Birdwing by Rafe Martin

In this book Rafe Martin brings the Brother's Grimm children story into the next chapter. For those who don't know the story, 6 brothers get turned into swans by their step-mother, and their sister must sow them sweaters out of thorns in the time slot of 6 years. The problem is the sister must not talk or laugh ever. As she gives her brothers the sweaters, at the end of the 6 years, 5 of them are finished and one is missing a left arm. The littlest brother, Ardwin, is left with his left wing.
This book is about Ardwin when he is a a young teenager. Ardwin has lived his entire life being a either a swan or as a boy with a deformity. Ardwin wants to be a swan agian. He misses flying in the sky and living in the wild. He is the only brother who misses this. All the other brothers resent him and his wing and craving for the sky. Ardwin finally fed up with people resenting him he plans to leave the kingdom. Before he leaves he finds that his father wants to cut off his wing. On his adventures he stops at his sister, Rose's, castle and they talk about his wing. After Ardwin leaves his sister's castle he tries to find the swan herds and feel accepted but they reject him. As he is leaving he finds himself in the house of the man who worked for his father's enemy.
This man helps him to recover from his harsh travels and he helps Ardwin to plan to find his step-mother. Ardwin wants to find her because she will lift his curse. On the way to the find his step-mother he finds a girl who he falls in love with. What will happen to Ardwin when he finds his step-mother.

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