Review: The Swan by Allison Carr Waechter

October 19, 2026

Synopsis:

He’s the City of the Dead’s most notorious enforcer. She’s a burned-out assassin. Both monsters in their own right, can they find love locked in a haunted house?

Rhiannon Brontë came back to Orphium to steal her sword back. She had no intention of being roped back into the lives of her immortal sisterhood. But now that she’s home, she can no longer ignore the calls of duty coming at her from all sides. All she wants is an escape.

Eryx Necroline lost his first love to the dangers of his profession and swore he’d never love again. When the woman of his dreams is determined to lock herself in the city’s most haunted house, he faces the dilemma of his go with her and risk falling in love again, or let her slip away forever.

Review:

We pick up directly where we left off in the previous book. Rhiannon and Eryx team up, or rather stay behind, to discover the root cause of the haunting at Oleander Cottage. What is happening is not limited to the cottage itself but also affects the surrounding area. Past and present seem to be merging in a unique way, allowing them to interact with this world, better understand what they can learn from it, and how it will impact everyone moving forward.

I appreciated that the first half of the book felt different and gave the two characters plenty of opportunities to interact and spend time together. It became clear that both of their histories are connected to the events and hauntings. On top of that, they both learn to care for each other, and it was beautiful to watch. The growth these two characters experience was one of my personal highlights of the book.

Once everyone was reunited, the story began setting up the events that drive the second half of the book. Whenever Rhiannon and Eryx got their moments to shine again, I found myself rooting for them.

It took me a little while to get into the overall story, which also happened with the first book, but once I understood what was going on, I was engaged until the very end. Another solid instalment for me, and I look forward to seeing how the story continues.

🌙 Recension: The Swan (The World of the Orphium Maere #2) by Allison Carr Waechter
📚 Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
📅 Release Date: November 11, 2025
📱 Read as: Kindle
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
💸 I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 347
⭐️ 4.25/5