The Changelings

War of the Fae #1

by Elle Casey

This is an alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B00766OKOI.

Jayne Sparks, a potty-mouthed, rebellious seventeen-year-old and her best friend, shy and bookish Tony Green, have a pretty typical high school existence, until several seemingly unrelated incidents converge, causing a cascade of events that change their lives forever. Jayne and Tony, together with a group of runaway teens, are hijacked and sent into a forest, where nothing and no one are as they seem. Who will emerge triumphant? And what will they be when they do?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fae, Paranormal, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Fairies

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2012

About the author

Elle Casey, a former attorney and teacher, is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling American author who lives in France with her husband, the youngest of her three kids, and several horses, dogs, and cats. She has written more than 40 novels in less than 5 years and likes to say she offers fiction in several flavors. These flavors include romance, science fiction, urban fantasy, action adventure, suspense, and paranormal.

BOOKS BY ELLE CASEY
 (by genre):

ROMANCE 

By Degrees

Rebel Wheels (3-book series)
Just One Night (romantic serial)
Just One Week
Love in New York (3-book series)
Shine Not Burn (2-book series), also available as an Audiobook
Bourbon Street Boys (3-book series), also available as an Audiobook
Desperate Measures
Mismatched

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE 

All the Glory: How Jason Bradley Went from Hero to Zero in Ten Seconds Flat
Don’t Make Me Beautiful
Wrecked (2-book series), Book 1 also available as an Audiobook


 CONTEMPORARY URBAN FANTASY

 

War of the Fae (10-book series)
*Book 1, The Changelings, is a free ebook at most retailers*
Ten Things You Should Know About Dragons (short story, The Dragon Chronicles)
My Vampire Summer

Aces High



 SCIENCE FICTION
 

Drifters’ Alliance (3-book series +)
Winner Takes All (short story prequel to Drifters’ Alliance, Dark Beyond the Stars Anthology)
The Ivory Tower (short story standalone, Beyond the Stars: A Planet Too Far. A Space Opera Anthology)


 DYSTOPIAN

 

Apocalypsis (4-book series) *Book 1, Kahayatle, is a FREE ebook at most retailers*


 PARANORMAL
 

Duality (2-book series)
Monkey Business (short story)
Dreampath (short story, The Telepath Chronicles)
Pocket Full of Sunshine (short story & screenplay)

A personal note from Elle ...
If you've enjoyed any of my books, please take a moment to leave a review on the site where you bought the book, here on Goodreads, or on any book blogs you participate in, and tell your friends! I love interacting with my readers, so if you feel like shooting the breeze or talking about books or your family or pets, please visit me. You can find me at:
www.ElleCasey.com
www.Facebook.com/ellecaseytheauthor
www.Twitter.com/ellecasey
www.Instagram.com/Ellecaseyauthor

Want to get an email when my next book is released?
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Reviews

[Elle Casey]

I would just like to say thank you so much to those of you who read the book. I hope you love reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Super big hugs for the reviews here and on Amazon and on your book blogs too. You guys are THE BEST!!

Elle

[DKristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well since I'm going around telling everyone to read this series I figured I should probably give you more than a five star rating as my reasoning for reading it.

Even after finishing the series I still think in a lot of ways(with the exception of the addition of Tim)that this was the best book. The imagery was absolutely amazing. I could picture it all. I also found myself literally laughing out loud at Jayne and her smart mouth. I also loved that she was not one of those characters that just walked into crazy situations with out asking questions or wanting to know what the heck was going on first. All of the characters that you are introduced to in this first book set up for an extremely well developed series that will pull you in and have you eager to pick up the next book. It happens to be free on Amazon right now so you have NOTHING to lose by giving it a chance. I don't think you'll be sorry!


**I must add... I read this book almost a year ago, and there is one part of it that I still crack up totally LOL kind of laughter when I think about it now. It involves the selection of weaponry that's all I will say.**

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sonofabitch!" "Shhh, Jayne, not so loud," said Tony, Panicked. "What?! Those assholes put us in this forest with humanoid creepers that like to suck the life outta people! You know what that means, Tony? Vampires! And not the hot, Twilight kind either. How am I supposed to remain calm about that?"~Jayne

This book blew my freaking mind! I absolutely and totally, completely loved it! Elle Casey had me up late hours of the night laughing out loud to her fae novel, The Changelings. I can honestly say this is going to be the start of a new favorite series for me. The Changelings was simply brilliant.

