mikaylamarie's review
5.0
Very good story, introducing a seventeen year old girl that feels like the odd man out. When something happens at home, her best friend Tony takes her away to Miami, and there they join a rag tag group of runaways. Looking for money they join a test group to get $500. But when they're accepted, the real suspense begins. Very refreshing, and well written.
captiveinpages's review
4.0
Love books about fae
Another Fae series I can dive into! And I always love a new twist on fairies and Fae folklore. I love Jayne and her sassy spunk! The other characters are great and I'm interested to see what relationships develop over the next books. This is a great start to what I'm sure is going to be a great series!! Can't wait to start the second book!
Another Fae series I can dive into! And I always love a new twist on fairies and Fae folklore. I love Jayne and her sassy spunk! The other characters are great and I'm interested to see what relationships develop over the next books. This is a great start to what I'm sure is going to be a great series!! Can't wait to start the second book!
freesien's review
3.0
Jayne und Tony sind voll klasse zusammen!
Aber trotzdem fand ich die Handlung ein bisschen "meh".
Aber trotzdem fand ich die Handlung ein bisschen "meh".
paganpanda's review
5.0
I was surprised how much I loved this book. I was hooked from the start, and laughing through all of it. Jaynes humor and attitude made this such an easy book to read and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
ashreads10k's review
5.0
The Changelings completely surprised me! Just by looking at the cover, or even reading the description, you would never guess that it was such an adventurous and exciting novel. When I first started it, I wasn't sure exactly where it was going to take me. I knew it was about fey and faeries, but it didn't seem to be heading in that direction. And then, a few chapters in, things got REALLY interesting. All I can say is that you definitely won't expect it.
What I loved was that Elle Casey made what went on in the novel seem so natural. Things started getting progressively fantastical, and it didn't seem weird at all. Even to the characters, they just took everything in stride. I also really liked that the magic came in spurts and didn't all just happen at once. All too often does it happen that fantasy novels just throw all this information at the reader about the magical aspect of the novel, and it's information overload. It also takes the fun out of things, I think. In The Changelings, it's like putting the pieces of the puzzles together, and each chapter holds a new one. You're able to make your own assumptions, some right and some wrong, but there's still some pieces missing and you have to keep reading to find them.
All of the characters are so vivid and fun to read about. Elle writes from the perspective of Jayne, the potty-mouthed spunky protagonist of the novel, so it's safe to say that she's quite a colorful character. I really related to her, because I saw a lot of my own personality in her. She's very brusque and sarcastic, and she has a "fun" vocabulary. Whatever you may feel about The Changelings while reading it, bored is not one of those things.
The ending was fantastic, because it allowed just a bit of closure, but still left off at a great place that makes you want to read the second book immediately. Luckily, the sequel is already available!
For romance lovers, there are hints of romance here and there. Nothing huge, because Jayne is basically fighting for her life the whole novel, but it's there. There are some really yummy guys in this novel, and I really can't wait to see where things go in the romance department.
What I loved was that Elle Casey made what went on in the novel seem so natural. Things started getting progressively fantastical, and it didn't seem weird at all. Even to the characters, they just took everything in stride. I also really liked that the magic came in spurts and didn't all just happen at once. All too often does it happen that fantasy novels just throw all this information at the reader about the magical aspect of the novel, and it's information overload. It also takes the fun out of things, I think. In The Changelings, it's like putting the pieces of the puzzles together, and each chapter holds a new one. You're able to make your own assumptions, some right and some wrong, but there's still some pieces missing and you have to keep reading to find them.
All of the characters are so vivid and fun to read about. Elle writes from the perspective of Jayne, the potty-mouthed spunky protagonist of the novel, so it's safe to say that she's quite a colorful character. I really related to her, because I saw a lot of my own personality in her. She's very brusque and sarcastic, and she has a "fun" vocabulary. Whatever you may feel about The Changelings while reading it, bored is not one of those things.
The ending was fantastic, because it allowed just a bit of closure, but still left off at a great place that makes you want to read the second book immediately. Luckily, the sequel is already available!
For romance lovers, there are hints of romance here and there. Nothing huge, because Jayne is basically fighting for her life the whole novel, but it's there. There are some really yummy guys in this novel, and I really can't wait to see where things go in the romance department.
wizardcm's review
5.0
Oh man, I was expecting a good book.. phew. This one was great. Now I have to go and find the rest of the series, because screw leaving with that ending. xD
authorkmg's review
5.0
I LOVED IT! EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!!! ALLLLL CAPPPPPS LOVE!!! I wrote all about it and all the other books on my blog, check it out http://pagetrotter.blogspot.com/2013/02/elle-casey-put-spell-on-me.html
idk_who0's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is an impeccable start for what is a truly unique book series that is just bursting with amazing quality writing.
kblincoln's review
4.0
4.5 stars, actually.
I downloaded The Changelings from Amazon after reading a bunch of sensible, well-written posts on the Writer's Cafe of Kindleboards by Casey.
So...yeah....her first person, high-school POV Jayne ROCKS! From the first page you instantly plunge into the snark, the slightly clueless over-the-top personality of Jayne and the best friend she "chose" (and basically wore down with dogged persistence into hanging out with her) geeky Toney Baloney.
It's your everyday jock bullies outsider high school hijinks when things take a turn for the weird after Tony pulls a gun and convinces Jayne to run away with him.
When they meet Jared and his high school street friends, things get even weirder when they answer an ad promising cash for participation in a "fitness test."
There's nothing terribly unique on this fae-related, changeling (somewhat role-playish) take on older YA (for the language and Jayne's graphically candid inner monologues about the guys) fantasy, but even when you see the plot turns coming a mile away, you don't really care.
