Changeling (The Oddmire 1) by William Ritter | Blog Tour | Review

About Changeling
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, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task of laying the changeling in a human infant’s crib. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Not knowing which to return to the goblin horde, 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 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 to discover who they truly are.

Review

Title: Changeling (The Oddmire #1)
Author: William Ritter
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Length: ~272 pages
Release: July 2019

When I was contacted about being part of the blog tour for this title, I was immediately intrigued. Twins where one child is human and the other is a goblin changeling? Sounds fascinating! Also, I had read and enjoyed the Jackaby series, so I was curious to see what Ritter's next book would be like. 

I was not disappointed.

This story has a magical forest, a witch, shapeshifters, goblins, and plenty of other magical elements. At it's core, it's a story about family and self worth and love all wrapped into an adventure.

The characters, Cole and Tenn in particular, were extremely likable. It was fun to read about their adventures and the silly things they would do and trouble they would cause. We also get to see each of them grapple with the fact that one of them (and they don't know which) is not human. The exploration of this aspect of the story is well done and turns out quite beautifully. Ritter has a way with words and his descriptions of these adventures is often beautiful.

The main thing that was a bit odd to me was the time period. I never could quite figure out when it was supposed to be set. At times it seemed almost modern and then it seemed older and it left me a little confused.

The ending has me very curious for the rest of the series. I don't know if it will continue to focus on the duo of Cole and Tenn or if we will be getting a deeper look at some of the other characters, but I'm excited to see what else there is to be explored in this magical world Ritter has introduced.

About the Author

William Ritter is an Oregon author and educator. He is the proud father of the two bravest boys in the Wild Wood, and husband to the indomitable Queen of the Deep Dark.The Oddmire is Ritter’s first series for middle-grade readers. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling, award-winning Jackaby series for young adult readers. Visit him online at rwillritter.wordpress.com and find him on Twitter: @Willothewords.

The Anne Books

When I was a teen, I watched the Anne of Green Gables series staring Megan Follows and Jonathan Crombie and fell in love with the story. I then read the first five books in the eight book series and enjoyed all of them. For some reason, I stopped at that point and moved onto other stories.

Now, more than a decade later, I've decided to revisit this series and continue to its conclusion. I've been listening to the audiobooks and am currently listening to book four, Anne of Windy Poplars.

I am in love with this series. The writing is excellent, the characters are refreshing, and everything is vivid. I love how Montgomery is able to have time pass quickly and smoothly, without anything seeming rushed. They may lose a little steam in the later half of the series, but I appreciate that the stories follow Anne into adulthood, into her life as a wife and mother, and doesn't just end with her a happy teacher or engaged and in love. More of her life is explored and I think that can be a good thing to have sometimes, because it shows depth to the world and characters and also shows that the end of the story isn't when you've found love or earned a degree or finished a quest. That is only a step on the journey, not the end.

Have you ever revisited an old favorite or gone back to a series you didn't finish? What was it like for you?