Changeling: An Urban Musical Crime Fantasy (Chronicles of the Bard #1)

By Zoe E. Whitten
$3.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Jan. 28, 2010
Words: 111018 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

After too many misadventures with the halflings & vampires, changeling Marcus/Jenny Wrigley is happy to settle down to a quiet life of studies. His/her scholarly life is ruined when a doctor arrives from Hidden Treasures orphanage with many shocking revelations. Dr. Beaumont brings a shapeshifter family to meet Marcus, and from the moment Tommy Grifter arrives, Jenny begins behaving erratically...

Extended description

After one misadventure after another with the halfings and vampires, Marcus Wrigley is happy to settle down to a quiet life studying magic and music with his family. But his life is turned inside out when Dr. Beaumont arrives from the Hidden Treasures orphanage with many shocking revelations. She brings another shapeshifter family to meet with Marcus, and from the moment Marcus meets Tommy Grifter, Jenny, Marcus’ “alter ego,” begins behaving erratically. Trapped by Tommy’s charms, Jenny soon learns that Tommy’s interest is both professional and personal. He’s looking for a companion and a partner in crime to pull off a cloning scam. But from the start of the job, Jenny’s honest eyes keep giving her away. Jenny’s emerging magic powers are also ruining her act. All Jenny has to do to avoid giving herself away is avoid magic and music. But for a bard, that’s easier said than done. Will Jenny finish the job? Or will her mark’s efforts to learn the truth destroy her slim... (Read more) After one misadventure after another with the halfings and vampires, Marcus Wrigley is happy to settle down to a quiet life studying magic and music with his family. But his life is turned inside out when Dr. Beaumont arrives from the Hidden Treasures orphanage with many shocking revelations. She brings another shapeshifter family to meet with Marcus, and from the moment Marcus meets Tommy Grifter, Jenny, Marcus’ “alter ego,” begins behaving erratically. Trapped by Tommy’s charms, Jenny soon learns that Tommy’s interest is both professional and personal. He’s looking for a companion and a partner in crime to pull off a cloning scam. But from the start of the job, Jenny’s honest eyes keep giving her away. Jenny’s emerging magic powers are also ruining her act. All Jenny has to do to avoid giving herself away is avoid magic and music. But for a bard, that’s easier said than done. Will Jenny finish the job? Or will her mark’s efforts to learn the truth destroy her slim chances for happiness with Tommy?
Extended information:
Part of the Mystical World Wars series, Changeling: An Urban Musical Crime Fantasy represents the start of a new story arc for Jenny/Marcus Wrigley. It’s a great way to jump into the MWW series with a slightly lighter look at the world than the views offered by the vampires, werekin, and halflings.
In previous stories, Jenny/Marcus' capabilities as a shapeshifter have only been hinted at, but this was because Jenny/Marcus has had no training in how to change her/his appearance. With the arrival of a family of con-artist shapeshifters, Jenny/Marcus learns a great deal about her/his people. Very little of this information is encouraging. The shapeshifters are divided into family professions, and the shapeshifters mostly work in the same profession of their last name. Which is why Jenny/Marcus is so unhappy to meet only Grifters and Hookers.
Jenny/Marcus has been struggling with magic for a while in the previous books, but this is again due to the wrong training methods. Jenny/Marcus is not an elemental mage, but a bard. As such, she/he gathers magical energy by humming or singing. This may seem simple, but musical magic is far more chaotic and volatile than elemental magic, and Jenny/Marcus botch several spells in the course of the story, sometimes with devastating effects.
Readers will find Jenny/Marcus to be a lighter perspective, although it is still quite dark at times. The book is a fusion of crime fiction with dark fantasy and comedy musicals, making it one of my most experimental efforts to date.
(Less)

Adult-content rating:

This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

comedy, dark comedy, dark fantasy, shapeshifters, mystical world wars, comedy erotica, musicals, bards

Available ebook reading formats

Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book	Sample First 20%
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	Buy	View sample
Online Reading (JavaScript, experimental, buggy)	Buy	View sample
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Buy	Download sample
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Buy	Download sample
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Buy	No sample available
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Buy	No sample available
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Buy	Download sample
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Buy	Download sample

Reviews

Log-in to write a Review   Log-in to add a Video Review

This book has not yet been reviewed.

Reason for report:
— Select a reason — Book is or contains spam Book infringes copyright Same content is published elsewhere with different author (for ex., by private-label rights) Duplicate Incomplete work (such as sample or serial) Should be marked adults-only Category is inappropriate Poorly formatted Nudity or other inappropriate content on cover Nudity or other inappropriate visual content in book Inappropriate erotica content Cover image is improper Content is inappropriate Other violation of Terms of Service Other reason not shown above.

Additional details: