Review: Changeling by Philippa Gregory

From Back Cover: Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom and travel to the very frontier of good and evil. Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her from claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by having strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate, and all the evidence points to Isolde's criminal guilt. Forced to face the greatest fears of the medieval world - dark magic, werewolves, madness - Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness. 

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Changeling by Philippa Gregory was a novel that didn’t turn out to be what I expected. Before reading Changeling, I knew that Gregory was an adult historical fiction author; and so I thought the book would be very historically oriented with some paranormal/fantasy elements thrown in. Instead, there was a lack of attention to the little details of the time period – and it showed because the setting merely served as a convenient backdrop for the plot rather than truly coming alive.

As well, although the synopsis promises dark magic and werewolves, that really isn’t the case. Some people may be let down by the lack of paranormal/fantasy elements, but I was actually happy that the truth behind the “magic” and “werewolves” was very logical. I really liked how the superstitions and beliefs held by the people Luca encountered during his travels were dispelled by rationality and science.

I also liked the characters even though I thought that they – especially Isolde – lacked depth and their dialogue seemed kind of modern. It’s unusual for secondary characters to be more developed than the primary characters, but it felt like that was what happened in Changeling with Freize (who provided some nice comic relief) and Ishraq. To me, Ishraq was the most interesting of all the characters because although she’s a female and born an Ottoman (and therefore considered an outsider), she’s well-educated and knows how to fight.

A quick, entertaining story that will most likely appeal to those who are looking for something historical lite, Changeling will be released by Simon Pulse today!

Comments About the Cover: I like the background, but the guy is a little too pale – he looks more like a vampire than a supposed changeling – and the girl doesn’t exactly resemble a modest Lady Abbess.

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Simon and Schuster Canada) for free.