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    Changeling
    Changeling
    Changeling
    Audiobook6 hours

    Changeling

    Written by William Ritter

    Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The first book in an action-packed fantasy adventure series featuring witches, shape-shifters, and other creatures of fairytale and folklore, including two brothers-one human and one a goblin changeling-on a life-changing quest into the Oddmire. Magic is fading from the Wild Wood. To renew it, goblins must perform an ancient ritual involving the rarest of their kind-a newborn changeling. But when the fateful night arrives to trade a human baby for a goblin one, something goes terribly wrong. After laying the changeling in a human infant's crib, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart. Not knowing which to bring back, he leaves both babies behind. Tinn and Cole are raised as human twins, neither knowing what secrets may be buried deep inside one of them. Then when they are twelve years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave behind their sleepy town of Endsborough and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, crossing the perilous Oddmire swamp and journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and discover who they truly are. In The Oddmire 1: Changeling, the New York Times bestselling author of the Jackaby series brings to life a bold new adventure, the first in a series about monsters, magic, and mayhem.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJul 16, 2019
    ISBN9781980037996
    Changeling

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    Reviews for Changeling

    3/5

    146 ratings23 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Quite the satisfying fantasy adventure. Ritter's world is populated by memorable people and creatures and is very atmospheric. High recommended to fantasy fans, especially stories of changelings and fantasy beings/creatures.
    • 4/5
      I don't normally write written reviews alongside my rating, but this time I felt it really important as this book seems to have an unfairly low rating due to being judged as a completely different book. So please don't be put off by the 2.5 rating; I promise it's not that bad. Just look at the rating for the sequel!
    • 4/5
      This would be a great book for people interested in history and interested in the world view of those who lived it. Luca Vero has been kicked out of his monastery for being too smart, too beautiful, and too curious. He is recruited into a secret order founded by Pope Nicholas V. His charge is to investigate the strange occurrences that are becoming common in 1453. The Pope is convinced that mankind is nearing the ends of days. He sends Luca out to make a map of the fears of the world.In his first investigation, Luca, his clerk Brother Peter, and his servant Frieze are sent to investigate an abbey where the nuns seem to be going mad. The new Lady Abbess is Isolde who should be the heiress to the Castle of Lucretili but her brother forced her out after her father's death saying that her father changed his will and left everything to his son after all. Isolde and her servant Ishraq, Moorish and brought home from the Holy Land as a child, are sent to the abbey but Isolde is still grieving for her beloved father and isn't able to take charge with all the plots surrounding her.While Luca does solve the mystery at the abbey, it is too late for Isolde who has been convicted of witchcraft and disowned by her "grieving" brother. She and Ishraq manage to flee before they are burned at the stake. They meet again on the road and decide to travel together until their paths part. Luca to investigate as he is commanded and Isolde to travel to Hungary to ask her godfather to help her regain her inheritance. The historical detail was wonderful. The characters spanned a broad spectrum of medieval society and thought. But this didn't feel like a novel. It is clearly the beginning of a series of books that will have further adventures of Luca, Isolde, and crew as they wend their way through medieval Europe. This was just the first two episodes of that greater journey.
    • 5/5
      Jack age 9: this book had a lot of twists and surprises. Can’t wait till the next book comes out!
    • 3/5
      I am familiar with this author. I mean if you are a fan of the Tudor era than you have probably read a book or two or several from this author. Yet, I have not read anything medieval from this author that I can recall. So, I was pleasantly happy with this book. Although, I can tell that it was written more for the tween to teen audience. It was dark but without being overly dark like Darth Vader. Luca and Isolde may be the main leads but Freize and Ishraq both did not stand back as secondary characters. They had equal parts in the story as well. Where it was in regards to Isolde. If it had not been for Freize, Isolde would have been lost. After everyone left the monastery, I kind of lost some interest in the rest of the story. I felt like it was not as strong and kind of rushed as if the story needed to have another mystery that they needed to encounter prior to the next book. Yet, I am intrigued to see how the rest of the journey goes for this group.
    • 4/5
      Having read and enjoyed most of Philippa Gregory's books, I was looking forward to reading her debut into YA fiction. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. "Changeling" deals with medieval myths and superstitions, and has a wonderfully rich, historical background. I really like the four main protagonists. They are strong, educated and compassionate, determined to find the truth. I also thought the use of maps, diagrams and drawings indicating section breaks helped transport the reader back to 1453 Italy. I was really disappointed when I reached the end of this book and can't wait for the sequel. A fabulous historical read.
    • 3/5
      Luca goes to the nunnery where Isolde is head abbess to investigate the strange behavior of the nuns and determine whether it is in fact induced by witchcraft on the part of Isolde. Isolde has been forced to the nunnery so that her brother can cheat her of her inheritance and Luca has been made an inquirer so that the church may determine whether the world is ending or not. Together they will search for the truth.