Where do I begin with The Changelings by Elle Casey?! I have no freaking clue! First I will admit this book didn’t have much romance, which for me to love this book so much and there not much be romance, is saying something! Although there wasn’t that much romance in book one, you can for sure tell there is going to be some in book two, which I for one cannot wait to read!

The beginning of The Changelings was a little slow, but right when the group gets to their ‘challenge’ everything is all awesome from then till the end! The adventure put into this book was such a treat, the forest that the group was dropped into was so magical, but also terrifying at the same time, with monsters such as werewolves and vampires, moving trees, and friendly annoying gnomes this forest was definitely not your everyday forest! Watching our characters get threw it was so stressful! You never knew when something was going to jump out and possible kill someone, or just be some little tree critter that is super annoying! To say this book had me on the edge of my seat would be an understatement!

My hands down favorite part of this book was our main character Jayne, she was spectacular! At first it took me a little while to warm up to her, she is not your everyday heroine, but I think that’s what makes me totally love her! She was very ‘real’ I want to say. She didn’t try to act fearless all the time, when she was scared she was scared, but when it had anything to do with the group of friends she learned to love, she put on her war face and kicked some serious butt! She was such a riot too, I have NEVER had a book make me laugh so much, and I am not just saying a little chuckle, I mean I was bursting up laughing like a mad woman at 2 in the morning over some of the things Jayne would say! (ya she was THAT funny) All in all Jayne was just the perfect main character, the kind of main character that makes you wish she was someone you knew in real life.

The Changelings by Elle Casey was a hilarious, on the edge of your seat read that will leave everyone that reads it insanely happy with it and dying for book two! This is hands down a new personal favorite of mine, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great story that will make you laugh out loud!

[Caroline Rolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS!!! This kind of book is what should eclipse (pardon the pun) Twilight!!! The female lead is strong, believable, and DIMENSIONAL!! She isn't a pity party throwing contradiction, she is fierce! I really hope this series gets more attention, it deserves it!!!!!!!!!

[Samantha Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was literally laughing out loud from the get-go with this book. Narrator and heroine, Jayne Sparks, has bags of personality. She’s a funny, twisted, loyal, brave, snarky, teenager always handy with the quick quips, curse words and some turns of phrase I will definitely be adopting. Jayne drew me into the story, and then the friendship between her and Tony led me further down the path, until I eventually hit the crux of the story. From there on I was beguiled by the magic, the action, the darkness that is often balanced out by Jayne’s sense of levity, and of course the awesome relationships between the group of runaways. From middle to end, Elle Casey takes the reader on a pure fantasy adventure filled with all manner of forest creatures, paranormal beings and fairy tale monsters. My favourite part of the whole story is when Jayne discovers the tree hugging. If you’ve read the book you’ll know what I’m talking about. I had a stupid-ass grin on my face through the entire scene, it was so charmingly funny.

Anyhoo, a fantastic start to a truly magical adventure with a truly unique and three dimensional heroine! Can’t wait to read book two!

[Bruna Bellini · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't have good start of the year with my reading!
This book is terrible!
All the characters are annoying and shallow! Specially the main character, Jayne. Always cursing, full of stupid jokes and have no sense of good manners, at all!
So, Jayne and her best friend, Tony, runaway from home, because Jayne was being abused by her mother's boyfriend.
But then, they have nowhere to go and accept a invitation from a guy, that they have no idea who is, to join him and others homeless young people.
So, because they out of money, they accept to make part of some physical tests, even after making some research and find nothing about this company but, as they will give them a good money, they accept it.
Yeah, they totally proved to be a bunch of stupid young people!
Jayne and the rest of the "gang" is taken to a florest and the only rules they have is: no rules at all. Which means, kill is allowed.
Even with such a shocking situation, Jayne has time to flirt with the Spike guy! (Really?!)
I don't know... the whole book is full of mediocre things! The dialogs are so stupid and useless! 
Everything was a big waste of my precious time!

[Chrystina Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I mean seriously, I have nothing bad to say about it. It is a wonderful story full of action & adventure. I stayed interested throughout the whole book and didn't want to put it down.

The heroine is hilarious, with her potty-mouth and snarky comments, she kept me laughing through the entire book. Jayne is just a great leading lady. She is interesting in a quirky way, funny, and totally kick-ass. She is tough and when she doesn't feel that way she just uses bravado to get her through a situation.

The other characters in the book are interesting too. You feel like they are really a part of the story and not just sitting on the sidelines. I loved Tony, her best friend, and hope to see more of him in subsequent books. I really grew to like Spike, Chase, & Becky too.

The book was well written and a thoroughly enjoyable read. I completely loved it.

