William Ritter (1)

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Changeling is a beautiful coming-of-age story about two boys raised as twin brothers; they know that one of them is a “changeling”–a goblin–but neither knows which one of them is human and which is a goblin. The story tackles what it means to be family, friends, and of course, human. Ritter does a brilliant job of going back and forth between each boy showing that each has show more typical “goblin” and “human” characteristics, truly making it impossible to guess which one is which until the moment when it is revealed by magic.

I love the folklore that provides the foundation of the story and can’t wait for this series to continue so that we can learn more about the different magical creatures and the forest, and of course, follow Tinn and Cole’s adventures. Ritter includes classic folklore tales while giving them his own twist, which makes for an interesting, fresh-feeling read. The book picked up a lot when the boys got to the forest and my favorite parts were learning more about the forest creatures and the forest’s witch.

I also really enjoyed that we’re able to get the twins’ mom’s point-of-view in various chapters–it’s nice to know that she is completely dedicated to her two boys: human or goblin, she fiercely loves both of them, which was SO GREAT. I was worried that one boy was going to be singled it as “the probable goblin,” but she looks at both boys as her sons. She fights for them constantly along the way and when they venture off by themselves, she’s right behind them, trying to save them. Truly an amazing character.

This book is super fun and relatively fast-paced. Once they got to the proper adventuring part of it, I truly couldn’t put it down. I kept talking about it to everyone who would listen (even if they wouldn’t) because I loved the characters and the story so much. It’s the sort of book that would have been an absolute favorite of mine if it had been around when I was younger. It has heartwarming lessons and is so, so entertaining. I highly recommend this.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

I really enjoyed this! It's been a while since I read book two and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't enjoy this book as much but I definitely did. This series continues to be a bunch of fun and very readable.

I completely forgot just how much I enjoy these characters! I've said this before but the eccentric older mentor can be a really annoying figure for me but I just love the way Jackaby is characterized. One aspect of this series that I continue to love is Abigail being wrong about show more things, or at least ignorant, and Jackaby teaching her something. I think too often in YA, the main character is always the one teaching everyone else how to be a good person and I find that it can come off as lecturing. In this case, it really seems like character development and I love that. Abigail in this book is still great and I really like her but my favorite character is still definitely Charlie. I forgot how much I love him, I honestly think he's one of my favorite characters of all time. If I had one complaint it's that there wasn't enough Charlie. He's such a lovely character and such a breath of fresh air in the world of egotistic love interests in YA.

The plot of this book was a little less interesting to me than the last book, but I can tell that we're setting some stuff up for the last book of this series so I thought that some more set up was fine. I didn't find the mystery to be super surprising but I don't really think that was the main point. I liked that we got some good character development for Jenny and we got to learn more about Jackaby's past. To me, those were the most interesting aspects of this book and really gave me more appreciation for these characters.

I'm excited to read the last book but I'm actually sad that this series is ending. I think I might pick up Ritter's other series despite the fact that I don't really read middle grade. I just love the way he writes and I feel like this series is underrated, so if you're think about trying this series, I think you should. show less

The short version: Jackaby is a new-adult, 1892 version of Elementary with a detective that can see the ghosties and beasties of the supernatural world. Vaguely feminist, it's sure to please most who enjoy the genre. I, who does not seek the genre out, still enjoyed it.

The long version: Ever since Jo from Little Women, I've had a fondness for the plucky heroine. Miss Abigail Rook delivers. Born into an educated and well-to-do family, she took her college money and joined a paleontology dig show more while her parents were away traveling. When that didn't pan out, she (albeit accidentally) went to the States. Making the best of her adventure, she looks for work and ends up working as Jackaby's assistant. Their first case is a brutally murdered journalist, and the banshee neighbor's wails hint that someone else will soon follow.

At the risk of damning it with faint praise, this stood out for being enjoyable and inoffensive. There are no shortage of fantasy type books in this genre and age-range, but by staying with Abigail's first-person point-of-view, the narrative is more coherent. Like the show Elementary, Jackaby is a less socially-competent Sherlock, while Abigail proves more adept at mundane interactions.

“‘I’ve got it,’ I announced. ‘You’re a detective, aren’t you?’ The man’s eyes stopped darting and locked with mine again. I knew I was onto him this time. ‘Yes, you’re like whtshisname, aren’t you? The one who consults for Scotland Yard in those stories, right? So what was it? Let me guess, you smelled salt water on my coat, and I’ve got some peculiar shade of clay caked on my dress or something like that?”

There's mild humor throughout, both situational (a frog that absolutely does not like being stared at) and verbal:
"'We are not with the police department,' said Jackaby. He pulled out a thin leather satchel and laid it on the table.
'Well,' said Charlie, 'I am.'
'We are not with the police department, except for those of us who are,' Jackaby revised."

It's quite possible that readers of historical fiction may find it full of inaccuracies for 1892 in speech and behavior. I enjoyed it, and as I dislike the historical genre as a rule, my assumption is that it probably doesn't meet those standards. Fine by me. There is a formality to her internal voice that differentiates it pleasantly from a more modern UF.

The dual plots of the mystery and Abagail's adjustment her new employment are the primary focus of the story, and there isn't much that detracts. They move quickly, although some of the interludes in Jackaby's odd townhouse slow down and allow for more of the personal development angle.

Overall, I'd say this was a nice orange sherbet of a read, a pleasant palate-cleanser. I'll pick up the second and see if it continues.

Three and a half stars, rounding down because it just doesn't stack up against my normal four-star reads. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. What a charming, light, and very entertaining read! Going to get on my soap box for a brief moment... adult readers - please know going into this that this is a young adult read. A pet peeve of mine is when adults read YA, and then negatively review it because they're not satisfied with it! Yes, YA can have higher level writing and complex plots, etc, but a vast majority does not, so accept that. It's not going to blow your mind, test your mystery solving show more skills, or give you deep character development, but I'll say it again, my gosh this one was entertaining! It's fast-paced, has plenty of fun supernatural/paranormal creatures, great bits of humor, and charming characters. I loved it, as it was the perfect light read I needed right now. Looking forward to the rest of the series! show less