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Once Upon a Changeling
Things started going wrong for Russ Knight last year.
He found out his girlfriend was cheating on him when she gave birth at the junior prom and left the baby to die in a trashcan. Russ didn't even know she was pregnant. Hell, he thought they were saving themselves for each other.
Now, locked in her padded cell, his girlfriend is screaming that she was just trying to get the faeries to give her baby back. Russ doesn't buy it. But to shut her up, Russ tries a trick the old legends say will work, and the baby starts swearing and begging to be taken back to Faerie. He's got to accept the truth: the kid he's raising is a faerie changeling.
The faeries are going to sacrifice the real baby at the Equinox if Russ can't get them to switch again. But the only person who can get the baby back is a biological parent, and Russ' girlfriend certainly can’t help. To save an innocent life, Russ will face ancient faeries with razor-like teeth, wrestle snarling skeleton dogs, and, maybe worst of all, track down every guy his girlfriend was sleeping with last year in the hopes of finding the baby's real father.
And apparently, the father could be half his senior class.
He found out his girlfriend was cheating on him when she gave birth at the junior prom and left the baby to die in a trashcan. Russ didn't even know she was pregnant. Hell, he thought they were saving themselves for each other.
Now, locked in her padded cell, his girlfriend is screaming that she was just trying to get the faeries to give her baby back. Russ doesn't buy it. But to shut her up, Russ tries a trick the old legends say will work, and the baby starts swearing and begging to be taken back to Faerie. He's got to accept the truth: the kid he's raising is a faerie changeling.
The faeries are going to sacrifice the real baby at the Equinox if Russ can't get them to switch again. But the only person who can get the baby back is a biological parent, and Russ' girlfriend certainly can’t help. To save an innocent life, Russ will face ancient faeries with razor-like teeth, wrestle snarling skeleton dogs, and, maybe worst of all, track down every guy his girlfriend was sleeping with last year in the hopes of finding the baby's real father.
And apparently, the father could be half his senior class.
- GenresYoung Adult
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2011
70 people want to read
About the author
V.J. Chambers
104 books463 followersV. J. Chambers writes about being inexplicably attracted to the dangerously alluring. Her works span mundane settings and fantastic ones. She writes about serial killers, cult leaders, werewolves, witches, for-hire assassins, zombies, space pirates, and regular everyday people.
She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.
She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 16, 2014
This is why I usually don't read indie books. There are some great ones out there, like Nenia Campbell's Fearscape, and heaven knows traditional publishing houses push out some horrible books every now and then, but at least I won't find missing commas or capitalization mistakes inside. And that's only the tip of what's wrong with this book.
Once Upon a Changeling is an insult to all fey books out there. I want to fall down on my knees and kiss Julie Kagawa's feet because that woman clearly did research. She would not have a faerie fix cars or lift weights.
Riddle me this; what are weights made up of? What are cars made out of? Then answer me this; what are the fey most afraid of?
They hate iron. Fey are vulnerable to iron. It's the most basic stone of fey mythology and this book completely neglects that.
Then, it has the audacity to name a faerie character Puck, but that person isn't Robin Goodfellow from A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm not saying you can't name your characters whatever you want, but if you're writing a book based on the fey, I'd automatically assume Puck would be thegorgeous iconic red-headed Seelie jester, not a seventeen-year-old punk chick with piercings. Piercings, I tell you. My God...
Supposedly death-inducing piercings aside,the Puck in this story absolutely fails at being a faerie.
To quote Ron Weasley, are you a faerie or not? This sounds like a tween girl being asked out on her first date, not an immortal faerie who could snap a human in half without even breaking a sweat. I don't give a crap that she's seventeen in human years. She was still raised by fey parents whom, I presume, are more competent than their daughter at being fey. Where are the manipulative lies? Where is their ruthless dark nature? What have you done to the name of my beloved Puck?!
The romance isn't much better either and borders on insta-love. The main character, Russ, first sees Puck in a parking lot and this is his reaction:
First off, Russ, fuck you. Punk girls can look hot too. So can butch girls.
Russ rapidly falls in love with Puck soon afterwards, even though we never see any plausible reason for why he does so, and vice versa. Must be because she looks so feminine, yet can pull the butch look at the same time. I mean, the mythology already contradicts itself, why not the romance either?
I will pay whoever can make this voice ten bucks. Seriously, I tried, but I can't do it.
Russ is also as dumb as Nora Grey when it comes to research and figuring stuff out.
Pop quiz: When you find out that your baby is actually a changeling and you want to get the real baby back, do you:
A) Google it
B) Go to the library
C) Waste time by running to bars where unfriendly blood-sucking fey lurk in hopes that they might have the answer
If you answered A) or B), then congratulations! You are certifiably smarter than the characters in this book!