*Posted on my blog www.bookliaison.com*

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay let me start by saying it was a 4.5 that could have easily gone the other way at another time. I usually don't go for the snarky attitude throughout the story. But this fell just right for me and I really enjoyed it.

Jayne and Tony run away from their homes with no real plan of how they are going to live. They meet up with a gang of kids also living on the streets and the adventure begins. When they find out they have a chance to make some "easy" money the saying if it sounds too good to be true it is comes true.

This story was not what I was expecting. It was more of an adventure than a PNR. I loved all the characters involved and the story moved along at a good pace. If you are into a YA book that will lead into a PNR its an amazon freebie. It is also super cliffy and I understand it is a single story told over 4 books.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I have to say I am an incredibly picky reader. It really takes a lot to make me fall in love with an author/book. I was absolutely blown away by this series. This is literally the type of book you don't want to put down until it is done, and even then you're ready to jump right into the next book! The characters are incredibly believable and totally lovable. The wit will make you laugh at loud and probably earn you some strange looks from those around you.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/26/2019)! 🎁

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

The Changelings was such a huge surprise for me!
I'll be honest: when I read the blurb, I was anything but convinced I would like this book. My only reason for starting it at all was that it was a freebie an Amazon, and I'm just not good at looking a gift horse in the mouth. Then, I started reading the first few chapters and found my doubts confirmed. Initially, I couldn't stand the heroine at all - I thought she was a petulant, bullying brat in desperate need of being taught some manners. I refused to give up on a book again so quickly, though, and now I'm so glad I didn't. Boy, did I have fun reading this.

As soon as I 'got to know' Jayne better, I thorougly enjoyed her, as the author calls it, potty mouth. She's still a mutinous, sassy teen, but that trait ensures a refreshing sense of honesty. She's also fiercely loyal to those she loves and pretty kick-ass. We're also introduced to a bunch of intriguing secondary characters who are all very diverse in appearances and personality.

"So, show of hands, who thinks we should go check it out?" asked Jared.
Everyone but Chase raised their hands.
"Chase, what's up?" asked Jared.
Everyone stared at the guy who never talked. This should be interesting. Maybe he's one of those guys who only speaks every once in a while, but when he does it's earth-shattering.
"Dunno," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Or not.

The story was awesome, the mystery gripping, the dialogues hilarious, the characterizations fantastic. It was some crazy kind of mix of Hunger Games, Maze Runner and X-Men, featuring Scottish gnomes, combat dwarves, fruity vampires and a whole lot of tree hugging.

Recommended!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking up The Changelings was something I am so happy I did! After finishing this last night, I'm still reeling from the total awesome package that Elle Casey has put forth in this story. Fabulous characters, an amazing and quick moving plot line, dark ktwists and turns. This is a book that I absolutely devoured. Anyone who tells you self-published books are inferior to traditionally published books...well they haven't read this.

Jayne Sparks is quite a powder keg of a girl! She's feisty, she's tough, and she has more potential brewing inside her than she truly knows. Equipped with a mouth to match her attitude, there are quite a few times where Jayne's sentiments about her situation made me crack up laughing. Be warned, Jayne does have a potty-mouth. If she's feeling it, she's not afraid to speak it (or think it rather loudly). I loved her for that. Her wit keeps the book moving, and her honest feelings keep you in step with her the whole way through the book.

The other characters don't fade into black though, despite how lovely and loud Jayne is. Each of her compatriots has their own fantastic personality, complete with strengths and weaknesses. I grew to adore each of them in time. To be honest I became so wrapped up in them after a while, that any time there was the possibility of a battle I was breathless. You know that feeling when you don't want your favorite person to be snuffed out? Multiply that by the number of characters in this book and you've got a reader who is barely breathing as she flips the pages.

I'm not going to lie, The Changelings initially threw me off. I heard fae, and I thought about every other book I've read pertaining to their lore. Color me surprised when Jayne's story was a lot darker than I expected. The plot moves at a fiery pace, and the twists and turns will keep you on your feet. There is death in this story. There is blood, gore and fighting. Fair warning. If that's not for you, you might want to keep your distance. If you're like me though, you'll eat it up and just read faster.

Long story short, this was a book that I more than enjoyed! I loved it. The ending caught me off guard, although it was perfectly done. With that evil cliffhanger looming over me, you can guarantee that I'll be impatiently waiting for more! Now that I've met Jayne, now that I've seen what fantastic writing Elle Casey is capable of, I'm a fan girl. Count me in for more.