      It is very obvious that an astronomical amount of time and research went into the writing of this book. The amount of historical detail was just incredible. I like that although this book seems like it's going to have a paranormal bent to it, the author comes up with real life solutions that make sense for the time period.

      So far I really liked all of the characters and I am glad that all of the relationships are developing so slowly. The women are smart and tough and I enjoyed reading about them. Frieze is hysterical and I'm really curious about him and Ishrak. I can't wait to listen to more of the series.

    • 5/5
      Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele

      Eigentlich bin ich ja überhaupt kein Fan historischer Romane, denn so spannend ich historische Kulissen z.B. in Fantasyromanen immer wieder finde, in reinen Historien-Schinken spielt meiner Erfahrung nach meist einfach viel zu viel kitschige Romantik mit, als das mir das Ganze wirklich gefällt. Mit historischen Jugendromanen habe ich allerdings einige gar nicht so schlechte Erfahrungen gemacht und daher war ich doch auf Philippa Gregorys „Order of Darkness: Schicksalstochter“ gespannt, immerhin wurde das Buch ja auch ordentlich vom Verlag gepriesen. Und ganz ehrlich? Ich fand den Roman großartig und bin total gespannt auf die Folgebände.

      Im Zentrum von Philippa Gregorys Geschichte stehen mehrere Personen, die junge Adelige Isobel, deren Gefährtin Ishraq sowie der Novize Luca, sein Diener Freize und der Schreiber Peter.

      Isobel hat bis zum Tod ihres Vaters, einem sehr fortschrittlichen und weltoffenen italienischen Fürsten, ein äußerst privilegiertes Leben geführt, hat Europa bereist und sich darauf vorbereitet nach dem Tod ihres Vaters die Verwaltung von dessen Gütern zu übernehmen. Sie ist eine kluge junge Frau, deren scharfer Verstand und Selbstbewusstsein durch die Förderung ihres Vaters gut ausgeprägt ist, sodass sie auch für sich selbst einstehen kann. Gleichzeitig ist sie als Frau aber auch den Regeln ihrer Zeit unterworfen und trägt die Folgen dessen mit Fassung und einer sehr ruhigen Stärke, wobei Mitgefühl und Pflichtbewusstsein oft der Antrieb für ihre Handlungen sind. So auch, als sie nach dem Tod ihres Vaters unerwartet ins Kloster verbannt und dort mit mysteriösen Geschehnissen konfrontiert wird.

      Die gleichaltrige Ishraq ist Maurin, kam mit ihre Mutter als „Beute“ eines Kreuzzugs nach Italien, und wuchs dort gemeinsam mit Isobel auf, weshalb sie mehr Freundin und Gefährtin ist als Dienerin. Genau wie Isobel selbst profitierte auch Ishraq vom fortschrittlichen Denken des Fürsten, der sie in Sprachen und Naturwissenschaften ausbilden lies, sodass sie z.B. in den Genuss kam, an den spanischen Universitäten bei ihren „Landsleuten“ Medizin zu studieren. Auch im Umgang mit dem Langbogen ist sie bestens ausgebildet, da es dem Fürsten stets daran lag, dass sie auch in den Künsten ihres Volkes ausgebildet wird. Sie ist ebenso wie Isobel stark und selbstständig, allerdings auf eine weniger ruhige Art. Sie ist der Gegenpol zu ihrer ruhigen, vornehmen Herrin und wirkt schroff und widerborstig, das direkte Handeln liegt ihr mehr als das unauffällige Handel im Hintergrund und ihre Loyalität zu Isobel scheint der einzige moralische Maßstab zu sein, nach dem sie sich richtet.

