Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Switched (Trylle Trilogy, #1)

by Amanda Hocking

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Source: Kindle store

Age Rating: 14+

| Amazon |

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 Review

I read this novel about a year ago and I'm happy to see it venturing into traditional publishing, although this book was already going gangbusters while being self-published! Even though I already reviewed it way back when my blog was brand new, I decided to rewrite my review and publish the new version for the novel's re-release date set for tomorrow.

I really like this story and its interesting characters. Amanda Hocking gives Wendy, the main character, a really snarky, sarcastic attitude, which I adored right away. Hocking writes so well in the YA voice and it shows. I think this comes naturally for some people, and she's one of them. As for the story, she does a great job making me constantly ask questions, which get answered in sprinkles throughout the book. No info-dumping here because it's done right.

Wendy is kind of an irresponsible teenager, but very likable. Without her I-feel-out-of-place attitude, the story would lose one of its most important themes, which I'll touch on later. And, although I like Finn, her love-interest, I am not bowled over by him, but, he's a good guy. Still, so many awesome characters are in this book, like Matt (Wendy's brother), Rhys and Tove, just to name my top three faves. I can't tell you how much I fell in love with Rhys! He is the cutest teenage boy ever. The charming characters really sold me on this series.

But, what I think really makes this story stand out above the crowd is the unusual premise based on the concept of beautiful trolls. Trolls? Yes, trolls—those mythical creatures that live under bridges. Well, these trolls do not live under any bridges, but they are based on real troll mythology, as there are some cultures in the world that have attractive, human-like trolls. This is what inspired Hocking's world-building of her trolls and their very unique social structure.

The back-story on the trolls is fascinating. The novel reveals how the Trylle society—what the trolls call themselves—functions, and why they depend so much on their changeling babies. It's such a smart idea, even if a tad unethical. When a human baby from a wealthy family is about to be born, the Trylle use their Persuasion abilities, supernatural mind-alteration, to switch the human baby for a Trylle baby, usually of the same sex. That Trylle baby is then raised with the rich humans until age eighteen, then they are tracked and returned to Trylle society where the Trylle grift money from the rich humans who raised the Trylle child. Wow. Just a bit immoral, but still so interesting.

When it comes to the romance, there is some, but the plot doesn't revolve around it, which I think is good. It's set-up very much like a lot of YA paranormal where it plays a large roll, but the story is really a coming-of-age novel about Wendy discovering who she is and where she fits into the world. As for the ending, it feels rushed, and I would have liked the last scene fleshed out more. It's so emotional, yet glossed over too quickly. But, Switched is a great piece of story-telling, and I'm eager to read and review the rest of the books in the trilogy.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars. (I really liked it.)

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Series: Trylle Trilogy, #1

Genre: Paranormal

Reading Grade: YA

Publication Date: July 2010

Source: Kindle store

Rated: Teen (13+)

Amazon.com

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 Review

Switched starts out with a very intriguing problem between Wendy, the protagonist, and her mother, who is completely convinced that her 6-year-old daughter is not her baby, and that she had given birth to a boy, instead. This leads her to try to murder Wendy, which lands her in a state mental institution. Wendy is then raised by her aunt and older brother, moving around constantly, as Wendy becomes something of a problem student in just about every school she attends. She learns to deal with being strange to people, and rarely makes any friends.

Fast forward to her senior year of high school. A new boy in school named Finn can't take his eyes off her. Later, he admits he's a “tracker” from a place called Forening, the land of the Trylle trolls. His job is to track down changeling trolls raised by humans, once they are ready to return to their true home. When she moves there, her new home seems ideal, but only on the surface. Yet, this new life leads Wendy down a path that ultimately answers her most burning questions about who she really is, and why she's different from normal people.

I really love this story and its characters! Hocking gives Wendy a really snarky, sarcastic attitude, which I adored right away. I was constantly asking questions, which Hocking answers in sprinkles throughout the book, so it made me want to keep on reading.

Wendy is an irresponsible teenager, but very likable. Without her I-feel-out-of-place attitude, the story really wouldn't progress. And, although I find Finn a bit boring, he's a good guy. Still, so many awesome characters are in this book, like Matt (Wendy's brother), Rhys and Tove, just to name my top 3 faves. I can't tell you how much I fell in love with Rhys! He is the cutest thing ever, for a teenage boy. The charming characters really sold me on this series.

I also find the back-story on the trolls fascinating, as the book explains how the Trylle society functions, and why they depend so much on their changeling babies. It's such a smart idea. And, in regards to the romance, there is some, but the plot doesn't revolve around it. I will admit that the ending was rushed—I would have liked to have seen the last scene fleshed out more. But, Switched is a great piece of story-telling, and I'm eager to read and review the rest of the books in the Trylle Trilogy.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars

Book Haul #1

So, here are the books I got recently that I really hope I get a chance to review on this blog someday. But, if not, then y'all know I got 'em, anyway...

Torn (Trylle Trilogy, #2)

by Amanda Hocking

Wendy thought she finally understood who she was and what she wanted, but everything changes when the rival Vittra come after her.  

She's caught between two worlds, torn between love and duty, and she must decide what life she is meant to lead.

I really liked Switched, the first book in the Trylle Trilogy series, so I definitely needed to get the next installment. I also bought a physical paperback book, rather than the e-book edition.

The Kensei

by Jon F. Merz

Meet Lawson. A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando — James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home. In The Kensei, a battle-weary Lawson heads to Japan for a little rest and some advanced ninja training. But he no sooner steps off the plane than lands in the midst of a Yakuza turf war orchestrated by a shadowy figure known as the Kensei. With the help of Talya, a former KGB-assassin, Lawson must put a stop to the Kensei’s organ trafficking networks, prevent the creation of an army of vampire-human hybrids, and save his own skin in the process.

My interest in this book comes from a few of my favorite things all wrapped up into one shiny book (well, not literally. It's a matte paperback). Vampires + Japanese swords (aka katana) + Japan. All that pretty much means = I'M GOING TO READ THE BOOK. You don't have to twist my arm, hun. Subarashii!

 Maximum Ride, The Manga, Vol. 1
by James Patterson & NaRae Lee (Illustrator)

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the "flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time...like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the "School" where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of wack jobs. Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare--this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb--now her betrayed and greatest enemy--that her purpose is save the world--but can she?

Well, I really love to read Japanese manga, so reading novels adapted into American mangas is a no-brainer for me. I haven't read the Patterson novel this is based on, but I'm sure I will if this story ends up interesting me enough. I look forward to what looks like very beautiful manga artwork in this book.

Aww... Book hauls are so addictive... If only they weren't so expensive!