And that's not all. They have to figure out who the baby's real dad is because Russ's girlfriend Cindi slept around a lot and only the real dad can get rid of the changeling. So what do these geniuses do? They hack into Cindi's email account because golly gosh, that's what all the kids are using these days to communicate, right?
What do you mean they text?
And I figured out who the real dad was ages ago. There's this little thing called over-hinting.
Execution-wise, the writing is stilted and choppy. Maybe some people like sentences delivered in sharp bursts, but this only managed to irk me even more.
Funny, I was going to say the same about you.
Let's not forget the constant telling of how he's feeling, instead of showing us:
To round things off, there's also info-dump cleverly disguised as dialogue!
This entire block of backstory aside, why are you telling me the reason they joined the Journalism class? It doesn't make an impact on the story or their personality. Frankly, it would run smoother and sound less like a narrative if it'd been edited out.
And this gem right here?
Someone is obviously a High School musical fan.
Cindi is the only interesting character in this mess. I actually wanted for the book to delve deeper into her character and why she sleeps with all those other guys instead of her boyfriend. Unfortunately, her actions are casually passed off as slutty and she is branded as a lunatic for trying to kill her baby, which turned out to be a changeling, in order to get her real baby back. Sluts don't get thank-yous, even though she was the first one to figure out something was up with that baby.
If you want a well-researched fey book with wonderful world-building and three-dimensional characters, go read The Iron King. Because this one burns like iron should.
Thank you Curiosity Quills Press for sending me an e-copy
Once Upon a Changeling is an insult to all fey books out there. I want to fall down on my knees and kiss Julie Kagawa's feet because that woman clearly did research. She would not have a faerie fix cars or lift weights.
Puck was a faerie. Awesome.
"That's how you can lift weights so easily?"
She nodded. "And how I fixed your car."
Riddle me this; what are weights made up of? What are cars made out of? Then answer me this; what are the fey most afraid of?
They hate iron. Fey are vulnerable to iron. It's the most basic stone of fey mythology and this book completely neglects that.
Then, it has the audacity to name a faerie character Puck, but that person isn't Robin Goodfellow from A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm not saying you can't name your characters whatever you want, but if you're writing a book based on the fey, I'd automatically assume Puck would be the
Supposedly death-inducing piercings aside,the Puck in this story absolutely fails at being a faerie.
[Main character, Russ]: "I think you're the most beautiful girl ever. I really like you. I wanted to ask you on a date, but you got drunk.
[Puck] grinned, and it lit up her face. "You want to ask me out? Really? Because I would say yes. Because you're brave, and exciting, and you do things for noble reasons, and I've never met anyone like you."
To quote Ron Weasley, are you a faerie or not? This sounds like a tween girl being asked out on her first date, not an immortal faerie who could snap a human in half without even breaking a sweat. I don't give a crap that she's seventeen in human years. She was still raised by fey parents whom, I presume, are more competent than their daughter at being fey. Where are the manipulative lies? Where is their ruthless dark nature? What have you done to the name of my beloved Puck?!
The romance isn't much better either and borders on insta-love. The main character, Russ, first sees Puck in a parking lot and this is his reaction:
She was one of those punk chicks, but she was attractive in a weird way. Except for two thick strands of blue hair framing her face, her head was shaved. Usually, I thought haircuts like that made girls look masculine and ugly, but she looked...delicate. Rings and piercings covered her face, but I kind of liked the tiny diamond stud in her nose.
First off, Russ, fuck you. Punk girls can look hot too. So can butch girls.
Russ rapidly falls in love with Puck soon afterwards, even though we never see any plausible reason for why he does so, and vice versa. Must be because she looks so feminine, yet can pull the butch look at the same time. I mean, the mythology already contradicts itself, why not the romance either?
I liked her voice. It was breathy and girly, but it still somehow sounded tough.
I will pay whoever can make this voice ten bucks. Seriously, I tried, but I can't do it.
Russ is also as dumb as Nora Grey when it comes to research and figuring stuff out.
Pop quiz: When you find out that your baby is actually a changeling and you want to get the real baby back, do you:
A) Google it
B) Go to the library
C) Waste time by running to bars where unfriendly blood-sucking fey lurk in hopes that they might have the answer
If you answered A) or B), then congratulations! You are certifiably smarter than the characters in this book!
And that's not all. They have to figure out who the baby's real dad is because Russ's girlfriend Cindi slept around a lot and only the real dad can get rid of the changeling. So what do these geniuses do? They hack into Cindi's email account because golly gosh, that's what all the kids are using these days to communicate, right?
What do you mean they text?
And I figured out who the real dad was ages ago. There's this little thing called over-hinting.
Execution-wise, the writing is stilted and choppy. Maybe some people like sentences delivered in sharp bursts, but this only managed to irk me even more.
One of his eyes looked as if someone had tried to put it out. The iries was a milky blue. There was no pupil. I swallowed.
I liked her voice. It was breathy and girly, but it still somehow sounded tough. But I had to watch myself. Couldn't actually be really attracted to this girl. Girls were trouble. Nothing but trouble.
Funny, I was going to say the same about you.
Let's not forget the constant telling of how he's feeling, instead of showing us:
I was grateful.
I was astonished.
I was angry.
I was pissed.
To round things off, there's also info-dump cleverly disguised as dialogue!
"Everything started at the prom last night." I rubbed my face with my hand. "Or that's not really true. It started way before that. It started when I met Cindi. Sophomore year. Journalism class. I was a first year student—because freshmen aren't allowed to work on the newspaper—and so was Cindi. She'd taken the class because she needed an elective. I'd taken it because I liked to write. We didn't have much in common, honestly. But Cindi was the girls' volleyball team, and girls who played sports were socially acceptable dating material for guys on the basketball team. We had friends in common. And she was beautiful.
This entire block of backstory aside, why are you telling me the reason they joined the Journalism class? It doesn't make an impact on the story or their personality. Frankly, it would run smoother and sound less like a narrative if it'd been edited out.
And this gem right here?
But Cindi was the girls' volleyball team, and girls who played sports were socially acceptable dating material for guys on the basketball team.
Someone is obviously a High School musical fan.
Cindi is the only interesting character in this mess. I actually wanted for the book to delve deeper into her character and why she sleeps with all those other guys instead of her boyfriend. Unfortunately, her actions are casually passed off as slutty and she is branded as a lunatic for trying to kill her baby, which turned out to be a changeling, in order to get her real baby back. Sluts don't get thank-yous, even though she was the first one to figure out something was up with that baby.
If you want a well-researched fey book with wonderful world-building and three-dimensional characters, go read The Iron King. Because this one burns like iron should.
Thank you Curiosity Quills Press for sending me an e-copy
June 25, 2011
This book was a surprise; I am a huge fan of dark faerie stories, and from the description I was expecting something macabre. But Chambers manages to take a taboo subject and make it engaging and even funny in places. I liked the main character right away. Even though he has gone through some pretty extraordinary circumstances, Chambers' depiction of high school hell is really believable.
There were some truly great reading moments, like the faerie changeling who still looks like a baby but complains bitterly about life and steals contraband from his family. And then there's The Resistance, a group of politically minded faeries who put saving the humans on the same level as some humans do saving the whales.
Altogether an entertaining read- vintage Chambers, twisty and dark and fun.
There were some truly great reading moments, like the faerie changeling who still looks like a baby but complains bitterly about life and steals contraband from his family. And then there's The Resistance, a group of politically minded faeries who put saving the humans on the same level as some humans do saving the whales.
Altogether an entertaining read- vintage Chambers, twisty and dark and fun.
December 16, 2014
A fun paranormal young adult novel about a teenage boy stuck with a reputation and child that aren't his. To complicate matters the child he’s been raising is actually a faerie stand-in while the original is set to be sacrificed in the fae realm.
Once Upon A Changeling is amusing and fast-paced with an interesting take on faerie and changeling folk lore. The characters are interesting and the high school setting helped fuel the drama. I loved the main character and couldn't help feeling frustrated and indignant on his behalf. The story was both a mystery and adventure as the characters tried to find the child’s father and gain entrance to the fae dominion. Once Upon A Changeling is an engaging and enjoyable story with a refreshing take on faerie folk lore.
Once Upon A Changeling is amusing and fast-paced with an interesting take on faerie and changeling folk lore. The characters are interesting and the high school setting helped fuel the drama. I loved the main character and couldn't help feeling frustrated and indignant on his behalf. The story was both a mystery and adventure as the characters tried to find the child’s father and gain entrance to the fae dominion. Once Upon A Changeling is an engaging and enjoyable story with a refreshing take on faerie folk lore.
January 6, 2016
Review:
Protagonist: Russ Knight has had quite a difficult few months after finding out his girlfriend was pregnant, by someone else, at prom, after she tried to leave it to die in a garbage can. Since then he's been taking care of this kid who's not his, working, going to school where people blame him for Cindi snapping and trying to kill her baby, and really all he wants is to just make it to graduation. Then he finds out that this baby is a changeling, a faerie that was switched Cindi's real baby. Honestly, Russ was an okay narrator, but I felt like his characterization was really uneven, and there wasn't all that much development for him, a few "life lessons" here and there but since it was hard to get a good read on his character it was hard to see how or if he grew and changed as the story was told.
Romance: So I went into this book not expecting a romance whatsoever, but unfortunately there was one. Why I say it's unfortunate was both that this book really didn't need one, and the one it has is just awful. Apparently Puck isn't the kind of girl Russ would normally be into but apparently she's just so freaking beautiful that it doesn't matter. The thing is, Russ comments on her good looks when they first meet, like right after the book starts, but for most of the book things seem pretty platonic between them then out of nowhere Russ loves her and wants to be with her blah blah blah. Seriously this was one of the most forced romances I've ever read.
World-Building: So this is a fey lore novel, and it the fey part of it is done rather poorly, we barely get to see any of it and it's not explained very well. I don't know if it was the intent of the world-building or the uneven writing that did it but I just felt like there wasn't enough explanation, things felt too convenient, and it just kind of falls apart. The writing is super weird, and I felt like there were things that should have been fleshed out more and there should have been a whole lot less rambling on the part of the narrator, both in his exposition and at times when he actually spoke.
Predictability: This book was very easily predictable. I mean I didn't know everything right off the bat, but when there was foreshadowing it was pretty heavy handed leading me to realize some pretty important twists. That alone wouldn't have been much of a problem if I didn't feel like the author just kept trying to tease things I already knew and beating these twists into my head. There were plenty of times where these twists could have been revealed, times when it would make sense and I wasn't going insane waiting for it to happen, but more often than not they were dragged out and all I got was more over the top foreshadowing.
Ending: The ending to this book was pretty okay. There was a big final climax that I liked and there were some far less aggravating twists in the end. The final chapter just sort of wraps everything up, and answers most questions you'd probably have. My only problem with the ending was that everything just seemed to go a little too smoothly, everything was just a bit too convenient.
Rating:
So yeah, this wasn't my favorite book. It's wasn't terrible and if the I cared more about the romance or there wasn't any romance, the foreshadowing wasn't so heavy handed, Russ wasn't such an uneven character, and the world building was cleaned up, I think this could have been a really entertaining read.
Protagonist: Russ Knight has had quite a difficult few months after finding out his girlfriend was pregnant, by someone else, at prom, after she tried to leave it to die in a garbage can. Since then he's been taking care of this kid who's not his, working, going to school where people blame him for Cindi snapping and trying to kill her baby, and really all he wants is to just make it to graduation. Then he finds out that this baby is a changeling, a faerie that was switched Cindi's real baby. Honestly, Russ was an okay narrator, but I felt like his characterization was really uneven, and there wasn't all that much development for him, a few "life lessons" here and there but since it was hard to get a good read on his character it was hard to see how or if he grew and changed as the story was told.
Romance: So I went into this book not expecting a romance whatsoever, but unfortunately there was one. Why I say it's unfortunate was both that this book really didn't need one, and the one it has is just awful. Apparently Puck isn't the kind of girl Russ would normally be into but apparently she's just so freaking beautiful that it doesn't matter. The thing is, Russ comments on her good looks when they first meet, like right after the book starts, but for most of the book things seem pretty platonic between them then out of nowhere Russ loves her and wants to be with her blah blah blah. Seriously this was one of the most forced romances I've ever read.
World-Building: So this is a fey lore novel, and it the fey part of it is done rather poorly, we barely get to see any of it and it's not explained very well. I don't know if it was the intent of the world-building or the uneven writing that did it but I just felt like there wasn't enough explanation, things felt too convenient, and it just kind of falls apart. The writing is super weird, and I felt like there were things that should have been fleshed out more and there should have been a whole lot less rambling on the part of the narrator, both in his exposition and at times when he actually spoke.
Predictability: This book was very easily predictable. I mean I didn't know everything right off the bat, but when there was foreshadowing it was pretty heavy handed leading me to realize some pretty important twists. That alone wouldn't have been much of a problem if I didn't feel like the author just kept trying to tease things I already knew and beating these twists into my head. There were plenty of times where these twists could have been revealed, times when it would make sense and I wasn't going insane waiting for it to happen, but more often than not they were dragged out and all I got was more over the top foreshadowing.
Ending: The ending to this book was pretty okay. There was a big final climax that I liked and there were some far less aggravating twists in the end. The final chapter just sort of wraps everything up, and answers most questions you'd probably have. My only problem with the ending was that everything just seemed to go a little too smoothly, everything was just a bit too convenient.
Rating:
So yeah, this wasn't my favorite book. It's wasn't terrible and if the I cared more about the romance or there wasn't any romance, the foreshadowing wasn't so heavy handed, Russ wasn't such an uneven character, and the world building was cleaned up, I think this could have been a really entertaining read.
January 27, 2014
I would like to thank NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for granting me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Though I received the e-book for free that in no way influenced this review.
