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The Art of Charming a Changeling
- Author
- Sylvie Cathrall
- Narrator
- Alexandra Boulton
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 25 August 2026
- Run Time
- 13 hours 30 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
On her first day working in the prince’s galleries, art conservator Florrie Hyverfell discovers that the most famous portrait in the collection is not only a fake—it’s also inhabited by Vern, a fairy trapped in the forged painting.
Tracking down the stolen original is the only way for Florrie to save her job and for Vern to escape his canvas. Yet as they journey to a famed fairy museum to find the missing artwork, Florrie finds herself taking more than an art historical interest in the changeling painting’s charming inhabitant.
Critics Review
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"Endlessly delightful and wildly inventive, The Art of Charming a Changeling is cozy fantasy at its finest. I want to tuck Florrie and Vern in my pocket and keep them with me forever. May we all live in a world so thoroughly immersed in art." —Megan Bannen, USA Today bestselling author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
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"In a word: Charming! Cathrall spins a gentle, engaging story centering finding the folks who love how our brains work. Loads of lush descriptions will sweep the reader away into a magical world!"—Caitlin Rozakis, New York Times bestselling author of Startup Hell
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"Sylvie Cathrall’s books always remind me of how I’d like to live: with wonder and care for the people and the world around me. The Art of Charming a Changeling is an enchanting and transportive fantasy of painting, yearning, and the utter romance of truly seeing and being seen by another. Cathrall has lovingly, radiantly rendered each detail, creating her own intricately imaginative and gentle work of art that conjured its magic on me." —Elaine U. Cho, author of Ocean's Godori
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"The Art of Charming a Changeling is winsome, vibrant, and full of cozy delights. Sylvie Cathrall’s clever worldbuilding is layered with a gossamer yearning and enchanting romance that made me want to keep lingering in the pages long after the story was over. Cathrall has painted an ardent and uplifting portrait of neurodivergent life and love that dares to flourish beyond the narrow frame of 'normal.'" —Courtney Floyd, author of Higher Magic
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Praise for Sylvie Cathrall:
"This book is not shaped like a book, and I mean that as a compliment. It is instead an underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity. Take a deep breath and dive in." —Freya Marske
"Cathrall's debut caught me up on a wave of whimsy and swept me away with its charm. A story to be cherished." —Lyra Selene
"A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice. A watery wonder of a novel! I loved it." —Louisa Morgan
"A Letter to the Luminous Deep is like nothing I've read before. The heartfelt intimacy of the epistolary narrative, juxtaposed with the magnificent oceanic world-building, results in a novel that is at once deeply human and mind-bogglingly imaginative. Both the setting and the story are exquisite, but it was the lovingly crafted voices of the characters that kept me hooked from beginning to end." —Megan Bannen
“A shimmering, delicately crafted delight of a book, steeped in love for the wonder of nature and the vagaries of archival research. Readers looking for heartwarming romance and scholarly mystery against the backdrop of a wildly imaginative world will be charmed.” —H. G. Parry
"With its gorgeous underwater setting and whimsical academic sensibility, A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a strange, epistolary wonder." —Mary McMyne
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Details
- Author
- Sylvie Cathrall
- Narrator
- Alexandra Boulton
- Duration
- 13 hours 30 minutes
- Release Date
- 25 August 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668657669
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Fantasy romance, Traditional stories, myths and fairy tales, Historical fantasy
Synopsis
A cozy slice-of-life romantic fantasy set in a Regency-inspired world where humans and fairies compete for artistic supremacy, from Sylvie Cathrall, author of A Letter to the Luminous Deep.  On her first day working in the prince’s galleries, art conservator Florrie Hyverfell discovers that the most famous portrait in the collection is not only a fake—it’s also inhabited by Vern, a fairy trapped in the forged painting. Tracking down the stolen original is the only way for Florrie to save her job and for Vern to escape his canvas. Yet as they journey to a famed fairy museum to find the missing artwork, Florrie finds herself taking more than an art historical interest in the changeling painting’s charming inhabitant.   
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