Readers looking for a whimsical love story will be delighted by Sylvie Cathrall’s The Art of Charming a Changeling, which is full of both bashful yearning and nerdy fairy art history. It’s a gauzy, moss-covered romantic fantasy for anyone who ever had a Kinuko Y. Craft poster on their wall as a kid. IYKYK.
Perhaps one of the worst things to happen on your first day at a new job as an art conservator for a prince would be to discover that his very favorite painting is, in fact, a fake. And that’s just the kind of day poor Florrie Hyverfell is having. Not only is the portrait a fake, but it’s also the home of a very comely fairy named Vern, who’s been trapped inside since the forgery was made. Determined to save her job, Florrie must set out on the Old Amethyst Road toward the fairy realm. There, she must locate the original painting and, if she’s lucky, also find a way for Vern to leave the fake one. Can Florrie paint a brighter future for herself and Vern, or will the confines of the canvas always stand between them?
Inspired by her degree in 19th-century art and an admiration of artists who specialize in the fantastical, like Craft and Shirley Barber, Cathrall clearly set out to write a book filled with all the things she loves best. The changeling isn’t the only one charmed—readers will find delights at every single turn. Sweet and a bit silly at times, Vern is the fairy equivalent of a golden retriever, naive but eager. Florrie, on the other hand, isn’t exactly a black cat, but she is skittish, reluctant to be open because she struggles with her mental health. Reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s work, with absurd etiquette rules, pigment wars and butterfly guides, the world that Cathrall paints for these two is soft, and it cradles them as they navigate their burgeoning romance.
The Art of Charming a Changeling is a sweetly imaginative slice-of-life romantic fantasy where the fairies are real, the humans are odd and everyone is kind, albeit a little mischievous.