      Im Kloster werden die beiden Frauen von Luca aufgefunden, einem ausgesprochen intelligenten und aufgeweckten jungen Mann, der aus einfachen Verhältnissen kommt und nun im Dienste eines Geheimordens der Kirche steht und als Inspektor seltsame Vorkommnisse überprüfen soll, seien es nun Nonnen am Rande des Wahnsinns, die die Wundmale Jesu aufweisen, oder Werwolfsichtungen. Er ist jemand, der immer wissen möchte, was hinter den Dingen steckt, sich trotzdem aber immer wieder in den Normen und Regeln seiner Zeit verstrickt, was zu einigen für ihn sehr frustrierenden Momenten führt, als er sich im Kloster einer Horde unabhängiger Frauen gegenüber sieht. Denn während er zwar sieht, dass die Frauen ihr Kloster in der Theorie durchaus selbst führen können und nicht dem benachbarten Mönchskloster unterstellt werden müssen, kommt er gleichzeitig nur schwer damit klar, wenn sie sich nicht so verhalten, wie er das erwartet.

      Begleitet wird Luca von seinem Diener Freize, bei dem man schnell merkt, dass sich eine scharfe Beobachtungsgabe und ein großes Herz hinter seinem Verhalten als einfältiger Tölpel verbergen. Ganz im Gegensatz zu ihm steht der Schreiber Peter, der die beiden ebenfalls begleitet. Ein älterer Mann, der schon länger im Dienst der Kirche steht und quasi die Personifizierung der damaligen gesellschaftlichen Standards und Erwartungen darstellt, weshalb er mit Lucas Arbeitsmethoden nicht direkt warm wird und Freize vor allem nervtötend findet.

      Die Charaktere sind zwar völlig unterschiedlich, sie sind jedoch alle auf ihre Art faszinierend, da sie eben auch gänzlich unterschiedliche Facetten ihrer Zeit widerspiegeln und das – so zumindest meine völlig subjektive und gänzlich unfachmännische Meinung – ziemlich authentisch. Dazu kommt, dass sie mit einigen wirklich spannenden Handlungselementen konfrontiert werden und es einfach herrlich ist, zu sehen wie verschieden sie darauf reagieren und damit umgehen. PSehr gut gefallen hat mir auch die Tatsache, dass der Young Adult Aspekt hier eindeutig hinter dem historischen Teil zurücksteht, denn es gibt keine Instant-Liebe, die Figuren entwickeln sich zwar, aber langsam und in einem realistischen Tempo, entsprechend ihrer Erfahrungen.

      Alles in allem ist „Order of Darkness: Schicksalstochter“ von Philippa Gregory ein Buch gewesen, dass mir großen Spaß gemacht hat, denn es ist spannend und bietet nicht nur faszinierende Charaktere sondern auch eine atmosphärische historische Kulisse. Es gibt keine überbordenden Romanzen, dafür eine Gratwanderung zwischen Wirklichkeit und Übernatürlichem und einen Plot, der einen den zweiten Band mit Spannung erwarten lässt. Für alle jungen und definitiv auch die älteren Fans kitschfreier historischer Romane definitiv ein Muss! :D
    • 4/5
      The Basics

      It’s 1453 in Italy, the height of religious zeal, and a young man named Luca is sworn into a secret sect of the church commissioned to solve religious mysteries. His first is to investigate a nunnery where witchcraft might be at play.

      My Thoughts

      I was taking a huge chance on this book. Young adult, historical, and centering on mysteries. All stuff I don’t read a lot of. Here’s my theory as to why this worked for me. It is young adult as written by an author who writes adult works for the most part. She didn’t feel as if she was talking down to the reader or oversimplifying anything for the sake of a younger audience. That is still a trend with many YA authors, but it wasn’t done here. It is an easier read than an adult book would be and significantly shorter, but it still managed to be satisfying.

      The historical aspects are loose and mostly centered around the time period in which the characters are operating. This makes for a lot of backwards opinions and beliefs on the parts of the main characters, which I could see irritating people who are more sensitive to it, but I understood it as accuracy to the era. Otherwise the story isn’t saturated with exposition about 1453, which could’ve bogged the experience down. It felt as much like a fantasy setting as anything, which lends somewhat to the fact that while it’s not really a fantasy story, it has that appeal.

      The mysteries aren’t overly complicated or even terribly hard to solve once you understand what the general twist of each one is supposed to be. By the same token, I didn’t need for them to be deep and winding. I appreciated the direction she took with the cases Luca solved, and the concept felt really strong.

