Review: The Changelings by Elle Casey

Purchase Price: $0.99 CDN on Amazon.ca
War of the Fae: Book 1 (The Changelings)[Kindle Edition]

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy, Series, Epic, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Teen, Action Adventure

**This Review Contains Some Small Spoilers** 

I had very high expectations when I started to read The Changelings by Elle Casey, and I am very happy to say that they were more then met, they were exceeded. In this first book in Elle Casey's War of the Fae Series, we meet some fantastic characters and watch as they embark on a fantastic and frightening journey.

Jayne Sparks is not like most people, at all, in the best possible way. She is bored with school, she is a social outcast, and she has a running dialogue with herself that borders on hysterical. Her colorful language [yes, there is lots of cussing in this book] is not merely added to make the character seem hip or cool, it is precisely what you would expect to hear from this feisty and unique teen. Jayne is a bit pushy, and has even commandeered a best friend in the form of sweet but socially inept Tony. Though she makes sure she isn't bullying him or making him feel bad, she gets her hooks into him, pronouncing him her best friend, and they eventually find that exact relationship.

Jayne comes from a rather fractured family, as so many kids do these days. Her parents are divorced, she is an only child living with her mother and her mother's latest boyfriend, and that is where the problem starts. Her mother's boyfriend places Jayne into the worst possible situation, and Tony, meek and geeky as he may be, tells Jayne she cannot go home, he will not let her. The two run away, with no clear destination, and no money, and that is the start of a a wild and twisting series of events that come to define Jayne's true destiny.

Fresh off the bus, quite literally, Jayne and Tony are taken in by a boy called Jared. Living in an abandoned warehouse with a group of other runaways, Jayne and Tony soon find themselves in need of money. When an opportunity to participate in a 'study' presents itself, along with a chance at a $500.00 paycheck, all the runaways decide to see if they can qualify as participants. But things are somehow never as easy as they seem. Jayne, suspicious by nature, is hyper-aware of the strange circumstances around her, and things quickly go from bad to worse for the group.

Jayne must use her keen intuition, her judgement of character, and her sense of right and wrong to guide her through an action packed journey that seems to get stranger by the second.

I found Jayne to be a really wonderful and funny protagonist, and so strong, even in the face of danger. Her loyalty to others makes her so much more than her tough exterior would indicate. You can't help but love this girl. I was literally laughing out loud at a lot of the dialogue, Elle Casey seems so in tune with exactly what teenagers are thinking and saying, they absolutely come to life off the pages. Typical to any Elle Casey novel, this one ends with a giant cliff hanger, so you had best have your next book in the series ready at hand, you will not be able to rest until you know what happens next.

This book is perfect for Young Adults, and in fact any Adult who enjoys some good, fast moving, and hilarious paranormal fiction - with a side of romantic crushes for good measure. The language may be more then some parents might approve of, Jayne freely admits that the F-word is her favorite, but it works with the character and the story, and I don't think that any child who has heard the language before will suddenly be corrupted just by reading it in this context, it is more humorous than offensive. I wouldn't hesitate to give this book to my 15 year old niece in a heartbeat, and she is not a potty mouthed kid, she just understands the difference between swearing for the sake of shock value, and swearing when you are in a crazy situation where you think you might not survive, there is a difference in my mind.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

Bottom Line: Put this on your MUST READ list, and trust me when I say that you will fall in love with Jayne, her friends, this series of books, and especially with the writing of the very talented Elle Casey. She never fails to wow me with her wit, her rich characters, and her ability to find a way to leave you begging for more at the end of each chapter.