This is a story of growing up and coming to terms with reality, making discoveries that continually surprise you - be they good or bad. Several months after Russ' girlfriend had tried to kill her baby after delivering it on prom night, Russ is a social outcast, Cindi is locked in a mental institution, and Russ' parents sued for, and won, custody of the baby.
Accustomed to being mocked, bullied, or ignored, Russ is startled when a punk/goth chick starts talking to him. Initially Puck is not at all someone Russ would consider to be his type, but as time goes by he finds her more and more attractive. Joining their exclusive group is Marco, a gear head from the poorer side of town. When it comes out that Cindi wasn't crazy, that the baby she tried to kill really is a changeling all kinds of adventures ensue.
Russ matures by leaps and bounds as the book progresses. Marco also makes progress, and Puck, well she's just Puck. I loved that Ms. Chambers named this character Puck, as she puts me in mind of Shakespeare. There are high stakes adventures, and when it comes down to it both Russ and Marco step up to the plate, but for totally different reasons. Even Cindi gets in on the whole maturing act by the end - or at least she seems to. . .
This is a quick and easy read, with some really strong and worthwhile messages woven throughout the story, but without ever getting to be a downer or preachy. It is nice to be able to still find books you read for fun and yet get more than simple entertainment from. Keep up the good work Ms. Chambers.
Things started going wrong for Russ Knight last year.
He found out his girlfriend was cheating on him when she gave birth at the junior prom and left the baby to die in a trashcan. Russ didn't even know she was pregnant. Hell, he thought they were saving themselves for each other.
Now, locked in her padded cell, his girlfriend is screaming that she was just trying to get the faeries to give her baby back. Russ doesn't buy it. But to shut her up, Russ tries a trick the old legends say will work, and the baby starts swearing and begging to be taken back to Faerie. He's got to accept the truth: the kid he's raising is a faerie changeling.
The faeries are going to sacrifice the real baby at the Equinox if Russ can't get them to switch again. But the only person who can get the baby back is a biological parent, and Russ' girlfriend certainly can’t help. To save an innocent life, Russ will face ancient faeries with razor-like teeth, wrestle snarling skeleton dogs, and, maybe worst of all, track down every guy his girlfriend was sleeping with last year in the hopes of finding the baby's real father.
And apparently, the father could be half his senior class.
This is a story of growing up and coming to terms with reality, making discoveries that continually surprise you - be they good or bad. Several months after Russ' girlfriend had tried to kill her baby after delivering it on prom night, Russ is a social outcast, Cindi is locked in a mental institution, and Russ' parents sued for, and won, custody of the baby.
Accustomed to being mocked, bullied, or ignored, Russ is startled when a punk/goth chick starts talking to him. Initially Puck is not at all someone Russ would consider to be his type, but as time goes by he finds her more and more attractive. Joining their exclusive group is Marco, a gear head from the poorer side of town. When it comes out that Cindi wasn't crazy, that the baby she tried to kill really is a changeling all kinds of adventures ensue.
Russ matures by leaps and bounds as the book progresses. Marco also makes progress, and Puck, well she's just Puck. I loved that Ms. Chambers named this character Puck, as she puts me in mind of Shakespeare. There are high stakes adventures, and when it comes down to it both Russ and Marco step up to the plate, but for totally different reasons. Even Cindi gets in on the whole maturing act by the end - or at least she seems to. . .
This is a quick and easy read, with some really strong and worthwhile messages woven throughout the story, but without ever getting to be a downer or preachy. It is nice to be able to still find books you read for fun and yet get more than simple entertainment from. Keep up the good work Ms. Chambers.
July 7, 2013
Let me start by saying Once Upon a Changeling was a good read. I can't say that it was a great read, but it was good. It started out kind of slow for me; was kind of hard to get into but the end caught me and it was exciting so I was glad that I finished it.
Russ Knight is a teenage boy who's girlfriend, Cindi, cheated on him and got pregnant, then had a baby in the bathroom on prom night and tried to get rid of said baby by disposing of it in the garbage after trying to suffocate it. After this happened, she went on as usual and even went back to dance with her boyfriend. Sounds a little crazy, right? That was before she started rambling about how her baby was a changeling and they took the real baby and she was supposed to kill the changeling in order to get her real baby back. Interesting idea and very creative writing from V.J. Chambers, but even with all that going on I just thought Russ was kind of annoying. Here he has this beautiful, popular girlfriend who is just using him for appearance but she's sleeping with half the school behind his back. She gets pregnant by another guy and doesn't even know, goes to the bathroom during the school dance and delivers the baby, tries to kill it and Russ takes responsibility for this child even though he never even slept with his own girlfriend. My sentiments went out to him, but how could someone be so incredibly blind?
Needless to say Cindi ends up in a mental hospital and Russ loses all his friends while everyone continually ridicules him. He befriends a strange new girl, Puck. And Marcos, a guy from his shop class.
Puck turns out to be a faerie. She ends up helping Russ and Marcos in their endeavors to get the real baby back. The story picked up for me as it went along, but it never really popped.
I think the reason I had a hard time getting into this book was because it just fell a little flat. Russ was supposed to be brave, and he was at certain times, but he didn't seem like a hero to me. At least until the end. All in all I give the book 3 stars. It was well written and descriptive which was nice. A good read, but not a book I would read over and over again.
Russ Knight is a teenage boy who's girlfriend, Cindi, cheated on him and got pregnant, then had a baby in the bathroom on prom night and tried to get rid of said baby by disposing of it in the garbage after trying to suffocate it. After this happened, she went on as usual and even went back to dance with her boyfriend. Sounds a little crazy, right? That was before she started rambling about how her baby was a changeling and they took the real baby and she was supposed to kill the changeling in order to get her real baby back. Interesting idea and very creative writing from V.J. Chambers, but even with all that going on I just thought Russ was kind of annoying. Here he has this beautiful, popular girlfriend who is just using him for appearance but she's sleeping with half the school behind his back. She gets pregnant by another guy and doesn't even know, goes to the bathroom during the school dance and delivers the baby, tries to kill it and Russ takes responsibility for this child even though he never even slept with his own girlfriend. My sentiments went out to him, but how could someone be so incredibly blind?
Needless to say Cindi ends up in a mental hospital and Russ loses all his friends while everyone continually ridicules him. He befriends a strange new girl, Puck. And Marcos, a guy from his shop class.
Puck turns out to be a faerie. She ends up helping Russ and Marcos in their endeavors to get the real baby back. The story picked up for me as it went along, but it never really popped.
I think the reason I had a hard time getting into this book was because it just fell a little flat. Russ was supposed to be brave, and he was at certain times, but he didn't seem like a hero to me. At least until the end. All in all I give the book 3 stars. It was well written and descriptive which was nice. A good read, but not a book I would read over and over again.
September 21, 2013
Russ Knight is having a rough year, he went from having a beautiful girlfriend and being a popular athlete on track to study journalism in college to being the outcast of the school. It all began at the junior prom, when his girlfriend gave birth and left the baby to die in a trashcan--why? Because she swore it was a faerie changeling. Now she's locked up in a mental hospital and Russ is left to raise the baby--not even his baby.
Frustrated with his life, and unable to get any answers about the baby's real father, Russ decides to follow an old legend and prove that the baby isn't a changeling. The ritual partially works, but not in the way that Russ anticipated. Left with a foul-mouthed, alcohol-drinking changeling, he has to figure out how to get the real baby back with the help of his only two friends; new girl, Gabriella Puck and master of automotive technology, Marcos.
At first, I was a little skeptical of the book--the prom night baby and a virgin teenage boy (okay, so I'm probably a bit cynical in that regard, but that happens when a huge chunk of your senior class had kids by graduation). Then, throw a blue-haired girl named Puck who knows a little too much about faeries in a book about a changeling and it's a little obvious where that's going. But Valerie Chambers makes good use of the old faerie legends and blends in her own mixture of fantasy to create an engaging story with clever dialogue and fits of humor.
This was one of the best and most fun young adult books I've read. Nothing was held back and it held my attention through every chapter.
Frustrated with his life, and unable to get any answers about the baby's real father, Russ decides to follow an old legend and prove that the baby isn't a changeling. The ritual partially works, but not in the way that Russ anticipated. Left with a foul-mouthed, alcohol-drinking changeling, he has to figure out how to get the real baby back with the help of his only two friends; new girl, Gabriella Puck and master of automotive technology, Marcos.
At first, I was a little skeptical of the book--the prom night baby and a virgin teenage boy (okay, so I'm probably a bit cynical in that regard, but that happens when a huge chunk of your senior class had kids by graduation). Then, throw a blue-haired girl named Puck who knows a little too much about faeries in a book about a changeling and it's a little obvious where that's going. But Valerie Chambers makes good use of the old faerie legends and blends in her own mixture of fantasy to create an engaging story with clever dialogue and fits of humor.
"That Puck chick. With the blue Chelsea?"
"I don���t know her phone number."
"They have these nifty books where they list everybody���s phone number by their names in alphabetical order," said Marcos.
I think he meant it to be sarcastic, but his voice was trembling so bad that he only sounded scared.
This was one of the best and most fun young adult books I've read. Nothing was held back and it held my attention through every chapter.
