DNF Series Review: Order of Darkness by Philippa Gregory

DNF December Review Blitz — Day 2: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

Synopsis for Changeling (from Goodreads):

Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days.

Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape.

Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.

Series: Order of Darkness
Author: Philippa Gregory
# of Books: 4 (Full Reading Order)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Supernatural
Heat Rating: cold
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: May 2012 – March 2018
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

Disclaimer: I stopped reading The Changeling at 60%. Find out why below…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I came across this series when I was browsing audiobook series at my library. My one friend really loves Philippa Gregory’s works so I was excited to see she had a YA title and I added this to my holds list.

I love historical stories and ones that explore the “supernatural” elements of the time. Changeling appealed to me for its forbidden romance and the mystery of the nunnery. So I was excited to see what was happening!

What I Liked:

–Luca’s Job/Mission–

I really liked that Luca is an investigator of sorts. One of my favourite mystery tropes is when the detective uses everyday common sense to debunk “supernatural” causes. I just love the logic of it all.

Here, it’s a bit of a catch-22 because there are supernatural elements at play but are they truly the cause of the mystery? It kept me intrigued.

What I Didn’t Like:

–Very Misleading Synopsis–

I totally thought I was getting a completely different story based on the synopsis. I thought Luca and Isolde were going to have this intense connection and he would do everything he could to help her escape the nunnery. I mean, that’s what the synopsis implies.

You couldn’t be further from the truth.

Luca and Isolde have very little interaction and absolutely zero chemistry together. This isn’t some consuming, forbidden romance. It wasn’t even a slow burn romance. Perhaps their relationship will evolve but it won’t be until much, much later in this book.

Lastly, he doesn’t help her escape and their “journey across Europe” doesn’t happen until well after the 60% mark.

–Predictable Mystery–

I wasn’t that far into the novel before I contemplated DNFing. This wasn’t the story I anticipated and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to the next 3 books. But, I found myself hooked to the mystery of the nunnery and wanted to see if my theory was right.

I don’t think you need to be an avid reader to figure out the “mystery” pretty early on. My initial theory proved to be right and I had really hoped I was wrong (or at the very least, that there would be some unforeseen twist) because it would have made things a tad more interesting.

My Audiobook Experience:

It doesn’t matter if the book is in print or in audio, I struggle with third person narration. Here, I had a hard time figuring out who the “she” was often times. Was it Isolde or the other head nun (both had eerily similar names that were hard to distinguish on the audio) that Luca was talking to?

It was also particularly hard because the audio is a single male voice for everything and while he does do different voices while speaking, sometimes I had a hard time figuring out who was talking. He also talked in a very monotone and quiet way so it wasn’t as engaging as I expected.

Will I Finish It?

Nope. I promptly stopped the audiobook right after the big mystery reveal. I just wasn’t feeling this story and the reviews from others on Goodreads led me to believe I wasn’t missing much. I didn’t want to invest myself into a 4 book series I wasn’t totally feeling. I’m all for slow growth but this one was just super misleading and not what I expected.

Series Rating: DNF

Changeling 2/5 | Stormbringers N/A | Fools’ Gold  N/A | Dark Tracks N/A

This story was just terribly slow, grossly misleading and lacked the chemistry needed to keep a reader to engage.

Read if You Like: slow stories, slow burn romance, historical
Avoid if You: want an engaging plotline

• The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges (Katerina Trilogy #1)
• Cross my Heart by Sasha Gould (Cross My Heart Series #1)

Have you read this? Should I return to this series? Leave a comment!