triumphant Love.

 Will I be recommending this book? Absolutely. This modern fairy tale with a political flavour and a feminist streak will capture imaginations and encourage you to look at your surroundings with renewed freshness and wonder. We need more books like this!

Anything else? Yes, you can read my interview with the author here.

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