      The characters feel well-rounded and well-written. No one’s a perfect, shining example of what everyone expects from YA heroes and heroines. My one fear is that YA seems to demand their be a designated couple, and the book is headed that way. I only hope Gregory can handle the task gracefully. This is obviously the beginning of a series, so their depth is only at the cusp of being explored, but it was enough to make me want to seek the next book and others as they come out.

      Final Rating

      4/5
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like this book. I find it hard for me to find a book that I just don't want to finish. Unfortunately that was the case with Changeling. Slow paced and left me uninterested. Perhaps I'll visit it again another time.
    • 1/5
      Did people have handguns in 1453? Would a teenage monk know what one sounded like?

      Unfortunately, I was put off by the very first sentence of this book:
      "The hammering on the door shot him into wakefulness like a hand-gun going off in his face."

      I'm not convinced. Is this just bad imagery or is it awful research?

      Perhaps if someone can show me historical records showing that a 17 year old monk could know what a hand-gun sounded like, then I will read. A hand-gun mind, not one of the musket-style guns I know they would have access to in those times.
    • 4/5
      Plot: The first in the Order of Darkness series, Changeling revolves around the lives of Luca and Isolde as well as their trusted companions, Freize and Ishraq. The story is set in Italy in 1453 as the unlikely quartet set out on a quest to discover the truth behind all the strange happenings that surround them.My reaction: An excellent read! I read it as an ebook. I am glad that I am not a historian and know very little about this time period as I know the author has been criticized for some of her other works due to historical inaccuracies. I was able to simply enjoy the tale. I am very much looking forward to the next installment!Recommended Age Level: 13+Series information: Book #1 in the Order of Darkness series.
    • 3/5
      Title : Changeling
      Series : The Order of Darkness #1
      Author : Philippa Gregory
      Pages : 272
      Release Date : May 29th 2012
      Publisher : Simon Pulse / Simon & Schuster Canada
      Format : ARC
      Source :
      ** This ARC was provided by S & S Canada in exchange of an honest review**







      My Opinion:


      Changeling is Philippa Gregory's Young Adult debut novel, although she has written quite a lot Adult bestselling books. And so, I think that was what intorested me the most about the book, since she had written Adult books that look popular, and I wanted to know if she could make a good Young Adult book.

      The book turned out okay, although I thought it was really too slow-paced.


      Changeling is about Isolde and Luca. Isolde is now a orphan, and her brother has changed, or maybe she didn't see it before, but he's evil and wants to get rid of her. And so, he sends her to the abbess or something religious like that. And then, Luca, some boy who's with the Church or something (as you can tell, I'm not really churcygious, oh huh, I mean religious), comes to that place that Isolde is now the boss of, because some people say there has been some pretty weird stuff going on there. And so, he comes investigate, and almost kills Isolde and her friend in the process of trying to stop the bad guy.

      For me, Changeling was way too-slowpaced. I felt like I was living in a dream that got stuck and stuck again. Also, the book didn't really make the series go far, so I thought it was just pointless to make a book with this much information.

      There just wasn't enough romance for me.

      Isolde was annoying to me. A lot. I just AGHHHH! I didn't like her, and especially, the girl on the cover just reminds me of Rosalie in Twilight, and I kept picturing Isolde as a freaking vampire bitch! *sigh*

      Luca was pretty okay, except for the fact that he was clueless the whole book and I thought he was like a puppet that the Church moved around like it wanted.

      This book was just okay.


      I have to admit, I was deceived, and I probably won't be buying myself the next book :S



      RATING
      3.5 roses
    • 2/5
      I think she better stick with writing for adults. I had a hard time getting into this book, and for once I don't plan on picking up the sequel. She was all over the map; nuns, monks, witches, werewolves, robbers, the end of days, secret religious orders. It's like she tried to make it more interesting by cramming in a lot of genres, but it didn't work. Nothing in the book was racy or mature so I think it could be read by tweens, but I doubt they'd like it. Also, it was far to predictable; I knew that the brother was lying scum (you should have asked to see the will!), I knew that the nun was full of it, I knew the true nature of the werewolf so the whole time they're investigating all I'm really thinking about is "com'on don't you know it's ------".
    • 1/5

      This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

      Cover Impressions: The cover is pretty, but expected. It makes it appear that Isolde is the main character when, in actuality, the plot follows Luca for a majority of the time. I was glad to see the omission of the "heaving bosoms" that normally accompanies this type of cover

      The Gist: Seventeen year old Luca is accused of heresy and thrown out of his religious order for using math to prove that it is impossible for all of the relics from the true cross to be real. He is quickly recruited by a secret order and sent on a mission to hold an inquiry into strange occurrences. Isolde has been cast out from her home upon the death of her father and forced to vows at a nunnery and serve as their lady superior. When the sisters began acting strangely and complaining of strange dreams and stigmata, Luca is sent to investigate.

