Rafe Martin's entrance into the fairy tale genre stuns the reader. The complexity of the story of the youngest of the six brothers changed into swans by their evil step mother's witchcraft entrances the reader and grips you to the very last page. The writing style is neither complex nor simplistic, instead following a clear, concise, and beautiful flow of of prose.
The story begins with the young prince, Ardwin, unable to sleep and insisting on his nurse telling him the story of how his arm became a swan's wing. The masterful retelling of the original fairy tale slips seamlessly into the the story, setting the stage for a fantastic adventure where Ardwin is forced to grow up, make difficult decisions and decide which path laid out for him brings him joy. Ardwin's father, the king, keeps his son as protected as possible from the harsh reactions of the world, but he cannot deny that his son is marked. The wing keeps some part of Ardwin wild, dreaming of flying as he had when he was younger. The king insists Ardwin live as normally as possible. When a marriage proposal for his strange son comes, along with a demand to attach a magical golden arm to the place where the wing currently resides, Ardwin chooses to flee.
His flight brings him closer to finding himself. His flight also brings heartbreak, confusion, the reality of his situation and ultimately it brings him friends, happiness and true love.
I highly recommend this book for fan's of the fantasy and fairy tale genre. Even if you are not familiar with original fairy tale, you will easily be able to follow this book. It would be a perfect bedtime story for younger readers and those who follow Harry Potter. While it is not a saga of that scope it has a similar young, marked boy making his way in the world theme. It has the wise magician who guides the innocent young boy into adulthood and full possession of his destiny. While I have not added it to my personal library, it is on my list of items that I would like to have but is not an immediately necessary purchase.