[Michelle ♥ The Romance Vault ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I wasn't expecting to love this book but I did. Elle has a very comfortable flow with words, her characters come to life as does the whole story. I actually really liked Jayne even became ok with her and her multitude of swear words. I don't like listening to a plethora of 'f' words but with Jayne you came to expect it and waited for her next enslaught of verbal diarrhoea and some it was quite comical. A well put together story and it left me wanting more which in my eyes is what a good author needs to do and Elle does just that and very well.

[FicTalk Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Heather

Jayne Sparks feels like she doesn’t belong. She feels that everyone in her high school knows exactly what they want to do after graduation, except her. She only has one friend because most parents consider her a bad influence. She is perfectly okay with that.

Tony Green has been Jayne’s best friend for two years. The way they became friends was a little unconventional, but it suits them both. He is quiet and sticks to his own, while Jayne is loud and obnoxious.

When Tony finds out Jayne’s deepest, darkest secret he tells her that they can run away together. Jayne’s mother doesn’t care about her at all and Tony’s parents are constantly leaving him alone, so they take off for Miami.

When they arrive in Miami, Jayne realizes that Tony hadn’t planned much beyond leaving town. The two meet Jared Bloodworth and are drawn in to a group of runaway teens.

When the group receives a flier advertising a fitness test that pays out five-hundred dollars if completed, they are both optimistic and wary. Could something that sounds so easy be true?

After a brief introduction, a very weird timed-test and individual interviews, the group is shuffled on to a plane to the testing destination. They have no idea where they are going and the test administrators make sure of that fact.

The group is given a backpack and one weapon a piece and sent off into the forest alone. Only this isn’t a regular forest. This forest is full of vampires, gnomes, old hags and werewolves. Will they all survive the test?

I really enjoyed this book. From the moment I started it I thought that it had a Hunger Games feel to it. No, it isn’t exactly like it, but I enjoyed it all the same. A group of teens thrown into the wilderness and told to survive…what’s not to like?

I love that Jayne isn’t written as some damsel in distress, but she’s actually a bad-ass girl who isn’t prone to waiting on her knight in shining armor to help her. She’s isn’t constantly whining about how in love she is with a boy, although she is quite fond of a certain guy’s teeth.

Casey did an awesome job with the cliffhanger at the end of this book because it has me desperately awaiting the second book in the series.

[Jessica (Goldenfurpro)]

I dnfed this book roughly 43% in. Even though I did not finish it, it is handy for me to know why I did not finish it so here I go.

I really wanted to like this book. It has so many positive reviews so I was trying to push through to the end, in hopes that it would get better, but this book just wasn't working for me.

Right away I had trouble connecting with the MC. She lets us know on the first page that she is "different" which mainly means that she is outspoken and doesn't give a crap. To show how "different" she is, the book over-generalizes and weakens the rest of her peers, which is a trope I hate. The MC, Jayne, does certainly have a voice, but it never felt authentic to me. We are told that she has a hard home life, but that is barely touched on. I did like her friendship with Tony, even though it had a strange start. I mainly liked how easily they could communicate with one another and that Tony was just a friend.

The plot is pretty slow and is one of the main reasons why I lasted so long as I was waiting for the plot to pick up. I was expecting faeries in the book, but I didn't see anything in the 43% that I read. Instead, the plot was more runaway teens forced to fight in a forest. It actually read more science experiment gone wrong than paranormal. The progression between plot points was also strange. There were also a few things that I just found problematic, such as a villainous monster being described as having a "flamingly gay" voice.

There is a hint of romance before I stopped reading and it was basically Jayne fawning over a boy because he has good teeth. He barely says or does anything interesting. Reading the reviews, supposedly this turns into a love triangle and all the girl characters are kicked off so the MC has all the boys to herself. In that case, I'm glad I gave up.

Overall, I wasn't a fan and I have decided to not waste time on books I'm not enjoying. I can tell this series has a lot of fans, and if you did enjoy this book that is perfectly fine. In fact, I'm glad that you loved this book. I didn't, but it just wasn't for me.

[Editing Services by Cynthia Shepp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is by a new author I have only known about for a week. Her name is Elle Casey and she Rocks! She is a great author. She is an Indie author which means she publishes her books herself. She is also a very sweet person. She replies to every review that her readers post about her books as well as to every comment people make on her website. I have been bugging her the last few days lol and she is an awesome person. She also has lots more books coming out this year which I cannot wait to read!

