Changeling's Island

Incredibly good, I'd give it 6 stars if I could, read it, you should!

I am torn about this book. There is no denying that the finale is a brilliantly written piece of maritime action and the end left me wanting more. But before that, I also cannot deny that I was bored with this book, glad it was so short.I will gladly admit, this is probably a great book for young readers. The conflict and the characters feel real and the plot may be a bit formulaic but works really well. There is one emotional impact that serves as a way to make the story more forceful instead o [...]

Tim Ryan is not quite caught shoplifting -- owing to a little help -- but gets in trouble, and finds himself shipped off from Melbourne to an island where his grandmother lives.The source of his help comes too -- Aed, a spirit of air and darkness -- but it notes that his plane is followed through the waters by a selkie.And on the island, we have the tale of a city mouse in the countryside, the tale of a boy growing up, and the tale of his heritage and why the selkie came looking for him. It invo [...]

Very enjoyable story! It's been a while since I read it (back when it first came out), and I still remember how much I liked it.

Tim Ryan's father is out of the picture, his mother would rather not be bothered by him, and the girl he is infatuated with is pure trouble. When Tim gets in a scrape with the law, his parents send him to his grandmother on isolated Flinders Island. The culture shock from urban Melbourne to rural Flinders is great, and Tim can't wait until he can escape.One of the joys of reading is getting to visit new places and having vicarious experiences through the author's characters. Mr. Freer's descript [...]

If I didn't know that Dave Freer has written a bunch of fine fantasy, I might have thought this was a collaboration between Margaret Mahy and Tom Dietz. It has many of the elements which delighted me in their work: Dietz's Faery with local influences and Mahy's troubled young protagonist with the flavor of Antipodean supernatural. Since I love both their work, this book gets a big, "Hurray!" from me. No wonder Tim Ryan is a confused young kid in Melbourne. His divorced parents are caught up thei [...]

This was a very good book with a great "hook" that just "reeled" you into the story. Different than a lot of the modern world fantasy stories out there in that it feels like it could be real. Setting was interesting and just enjoyable. Great read and highly recommended. That's no "fish tale" at all!

this is a masterful coming of age story. had me smiling, laughing and crying with the characters. subtle, strong and flowing are the best words I can find to describe it. I enjoy the authors work, but this story had me literally entranced from the first page.

If you like Sharon Lee's Archer series, then you are sure to enjoy this one. An excellent story, and one I'd like to see more from, but this one stands alone very well, so if there are no more, that's ok too.

I absolutely fell in love with the story, the place and the people.

A little short, but still an excellent read. Maybe mr Freer will makes it a series

This book is an entry in the Aurealis Awards for 2016, for which I am a judge. Any review will be withheld until the results of the awards are announced.

Pretty good kid's fantasy, mixing the classic Fair Folk, with Native Austrailian myth.

Don't pick it up too late in the day, you might not put it down till it's done. You've been warned.

Wonderful coming of age urban fantasy. Very enjoyable.