A magical retelling of Swan Lake, featuring a clever orphan, a castle filled with enchanted swans, and a quest to unearth the secrets of the past. Olga is an orphan and a thief, relying on trickery and sleight of hand to make her way in the world. But it’s magic, not thievery, that could get her into trouble. When Olga and her partner-in-crime Pavel learn of a valuable jewel kept in a secluded castle, Olga sees an opportunity to change their lives: a prize so big, they’d never have to steal again. But the castle is not as it seems, ruled by an enchanter who hosts grand balls every night, only for the guests to disappear each morning, replaced by swans. Guided by cryptic clues from the palace spiders, Olga soon realizes she’s in over her head—torn between a bargain with the enchanter, loyalty to Pavel, and determination to understand how the enchanted swans are linked to her own fate. One thing is certain: there is dark magic behind the castle’s mysteries, and Olga will stop at nothing to unmask it. “Sutton's prose shines in this fast-paced adventure featuring engaging characters, a unique take on magic, and some truly creepy moments. I loved it!”  — J.A. White, award-winning author of Nightbooks and The Thickety "An enchanting fairy tale . . . . The characters are interesting, and the story, lovingly inspired by the ballets Giselle and Swan Lake , moves briskly. " —Kirkus Reviews " Wise spiders, magical threads, and flawed illusions anchor this traditionally structured fantasy that nods to Swan Lake , focused on a child who uses her magical powers to help her swindling merchant caretaker." — Publishers Weekly " Ripe for fairytale fans... Sutton conjures a folkloric Eastern European setting in this Swan Lake retelling, and Illustrator Hannuniemi lends a cozy feel with blaack-and-white renderings." — Booklist Karah Sutton is an American/New Zealand children’s author and former bookseller. Her debut middle grade fantasy adventure A Wolf for a Spell was an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce selection, an Indie Next List Top 10 selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. Inspired by her many years as a ballet dancer, The Song of the Swan is her second novel. Visit her online at KarahSutton.com or on Instagram at @KarahdactylAuthor. Pauliina Hannuniemi is a Finnish illustrator with her Bachelor of Arts from Metropolia UoAS. In addition to The Song of the Swan , she is also the illustrator of Karah Sutton's A Wolf for a Spell. one Years of traveling with a notorious swindler had taught Olga an important lesson: people who are trusting are the easiest to trick. So she ignored the obvious lies being spun by her deceitful guardian as she jabbed her needle into the sewing in her lap. “My illustrious lady!” shouted Mr. Bulgakov at a passing woman. “Don’t be shy. Your beauty needs no decoration, but our fine jewelry will complement the sparkle of your eyes.” Mr. Bulgakov gave his usual speeches to the visitors of the market, but so far no one had been drawn in. Other merchants were beginning to disassemble their stalls, and very few stragglers meandered past, those who did only half listening to Mr. Bulgakov’s entreaties. “Jewelry, fine fabric, delicate trinkets, and music boxes! We have sold to tsars and kings and sultans, so exquisite are our wares!” Behind the wagon, which had fabric draped over it to form the tent of their stall, Olga stayed hidden. She wasn’t good at interacting with customers. She yanked the thread, groaning as she made yet another messy stitch that her magic could not quite hide. There was a rustle of fabric, and Mr. Bulgakov peeked around the tent to glare at her. “This is your fault. They can see through your magic—­they know that the merchandise is shoddy.” His cheeks were red beneath his beard from the heat of the day. Dust from the road flecked the brim of his cap. Olga bit back the temptation to tell him that he could lie a little less extravagantly, but that was a criticism he would not receive well. And his critique of her magic was accurate—­ her crudely knotted heartstring around the tin necklaces and threadbare fabrics could fool only one person in ten. Most people could discern that something wasn’t right, even if they couldn’t tell that magic was involved. “Psst, Olga, what do you think?” She turned to find Pavel admiring himself in a mirror at the stall next to theirs, sporting an embroidered tunic and outrageous hat. The tunic looked well made, and the fabric hung elegantly on Pavel’s hulking form, but: “The hat’s too small for your big head,” she hissed. “You’re right,” Pavel whispered, swapping out the first hat for another, this time with a ridiculous feather. “That’s a ladies’ hat,” she said, trying to focus on her own stitching. “I still think it suits me,” said Pavel. He turned back to the mirror and stroked the feather on this new hat, flicking his bushy r