The series is called War of the Fae and it is a 4 book series. The main character of the book is Jayne. She is exactly the kind of heroine I love to read about. She says what she wants, loves hard, and fights harder. The story line is crisp and fast. You literally cannot put it down. It is also laugh out loud funny. Jayne has such a bad mouth that it will have you dying laughing. I learned so many new ways to cuss from her. My husband kept on saying “what??” the entire time I was reading the series because I would just bust a gut laughing. I laughed, I got mad, I cried, and got all kinds of emotional. All of the characters are so memorable and they just find their way into your heart. This is a must read series. I will post links to all 4 books as well as a link to Elle’s website. Trust me after you read these books you will have to go tell her thank you for her genius! Also readers, if I have convinced you to pick up a copy of these 4 books, help Elle out by leaving her kick ass reviews on Amazon and any other place you want to. Thanks!

Oh! One more thing: after book 4 you will be dying for more Jayne…which is great because Elle is starting a new series called Clash of the Otherworlds which features Jayne as well. Yea!

For more reviews of great books go to:
http://cynthiashepp.wordpress.com/

Merged review:

Epic! Full review at:
http://cynthiashepp.wordpress.com/201...

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elle Casey is a seriously amazing writer.

Where do I start!? Just.....uh....I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!!

Casey's amazing understanding of teenagers + a badass protag + a group of cool kids + a enchanted forest + some creatures+ tons of suspense= one badass story!

Jayne is one badass mofo (that is seriously the only way to describe her!). Without giving anything away, her "special powers" reminded me of of Snow White in a way, but a seriously kick ass Snow White trying to save everyone. Her POV was kind of intense to be in at times- she is always thinking so much!- but at the same time she is such a great character I wouldn't want it any other way.

Tony was sweet- I really loved his friendship with Jayne, Becky annoyed me at first but I ended up loving her, I wanna track down this Spike dude and rip his shirt off myself. They had a really good group dynamic. (Although I can't help feeling Samantha is going to pop up sometime in the future..)

I'm not going to lie, the start dragged a little bit, but considering it's the start of a series and the background needed to be established it makes sense.

The suspense in the book is really well done- slow building but always in the background, I was constantly trying to figure out who the good guys and bad guys were, what the ulterior motive of the whole thing was.

I can't wait to see what happens next- the ending :O :O (Elle that was just mean! :P)

[Savannah (Books With Bite) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows how much I love fae books. So when this book feel upon my hand, I knew i had to read it.

Alright, I going to start off this review differently and say that the potty mouth main character Jayne, left me in hysterics. I could not for the life of stop laugh. Every smart remark, every snort, every innuendo made me laugh so much. And this is why I liked the book. For me this book was funny. Others might not see it as funny, but I did.

The plot line was okay but I felt like it needed a little more answers. For me, too much was pushed too quickly and I didn't really get to grasp the whole concepts. Still, I was able to enjoy the book

There is really no love interest but I can definitely see one forming. I really loved reading this friendship grow. It's rare to find a friend who can put with all you do and still be there for you.

I would not recommend this book to young teen. 18+. Mostly cause their is a lot of crude humor in it.

Overall, The Changeling is a good read. Nothing fast but nothing slow either. It's predictable yet engaging.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is laugh-out-loud funny! Do not read in any public place, if you want other people to think that you are sane. I throughly enjoyed reading and rereading this novel. That is how good this book truely is. The main character Jane is ah-mazing! She is a believable character that is skeptical of the bizarre events that happen to her and her friends. She does not believe in faeries and thinks that it bullcr*p. Her words, not mine! All she wants to do is escape the dangerous forest alive, but everything is not what it seems in this book and her closest friend turns out to be a bigger skeptic than her. This book is full of shock, mystery, intrigue, danger, action, humor, suspence, and full of the antics of one Jane Sparks, the bullcr*p detector and the Fae's biggest problem since the very beginning.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel reminded me of The Hunger Games in some ways. A group of teenagers are thrown into a land where they have to reach checkpoints in a certain order. Along the way, they encounter fantastical creatures (obstacles) that they have to survive. These creatures include an incubus, two gnomes, a witch, werewolves, etc. Also, each one of these teenagers has unique qualities to them that help them through the forest. The main character has the ability to communicate with the trees (which sounds cheesy until you actually read the book - then it's so cool, you may even want the ability yourself)!

At the end, the teens are given a bonus reward, but I won't reveal what that is. You'll have to read the book to find out!

I enjoyed the story so much, I had to purchase the next book in the series!

[Derinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I had gotten sick. So it was very hard to get into. I almost stop reading it actually. (which I hate doing) I was felling better, so I said what the heck...push on till the end!

