My 5-Star review in entirety published at Amazon for Barbara Spencer’s intricately woven novel:

The author infuses mythology, historical fiction, and magical realism in her graceful and imaginative story teeming with vivid descriptions worth lingering over.

It’s as much a coming-of-age story for Magrit (Maidy) Bader who receives her much anticipated sweet sixteen birthday gift of a gilded mirror handcrafted by Pappy. “And if the birthday girl looks carefully enough, she will discover the face of the man she will one day marry.”

Maidy’s disturbing vision makes this reader wonder if the prophecy will be revisited in the sequel, ‘Sunset on Golden Wings’.

Indeed, the dark machinations of love propel the plot forward, causing plenty of turbulence for feathers to fly.

Threads of secrecy throughout, which are unraveled at the end, gnaw away at Maidy as they did for me. There’s more than meets the eye of Waldger, Jaan, Tristan, Zande and her brother Pieter—birds of a feather.

From page one, I began to care very deeply about the characters, holding on to my disdain for Ruth from the very beginning, and my admiration for Maidy who is pure of heart.

I highly recommend ‘The Year the Swans came,’ a novel whose story takes flight with grace and imagination through the author’s superb writing prowess.