#BookReview: Changeling (Order of Darkness #1) by @PhilippaGBooks with @adivineeternity

About the Book: Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of this first in a four-book teen series from the #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

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. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom and travel to the very frontier of good and evil.

Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her from claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and driven to accuse her.

Forced to face the greatest fears of the dark ages—witchcraft, 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: Caity G.

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Recommended Age: Teens

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

How I Acquired this book: Bought it

Overall rating: ★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author: Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which was made into a TV drama and a major film. Published in 2009, the bestselling The White Queen, the story of Elizabeth Woodville, ushered in a new series involving The Cousins’ War (now known as The War of the Roses) and a new era for the acclaimed author.

Gregory lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire, where she keeps horses, hens and ducks. Visitors to her site, www.PhilippaGregory.com become addicted to the updates of historical research, as well as the progress of her ducklings.

Her other great interest is the charity she founded nearly twenty years ago; Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for 140 wells in the primary schools of the dry, poverty stricken African country. Thousands of school children have learned market gardening, and drunk the fresh water in the school gardens around the wells.

A former student of Sussex University, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh University, her love for history and her commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She also reviews for US and UK newspapers, and is a regular broadcaster on television, radio, and webcasts from her website. 

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: BINGE-WORTHY

Check out author's other books? Definitely. It's Philippa Gregory, after all.
Recommend this book? Yes, if you can handle the religious stuff

Notes and Opinions: Brother Peter is annoying af.

But every other character is pretty cool and interesting, for the most part. I love the premise of the series: an inquisitor for a secret Order goes out into the world to investigate the suspected end of days and seek signs of it across Italy. I love the 1450s Italy setting and time period and all the references to different things that occurred during that time period.

But most of all, I love Ishraq. As a feminist and a believer in strong female characters in any role in a book, it is plain to see why. She was raised to think independently and you see a little of this as the story starts to unfold. Frieze is fun, as well, but my heart lies with Ishraq in this book.

Go Into This One Knowing: The religious aspect can get a bit annoying sometimes. Also, these are NOT fantasy. People in these times believed in things like werewolves and fae, fearing them and calling them heresy. While there are whispers of magic, it's the type that you might hear in passing even today when someone who believes in the supernatural mentions seeing a ghost.

 

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Posted in: 4 Stars, Review, Simon Pulse, Young Adult