Changing Fate (Paperback)

by Elisabeth Waters (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In charge of running her absent father's keep, Lady Acila conceals a deep, dark secret--she is a shapechanger, a being feared and despised by the people of her world--until circumstances force her out into the world. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: DAW (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886776082
• ISBN-13: 978-0886776084
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,610,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shape-changing, Year-kings, romance..., June 15, 1999

By A Customer

Elisabeth Waters manages to fit it all into this comparatively slim novel. Remarkable in its lack of stereotypes, Changing Fate is a truly enjoyable fantasy.

Shape-changer Acila is forced to leave her home when it is captured by a Lord Ranulf. She and her dreamy, impractical brother, Briam, eventually come to the city of Diadem. In a kingdom of women-rulers, Briam is chosen as Year-king-- one scheduled to be sacrificed at the end of the summer.

Acila's certainly not going to stand for it! But how to rescue him? With the help of Druscilla, the reluctant heir to the crown of Diadem, her companion, Wolf (incidentally a wolf) and her own unique powers, Acila knows she must save Briam.

The characters are done very well. There are no villains in Changing Fate. The Queen sacrifices Year-kings merely to keep her people happy; Lord Ranulf...well, he's not at all a cold-hearted invader. I particularly liked the handling of Druscilla, a competent and intelligent woman whom everyone underestimates at first, including Acila. If you're at all into fantasy, Changing Fate is that rare and obscure book that is a must.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant, fresh, light-weight fantasy; romantic elements., November 10, 1997

By	[e-mail] (Northeast, USA) - See all my reviews

_Changing Fate_ is an enjoyable fantasy adventure. Elisabeth Waters is not overly ambitious in her world-building, but she doesn't recycle: nary an elf or a unicorn in sight. The main characters are intelligent without being improbably bright. Lack of purple prose and sentimental meanderings make this book more palatable than many other contemporary romantic fantasies. The hero, a young woman hiding her shape-shifting ability, is forced to abandon her ancestral home and undergoes a number of adventures. Most conflicts are solved with mis-direction or flight: there is only one short sword-fight.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant, fresh, light-weight fantasy; romantic elements, August 18, 2005

By	David Brukman (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

_Changing Fate_ is an enjoyable fantasy adventure. Elisabeth Waters is not overly ambitious in her world-building, but she doesn't recycle: nary an elf or a unicorn in sight. The main characters are intelligent without being improbably bright. Lack of purple prose and sentimental meanderings make this book more palatable than many other contemporary romantic fantasies. The hero, a young woman hiding her shape-shifting ability, is forced to abandon her ancestral home and undergoes a number of adventures. Most conflicts are solved with misdirection or flight: there is only one short sword-fight.
--inotherworlds.com