December 1, 2011
REVIEWED by Karen for Between the Covers blog:
Russ Knight is an outsider, someone we all can identify with. But he used to be one of the golden boys, a basketball player with the perfect, pretty girlfriend and the charmed life. Unfortunately for Russ, the prom changed his life forever. Prom... the night his girlfriend, Cindi, was charged with the attempted murder of her baby. Oh, and by the way, Russ isn’t the father, since he’s a virgin. Apparently, there are a lot of potential candidates for daddy. Cindi swears that the baby isn’t hers, that it’s a faerie changeling, and that her real baby has been taken by the Korrigan queen to be used as a sacrifice to gain power. So, it’s off to the mental hospital for her while she’s awaiting trial for attempted murder.
Then Russ meets Puck, a goth-type girl with blue hair and lots of piercings, and he likes her, despite the fact that she’s so not his type. With her help, he discovers that Cindi was telling the truth about the changeling, and that only the child’s biological father can save the baby – except they still don’t know who the father is. So Puck, Russ, and his best friend, Marcos, investigate to discover who the father is in order to save Cindi’s baby.
The characters were extremely likeable, their interaction memorable with a few plot twists. The scenes that took place in the vampire bar were a nice touch. I enjoyed watching how Russ came to terms with his role and responsibility amidst all the turmoil. We watch him grow and discover what kind of man he will be. The story was a fresh take on faery, and a great YA read.
Rating: 3 stars
Russ Knight is an outsider, someone we all can identify with. But he used to be one of the golden boys, a basketball player with the perfect, pretty girlfriend and the charmed life. Unfortunately for Russ, the prom changed his life forever. Prom... the night his girlfriend, Cindi, was charged with the attempted murder of her baby. Oh, and by the way, Russ isn’t the father, since he’s a virgin. Apparently, there are a lot of potential candidates for daddy. Cindi swears that the baby isn’t hers, that it’s a faerie changeling, and that her real baby has been taken by the Korrigan queen to be used as a sacrifice to gain power. So, it’s off to the mental hospital for her while she’s awaiting trial for attempted murder.
Then Russ meets Puck, a goth-type girl with blue hair and lots of piercings, and he likes her, despite the fact that she’s so not his type. With her help, he discovers that Cindi was telling the truth about the changeling, and that only the child’s biological father can save the baby – except they still don’t know who the father is. So Puck, Russ, and his best friend, Marcos, investigate to discover who the father is in order to save Cindi’s baby.
The characters were extremely likeable, their interaction memorable with a few plot twists. The scenes that took place in the vampire bar were a nice touch. I enjoyed watching how Russ came to terms with his role and responsibility amidst all the turmoil. We watch him grow and discover what kind of man he will be. The story was a fresh take on faery, and a great YA read.
Rating: 3 stars
December 7, 2011
Russ Knight is an outsider, someone we all can identify with. But he used to be one of the golden boys, a basketball player with the perfect, pretty girlfriend and the charmed life. Unfortunately for Russ, the prom changed his life forever. Prom... the night his girlfriend, Cindi, was charged with the attempted murder of her baby. Oh, and by the way, Russ isn’t the father, since he’s a virgin. Apparently, there are a lot of potential candidates for daddy. Cindi swears that the baby isn’t hers, that it’s a faerie changeling, and that her real baby has been taken by the Korrigan queen to be used as a sacrifice to gain power. So, it’s off to the mental hospital for her while she’s awaiting trial for attempted murder.
Then Russ meets Puck, a goth-type girl with blue hair and lots of piercings, and he likes her, despite the fact that she’s so not his type. With her help, he discovers that Cindi was telling the truth about the changeling, and that only the child’s biological father can save the baby – except they still don’t know who the father is. So Puck, Russ, and his best friend, Marcos, investigate to discover who the father is in order to save Cindi’s baby.
The characters were extremely likeable, their interaction memorable with a few plot twists. The scenes that took place in the vampire bar were a nice touch. I enjoyed watching how Russ came to terms with his role and responsibility amidst all the turmoil. We watch him grow and discover what kind of man he will be. The story was a fresh take on faery, and a great YA read.
Rating: 3 stars(less)
Reviewed for Between the Covers blog
Then Russ meets Puck, a goth-type girl with blue hair and lots of piercings, and he likes her, despite the fact that she’s so not his type. With her help, he discovers that Cindi was telling the truth about the changeling, and that only the child’s biological father can save the baby – except they still don’t know who the father is. So Puck, Russ, and his best friend, Marcos, investigate to discover who the father is in order to save Cindi’s baby.
The characters were extremely likeable, their interaction memorable with a few plot twists. The scenes that took place in the vampire bar were a nice touch. I enjoyed watching how Russ came to terms with his role and responsibility amidst all the turmoil. We watch him grow and discover what kind of man he will be. The story was a fresh take on faery, and a great YA read.
Rating: 3 stars(less)
Reviewed for Between the Covers blog
April 25, 2016
all of the characters in this book were awful. i enjoyed the story line well enough, but i wanted to slap every single character.
russ for being so easily gullible and fooled.
cindi for not being honest about herself and how selfish she was by hurting others for her own needs, no matter how much it would emotionally ruin someone.
russ's parents for not loving their kid unconditionally and just being plain horrible to him for being a "victim" and not listening.
cindi's parents for probably knowing the truth about their daughter.
marcos for not being up-front when major things hung in the balance.
everyone at the school and in the community for their mob-mentality and just wanting to screw each other over and damn near taking pride in it...and nobody listening or acknowledging the truth.
puck wasnt so bad, actually now that i think about it....i guess i liked her more than i initially thought.
overall good plot. the writing was okay...it felt sort of like the 'unreliable narrator' mixed with a fluid thought style of writing where the narrator was on an internal ramble, instead of something structured. it was still a pretty fun book...just...not as good as it could have been? the ending was a little too "wrapped in a bow." i wish russ wouldve just told a few people off a bit more sternly...i mean, his dad treats him like shit, and he is just like "uh, its okay." no its not russ...sack up! :p
russ for being so easily gullible and fooled.
cindi for not being honest about herself and how selfish she was by hurting others for her own needs, no matter how much it would emotionally ruin someone.
russ's parents for not loving their kid unconditionally and just being plain horrible to him for being a "victim" and not listening.
cindi's parents for probably knowing the truth about their daughter.
marcos for not being up-front when major things hung in the balance.
everyone at the school and in the community for their mob-mentality and just wanting to screw each other over and damn near taking pride in it...and nobody listening or acknowledging the truth.
puck wasnt so bad, actually now that i think about it....i guess i liked her more than i initially thought.
overall good plot. the writing was okay...it felt sort of like the 'unreliable narrator' mixed with a fluid thought style of writing where the narrator was on an internal ramble, instead of something structured. it was still a pretty fun book...just...not as good as it could have been? the ending was a little too "wrapped in a bow." i wish russ wouldve just told a few people off a bit more sternly...i mean, his dad treats him like shit, and he is just like "uh, its okay." no its not russ...sack up! :p
July 11, 2013
Review: Russ Knight is a character that I have never seen before and I’ve had lots of different people and been many places weird people hang out. What a strange teenager.
This book was a good read. I felt like it would not let me put it down. It was not a “grab you by the seat” book, but it made the reader, I, feel like it had invisible strings that had a hold on me. I had to find out the answers to the questions that the book made me ask.
I enjoyed the story line. It kept me nailed to the book. Just when I thought I had all the answers, it made me ask more. I was on a story roller coaster that I did not want to get off until the end. WOW!
Five stars
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a good read. I felt like it would not let me put it down. It was not a “grab you by the seat” book, but it made the reader, I, feel like it had invisible strings that had a hold on me. I had to find out the answers to the questions that the book made me ask.
I enjoyed the story line. It kept me nailed to the book. Just when I thought I had all the answers, it made me ask more. I was on a story roller coaster that I did not want to get off until the end. WOW!
Five stars
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 10, 2011
I, like the main character Russ, don't know a lot about faeries and Fey and don't read many books that have them as characters. However, when I heard the premise of this book was a supernatural take on girls having babies at prom and then going back to the dance, I knew it was for me.:) I enjoyed that the story was told from a teenage boy's point of view and that this book didn't take itself too seriously despite a lot of serious subject matter. Another good one from V.J. Chambers!
August 14, 2013
This book certainly wasn't what I expected it to be. I'm not sure what that was but this book topped that. It's one of those hard to put down once you start reading it type of books. I just HAD to know how Russ was going to get out of the jam his former girlfriend, Cindi, had left him in. Trust me when I say, V. J. Chambers takes you along for the ride that becomes Russ' life.
September 22, 2011
I liked it. I felt bad for Russ, Cindi was not a very nice girl. I have no sympathy for her at all. Marcos didn't turn out to be such a good friend either. I really liked Puck, she was awesome. The premise of the story was fresh and enjoyed the way it ended. Great job.
April 16, 2013
Best book I have read in a long time. The suspense was awesome. I could not put this book down until I was able to find out who the father was and if the baby would get returned.
Great book.
Great book.
September 21, 2013
Read as digital ARC.
What hooked me about this book was the mystery aspect. I mean, murder mysteries can be fun, but a who's-the-father mystery? Hard to pass up.
What hooked me about this book was the mystery aspect. I mean, murder mysteries can be fun, but a who's-the-father mystery? Hard to pass up.
September 30, 2013
I enjoy vj chambers books. They are usually dark and the romance is not usually perfect this book is one of those. I very much enjoyed this book.
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