The Changeling Prince [Mass Market Paperback]

Vivian Vande Velde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

Welland was less than a slave. Slaves are human, and he was wolf,  allowed to assume human form only when it suited the sorceress Daria.

Daria kept an army of changelings -- mostly wolf but some lynx or weasel, a bear or two, and at least one rat. She used them to hunt and kill. And sometimes to pretend to be human, so she could pretend to be a lady.

Weiland hated the lie almost as much as he hated the truth. Then he met a burglar, a thief named Shile, who offered to help him steal what he had never owned. His own troubled soul...

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (Mm); First edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061057053
• ISBN-13: 978-0061057052
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,475,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Depressingly awesome., April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Changeling Prince (Mass Market Paperback)

In 'Changeling Prince', from the moment you meet Weiland and Daria you feel ultimately compelled to read on and learn more about them and the world they live in. The vividly depicted scenes and the twists and turns of the story as Weiland finds his first 'friend' and sees the world make for a suspenseful novel. The end is full of even more heart-thumping action as the full of Daria's plot is revealed. A good book for people who like shapeshifter stories and lots of suspense. Also good for people who like darkly gloomy books.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written, it will draw you in. . ., September 12, 2000

By 

Quince (Sterling, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Changeling Prince (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked this book up on a whim, after having read Vande Velde's "Companions of the Night". I liked this book just as much. Vande Velde has a way of weaving words that will completely draw you into her story. You relate to this character, even if he is a 16 year old boy who spends his life going back and forth between his wolf and human forms. And though the book has a very young main character, the writing does not talk down to the reader. Weiland is very child-like in the way he doesn't understand the world, be he learns and grows. He is a strong lead for this book, and you will fall in love with him the moment you meet him. This book is fantastic, and keeps you guessing all the way up until the twist ending. Don't miss out on this one!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Changeling Prince, December 10, 2001

By 

Scriber_scouse "scriber_scouse" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Changeling Prince (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this after reading "Companions of the Night" by the same author I have to admit I was disappointed with it because I expected this title to be similar. Don't get me wrong it's very well written, and the characters are memorable as well as sympathetic but if you expect something similar to Creatures of the Night you will be disappointed. Instead of a modern take on shapeshifters, I found an almost fairytale like story about the wicked Daria who enslaves creatures to her whim, sometimes she allows them to stay in human shape when she feels like playing the Lady, but mostly they train as a ragged army of warrior werecreatures. One of these creatures is our hero Welland a wolf whom she has made live as a human, the twist being that Welland prefers his human shape to his natural wolf form.

Inspite of myself I warmed to this story as Welland makes his first friend and is encouraged to rebel against the wicked Daria. I would say that this is an excellent read for younger teens, but it may not hold older readers' interest as Daria's motivations are never explained and her character is a bit too one dimensional, although the other characters are well fleshed out (especially poor Welland). Older teens will also spot the book's twist in the tale much more easily than a younger reader. For those who like their shapeshifter tales with bloody muzzles and gore this is one to miss, but for those with an abiding passion for fairytales this charming and gentle book is the one for you.