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The Changeling Tree
A missing girl. A Faerie game. An abandoned baby. Tracy has been missing for months and her mum isn’t answering the door, but Mike refuses to give up on her. When Tracy’s mum disappears too, his last hope is gone, but in the overgrown garden he finds a pram, and in the pram is a baby.
Will this be Mike’s happy ever after, or will they come for his daughter too?
The Changeling Tree is the first magical instalment in the real-world fantasy series. If you like Faerie games, time-travel and family sagas, you’ll love Frances Evelyn’s intriguing story.
Buy The Changeling Tree from all major online booksellers.
Will this be Mike’s happy ever after, or will they come for his daughter too?
The Changeling Tree is the first magical instalment in the real-world fantasy series. If you like Faerie games, time-travel and family sagas, you’ll love Frances Evelyn’s intriguing story.
Buy The Changeling Tree from all major online booksellers.
- GenresFantasy
333 pages, Paperback
Published December 6, 2021
11 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Frances Evelyn
10 books29 followersFrances Evelyn was born in Coventry and now lives in Rutland with her husband, two sons, who are - for the moment - too old for stories and magic, and a cockerpoo who protects them from shadows.
After twenty rewarding years of teaching English and an interesting few in management, Frances writes for readers who love real-world fantasy that makes them feel and think.
Her latest book, Bibliomancer, is her favourite thing -- a book about books. Emily, the main character, volunteers to read to patients in a hospice until she's arrested in connection with a series of suspicious deaths.
Across the five books (four out so far) of The Changeling Tree series, Frances combines tangled time-lines, family saga and Faerie. How do you tell a secret no-one will believe?
Visit Frances's website or follow her on social media for competitions and goodies and to find out more about her books and work in progress. Sign up for her mailing list (use the website link) for an exclusive free book, Sarah Ward and the Lyddington Djinn.
(Frances Evelyn is a pen-name)
After twenty rewarding years of teaching English and an interesting few in management, Frances writes for readers who love real-world fantasy that makes them feel and think.
Her latest book, Bibliomancer, is her favourite thing -- a book about books. Emily, the main character, volunteers to read to patients in a hospice until she's arrested in connection with a series of suspicious deaths.
Across the five books (four out so far) of The Changeling Tree series, Frances combines tangled time-lines, family saga and Faerie. How do you tell a secret no-one will believe?
Visit Frances's website or follow her on social media for competitions and goodies and to find out more about her books and work in progress. Sign up for her mailing list (use the website link) for an exclusive free book, Sarah Ward and the Lyddington Djinn.
(Frances Evelyn is a pen-name)
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 19, 2020
Delightful tale of faeries and humans
The story is told in two parts - the faeries and their world. The faeries' attitude make it clear that they just do not care about humans.
The other part of the story is told from the point of a human. Rose is a human and her story is narrated since the time she is a baby.
She had been a normal person and suddenly everything changes for her.
The world of the faeries and the humans collide further on in the story and the interest keeps building on.
The world creation is amazing and deep. The story ends in a cliffhanger and was thoroughly enjoyable. Liked it.
The story is told in two parts - the faeries and their world. The faeries' attitude make it clear that they just do not care about humans.
The other part of the story is told from the point of a human. Rose is a human and her story is narrated since the time she is a baby.
She had been a normal person and suddenly everything changes for her.
The world of the faeries and the humans collide further on in the story and the interest keeps building on.
The world creation is amazing and deep. The story ends in a cliffhanger and was thoroughly enjoyable. Liked it.
November 15, 2020
Fans of fairy (or faerie) stories will love this book. The book starts off in the fairy world, where the Queen of the fairies gets challenged into a bargain of sorts. You see, the fairy world is a place that's unstuck in time, and the fairy court needs its amusement. Fairies exist in the moment there, experiencing a limited range of emotions. For this reason, they seek amusement and live vicariously through human emotions to help ease boredom. I remember a similar conundrum in Anne Rice's vampire books. Many vampires got bored on their infinite existence. The difference is that vampires under time, though.
Next, the story brings us to modern (or semi-modern) England, where a young man discovers an abandoned baby. He wants to keep the child because he insists she's his, the product of a relationship with a young woman who has gone missing. The baby's name is Rose, and segments of the book focus on her life as she grows up. These scenes are interspersed with sections from the fairy world. This book has elements of fantasy, and I loved the references to the fairy realm. Highly recommended!