      Review: I was pretty disappointed by this one. I have read a lot of Philippa Gregory's books (though I haven't really enjoyed the latest ones) and was hoping for the same sense of excitement that I got while reading The Other Boleyn Girl. Instead, I got a watered down romance, predictable storyline and characters who were barely tolerable.

      When we meet Luca, we are told that he has a remarkable head for numbers and that these skills led to him being called a Changeling (my definition: a child that is left behind by the faerie folk to be raised in a human household). Take note of this BECAUSE IT NEVER COMES UP AGAIN! Seriously. He never uses these mysterious mathematical skills and, despite the title of the book, we never find out anything about whether or not he is a changeling. As a character, he is boring as heck. He never does anything exciting or unexpected, his manner of speaking is flat and unaffected and he switches between allowing others to take charge and pompously reminding them that he is supposed to be leading this investigation.

      Isolde has been promised by her father that, upon his death, all the lands and the kingdom would be hers. She has been raised to be the lady of the house and taught how to maintain her lands and keep her people fed and safe. Yet, on his deathbed he supposedly recounts all of this and gives her the choice between marrying a particularly disgusting man or joining the nunnery. Isolde is told all of this by her brother (her father apparently refused to see her at the end) and never questions the authenticity of his claims. When she asks to see the will, he gives her a COPY instead of the original and then sends her would-be husband to rape her. That's right folks, her brother tells his buddy that he can exercise his matrimonial rights before she has even accepted and (I think) within 24 hours of her father's death. And STILL Isolde doesn't think he is lying about her inheritance. FFS! How dense can you get? For the rest of the book, Isolde continues to be boring and is in constant need of rescuing. The only characters that show any type of promise are the servants Ishraq and Freize and even they are not nearly as interesting as they could be.

      This book holds an odd place in the genre spectrum. It is not quite realistic enough to be true historical fiction nor is it strange enough to be paranormal fiction. The blurb promises werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers but doesn't actually deliver on either werewolves or witches and I can only assume the alchemists and death-dancers will be featured in the next book. The plot is sloooooowwwwww and concentrates far too much on traveling and interviewing people. It really feels like two separate stories; one that features the nunnery and one a village with a werewolf. The stories felt disconnected, almost like two novellas that were strung together in an attempt to make a full book, and no progress is made on any of the over-arching issues (Luca's mysterious new order and his heritage or Isolde's disinheritance).

      For most of this book I found myself waiting for it to be over and wishing that I had chosen to read something else instead. I do not think I will be sticking around for the next in this series.

      Teaching/Parental Notes:

