The Oddmire Book One: The Changeling
April 14, 2020
Algonquin Young Readers
Blurb: 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 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. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart, so 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. When they are thirteen years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave their sleepy town and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and uncover who they truly are.
In this first book in a new fantasy-adventure series, the New York Times bestselling author of Jackaby takes readers on a journey of monsters, magic, and discovery.
Purchase Links:
Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Shop your local indie bookstore
I love being a book blogger—probably far more than I ever expected to and that was already significant! One of the reasons is that sometimes I get offered the opportunity to read books that I might not have otherwise and then I get to jump up and down after reading because the book is simply awesome. Case in point: The Oddmire Series by William Ritter, which is geared toward Middle Grade readers but let me tell you this very much adult woman loved these books!
Today, I’m talking about The Oddmire Book One: The Changeling; please check back on June 27 when I will be taking part in the blog tour and reviewing The Oddmire Book Two: The Unready Queen.
With magic waning in the Wild Wood, goblin Kull tries to switch a newborn changeling with a human baby but bungles it so that when Annie Burton checks on her baby boy, she finds not one but two. Annie Burton raises both boys, Tinn and Cole, as her own since she can’t tell them apart. When they reach 13, they embark on a challenge that leads them into the Wild Wood and all the dangers that lurk there, because one of them is going to die unless they reach the goblin horde.
Ritter has created a colorful, magical world and equally intriguing and charming characters to match the setting. My favorite character by far was Fable, who is talkative, pugnacious, cute, and funny. Annie Burton is the archetype mother nurturing yet fierce when she needs to be.
Many themes were woven throughout the story including feeling different and lonely because of being different. Love is not just for a child who is your flesh and blood but any child you bring into your house and raise.
The writing flows and is descriptive enough that the reader feels like part of the story.
While The Oddmire Book One: The Changeling definitely appealed to me, I think the story would appeal to Middle School kids who would love the magical creatures and the frights in the woods. Older readers would appreciate the themes occurring in the novel that are pertinent to the world we are living in.
I highly recommend The Oddmire Book One: The Changeling iff you like fantasy novels filled with goblins, fae, witches, gnomes, and human folk.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
rating:
5 out of 5 butterflies
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