Next, the story brings us to modern (or semi-modern) England, where a young man discovers an abandoned baby. He wants to keep the child because he insists she's his, the product of a relationship with a young woman who has gone missing. The baby's name is Rose, and segments of the book focus on her life as she grows up. These scenes are interspersed with sections from the fairy world. This book has elements of fantasy, and I loved the references to the fairy realm. Highly recommended!
May 6, 2021
A story of two parts.
This is a story of two parts, the first set in the Faerie World ruled over by a Queen who reminded me of Miranda Richardson’s portrayal of Elizabeth I in the TV series ‘Blackadder’. She’s feckless, brainless and takes on board as her own, any ideas put to her by her chief advisor. These sections are witty and written with style, conjuring up great filmic images.
The second strand of the story is set in the Human World into which the Faeries can enter via portals. These sections are written in a simple style suitable for YA readers, depicting a dysfunctional family shrouded by secrets. The clash of styles unnerved me at first but I soon got used to it.
We know that the two worlds are bound to collide at some point, but the how and why remain a mystery until the climax. The story, being part of a series, ends with a tantalising climax.
This is a story of two parts, the first set in the Faerie World ruled over by a Queen who reminded me of Miranda Richardson’s portrayal of Elizabeth I in the TV series ‘Blackadder’. She’s feckless, brainless and takes on board as her own, any ideas put to her by her chief advisor. These sections are witty and written with style, conjuring up great filmic images.
The second strand of the story is set in the Human World into which the Faeries can enter via portals. These sections are written in a simple style suitable for YA readers, depicting a dysfunctional family shrouded by secrets. The clash of styles unnerved me at first but I soon got used to it.
We know that the two worlds are bound to collide at some point, but the how and why remain a mystery until the climax. The story, being part of a series, ends with a tantalising climax.
July 17, 2021
This was a much needed gem of a book after going through a drab spell. This book is masterfully written by a witty storyteller who brings depth and dimension to her world and its characters. I was completely enchanted all the way through and I cannot wait to start the next book in the series.
The author's way of depicting the fairies was hauntingly beautiful and dark and probably my favourite aspect of the story. I much prefer fairies that are based in historical folklore compared to Disney fairies.
I'm an extremely critical reader and hard to please. It is a relief to finally be able to give a book 5 stars after so many months of 2 or 3 star books.
The author's way of depicting the fairies was hauntingly beautiful and dark and probably my favourite aspect of the story. I much prefer fairies that are based in historical folklore compared to Disney fairies.
I'm an extremely critical reader and hard to please. It is a relief to finally be able to give a book 5 stars after so many months of 2 or 3 star books.
June 15, 2021
This story deserves your full attention as you will go from the faerie world to a human world as it all unfolds. It is well written and the author did a wonderful job of keeping it all flowing and even. With secrets on both sides, you can’t help but wonder if and when these worlds will meet.
A clever story that will keep those pages turning!
A clever story that will keep those pages turning!
June 24, 2021
Charming, witty, whimsical...and utterly terrifying!
I had no idea what I was getting into when starting this book. At first it seemed like a fairy-tale, where everything is magical and simply works out because everyone needs their happily ever after. You know, like the Disney versions. Well I won’t spoil too much, but while there is certainly some witty humor and charm, the reality underlying this story is actually quite scary. Forget Disney, this is more like The Brothers Grimm.
The characters were all enjoyable in their own way. I liked the human side of the story, as everyone had their own secrets and motivations that were slowly revealed throughout the story. I also highly enjoyed the faerie characters too—the author did a great job making their society strange and alien to a human reader.
The plot constantly kept me guessing as to what was really going on. As it reached the end and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what was happening, the rug got pulled out from under me, and I’m dying to know what happens next!
Kudos to the author for creating an engaging and mysterious world that pulls from familiar stories of fairy tales and legends. If you’d like a twist on modern fairy tales, this would be right up your alley!
I had no idea what I was getting into when starting this book. At first it seemed like a fairy-tale, where everything is magical and simply works out because everyone needs their happily ever after. You know, like the Disney versions. Well I won’t spoil too much, but while there is certainly some witty humor and charm, the reality underlying this story is actually quite scary. Forget Disney, this is more like The Brothers Grimm.