      Age: 13 and up
      Gender: Female
      Sex: None
      Violence: Death by Poison, Death by Fire
      Inappropriate Language: None
      Substance Use/Abuse: Drinking Wine/Ale
    • 2/5
      Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days. Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent tinvestigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape. Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.First of a series
    • 4/5
      My thoughts on the audio:Charlie Cox has appeared on series such as, Downton Abbey and Boardwalk Empire. His acting credits are numerous to say the least. Cox takes on Phillipa Gregory's Changeling with little fault. His voice is very pleasant to listen to. He reads the dialog with expression and great feeling. The only problem I encountered was with the narration. When the characters weren't speaking Cox's voice was very low, and at times almost mumbling. I had to listen very carefully so that I didn't miss anything. If he continues narrating this series, I hope that is something that he will work on. Other than that, this is an enjoyable listen. My thoughts on the story:Changeling is the first book in a new young adult series, Order of Darkness by Phillipa Gregory. Gregory is well known for her historical novels about the Tudors. She once again dives into the past for her latest novel.The story follows Luca Vero who is accused of heresy for questioning the Church. He doesn't take things at face value. However, his questioning gets him recruited by the Pope to join The Order of the Dragon. He is sent out on missions to investigate strange and unusual things as well as to root out evil. You could call him a paranormal investigator of sorts. Luca is sent to investigate a nunnery that has had occurrences of strange events. There his meets Isolde, a lady abbess, who was sent there by her brother after her father passed away. Isolde is being accused of witchcraft, a series charge. Both Luca and Isolde are out to discover the truth.The story line was interesting. Luca is sent out on missions to discover the truth behind the superstitions and fears of medieval times. Luca is very observant and level headed. He doesn't give into histrionics easily, but has an eye for detail. He is thrown off by Isolde. Isolde is not like the women of this time period. She is very strong and intelligent. Luca admires her from the beginning. Isolde's characters is a bit of a mystery. Together with her long time friend and companion, Ishraq, they risk everything to find out the truth and live life on their own terms.Changeling is a good first book to this series. The story kept my attention throughout. Gregory did a fantastic job at exploring how fast superstition and rumors can cause hysterics in medieval times. How one whisper of dark magic could turn a whole town into a raging mass. It was a little predictable at times, but it's definitely worth checking out. I think fans of Phillipa Gregory will enjoy this series. Gregory will reach a younger generation with this new series. I will definitely want to keep up with this series to see what the author has in store for Luca and Isolde.
    • 3/5
      I read this because the title/ description led me to believe it would involve fairies. The story was interesting to a point, but it definitely wasn't my thing. I wasn't into all the ecclesiastical storyline going on. The characters were nice, but I wasn't that attached to them either. Overall, I wanted to know what would happen by the time I was most of the way through the story, but I'm not going to read more books in this series.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed Philippa Gregory's first outing into YA fiction. I have read quite a few of her books including all of the Tudor ones. I love the way she tells a story and I was glad to have one of her books that I could share with my 12 year old daughter. Some her books, especially the older ones, contain graphic sex scenes that would make Mr. Fifty Shades blush. It was nice to see a G rated offering that was family friendly and had a great plot.
    • 4/5
      Received for Review in AudioOverall Rating: 3.50Story Rating: 3.25 Character Rating: 3.75Audio Rating (Not part of the Overall Rating): 3.00First Thought When Finished: This was an enjoyable quick read but the pacing was a little off.What I Loved: The setting in Changeling is so vivid that you can't help getting sucked in immediately to these characters lives. The setting, time, and general atmosphere were as critical to the story as the characters. I really loved both Luca and Isolde! They were such strong people who were a nice combo of smart and strong. Their companions were all strong characters too and the story just shined through their dialogue and interactions.What I Liked: Initially I wasn't sure if I would like the multiple stories but in the end I think it worked perfectly to flush these characters out more. Luca's "job" was both fascinating and unusual. Though there is a throw out to paranormal, you quickly realize that there was a very real time where people believed and feared these things that were unusual. I really liked this piece of history being thrown in.What made me go huh?: This is being touted as a Historical YA book but to be honest if you were 17 or 18 in that time period you were clearly already an adult. I thought the characters were a little too naive and sheltered at times. This however is just a quirk of mine.Audio Specific Review: Charlie Cox did a wonderful job with all of the characters! However, the pacing was a little slow to me in certain areas of the story. I am not sure if that was due to the narration or the story itself.Final Thought: If you are a fan of Historical Fiction I think you will enjoy Changeling.
    • 5/5
