Poignant and bittersweet, Magyarody’s Changeling of Fenlen Forest is a magical tale like the fairytales and folk legends of yore. You will find no ‘happy ever after’ ending. Instead, you’ll find deep life lessons about following your heart and trusting your intuition. And that life’s not always fair. 

When Elizabeth is but a young child, her father abandons her and her mother, taking their cart pony and disappearing into the mysterious Fenlen Forest. Left alone when her mother goes for help, Elizabeth meets her first unicorn, and with that meeting, Fenlen Forest claims the girl. For years to come, Elizabeth roams the woods, interacting with the majestic creatures. She and her mother create a home of sorts, temporary at first, then more and more permanent. Elizabeth resists against being taken to live with her uncle, whom her mother had written to for help. I don’t blame her in but. Victor and his son Julian are both arrogant asses. Then comes the day that Elizabeth learns the true secret of Fenlen Forest, and the unicorns that call it home. 

What a lovely story, yet so sad! I enjoyed that the unicorns resonated as real creatures, rather than something preternatural. While magical in some ways, they were very much wild creatures. Of the two species that call Fenlen home, one prefers solitude. The other are herd animals. This first species reminded me of the “classic” unicorns you might think of at first hearing the word ‘unicorn’. The other species seemed more like the kirin, a unicorn of Asia myth. Elizabeth raises an orphaned grey unicorn, and eventually her growing charge leads the young woman through the forest and past the mysterious barrier within that spat them out in a country far removed from where she started. Unable to find her way completely back, and with her unicorn fawn still MIA, Elizabeth finds shelter with a family that has a surprising secret. 

The anthropologist in me adored seeing Elizabeth learn this new culture and language. Many of the customs and culture she is exposed to make little sense to her. They hold to superstition and see Elizabeth as a changeling alvinaisik come to replace Lizbet, a woman who walked into the forest and never came back out. Despite finding some friendship and love, Elizabeth comes to realise she cannot stay. After learning more of the unicorns’ unique time manipulation, she figures out a way to possibly find Lizbet and to make her own way back home. Which leads me to Torun. This sweet shepherd was my favourite character, and I really feel like he got short shrift. He’s very practical and pragmatic, and I feel he’s one who gave quite a bit in the story, and didn’t get as much in return. 

Great read. Recommended, especially if you like unicorns or cryptids in general. 

***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for Chapter by Chapter Book Tours.