I loved it! I thought this was such a brilliant way to introduce supernaturals. And Jayne is such a awesome character! I laughed and choked, on some of her phrases. I have never heard so many names for a males part before. She is definitely not afraid to speak her mind! LOL She is strong, funny, and willing to beat anyone down in a minute LOL! And dont get me thinking about her HOT-O-Meter!!!!

Definitely moving to book 2

[Marlon Balraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

See more of my reviews at We Live and Breathe Books

What's so scary about faeries? What could be? They're cute and pink and wonderful right? Even if you're clever and have read Artemis Fowl . . . well, you ain't seen nothing yet.

First of all, the diction is so sharp it could tear down the YA industry's general 'teenage voice'. It's extremely clear and no sentence is at all fluff. Casey is never ambiguous, never too florid, chooses precisely when to rain down her more poetic voice and most of all, she never infodumps, even in the beginning . . . instead, there's a bit of a pattern:

"I write and eat with my left hand but do just about everything else with my right. My body is confused with what it's supposed to do."
That's in the context of having a mini existential crisis in a history class. Very fluid, very helpful feel of what the narrator thinks of herself . . . plus we now have the tiny fact that our narrator is multidexterous. This pattern is brilliant and Casey uses it throughout most of the beginning to paint a brilliant internal and external picture of the main character, Jayne. This is such a rarity . . . in the introduction of even the best books I've read, there have been infodumps out of utter necessity (or in the case of City of Bones, a clever trick to make you think certain things are important when they're all lies). So I commend Casey for being able to wriggle out of that convention.

Now let's talk about Jayne. This girl. Oh gods. There aren't enough curse words in the English language for her, I assume she'll learn a few more languages to sate her thirst. She's just angry, and confused, and generally you do now want to piss her off. She's Percy Jackson if he'd stayed in the public school system, a little bit of a 'glutton for punishment'. She's relateable, in that most teenagers have felt like she has about parents, school, their bodies, and life in general. After all, I've always felt the itch to tell off my worst teachers. But what I like about her most is the absolute downplay on the romance. I mean, really? THANK YOU. In any YA, even friggin YA's that don't have a smidge of romance tag on it, there are still romantic conventions just looming around. But Jayne's not having any of that nonsense. She's tough, independent, and she shows her emotions like her skin, despite being inclined against both. Jayne also handle's situations quite . . . wonderfully:
"Sonofabitch!"
"Shhh, Jayne, not so loud," said Tony, Panicked.
"What?! Those assholes put us in this forest with humanoid creepers that like to suck the life outta people! You know what that means, Tony? Vampires! And not the hot, Twilight kind either. How am I supposed to remain calm about that?"

I don't think I need to talk about anything else because the word choice and Jayne literally just make the novel. This girl will have you laughing constantly because she does not just accept everything, she acts like her inner ten year old and loses her marbles. She clings on to her friends when she's desperate. She faces her enemy after deliberation and you have no doubt she's going to rip them a new one. When stranger things start happening to her, she doesn't just take that either. She rampages. I love it. This girl reacts. Percy Jackson reacted like any regular kid would. That's why I fell in love with that series. Jayne is just brilliantly portrayed as not just someone you could be, but more along the lines of someone you're actually rooting for and you don't want to be because she's so clearly getting screwed over. I wish I knew her in real life.

Oh gods read this book for the tree hugging. Seriously, you'll know what I mean.

(Also every secondary character bar Tim is fabulous and you sort of hope no one dies but you realize they're all probably going to die. The plot and tonal shifting are on point and easy to follow. Jane is stubborn and doesn't develop much until the end where she's forced a bit out of her skin. The enemies were frightening, just about every conventional beast is thrown in . . . werewolves, vamps, etc, but it doesn't stop there . . . everything is an enemy in the "challenge", which takes up most of the novel.)

Tree hugging, though.
- Marlon

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! What can I say about this book... it was AMAZING!!! I got this book for free on Amazon & let me tell you, I've already bought the last 3 books in the series. I will NOT go into the plot of this story because it WILL ruin it for you, but let me just say... I didn't know what to expect from this book but it turned out to be one of the funnest books I've ever read. Let me just warn you and say that it doesn't really have any romance in it, but you definitely know it's going to happen in the next books in the series. Normally, I HAVE to have some type of romance in a book but I PROMISE you if you are a romance obsessed person (like myself) you will still NOT be disappointed in this book at all.

