Revenge keeps dangerous company.

Oscar, one of the lost children of Fairendale, has been transported, by way of a Vanishing spell that saved his life, to the uppity land of Lincastle. Here he watches, from a distance and with a heavy chip on his shoulder, the people of Lincastle strut about their streets in fine clothes and hats and shoes that, unlike his, do not have gaping holes. He watches, mostly, a book shop that reminds him of the one his mother owned in Fairendale.

When Oscar steals a book from the shop and is put on display by the law keeper of the land, he is rescued by an unexpected person–Freya, princess of the land. But soon his danger becomes her danger, and men storm the halls of the castle to capture her, deeming her unworthy to inherit the throne because she pardoned a criminal. Oscar and Freya must learn to fly–or lose their precious freedom forever.

The Boy Who Loved a Swan is the twelfth book in the Fairendale series, an epic fantasy middle grade series that explores both familiar and unfamiliar fairy tales, legends, myths, and folk tales. The world of Fairendale revolves around villains and heroes–all on a quest for what they believe is right. But one cannot always know, at first glance, who is the villain and who is the hero. Throughout the series, the story of King Willis and his determination to keep the throne of Fairendale (at all costs? Perhaps. Or perhaps not.) is woven into the story of his son, Prince Virgil, heir to the throne and friend to the village children, and the story of fairy tale children fleeing for their lives–children who become what we know as fairy tale villains, for one good reason or another.

But, remember, one cannot always know, at first glance, who is the villain and who is the hero.