I really enjoyed this poetic retelling of the Six Swans fairy tale. Alexandra, youngest child of the king, is an ugly little thing, but useful. She can use the enaid, the power of the land, to do little things like healing and talking to the beasts and creatures of the land. Her mother's ability to wield the enaid is greater and soaks through the kingdom, bringing lush growth and bountiful crops. Alexandra's three brothers, David, Hugh and Robin, posses little of the gift, but have their own strengths and are devoted to their sister. Though she does not have her father's love, Alexandra is content with her life. Her small world is uprooted when her mother is attacked by a terrifying beast and dies. Her father goes mad with grief, hunting daily for the creature that killed his wife. One day he brings home a prize. Not the beast, but a strange and beautiful woman who bewitches the king and his kingdom, banishes the princes and sends Alexandra to her Aunt's home in Midland. There Alexandra gathers strength and courage and begins to make plans and decisions of her own rather than float along obeying the rules set for her. When her dreams become urgent and prophetic, Alexandra decides she must free her kingdom from the evil creature that has bespelled it and save her people and her brothers, even if she dies in the process.
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