      Having loved Philippa Gregory’s adult works, especially her Tudor Court novels, I have been anticipating her first YA novel for a long time. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy from the publisher, and I dove into it at first opportunity. Changeling exhibits all the traits I have come to love about Gregory’s writing – it vividly evokes the time it is set in, incorporates luscious descriptions of the gowns, castles and countryside and follows quirky and interesting characters with dark backgrounds.As much as I love historical fantasy the treatment of women always manages to grate on me, and this book is no exception. However, I usually find the line between good and great historical fantasy lies in the way these women deal with their circumstances. Isolde, bound by her father’s will to live in a nunnery while her brother inherits, is not only strong and wildly independent, she is quiet about it, as one expects a women in her time to be. With an inquisitor around, I feel that laying low is her only option, and was glad to see her exercise common sense.On the other hand, Luca strikes me as very typical for men with his position and upbringing. Although he never gives weight to the notions of abbey priests that the nunnery should be under their command, neither does he know how to handle a large group of women on the brink of madness. While his confusion is endearing, it just goes to show how men at that time expected to live out their days without ever having to even attempt to understand women, and his frustration that the nuns do not conform to his ideas is both worrying and hilarious at once.I found the Young Adult aspect of the book to be overshadowed by its themes as a historical novel. Although it does follow teenaged characters who are both trying, desperately, to find their calling, and features a sweet romance, it lacks the rapid character development that appears in most YA novels. I don’t imply that this is a negative, however, this is definitely a positive aspect to the novel. For once, the girl is not immediately overwhelmed by the gorgeous boy, and neither is the boy struck dumb at her beauty. Yes, they find one another attractive, and towards the end of the novel they are playing with fire and trying to hide their regard for each other, but over all this aspect is played down in favour of chronicling the dark and mysterious things taking place around them.Overall I really enjoyed Changeling immensely, after waiting for it for so long, and would recommend it to readers who enjoy both historical fiction or YA fantasy. I think the Order of Darkness series will have something for everyone, and I personally, am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
    • 2/5
      In short: Though Philippa Gregory is well known and liked for her adult historical novels, I do not believe her writing and characterization translated well to her YA debut, Changeling.The synopsis for Changeling is a bit misleading. I was led to believe it would be historical fantasy, what with the mention of werewolves and witches, but instead it is just plain historical fiction. Not that that's a bad thing - after all, historical novels are what author Philippa Gregory excels at. Changeling is set during the Crusades, a period of utter ridiculousness, which allowed for a plot that was ripe with possibilities for entertainment. Seriously, the stuff people used to believe - without any concrete evidence beforehand - is beyond insane and unfounded. Philippa Gregory makes sure to exploit the ridiculousness of the Crusades, with her expert knowledge of history, to its full extent.Despite this, I can't say I was completely entertained and enthralled with Changeling. The story felt very disjointed as it was split into two completely separate story lines, one revolving around a nunnery and one a werewolf, and neither of them were particularly interesting. The characterization was also bland, save for a few secondary characters, making it hard to care much about what happened to these characters. And the writing, to be honest, left much to be desired, which was surprising because I was expecting a lot from Philippa Gregory. But at best the writing was bare-boned, without any flourish or interest, and at worst, kind of... well, bad. (Note: I really dislike describing an author's writing as bad because I am by no means a good writer myself, obviously, so my apologies for my hypocrisy here).I have not read any of Gregory's adult historical novels, but I understand from their popularity that they are quite well done and detailed. It's unfortunate then that my first exposure to her work was though Changeling, her YA debut, as I do not believe Gregory's writing and characterization translated well to YA. As such, I will not be continuing with this series. It wouldn't feel fair for me to judge her writing just based off of Changeling though, so I would like to give her adult works a try sometime.
    • 5/5
      After the death of her loving father, Isolde's world is turned upside-down: according to her elder brother, instead of leaving her the lands and the home she grew up in, her father decreed on his deathbed that she would be married or sent to the nunnery. Heartbroken, grieving, and with no other options, Isolde sets out for the nunnery with her childhood friend Ishraq.A few months later, Luca Vero - a brother accused of heresy for questioning the authenticity of an ancient artifact - is sent by the Pope to investigate that very same nunnery. When he arrives, he discovers a shocking truth: every since the arrival of Isolde and her companion, the nuns have been experiencing horrible visions... and some have even received gruesome marks on their bodies. Something is not right, and it's Luca's job to find out what's going on. Now, armed with nothing but his orders from the Order of the Dragon, Luca must find whoever is responsible for the strange events occurring inside the holy place - even if it means arresting the mysterious girl who is so much more than she appears to be. First off, I'd like to say a big thank-you to everyone at Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read and review an ARC from one of my favourite authors of all time. Thank you so much for the opportunity! I've been a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's for years, and I swear I shamelessly let out a little fan-girl shriek when I opened up Changeling. Changeling was an amazing read that encompassed all of my favourite genres: romance, historical fiction, and even a little bit of paranormal. I adored every minute of it - and that is not an exaggeration. The characters were so well-written and deep that I felt like I knew them personally. I admired Isolde's spirit and Luca's refusal to believe something just because he was told he had to. The supporting characters were awesome as well and added another layer to the story - Freize was definitely one of my favourites.Gregory did an amazing job weaving this story together - there's no doubt in my mind that she's one of the master storytellers of our time. Her descriptions of Italy during the 15th century effortlessly pulled me in, painting an amazingly clear picture of Luca and Isolde's world in my mind. She also managed to create some of the best character chemistry I've ever read - I can't wait to see where she takes it in the next installment of the series. I definitely (bold, underline, italics, whatever else I can do to that world to emphasize how much I mean it) recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, romance, paranormal YA, and anyone who is a fan of Philippa Gregory's work.