The characters were all enjoyable in their own way. I liked the human side of the story, as everyone had their own secrets and motivations that were slowly revealed throughout the story. I also highly enjoyed the faerie characters too—the author did a great job making their society strange and alien to a human reader.
The plot constantly kept me guessing as to what was really going on. As it reached the end and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what was happening, the rug got pulled out from under me, and I’m dying to know what happens next!
Kudos to the author for creating an engaging and mysterious world that pulls from familiar stories of fairy tales and legends. If you’d like a twist on modern fairy tales, this would be right up your alley!
October 30, 2020
Well-written, Fascinating First Book
“The Changeling Tree,” by Frances Evelyn, has two different stories progressing at the same time and you know they must merge eventually, but the author skillfully keeps the reader on edge as to when they will intersect.
The Faerie story is told in present tense and we early learn the reason why. The human story (in past tense) follows Rose who first appears as an infant and seems to be a normal teen for the first half of the book. Quite abruptly, however, her life becomes anything but normal.
Evelyn’s vision of the Faerie world is well-developed. In this book they are quite unusual beings with no regard for human life. That’s the source of the tension. The reader knows it won’t be pleasant when the Faerie eventually meet Rose or any of the other main characters.
I liked reading the human story better than the Faerie tale which I thought went on too long. The book ends on a cliff hanger, but, fortunately, Book 2 is already out.
The author demonstrates superb writing with her vocabulary, grammar, description, and dialogue. This book raises the bar for independent publishers and is the caliber to which all indie authors should aspire.
“The Changeling Tree,” by Frances Evelyn, has two different stories progressing at the same time and you know they must merge eventually, but the author skillfully keeps the reader on edge as to when they will intersect.
The Faerie story is told in present tense and we early learn the reason why. The human story (in past tense) follows Rose who first appears as an infant and seems to be a normal teen for the first half of the book. Quite abruptly, however, her life becomes anything but normal.
Evelyn’s vision of the Faerie world is well-developed. In this book they are quite unusual beings with no regard for human life. That’s the source of the tension. The reader knows it won’t be pleasant when the Faerie eventually meet Rose or any of the other main characters.
I liked reading the human story better than the Faerie tale which I thought went on too long. The book ends on a cliff hanger, but, fortunately, Book 2 is already out.
The author demonstrates superb writing with her vocabulary, grammar, description, and dialogue. This book raises the bar for independent publishers and is the caliber to which all indie authors should aspire.
October 31, 2021
I really enjoyed the story. I liked the fact that it was set in Britain and the landscape and history was familiar. At the start I found the fairy court annoying, with their ability to change form and their inability to focus on the past, what had happened and what will happen but I liked the real humans in the story, Brian and Shirley, Mike and Alison. I particular liked Shirley's politically correct version of Sleeping Beauty. What I found disturbing was how quickly their stories were told. How they seemed more fleeting than the fairies. Once the cupboard appeared the story got even more intriguing and I wondered how all the loose ends would be tied up and how the real world would begin to interact with the fairy one. They were and did in the end, though there is obviously more stories to be told for Rose and her time travelling family. All in all a very gripping and satisfying time travelling and magical novel
December 1, 2021
Full of surprises
Frances Evelyn has the remarkable talent of making you believe you’re reading a straightforward genre story only to pull out surprises that make you wonder if genre is even something that can be applied to her.
Mostly this is a story about the Fae and the author has put a tremendous amount of thought into their history and psychology. If you’re tired of the same old same old, give this book a try.
First in a series.
Frances Evelyn has the remarkable talent of making you believe you’re reading a straightforward genre story only to pull out surprises that make you wonder if genre is even something that can be applied to her.
Mostly this is a story about the Fae and the author has put a tremendous amount of thought into their history and psychology. If you’re tired of the same old same old, give this book a try.
First in a series.
June 28, 2020
What an imagination!!!
Wow! The intricacies of this story are phenomenal!!! This is not something to read with a lot going on around you! That being said it was delightful! You just need to pay attention to all that's going on lest you miss something! I can't fathom how difficult it was for the author to keep it straight during the writing phase! You will also want to go right to the next book in the series! I am completely fascinated with this story and the author that wrote it, and this is not even a genre that I normally read! Well done!
Wow! The intricacies of this story are phenomenal!!! This is not something to read with a lot going on around you! That being said it was delightful! You just need to pay attention to all that's going on lest you miss something! I can't fathom how difficult it was for the author to keep it straight during the writing phase! You will also want to go right to the next book in the series! I am completely fascinated with this story and the author that wrote it, and this is not even a genre that I normally read! Well done!
