Customer Reviews

The Changeling Prince

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

What would it be like for a wolf to be compelled to take the form of a man? Starting with this premise, Vivian Vande Velde writes a riveting story about Weiland, who was captured by Daria as a young cub and raised mainly as a human. However, Daria, no matter how brutal her tactics, had not been able to destroy the basic decency of Weiland's nature.

Daria, who heretofore, had been content to live in the forest served by her transformed creatures, has decided to move to a townhouse in St. Celia's. Weiland is one of those who are to accompany her. In St. Celia's Weiland comes in contact with large groups of humans for the first time including a thief named Shile.

Through Shile, Weiland learns a great deal that he he never knew before about what it means to be a man.

Well written and compelling, Vivian Vande Velde draws the reader into Weiland's world with a sure touch. This one is guaranteed to appeal to adult fantasy lovers as well as younger readers.

The Changeling Prince is a wonderful story. It appears at first glance to be an ordinary fairytale (if fairytales can be called ordinary). However, the detail and emotions the author portrays make this an excellent book. The author places you in the story with Weiland, as she describes different events and objects from his point of view, which is mainly one of ignorance. I definitely recommend this story to any fantasy buff, along with Velde's other books, such as Companions of the Night.

The Changeling Prince is exciting, suspenseful, and thought provoking. Weiland is a wonderfully complicated character. The reader is let into his mind as he is torn between obeying the woman that controls his well being and escaping her abuse and magic. The reader, along with Weiland, never knows what the evil Daria will do nor how he will save himself. The book is complete with heart pounding action sequences and flurries of magic. When Weiland meets Shile, the intrigue continues as they develop a friendship, something Weiland has never known. If you like this book, read the sequel,The Conjurer Princess.

What would it be like for a wolf to be compelled to take the form of a man? Starting with this premise, Vivian Vande Velde writes a riveting story about Weiland, who was captured by Daria as a young cub and raised mainly as a human. However, Daria, no matter how brutal her tactics, had not been able to destroy the basic decency of Weiland's nature.

Daria, who heretofore, had been content to live in the forest served by her transformed creatures, has decided to move to a townhouse in St. Celia's. Weiland is one of those who are to accompany her. In St. Celia's Weiland comes in contact with large groups of humans for the first time including a thief named Shile.

Through Shile, Weiland learns a great deal that he he never knew before about what it means to be a man.

Well written and compelling, Vivian Vande Velde draws the reader into Weiland's world with a sure touch. This one is guaranteed to appeal to adult fantasy lovers as well as younger readers.

Not only is she a great writter but she has one of the coolest pen names. Vivian Vande Velde. What a name! But she's not just a cool name. She has one of the greatest writting styles. She really makes the characters come alive. "The Changeling Prince" was another one of her greats. I always love the characters in her books because they have so much life. Being a teen and reading them is even better. All of the Characters are in your age range. In so many of my favorite books the characters are so much older than me. I don't really relate. But in her books her Characters or Main Character is a teen. I feel like I can relate so much easier. Weiland, the main Character in this book, is sixteen years old. In Vivian Vande Velde's book "Companions of the Night" her main character is also sixteen. (That is another good book I would recommend.) I hope you read these books and fall in love with them the way I did. Enjoy.

The synopsis of this book misses what makes this book so engaging! Weiland has spent 16 hellish years in Daria's remote castle with few companions (all of whom were formerly wolves, racoons, mice, birds or other animals.) Daria herself is a very cruel woman whose inconsistent (and sadistic) actions leave Weiland always in the dark as to whether he has fallen out of favor or not. Daria decides to move to the big city. Weiland, and other member of Daria's household (mice as lady's in waiting etc) all learn about the real world. Weiland also sees an even darker side to Daria, which his growing conscience will not allow him to ignore, even though stopping Daria means becoming a wolf for the rest of his life. Well crafted emotional and psychological tension! NOT for the very young. Also note, this is actually a prequel to the Conjurer Princess, which is also a very good read.

I have a lot to say about this book. It's companion `The Conjurer Princess' doesn't really act as a sequel to it, since it is about another character and the hero of `Changeling Prince' is only a supporting character.
One thing, I don't think the word `prince' is used once outside the title. There is no reference to the hero being a prince in the book.
This book is very dark, especially at the beginning. For the first few chapters I was wondering if there would be any funny or happy parts. There is a lot of torture and innocent people being killed. But a really scary villainess is a plus, and Daria is very well-done. The character of Weiland isn't always likable, but he becomes a very well-written, three dimensional and likable character. He's a young man who, despite a life of torture and misery, has compassion and some sense of self. His greatest hope, at the beginning of the book, is that he will die in human form, not wolf. The other characters are well-written and believable. I love how the characters that were humans that used to be animals behaved. The meanest of the lot being a bear was very realistic!
What I didn't like about the book was it ended too soon to be fully resolved. Plus, it is the prequel to the `Conjurer Princess'. I think it should have had a sequel that focused on Weiland's character, as well as the other characters. Weiland as a character has so much to heal from and so much to learn, there needed to be another book that wasn't as dark that directly continued Weiland's story, not with him as a supporting character. This would be a better book if it had a sequel. Not that this is a bad or good thing, but there are no vampires in it. Just wanted to clear that up since vampires and wolves are commonly put in the same books!