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A review by bethanyangharads
The Heart of a Changeling by Caitlyn E. Lloyd
5.0
4.5 stars
I had such a fun time reading this debut book by Lloyd and I have so many thoughts about it! Before I started this book, a traditional fae kind of story, I was hesitant. Let me explain. It's a semi-unpopular opinion but I didn't enjoy The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (I rated it a 2/5), which I would also describe as a "traditional fae kind of story". For this reason, I was almost scared going in to this novel. However, Lloyd managed to enchant me and interest me, which is what I found lacking in T.C.P.
So, moving on, I just want to shout from the rooftops how much I love the descriptive language in this book. It took me a wee while to get use to the writing style as it was more descriptive than I was used to, but once I did get used to it (about 20% in max) I was enthralled. I'm a very visual reader and so I found myself, at times, re-reading passages to ensure that I had squeezed all the imagery I could from the sentences as I built myself a word by word picture in my head. This resulted in so much colour and life in my reading experience, I was fully immersed. I could picture the world like it was a film, along with all of the creatures and characters.
In terms of the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed how 3D they were for me. Their emotions and small mannerisms were intricately described and I felt like they were real people. As I followed Nora, our main character, I found myself wanting to be friends with her. She's a strong female who doesn't give in to scary men or monsters, she's resourceful, she's loyal to her friend Mina, she's intelligent... the list goes on. Serkhele (awesome name btw), the Winter Court King was also a cool character. I don't think I can say he's quite as intricate as Nora, but I found myself loving the trope he emulates - *ahem* sexy dark hearth throb who knows what he's doing winky face. I also found myself smirking, along with him, at Nora's stubbornness.
I think it was the plot, however, that really cinched the deal for me with this book. This is because there was an element of mystery surrounding Nora, Mina's importance was constantly in the back of my mind whilst reading this, there was conflict between the courts, a backstory/history which was brief but explained all I wanted to know, and the promise of more at the end. The only critique I have (hence 4.5 instead of 5 stars) is that I found that it took a little bit for me to become invested in the plot, although that probably comes down to a new world being built and my own requirement to acclimatise to a rich writing style.
Oh, and I just have to mention how much I appreciated the gorgeous chapter heading which represented which fae court we were in. Absolutely gorgeous. I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to read Lloyd's debut novel, and CANNOT WAIT until the rest of the trilogy is available.
I highly recommend to all lovers of fae novels, people enchanted by dark sexy men or badass intelligent women, and even anyone looking at dipping their toes in magical books.
I had such a fun time reading this debut book by Lloyd and I have so many thoughts about it! Before I started this book, a traditional fae kind of story, I was hesitant. Let me explain. It's a semi-unpopular opinion but I didn't enjoy The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (I rated it a 2/5), which I would also describe as a "traditional fae kind of story". For this reason, I was almost scared going in to this novel. However, Lloyd managed to enchant me and interest me, which is what I found lacking in T.C.P.
So, moving on, I just want to shout from the rooftops how much I love the descriptive language in this book. It took me a wee while to get use to the writing style as it was more descriptive than I was used to, but once I did get used to it (about 20% in max) I was enthralled. I'm a very visual reader and so I found myself, at times, re-reading passages to ensure that I had squeezed all the imagery I could from the sentences as I built myself a word by word picture in my head. This resulted in so much colour and life in my reading experience, I was fully immersed. I could picture the world like it was a film, along with all of the creatures and characters.
In terms of the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed how 3D they were for me. Their emotions and small mannerisms were intricately described and I felt like they were real people. As I followed Nora, our main character, I found myself wanting to be friends with her. She's a strong female who doesn't give in to scary men or monsters, she's resourceful, she's loyal to her friend Mina, she's intelligent... the list goes on. Serkhele (awesome name btw), the Winter Court King was also a cool character. I don't think I can say he's quite as intricate as Nora, but I found myself loving the trope he emulates - *ahem* sexy dark hearth throb who knows what he's doing winky face. I also found myself smirking, along with him, at Nora's stubbornness.
I think it was the plot, however, that really cinched the deal for me with this book. This is because there was an element of mystery surrounding Nora, Mina's importance was constantly in the back of my mind whilst reading this, there was conflict between the courts, a backstory/history which was brief but explained all I wanted to know, and the promise of more at the end. The only critique I have (hence 4.5 instead of 5 stars) is that I found that it took a little bit for me to become invested in the plot, although that probably comes down to a new world being built and my own requirement to acclimatise to a rich writing style.
Oh, and I just have to mention how much I appreciated the gorgeous chapter heading which represented which fae court we were in. Absolutely gorgeous. I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to read Lloyd's debut novel, and CANNOT WAIT until the rest of the trilogy is available.
I highly recommend to all lovers of fae novels, people enchanted by dark sexy men or badass intelligent women, and even anyone looking at dipping their toes in magical books.