Despite some few menial flaws (probably corrected in the last update), « Changeling » was a very good read.
I appreciated that the classical themes weren’t a pretext to over broached some happy clichés. For instance, if there are two young boy, there isn’t any love triangle! (Shocking I know, one of them is just a childhood friend and nothing else). And if the heroine encounter her future nemesis at school, she doesn’t refuse her interested friendship at first: she must be very prudent and chose wisely, even if it saddens her. A very logical and coherent choice in the context.

The alternative magical school is well featured, in a rich Victorian young ladies way.  The school is quite comfortable, the young boarders are being waited on, there are rich young ladies after all! There are some Harry Potter winks, as presents publicly received by the most pampered girls, and the presence of animals, any animals in fact – the familars’ development is quite nice and fun!

All in all, the story is a very entertaining YA story, with mysteries and danger. The characters are always credible in the context – if always in a YA way -, especially the heroine’s family members. Mrs Winter’s character is particularly well done, I loved the interactions between her and Cassandra!

To conclude the author manages to keep true to her word and never err for some YA expectations sake. I admire that as an exception in this kind of rather classical story. I’ll read the sequel without any hesitation!

(I thank Netgalley and INscribe Digital for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review)