We’ve said it before, but middle grade books really are starting to become a bigger part of our TBR. I’ve really been enjoying them lately, so when I was approached for the blog tour for the second book in The Oddmire series, I couldn’t say know. Even though these books can be read separately, it’s still fun to read them all. Today I want to talk about the first book, Changeling!

A big thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with an ARC on Netgalley!

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Magic is fading from the Wild Wood. To renew it, goblins must perform an ancient ritual involving the rarest of their kind—a newborn changeling. But when the fateful night arrives to trade a human baby for a goblin one, something goes terribly wrong. After laying the changeling in a human infant’s crib, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart. Not knowing which to bring back, he leaves both babies behind.
Tinn and Cole are raised as human twins, neither knowing what secrets may be buried deep inside one of them. Then when they are twelve years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave behind their sleepy town of Endsborough and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, crossing the perilous Oddmire swamp and journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and discover who they truly are.

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Changeling (The Oddmire #1) by William Ritter
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 16/07/2019
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads

Review

“Mischief is in the nature of goblins and growing children in roughly equal measure.”

When I picked up Changeling, I went in knowing very little. I read the synopsis awhile ago and that was it. I’m so happy I decided to read this book. It has everything I look for in a book and even more. The writing is amazing and brings you into a really magical world. The pacing kept me on the edge of my seat and the book included some really cute illustrations!

Let’s start off by talking about the setting. Tinn and Cole are off on adventures into The Oddmire. The woods are dark and creepy. Also, these woods are filled with things you don’t want to run into. This setting was amazing and I loved how everything was described. I know if I was still in the age group for this book, I would’ve thought it was scary. I think younger and more vulnerable children in this age group could think this is a bit too scary. All in all, this would be the perfect read for the darker months and around Halloween. Even though I would read it anytime of year!

Now let’s continue to talk about the plot. It starts with Kull, a goblin, trying to switch the changeling with a human baby. This doesn’t go quite according to plan and he has to leave before taking the human child with him. Thirteen years later, if the changeling doesn’t come to the forest, all magic will be lost. This leads our main characters to an adventure in the dark forest. I won’t give away too many details, but they go on an adventure with little twists and turns.

And we can’t forget about the characters and the important message this book brings! Tinn and Cole are typical twin brothers. They go on great adventures together and love each other unconditionally. Both of them don’t care who the goblin is, but they just want each other to be safe. It was fun seeing them get into trouble little kids get into when playing outside. Also, I have to say how amazing it was to have the mother, Annie, be such a big part of the story. So many fantasy books have parents that are either horrible or aren’t alive, but Annie was everything. It was so nice to see a mother play such a big part in their sons’ adventure and how loyal they are. We also have some side characters that we meet in the forest. My favorite being Fable. She was so much fun to read about. I loved her free spirit.

As I said before, Changeling also has an important message in the story line as well. Family isn’t always blood and a mother’s love is unconditional. Annie loved both of these boys with all her heart and she didn’t care for one minute that one of them wasn’t “hers”. Families have all different shapes and sizes and I loved seeing a strong mother figure in a middle grade book. When I finished this book I had a smile on my face and can’t wait to read the sequel!

Changeling was such a fun start to this amazing middle grade series. I enjoyed every action packed moment and I can’t wait to tell you all about the sequel. Keep an eye on the blog for my review of The Unready Queen that will be posted next week!