What I liked/loved:

-The heroine is probably one of the greatest, most hilarious, ass-kicking, potty-mouthed (if swearing is a major issue for you, I will caution you now that there is a TON of swearing in this book), likable, loyal, & wonderful heroines you will ever read about. To me, it's impossible not to love her. She's soooo loyal to her bff Tony and is just an all round amazing character.

-The suspence/unpredictableness (don't know if that's a real word or not). I seriously screamed, shouted, jumped, and freaked out throughout the book. You will find yourself asking "what the hell is going on?" nonstop in this book, which I absolutely loved. You literally have no idea where the author is going to take the story and it makes you not want to stop reading it until you find out what's going to happen.

-The characters. They were all likable and even though you didn't get to know them like you did Tony & Jayne, you still were cheering them on or laughing at their crazy antics.

-The story line. I have to say that to find an author that can make a story this creative and interesting is not only rare but is an author that now goes on my automatic buy list. She's just fantastic!!! This is my first book by Casey, but it's definitely not my last!

-The descriptions. Okay, sometimes authors go on and on with their descriptions and that drives me insane. This author, however, was descriptive but it was just the right amount to make you envision what she's describing and they were incredible descriptions (and that's saying a lot considering I HATE descriptions... sorry, but I'm super impatient.. I have ADHD.. seriously). :D

What I didn't like:

-This isn't really a criticism, but it's more like a little word of advice. It took a little while for the book to really take off. For me, it was at 26%. I'm not saying it's a bad thing and it certainly wasn't boring, I was still very much into the book. However, when you hit the 26% mark, the book just flew by for me. Before I even knew what hit me, I was done with the book & buying the rest.


All I can tell you is this book is soooo worth reading. I cannot recommend it highly enough!!

[Between the Bind · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Changelings is almost like a paranormal version of The Hunger Games. And to put it simply? I LOOOOVED it! This series is so addicting I've already read through book two before even posting this review - the cliff hanger ending was so freaking bad that I simply had no choice.

The heroine in this novel is a Jayne, a bad ass 17-year-old with a flare for using curse words at every turn in a surprisingly endearing way. She is so very loyal, clever, and simply awesome. We could totally be friends. ;)

In this first book, Jayne and her best friend Tony run away from home after Tony draws a gun on a bully at school. Once they reach Miami, they meet several other runaways and tentatively join them until they can figure out the next step in their unplanned vacation. In major need of money, the teens agree to participate in a psychological study that will pay them $500 cash if they complete it. Catch? They don't know what the study entails.

Once placed in a world as far away from "home" as Jamaica for a penguin, they must work together in order to make it to the end - but more than just money is at stake.

There are so many twists and turns in this novel that I never knew what was coming next. The unbreakable bond of friendship and the supernatural element connecting Jayne and Tony is a joy to read while Jayne's tough love attitude and big heart add so much to the developing relationships among them.

I literally couldn't put this book down (after about a 1/3 of the way through). The beginning is a little bit slow, but SO worth the end result. I'll be finishing this series in the next few days - hopefully keeping up with my posts and wifely duties and not just hiding away in my bedroom...but who am I kidding?

PLEASE read this book IMMEDIATELY!

Review by: http://betweenthebind.blogspot.com

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really was an OK read, but it didn't blow me away or suck me in. I didn't find myself thinking much about the book after it finished or become overly engaged in the world that was created.

Jayne was a complex character who had a hard home life. You really don't learn much about her home life though other than her mom isn't overly worried about her and the boyfriend is scum. You learn a bit more about Tony, but again, nothing that builds substance. I felt like I was dropped into their lives with no idea of who they were and what made them that way before we are ripped off on an adventure.

I think the author tried to build some substance around the characters with Jayne's explanation of how she met Tony. All I got from that description though was that Jayne was a smart-mouth bully who is socially inept and Tony was too passive to really do anything about Jayne and her antics. This basically sums up the rest of their relationship throughout the book (though they are just friends).

I also wanted more from the supporting characters. I just found these characters to mean nothing to Jayne one moment and then everything to her the next. I spent most of this book annoyed at Jayne. She wanted to badly to be exceptional and that translated to a spoiled and selfish girl through most of the book.

I can't decide if I'm going to pick up the next one or not. The plot line and world could have been interesting and could have been such an awesome book. I was just side tracked and let down by Jayne and Tony. So sad when a book could have been so much more, but it is let down by the main characters.

Overall, I'm not sure I would pick it up again. It really was just OK and it left me with a feeling of "meh" (great descriptor word, I know).

