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saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
This was my featured Juvenile Fantasy for my Elementary school visits prior to SRP 2017.
Girl discovers door to another world, goes there to rescue her sister. Meets magical friends, travels, discovers things about herself.
Pretty run-of-the-mill world building, but loved the character work of the different changelings, and the questiness. A great introduction to the genre.
The scary monsters were particularly notable as unusual. :)
Girl discovers door to another world, goes there to rescue her sister. Meets magical friends, travels, discovers things about herself.
Pretty run-of-the-mill world building, but loved the character work of the different changelings, and the questiness. A great introduction to the genre.
The scary monsters were particularly notable as unusual. :)
reading_rant's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
2.0
I was disappointed. This started off in the first few chapters as being a modern story about changlings (children who are switched at birth by fairies).
And there was a cool lady next door who knew about fairies because she was a changeling herself.
Izzy's sister gets kidnapped by the fairies and so the two set off to rescue Hen. And that could have been a great story. But instead Mariam gets cast aside early on and Izzy continues the story with a bunch of other people and have to journey to Avalon. It was at that point that I got bored.
It basically turned into a journey book with a mix of lovable, surly and distrustful charters. There is even a Deux ex machine thrown in for good measure when all hope is lost. Reminds me of the first Wizard of Oz book. But if I had wanted to read that I would have.
So probably good enough for middle schoolers but I'm sure there are other books out there they could enjoy more.
Thanks to netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
And there was a cool lady next door who knew about fairies because she was a changeling herself.
Izzy's sister gets kidnapped by the fairies and so the two set off to rescue Hen. And that could have been a great story. But instead Mariam gets cast aside early on and Izzy continues the story with a bunch of other people and have to journey to Avalon. It was at that point that I got bored.
Spoiler
the old lady comes in at the end of the story she is going to stay in fairy land and gives Izzy the key to her house in the human world. WTFIt basically turned into a journey book with a mix of lovable, surly and distrustful charters. There is even a Deux ex machine thrown in for good measure when all hope is lost. Reminds me of the first Wizard of Oz book. But if I had wanted to read that I would have.
So probably good enough for middle schoolers but I'm sure there are other books out there they could enjoy more.
Thanks to netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
onemanbookclub's review against another edition
3.0
Check out my blog, One Man Book Club
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
The Changelings is a fun and simple stand-alone fantasy for young readers. There's magic and mystery, danger and daring, love between sisters and love between friends, lot's of fairies, and a happy (if a little odd) ending. I was glad I found it so I can share it with my kids. It would be great as a read-aloud.
It reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland without the allegory.
Note: Looks like this stand alone turned into a series, which I'm a little disappointed about. It does just find as a stand alone.
Happy Reading!
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
The Changelings is a fun and simple stand-alone fantasy for young readers. There's magic and mystery, danger and daring, love between sisters and love between friends, lot's of fairies, and a happy (if a little odd) ending. I was glad I found it so I can share it with my kids. It would be great as a read-aloud.
It reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland without the allegory.
Note: Looks like this stand alone turned into a series, which I'm a little disappointed about. It does just find as a stand alone.
Happy Reading!
kimily's review against another edition
4.0
This book was provided to me as an uncorrected digital review copy by the publisher, via NetGalley.
Izzy is bored. Her family has moved for the 10th time, and now she is expected to settle into a tiny town with nothing going on, and start another new school, where she won’t fit in and won’t have friends (not that that’s anything new). Then someone tells her that her neighbor, Marian Malloy, is a witch. So Izzy decides spying on Miss Malloy is just the cure for new town boredom. But that was before she heard the flute music. And before she watched her little sister disappear into the woods. Now Miss Malloy may be Izzy’s only chance to rescue her sister from the land of Faerie.
There is a lot of middle grade fantasy out there these days, and much of it, in my humble opinion, has one fatal flaw: over-the-top silliness. Maybe it’s just me; I’ve never been a fan of slapstick, and the three stooges grate on my nerves. My feeling is that if you want to get into a kid’s head, you have to trust them with some serious stuff. This book does that. The characters in this book have experienced rejection, loneliness, loss, and guilt. The kids struggle with being okay with who they are, and have to learn that they can’t take responsibility for every bad thing that happens in their lives. The fairy characters were described well, which made the story come even more to life for me. I can only really come up with one negative, and I don’t know if it was lack of world-building or lack of attention on my part, but the parts of the story in which the Changelings hid their abilities from others was confusing. The occupants of the land of Faerie were primarily fairies, and would seemingly have similar abilities to shape change, so why hide it? It wouldn’t give them away as Changelings, because the only qualifying factor for a Changeling was to be an orphan, not to have a special ability. Overall, this is a fun book with a good amount of action and adventure. The characters are complex and the dialogue flows naturally. I would recommend this book to middle grade readers on an upper 3rd grade reading level and higher, who enjoy fantasy and/or adventure.
Izzy is bored. Her family has moved for the 10th time, and now she is expected to settle into a tiny town with nothing going on, and start another new school, where she won’t fit in and won’t have friends (not that that’s anything new). Then someone tells her that her neighbor, Marian Malloy, is a witch. So Izzy decides spying on Miss Malloy is just the cure for new town boredom. But that was before she heard the flute music. And before she watched her little sister disappear into the woods. Now Miss Malloy may be Izzy’s only chance to rescue her sister from the land of Faerie.
