TEST
To put it plainly, Changeling disappointed me. One of its main problems is an overabundance of plot. There are just too many things vying for space and time here. The first book in the series, Witchling, also suffered from this problem. I keep coming back for more because I genuinely like the characters, but it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on.
The D’Artigo sisters are half-human and half-Faerie, and they all have different powers. Delilah, the middle sister, is a Were, which is similar to a shape-shifter, but not quite. She takes the form of a tabby cat, and she changes under stress, or if there is something that entertains her inner cat, like Christmas tree ornaments.
Delilah and her sisters are agents for Faerie OIA, the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. After being assigned to Earth, they ran afoul of a nasty demon who, along with his Degath Squad, was trying to take over Earth and the Otherworld. Unfortunately, there will be more demons and Degath squads; they are not ones to give up so easily. Against this impending apocalypse, a civil war is brewing in Faerie, with members of the girls’ family in the middle. Added to this, a Were-puma clan seeks out Delilah to investigate mysterious deaths at their compound.
As you can imagine, with all these plots muddling around, it’s hard to keep everything straight. Just trying to remember who all the secondary characters was a chore in itself. Basically, Delilah and her sisters, Camille (featured in Witchling) and Menolly, run from one disaster to another trying to protect themselves and their friends as best they can. There are some great characters here: Smoky, an attractive and enigmatic dragon, adds interest, as does Trillian, one of Camille’s lovers who intrigued me from the very beginning.
While I didn’t expect much in the romance department – this is urban fantasy and not romance – Delilah’s love interest gets too little notice because of all the extra plot elements. And a shabby resolution at the end means there are many, many loose ends. Since none of the loose ends from the first book were resolved in this one, I’m guessing that my questions about Delilah’s life will remain a mystery also.
While I will pick up Menolly’s book when it’s released, I don’t have high hopes for the resolution of the series, which is shame because this author knows how to write interesting and compelling characters, and that’s why I keep on reading and hoping for more answers. If you haven’t already started this series, I’d suggest passing this one by entirely, but I imagine fans of the first book will want to read Changeling as well. Otherwise, when book three is released, you’ll be even more lost.
Grade: C+
Book Type: Urban Fantasy
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 07/06/07
Publication Date: 2007
Related Reviews
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.