Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Changeling (Order of Darkness, #1)

by Philippa Gregory

'Attractive characters, several layers of mystery and, as one might expect, meticulously researched historical detail.' Daily Mail
'A great read. Appealing characters and detailed historical setting.' Kiss
'Romping and intriguing' The Daily Telegraph

The year is 1453, and all signs point to it being the end of the world.

Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old, Luca Vero, is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe and travel to the very frontier of good and evil.

Isolde, a seventeen-year-old Lady Abbess, has been trapped in a nunnery by her brother to prevent her claiming a rich inheritance. But when the nuns in Isolde's care show signs of maddness, she's accused of witchcraft and outisde the abby a pyre is being built to burn her for her wickedness. Luca is sent to investigate and all the evidence points to Isolde's criminal guilt, but is there something more sinister behind the maddness?

Forced to face the greatest fears of the dark ages - black magic, werewolves, madness - Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.

Reviewed by lizarodz on

3 of 5 stars

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This book is different, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It takes some getting used to, but overall I did like Changeling.

I think the reason why I didn’t like Changeling as much as I thought I would is because of the lack in insight about the characters. The story is told in the third person, which I always like and it allows the reader to ‘be’ in many places at one. Luca is an inquisitive and handsome child, born to an older couple and the superstitious people of the village tag him as a ‘changeling’ (a fairy child). Luca’s parents send him to the monastery, the only option available for the poor to get an education. The story is mostly about Luca and his quest as an inquisitor of the church.

I have mixed feelings about Isolde. On one had she is raised by her father as an educated lady, with the expectation that she will inherit and oversee part of his lands. I know that Isolde’s lack of common sense can be blamed, in part, by her age and her suffering after her father’s death; but it was really obvious to me what was going on! How can a brother be such a bastard is beyond me. I have no idea how the attraction that Isolde and Luca feel for each other will pan out and if she will ever regain what she lost.

Ishraq, a girl of Muslim roots, is raised with Isolde and trained in medicine and fighting in order to better protect Isolde. Freize has something that a lot of people of this age lacked: plain common (and good) sense. I liked Ishraq and Freize a lot more than the main characters, which was somewhat unexpected.

The story is set in Italy, in the 1400’s in a time where women had no rights, the church has a lot of power, and most people were very superstitious. The plot is a bit complicated, consisting of a few storylines that merge and at the end there are still many unanswered questions. The story is not a romance, but rather an introduction to the Order of Darkness, the characters and the time period. The writing is straightforward and true to the historical era. Overall, I liked the story enough to read the next installment.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 29 August, 2012: Finished reading
  • 29 August, 2012: Reviewed