June 1, 2023
a lovely read
Really enjoyed this. Particularly the inventive and funny faerie court half of the book that was a delightfully dark echo of Alice in Wonderland. This is a really well-written novel, with two distinct stories and styles that eventually come together. The “human” world story rang true and had a lovely nostalgia to it, and believable and complex interpersonal relationships between the main female characters. Entertaining, witty, fun and inventive. Give it a try!
Really enjoyed this. Particularly the inventive and funny faerie court half of the book that was a delightfully dark echo of Alice in Wonderland. This is a really well-written novel, with two distinct stories and styles that eventually come together. The “human” world story rang true and had a lovely nostalgia to it, and believable and complex interpersonal relationships between the main female characters. Entertaining, witty, fun and inventive. Give it a try!
December 8, 2021
A faire challenges his queen for her crown, the goal in this is to bring back sorrow from the human realm for the courtiers to enjoy the experience- the winner takes the crown.
Meanwhile we also follow the story of Rose, who brought up with fairy tales and an overprotective mother.
Read how the tale intwines in this highly recommend fantasy thriller.
Meanwhile we also follow the story of Rose, who brought up with fairy tales and an overprotective mother.
Read how the tale intwines in this highly recommend fantasy thriller.
April 7, 2024
Very enjoyable, the more so as it comes from an author I taught many years ago. We clearly share a similar sense of humour and of fun with word-play. Both elements, those within Faerie and within our world, are well- and vividly drawn while I had a strong sense of each character.
January 26, 2024
I found The Changeling Tree an interesting novel, primarily due to its bifurcated setup – it cuts between two parallel stories. The first is in the court of the Faerie Queen, where shapes are worn like hats and the awareness of time is something mostly reserved for mortals. The second is the story of Rose Murray, a British child born under mysterious circumstances that it takes an entire novel to unravel.
I highlight this setup because it makes the book distinct from many other urban fantasies that start with a teenage protagonist figuring out her ancestry isn’t normal. (Spoiler: it’s called The Changeling Tree.) Instead, we get snippets of Rose from the time she’s a newborn to when she’s learning fairy tales as a child, so that when we finally go off on the grand adventure, it feels like a culmination rather than anything overly familiar. The author’s cutting away to the Queen’s POV keep the tension going – even when she has yet to interact with Rose, the pacing and tension stay up because we know inevitably, she will.
The alien outlook of the Fae is nicely realized – not so much deliberately evil as ignorant and uncaring, which is no comfort to their victims. Still, I found the human chapters more interesting because they sparked curiosity as to who knew about Faerie, when, and how. Though the Queen’s malaprops were amusing, the courtiers’ bootlicking got a little old. I thought the book ended with a reasonable resolution that I wouldn’t call a cliffhanger, though some questions are left unanswered for the sequel.
All in all, I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to urban fantasy fans who dig a more literary style and aren’t demanding buckets of action or romance. YA fans might find the plot and vocabulary a little subtle, but adults who read YA would be right at home.
I highlight this setup because it makes the book distinct from many other urban fantasies that start with a teenage protagonist figuring out her ancestry isn’t normal. (Spoiler: it’s called The Changeling Tree.) Instead, we get snippets of Rose from the time she’s a newborn to when she’s learning fairy tales as a child, so that when we finally go off on the grand adventure, it feels like a culmination rather than anything overly familiar. The author’s cutting away to the Queen’s POV keep the tension going – even when she has yet to interact with Rose, the pacing and tension stay up because we know inevitably, she will.
The alien outlook of the Fae is nicely realized – not so much deliberately evil as ignorant and uncaring, which is no comfort to their victims. Still, I found the human chapters more interesting because they sparked curiosity as to who knew about Faerie, when, and how. Though the Queen’s malaprops were amusing, the courtiers’ bootlicking got a little old. I thought the book ended with a reasonable resolution that I wouldn’t call a cliffhanger, though some questions are left unanswered for the sequel.
All in all, I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to urban fantasy fans who dig a more literary style and aren’t demanding buckets of action or romance. YA fans might find the plot and vocabulary a little subtle, but adults who read YA would be right at home.