I took off half a star for ending the book on a blatant cliffhanger (I prefer books that end things with some closure while setting the stage for the next conflict), and also for some "too stupid to be true" moments when Jayne and Tony go off by themselves in the midst of the "fitness test". Otherwise, this is a fun, addicting romp into urban fantasy entertainment.
Basically Jayne's voice is the clincher. She's just a lot of fun to go along with, even when you are wincing at her obtuseness.
This Book's Snack Rating: Cheddar Pringles for the massively addictive voice of Jayne on some thin fantasy adventure tropes that nevertheless keep you reaching back into the can for chip after chip
I downloaded The Changelings from Amazon after reading a bunch of sensible, well-written posts on the Writer's Cafe of Kindleboards by Casey.
So...yeah....her first person, high-school POV Jayne ROCKS! From the first page you instantly plunge into the snark, the slightly clueless over-the-top personality of Jayne and the best friend she "chose" (and basically wore down with dogged persistence into hanging out with her) geeky Toney Baloney.
It's your everyday jock bullies outsider high school hijinks when things take a turn for the weird after Tony pulls a gun and convinces Jayne to run away with him.
When they meet Jared and his high school street friends, things get even weirder when they answer an ad promising cash for participation in a "fitness test."
There's nothing terribly unique on this fae-related, changeling (somewhat role-playish) take on older YA (for the language and Jayne's graphically candid inner monologues about the guys) fantasy, but even when you see the plot turns coming a mile away, you don't really care.
I took off half a star for ending the book on a blatant cliffhanger (I prefer books that end things with some closure while setting the stage for the next conflict), and also for some "too stupid to be true" moments when Jayne and Tony go off by themselves in the midst of the "fitness test". Otherwise, this is a fun, addicting romp into urban fantasy entertainment.
Basically Jayne's voice is the clincher. She's just a lot of fun to go along with, even when you are wincing at her obtuseness.
This Book's Snack Rating: Cheddar Pringles for the massively addictive voice of Jayne on some thin fantasy adventure tropes that nevertheless keep you reaching back into the can for chip after chip
emilywrayburn's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I don’t write a lot of 1-star reviews. Usually if a book is that bad, I DNF. But this one was for a readathon and also, with all the plane and train travel I’m doing at the moment, I had the time to commit to it despite not enjoying it.
Usually when I dislike a book this much, I am happy to say “Obviously this wasn’t for me, no book can be for everyone”. But I am surprised just how unanimous the 4 and 5-star reviews are. I would have expected them to be a bit more mixed all things considered.
To be honest, I found none of the characters that interesting. They were all pretty superficial to me. The main character, Jayne, has supposed recently been dealing with sexual abuse from her mother’s boyfriend, but the effects of this are never really delved into and it felt like it was just used as a convenient reason for Jayne to want to skip town.
I could honestly barely tell the other characters apart, and I kept forgetting which guy was supposed to be the love interest. And while most of the characters have known Jayne for a matter of four days, at the end when they have to declare the innermost desire in order to move forward, these two guys both declare they want to protect her?
Plot-wise, I felt like I was mislead. This felt like The Hunger Games or something, rather than a fantasy novel. Yes, there were supernatural creatures, but it felt more like a series of action scenes, with each one separate to the others, and no connection or cause and effect. And apparently while many of them were presented as foes, they’re actually all on the same side at the end?
I was also annoyed that Casey ignored the traditional meaning of the word “changeling”, made it mean what she wanted it to mean in her world, and then went so far as to address this, saying “oh, yeah, the meaning diverged between humans and fey over the centuries”. Whatever.
The other thing that bothered me was the casual ableism, homophobia, etc. Jayne says she can’t be blamed for wanting to laugh at the dwarf (a human with Dwarfism, not a fantasy dwarf a la Tolkien) in commando gear, and also refers to her “OCD” step-mother. Then there’s the stereotypically queer-coded vampire making leery comments, and Jayne’s outdated references to “bitchy gay guys”. Yes, the book is 10 years old. Yes, maybe the author doesn’t include this sort of thing anymore. But ugggh.
Usually when I dislike a book this much, I am happy to say “Obviously this wasn’t for me, no book can be for everyone”. But I am surprised just how unanimous the 4 and 5-star reviews are. I would have expected them to be a bit more mixed all things considered.
To be honest, I found none of the characters that interesting. They were all pretty superficial to me. The main character, Jayne, has supposed recently been dealing with sexual abuse from her mother’s boyfriend, but the effects of this are never really delved into and it felt like it was just used as a convenient reason for Jayne to want to skip town.
I could honestly barely tell the other characters apart, and I kept forgetting which guy was supposed to be the love interest. And while most of the characters have known Jayne for a matter of four days, at the end when they have to declare the innermost desire in order to move forward, these two guys both declare they want to protect her?
Plot-wise, I felt like I was mislead. This felt like The Hunger Games or something, rather than a fantasy novel. Yes, there were supernatural creatures, but it felt more like a series of action scenes, with each one separate to the others, and no connection or cause and effect. And apparently while many of them were presented as foes, they’re actually all on the same side at the end?
I was also annoyed that Casey ignored the traditional meaning of the word “changeling”, made it mean what she wanted it to mean in her world, and then went so far as to address this, saying “oh, yeah, the meaning diverged between humans and fey over the centuries”. Whatever.
The other thing that bothered me was the casual ableism, homophobia, etc. Jayne says she can’t be blamed for wanting to laugh at the dwarf (a human with Dwarfism, not a fantasy dwarf a la Tolkien) in commando gear, and also refers to her “OCD” step-mother. Then there’s the stereotypically queer-coded vampire making leery comments, and Jayne’s outdated references to “bitchy gay guys”. Yes, the book is 10 years old. Yes, maybe the author doesn’t include this sort of thing anymore. But ugggh.