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

I love this book.
Jayne had me snorting wine out my nose (yes my evening reading drink of choice) While this may sound not pleasant, I adore her snarky inner monologue. She was strong and brave but not so much that she earned *eye rolls*. She got 'stupid mad' and went charging off a few times but I can identify.
The only thing I had a hard time with was her 'gift'. I can't really get into it without a spoiler so I will just say: It made some obstacles a little easy to get out of. She did have to learn how to use it and there was certainly a learning curve so it didn't lower my opinion of the book much.

Her best friend Tony Tony Tony (a nick name I have used myself) was just too cute. I loved him right away. It was great how she pestered him until they just became friends. He had his own bravery and he was sweet. I love that he started to give her sass back!

The rest of the crew was well built. I would have liked to learn a little more about their background but since the book was in Jayne's perspective it wasn't really possible.

The world was interesting. In a way the author jumped on the 'dystopian' band wagon but with her own twist. Lots of action to keep me interested a few plot twists....oh yeah and the wine out the nose, made this a great read for me.
There was also no cliffhanger! *and the audience goes wild* We had a wrap up, we know where they are headed but the author leaves you wanting more. Bravo.

I don't really recommend YA novels but given the right person I would certainly tell them to read this series.
Given the opportunity I will continue this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much I could say about this book. I don't even know where to start. I really didn't think that I would like this story. All those mythical beings...just not my usual cup of tea. In fact, this book has been sitting on my kindle for awhile having gotten there only because it was recommended by a friend and FREE. I was greatly entertained by these characters and the plot was good too. But the characters....Jayne is a great heroine because she isn't anything like what most heroines are at the beginning. She seems so real to me. At several places throughout the story, she says or does something that just made me think, "That's how ________ (insert name of sister, self or friend here) would react!" Really, who wouldn't feel a tiny bit better calling the Lady in the Water who hurt your friend a whore? Or be embarassed at naming your deepest desire in front of others? Or feel bad that the trees were hurting themselves to help you? I could go on here...
Besides Jayne, there are a variety a other characters that warm your heart as well. With likable characters, a nice set-up for future books, and a cliff hanger ending, I am so glad that I decided to take a chance on those mythical beings. I swear I laughed so hard in places there were tears and snorting (and I don't believe this is listed as a comedy!)

[Ashley Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book has been one of my favorites to read thus far. The author, Elle Casey, definitely has a way with words, especially the well placed curse word. I loved it that she's not afraid to use them. Her writing is also full of humor. One scene in particular, literally had me LMAO!! This book is a definite must read, in my opinion.

The main character Jayne is a foul-mouthed, outcast at school. Jayne and her best friend Tony, decide to run away from their troubled home life. The two find themselves boning with a group of other runaways. The group decides to participate in a “fitness trial” for $500.

The teens find themselves in the midst of a strange forest with nothing but a backpack, a weapon, and no rules but to finish the obstacle course. This forest is no ordinary forest, and the teens are no ordinary teens. They all have to stick together to make it out alive. In the end, Jayne winds up with a new family and an affinity for hugging trees.

“Um, hello, Tree. I’m Jayne… and this is Becky. We want to hug you, so here we are. You’re.. um.. a really nice looking tree, so that’s why we picked you. I mean, all the trees here are nice looking and all…”

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Changelings is the first book in a four part series that starts out a lot like the Hunger Games series, but with its own unique world. Unlike the Hunger Games, there is a paranormal element that is hinted out throughout this book, and is developed in greater detail throughout subsequent books in the series. I found this to be a solid paranormal story, with humorous (though somewhat crass) moments throughout the series. The Goodreads summary for the book describes the protagonist, Jayne Sparks, as “potty-mouthed” and that is very true. I don’t mind profanity in books but there certainly was a lot in this series, so be warned if this offends you. For readers looking for a good love story, I would note that I don’t consider this series to be romance driven although there are some romantic elements to the story, particularly towards the end of the series. I liked this series because I think its creative and entertaining, with a strong female protagonist.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

First it should be known that I heart Faeries!

I am thinking a million different things so I apologize in advance if this makes no sense.

At the beginning of this book Jayne was pretty annoying. I was pretty upset because I have been on a streak of frustrating heroines. But as the book progressed I saw her impulsiveness, sarcasm, and typical teenage rebellion was a coping mechanism. Her life wasn't anything she wanted. She was bored. Bullied. Molested. Ignored.

Once in the obstacle course she did a 180. Her love and protective instincts made me proud.

We really just skimmed the surface on all things Fae. I absolutely cannot wait to see where this series will go!

I would have given this 5 stars for all but the last sentence. Helluva cliffhanger.