Isle of Winds (The Changeling, #1) Review

5 full stars!!! If you love Harry Potter and Narnia, you will love this book. The story starts with a 13 year old boy named Robin whose Gran dies and is sent to his Great Aunt's house. The story then unfolds as to how Robin finds out about his Fae heritage and his adventure into Netherworlde where a war is underway. James Fahy does an excellent job of weaving a good yarn. His style of writing is just flawless. With each chapter, I was whisked away into a magical place full of fantastical creatures. The worldbuilding was intricate and layered. The magic system is introduced well and easy to understand. Not once did I find there was any info dumping. The plots and twists the story takes flows smoothly. Nothing was forced or haphazardly placed within the novel. The character development was done well too. I found Robin to be a thoroughly engaging character. His friendships with Faun, Karya and Henry was just endearing. He shows a lot of strength throughout the book considering he is learning a lot about himself. There is also a lot of mystery surrounding Karya which piqued my interest. I would love to know her backstory. The villains were some of the best I have read. They show spunk and are not so easily outsmarted. I also enjoyed the conversations throughout the book. I found myself smiling, many a time, throughout my reading. So, there are a lot of light moments interwoven with the intense ones. All in all, I would say that this book delivers in spades. It is so beautifully balanced and narrated. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good fantasy adventure read. You will not be disappointed at all. This one is going on my favourites pile for sure. On to book two next :)

#middlegrade #fantasy #adventure #magic #faerie #JamesFahy