Interesting. A quick read, a bit too simplistic but it kept my attention from beginning to end.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I'm not a fan of vampires and werewolves in modern fiction and I'm getting fairly bored with the whole Fey/Faerie thing, as well. However, I love it when authors use John Dee as their villain. I sort of feel sorry for the guy. I wonder if he and Rasputin will ever team up in a novel. Someone should write that.
What I liked: Ok. I liked the whole neat-little-treasures aspect: paintings, jewelry, silver boxes, signet rings, fairy dust (not really) and stuff. I completely adore that type of thing. I liked that there were characters I knew - Oberon, John Dee, and there was another but I don't remember whom. I liked that there was magic flying all over NYC and no one noticed; that often irritates me but just as often amuses me and in this setting, it was amusing.
What I didn't like: A vampire. Of COURSE there was a vampire. Since Anne Rice, I have found vampires to be tiresome and ridiculous. NO LOVE for vampires. Yeah, this guy's not a sparkly vampire and he's not a fiend. He's a nice guy with zillions of dollars who is irresistibly sexy and can't come out in the daytime, so no picnics on the hill amongst the daisies at noon for him. Booooor-ing. I didn't like that Garet was all, "Oh my gosh, I have these powers and now I'm going to use them...but I'm not really going to notice I have them, I'll just let everything push me along and I'll react. And oh, I just remembered, I'm not worthy! And my mom - my mom! Why didn't she love me/tell me/blah blah blah" How come these women don't get killed more often?
Despite her insipid behavior, though, I liked her. I liked her friends and her dad and her dad's friend. It was a quick story and it was sort of cute. It's not going to be one I re-read every time I need comfort or to be inspired, but I'm glad I read it nonetheless.

A fun and enjoyable read. New York is a great place to set a Fantasy adventure.

Likeable and interesting characters, with a story that keeps the pages turning.

Enjoyable fantasy read. Haven't really read anything in this genre before, but if you are able to suspend disbelief then this is an easy read, and I will read the next two of the trilogy, as it felt a little unfinished. I guess the author had the second book planned from the start...

Garet gets some crappy news and as she's walking about in a daze, she stumbles on an antiques store. The guy in there is (surprisingly) trusting and gives her a silver box to open for him, but of course the nothing good can come of it. Garet finds herself thrust into the world of the fey and learning magic as well as falling for a guy she really shouldn't. She has to help save the world from the crap she released onto it.

I was actually surprised to find out this is written by Carol Goodman under a pen name - surprised because the one book I've read by her (Incubus), I found to be so boring and the characters were very poorly written. This book is a polar opposite - I really enjoyed all the characters and there was nothing boring about the story.

It was something kind of different from other fantasy books, and I find myself wanting to read more. I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series - really enjoyable.

Slow in parts but overall I enjoyed this book (enough to seek out the second in the series) and as an artist loved the connection they gave artistic muse to the world of fey. Overall, a cute enjoyable read.

disappointing... the blurb seemed like it should have had potential, but it just turned down the old well-traveled routes and didn't turn out anything new.

New York City during a recession is not the place to be an art dealer or jewelry designer. Garet James has just learned that her father heavily mortgaged their studio and home and the bank is calling in the loan. After meeting with their lawyer and trying to clear her mind with a walk, she becomes lost in a rain shower and takes shelter in a strange antique store. The elderly man behind the counter shows her a sealed silver box and encourages her to take it home and attempt to open it. She is successful, but then strange things happen. She sees moving letters on the box, the papers inside self-destruct and men break into their studio and safe to steal paintings. To make matters worse, her father is shot and the box is taken.

Black Swan Rising brings fairy myths to the modern day with John Dee, Oberon and Puck being just a few names to bounce around. Garet must decide who to trust: John Dee tells her not to trust Oberon, Oberon tells her not to trust Will (a vampire who was in love with her ancestor) and both men tell her not to trust John Dee. Carroll leads the reader through the discovery of the four elements in fairy lore and weaves these powers into a modern tale. Will Garet be able to defeat the supernatural beings who wish to dominate humans and fairies alike? Will New York City be safe again? Black Swan Rising is an exciting read that leaves just enough intrigue to make the reader want to read the next book, “The Watchtower.”

Fans of urban fantasy, if you haven't read this, you should. First and foremost, Black Swan Rising felt real. I could imagine everything that Garet was experiencing actually happening. So many urban fantasy novels are fantastical to the point of unbelievability, and it takes away from the fact that they are supposed to take place in our world, in our time. That is not the case here. Garet is an interesting character with an interesting family, friends, and hobbies. She isn't the most multidimensional character I've ever read, but I feel like this story is more plot centered than character based, so I won't complain. She handles herself well in a crisis, makes her own decisions, and learns quickly. She doesn't know martial arts and isn't ridiculously tough. The plot is excellent as well. When I think back on it now it seems really simple, but I was engrossed in this book completely and hung on every word. The writing grabbed me from the start. The description of the Fair Land was so beautiful I had to write it down, and the description of the vampire sight in the night was one of the most realistic and gripping I've read (and I've read plenty of vampire books). From there the book keeps up it's pace with Garet learning abilities and finding out more about her mother and the John Dee situation. I feel that this is what urban fantasy should be. A believable main character, in a realistic situation, with a bit of the paranormal mixed in. Black Swan Rising doesn't have a trash talking heroine that gives everyone and attitude and has every guy in town drooling over her. There is no investigative agency or mystery here, just a heartfelt standalone story. I love it.