Order of Swans

Bestseller Deveraux (My Heart Will Find You) ventures into romantasy in this unconventional adventure—with mixed results. Kaley Arens is at loose ends after a setback in her PhD studies in folklore and decides to travel with her friend Jobi to his homeland. She believes they’re traveling to a distant island, but Jobi is actually from another planet, Bellis. Jobi, a seer, believes Kaley is destined for great things on his home world, but for now, she joins an attractive swan herdsman, Tanek, and a powerful warrior, Sojee, to search for the king’s son across a dangerous and fantastical island populated almost entirely by men. Bellis’s particular blend of spacefaring technology, fairy tale magic, and preindustrial society is unexpected, but it also raises more questions than the novel cares to answer. The hints of romance are unlikely to satisfy Deveraux devotees, while fantasy fans may find the sketchy worldbuilding frustrating. The quest narrative keeps the pages flying, however, and there’s plenty of exciting setup for future installments. It’s a rocky first foray, but there’s real potential here. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Jan.)