• Paperback: 400 pages
• Lee Carroll’s Website
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1 edition (August 3, 2010)
• List Price: $14.99 US/$17.99 CDN
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765325977

Buy Black Swan Rising at:

• Amazon
• Book Depository

When New York City jewelry designer Garet James stumbles into a strange antiques shop in her neighborhood, her life is about to be turned upside down. John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can’t believe her luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things start happening. . . .

That evening, the precious silver box is stolen. When Garet begins to investigate, she learns that she has been pulled into a prophecy that is hundreds of years old, and opening the box has unleashed an evil force onto the streets of Manhattan and the world at large. Gradually, Garet pieces together her true identity—one that her deceased mother desperately tried to protect her from. Generations of women in Garet’s family, including her beloved mother, suffered and died at the hands of this prevailing evil. Does Garet possess the power to reclaim the box and defeat this devastating force?

On her journey, she will meet the fey folk who walk unnoticed among humans and a sexy vampire who also happens to be a hedge fund manager that she can’t stop thinking about. But the fairies reveal a desire to overpower mere humans and the seductive vampire has the power to steal the life from her body. Whom can Garet trust to guide her? Using her newfound powers and sharp wit, Garet will muster everything she’s got to shut down the evil taking over her friends, family, New York City, and the world.

When I first started reading Black Swan Rising, I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did. By the middle of the book I didn’t answer my phone and I didn’t want to go out on a Saturday night. I had to finish this book!

Garet fast became one of my favorite fiction characters, she’s snarky and she keeps going when any other person would just lay down and call it quits. The ending damn near killed me but I am so happy this is a series and not a one off, it was just that good!

I can’t wait to find out what happens between Will and Garet, and what Garet’s next adventure will be. Is the bad guy gone for good? Hell with this book anyone can turn good or bad within a chapter, which totally keeps you on your toes.

If I wasn’t laughing at some of the characters comments:

He chuckled. “Snoop Dogg’s twitters really crack me up.” He typed something using two claws and chuckled again. Then he whisked his tail across the screen and growled.

I was falling in love with some of them:

One of my favorite Latin mottoes – which I’d found on an old signet ring I’d used to make one of my medallions – ran through my head. Dum spiro, spero – As long as I have breath, I have hope. I’d find a way out of our problems and I’d do what I could to stop….

Black Swan Rising is full of so many awesome characters (fey, alchamists,vampires, dragons) and the story line is centred around an ancient family “curse”. It was a wonderful mix of Urban Fantasy and Fantasy, all rolled into an awesome action filled adventure.

I am not one to re-read a book, but I can tell you now I already want to re-read Black Swan Rising.