There is a lot of middle grade fantasy out there these days, and much of it, in my humble opinion, has one fatal flaw: over-the-top silliness. Maybe it’s just me; I’ve never been a fan of slapstick, and the three stooges grate on my nerves. My feeling is that if you want to get into a kid’s head, you have to trust them with some serious stuff. This book does that. The characters in this book have experienced rejection, loneliness, loss, and guilt. The kids struggle with being okay with who they are, and have to learn that they can’t take responsibility for every bad thing that happens in their lives. The fairy characters were described well, which made the story come even more to life for me. I can only really come up with one negative, and I don’t know if it was lack of world-building or lack of attention on my part, but the parts of the story in which the Changelings hid their abilities from others was confusing. The occupants of the land of Faerie were primarily fairies, and would seemingly have similar abilities to shape change, so why hide it? It wouldn’t give them away as Changelings, because the only qualifying factor for a Changeling was to be an orphan, not to have a special ability. Overall, this is a fun book with a good amount of action and adventure. The characters are complex and the dialogue flows naturally. I would recommend this book to middle grade readers on an upper 3rd grade reading level and higher, who enjoy fantasy and/or adventure.
srl5041's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic fantasy novel filled with unusual creatures, underground worlds, and edge-of-your-seat adventure. I LOVED this book! I think this will be a big hit with my fantasy lovers & many more! Can't wait for the sequel.
scostner's review against another edition
4.0
Izzy is a typical older sister. It always seems that if she really likes something or wants to do something on her own, then her little sister manages to ruin it. Her parents aren't much help either since they have just moved the whole family to the most boring place on Earth, and she even has to share her bedroom with Henrietta, "Hen." But on a trip to the grocery store, Izzy learns that their neighbor could be a witch. Finally there is something to do - she can spy on Miss Marian and try to catch her doing something witchy. All she sees is a lot of gardening, and some funny stacks of stones around the yard. Just when she thinks that maybe Marian isn't a witch and Everton really is the most boring town ever, something happens - Hen disappears in the woods and there is mysterious music. What's a big sister to do, but join forces with the wacky neighbor and mount a rescue mission?
Izzy discovers there was a reason her grandmother never wanted the family to come visit the house in Everton - it is on the border between the human world and that of faeries. Marian takes her to the other side of the border, into the Everwood, in search of Hen. Izzy meets all sorts of creatures she has only heard of in her books of fairy tales. There are changelings, brownies, goblins, trolls and other fantastical beings. Parts of the realm seem magical in the best way, but other things like Queen Morvanna and her hunting beasts, the Unglers are downright terrifying. What can a small girl and a few changelings hiding in the woods do against the evil queen who has Izzy's sister? As usual in fairy stories, appearances can be deceiving and help can come from unexpected places.
Readers who enjoy fairy stories and tales of trips to other realms or dimensions will love this journey through the faerie world. Izzy is very believable as the exasperated older sibling, and Hen makes the perfect impetuous younger sister whom she can't help but forgive every time she messes things up. The familiar characters from fairy tales such as brownies and even the Pied Piper are given a make-over and fresh appeal. The action moves along quickly with triumphs and disasters keeping everyone (including the reader), on their toes until the very end.
Highly recommended for middle grades and up.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Izzy discovers there was a reason her grandmother never wanted the family to come visit the house in Everton - it is on the border between the human world and that of faeries. Marian takes her to the other side of the border, into the Everwood, in search of Hen. Izzy meets all sorts of creatures she has only heard of in her books of fairy tales. There are changelings, brownies, goblins, trolls and other fantastical beings. Parts of the realm seem magical in the best way, but other things like Queen Morvanna and her hunting beasts, the Unglers are downright terrifying. What can a small girl and a few changelings hiding in the woods do against the evil queen who has Izzy's sister? As usual in fairy stories, appearances can be deceiving and help can come from unexpected places.
Readers who enjoy fairy stories and tales of trips to other realms or dimensions will love this journey through the faerie world. Izzy is very believable as the exasperated older sibling, and Hen makes the perfect impetuous younger sister whom she can't help but forgive every time she messes things up. The familiar characters from fairy tales such as brownies and even the Pied Piper are given a make-over and fresh appeal. The action moves along quickly with triumphs and disasters keeping everyone (including the reader), on their toes until the very end.
Highly recommended for middle grades and up.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
unfoldingpages's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 out of 5 stars.
I really love this book. It gives me everything I could ask for in a middle grade book.❤️
I really love this book. It gives me everything I could ask for in a middle grade book.❤️
booksandbosox's review
4.0
This was a fast-paced adventure fantasy that I enjoyed. I liked the exploration of the relationship between the sisters. I liked Izzy finding friends among the Changelings. There is continuous action that keeps you flipping the pages. While I thought the story was nicely self-contained, I'm not displeased to hear a sequel will be out this fall.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy, which I acquired many moons ago and have just now shamefacedly read.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy, which I acquired many moons ago and have just now shamefacedly read.
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