In the dead of night, a goblin named Kull creeps into Endsborough, "a quaint community teetering on the edge of what could be only generously termed civilization." Kull's world is slowly losing magic, victim to an intangible villain known only as the Thing. But Kull has a plan: a goblin changeling, "the living embodiment of goblin magic," has been born and he intends to exchange it with a human baby. The Old Ways say that this switch will revive magic and restore Kull's people. Unfortunately, Kull is interrupted as the changeling takes on the human baby's appearance. Unable to tell the two apart, he flees, leaving both babies behind. Annie Burton sees the new baby in her newborn's crib and knows it must be a changeling. She can't figure out which one it is, so she raises them as twins. Now nearing their 13th birthday, mischievous and rambunctious Tinn and Cole know about their origins, but neither knows who the changeling is. When a strange note beckons the changeling to enter nearby Wild Wood and reunite with the goblin horde to save magic (warning that if he does not, there will be "lots of death"), the boys decide they'll go together.
William Ritter takes familiar pieces of lore and infuses rich new life and magic into them. The characters of Changeling, both human and magical, are complex and multi-faceted: wildly brave single mothers, rowdy sensitive boys, goblins yearning for forgiveness and redemption and a Thing whose power is limited by its own insecurities. Wonderfully written, with powerful messages of love and the importance of family, Changeling is a bold start to a promising series. --Kyla Paterno, freelance reviewer