Monday, February 13, 2012

Short & Sweet Reviews: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched
Author: Amanda Hocking
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult Fiction
Series: Trylle #1

Where Did I get this book?: Bought it for my own pleasure reading.

Trade Paperback, 293 pages
Published January 3rd 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

Summary (via Goodreads):
When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

My Thoughts: 
Switched is the first book in the Trylle trilogy, which was previously self-published but then acquired and reprinted by St. Martin’s Griffin. The main heroine of the novel is Wendy Everly, a changeling  (troll) that was switch at birth to live with a human family. Wendy been moving from town to town, getting kicked out of school because of her temper and her I don’t give a ---- attitude. Finn (Tyrlle Tracker) has been watching Wendy for awhile now waiting for the precise moment to bring her home. Then one day he catches her using her persuasion abilities (The ability to get people to do whatever you want by using your mind). Finn tells Wendy that he can take her to a place that will make her happy and make her feel like she belongs. It turns out that Wendy is no ordinary troll, but is actually a princess! This is not the happily ever after that she imaged as she learns the traditions and rules of Trylle. Meanwhile another rival group will stop at nothing to take Wendy for their own.  

I’ve heard of this series before but never got around to reading it. To be honest I don’t usually read self publish book, but when I saw the re-issue cover of the book I knew that I had to give it a try. I was definitely surprised that the book involved trolls and not the typical vampires, werewolves or fairies in many of today young adult novels. However, the trolls in this book apparently look like humans but with special abilities (kinda sound like x-men huh?). The world of Trylle is a fun addition to the young adult genre; especially enjoyed reading about the political/hierarchy aspect of the trylle community. Although the world-building isn’t as strong as some series I’ve read, I did like reading about it and all of its wonderful primary and secondary characters. The beginning of the book started out kind of slow, but things definitely picked up when she arrived in Forening. Overall a good read and I look forward to reading Torn, book 2 in the Trylle trilogy. 



1 comment:

  1. Great review I Just finished Torn and I'm really enjoying the series. I was also surprised when I saw it was about Trolls but it's interesting!

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