December 22, 2022
The Changeling Tree is a fantasy about two different worlds written by Frances Evelyn. One part is about the faerie community and the other part is told from the human world.
The story begins in the faerie court where we are introduced to a few of the characters. After a few chapters, we are taken into the human world. This part begins with a boy named Mike that comes to visit his girlfriend and finds a baby in a pram of her backyard. At this point, readers would think they are reading about two separate stories in the one book. As the book progresses, we learn that the faeries are evil and Queen Annis is determined to capture and hold humans captive with the help of her fellow faeries.
Overall, the scenes were beautifully written and the characters were well described. It is interesting to see there are main character changes throughout the story and this happens when Rose is growing up. It is only towards the end that both of the worlds meet so the storyline does drag out and this may put off some readers. The human part wins over the reader and the events that unfold are quite intriguing, especially with the time travelling that occurs and the meeting of the younger versions of the other characters in the book.
The book is full of mystery and the ending leads the reader wondering what happens next. Incorporated in this story are variations of well-known fairy-tales which some readers may enjoy so definitely a recommended read for lovers of fairy-tales and fantasies. This is a 3 1/2 star rated book but will show up as 4 stars in this review.
The story begins in the faerie court where we are introduced to a few of the characters. After a few chapters, we are taken into the human world. This part begins with a boy named Mike that comes to visit his girlfriend and finds a baby in a pram of her backyard. At this point, readers would think they are reading about two separate stories in the one book. As the book progresses, we learn that the faeries are evil and Queen Annis is determined to capture and hold humans captive with the help of her fellow faeries.
Overall, the scenes were beautifully written and the characters were well described. It is interesting to see there are main character changes throughout the story and this happens when Rose is growing up. It is only towards the end that both of the worlds meet so the storyline does drag out and this may put off some readers. The human part wins over the reader and the events that unfold are quite intriguing, especially with the time travelling that occurs and the meeting of the younger versions of the other characters in the book.
The book is full of mystery and the ending leads the reader wondering what happens next. Incorporated in this story are variations of well-known fairy-tales which some readers may enjoy so definitely a recommended read for lovers of fairy-tales and fantasies. This is a 3 1/2 star rated book but will show up as 4 stars in this review.
August 19, 2022
Wow! This book was so interesting! I've never read anything quite like it. The story is told from two completely different worlds, but they do converge and interact in the end. At first you feel like nothing is really happening and where in the heck is all of this going...? But as you continue to get further and deeper into the story (stories), you can see where it's all leading to and why.
This is very well written and edited--I don't think I found a single typo in the whole novel. Frances Evelyn is EXCELLENT with descriptions, and her world-building is great in this first novel of the series.
There were several things that conspired that weren't wrapped up and the reader never gets answers to in this first book (i.e., WHY was baby Rose left all alone outside in the carriage? [This was never addressed afterward, and I found it odd that nothing was ever explained about it.] Where did her gram and her mother go? Why is her gram always so grumpy with Rose and her mother? What does the time traveling have to do with anything? The time traveling part came late in the book, and none of it is explained.). I'm figuring these and other things get answered as the series progresses... I hope so anyway.
All in all, this was a long but enjoyable read. The author does a great job of making you want to go onward to Book 2 to see what happens next! Well done!
This is very well written and edited--I don't think I found a single typo in the whole novel. Frances Evelyn is EXCELLENT with descriptions, and her world-building is great in this first novel of the series.
There were several things that conspired that weren't wrapped up and the reader never gets answers to in this first book (i.e., WHY was baby Rose left all alone outside in the carriage? [This was never addressed afterward, and I found it odd that nothing was ever explained about it.] Where did her gram and her mother go? Why is her gram always so grumpy with Rose and her mother? What does the time traveling have to do with anything? The time traveling part came late in the book, and none of it is explained.). I'm figuring these and other things get answered as the series progresses... I hope so anyway.
All in all, this was a long but enjoyable read. The author does a great job of making you want to go onward to Book 2 to see what happens next! Well done!
May 11, 2024
I felt like Alice in Wonderland being thrown into a crazy world that doesn't make sense. The part of the story set in the faerie world was confusing and the way the faerie's spoke (sesquipedalian - using big words to sound smart *see what I did there?) seemed forced and was annoying. I preferred the human part of the story where we mostly follow Rose, but it still struggled to keep me interested. I know this is the first book in a series but there wasn't enough explained so I could understand what was going on.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews