Intrigues, Magic, and Forbidden Feelings

For many years, Odile has been working toward this moment: trained by her foster father, the wizard Regnault, for the mission of a lifetime. In the kingdom of Auréal, she is to pose as a princess, steal the enchanted crown, and restore magic that has long been forbidden. But then the king is brutally murdered — and Odile’s own brother Damien becomes a suspect.

Classic fantasy motifs and a queer love story

To bring the truth to light, Odile must team up with her arch-nemesis: Marie d’Odette, the rightful crown princess. From this uneasy alliance, something more develops. As intrigue, mistrust, and power struggles escalate at court, Odile grows increasingly torn. Between her loyalty to Regnault and the rising feelings for Marie, she must choose — with consequences for the entire kingdom.
With “Verrat der Schwäne” Poranek fuses classic fantasy motifs with a queer romance. The author grew up between Ontario in Canada and rural Poland and studied veterinary medicine at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Mythology and history shape her writing as much as folkloric material.
Her debut “Where the Dark Stands Still” already became a bestseller. In “Verrat der Schwäne” (Amazon affiliate link) Poranek now crafts a world inspired by 17th-century France, where magic, betrayal, and desire are closely entwined. (dd/pm)