A Change of Place is the third book in a continuing cozy fantasy series by Julie E. Czerneda. Released 17th Sept 2024 by DAW Books, it's 496 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.
Readers should be looking for a meandering revisit with the characters from the earlier books in the series. There's not a lot of cohesive plot thread, and the book wanders from scene to scene. That being said, it's engaging and well written, full of odd and quirky characters (including magical toad(ish) familiars, dragons, spirits (efflet, yling, nyphrit, and others from the author's imaginings), and an ensemble cast of humans and magical human hybrids.
The climax and denouement are somewhat diffuse and not explicitly resolved (which is potentially explored in the previous books in the series). It's not a standalone novel. Besides the main series, there's a shorter work which could also help provide the necessary backstory.
Curses and interjections in the book are universally formatted as "ancestors ____" (ancestors blessed, ancestors tried and tested, ancestors grim and grieving) Every. Bloody. Page. of the read. Literally hundred(s) of times. It was difficult to skim over and quite intrusive after a while.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 19 hours 15 minutes and is capably read by Jenn Jaden. She has a young, eastern Atlantic seaboard American accent and does a good job with the disparate human and non-human cast. Sound and production quality is high throughout the read.
Three and a half stars. Worth a look for fans of romantic fantasy, possibly as a buddy/binge read from the beginning.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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