Title: Switched
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: January 3rd 2012 (first published July 12th 2010)
Series: Trylle (Book #1)
Source: I purchased a copy from a bookstore.
Blurb from Goodreads: When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.
Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.
Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…
Review
My thoughts: Switched is the first book from the Trylle series and it is a stunningly beautiful start for an amazing story. I was meaning to read something by Amanda Hocking for a while now and I couldn't be more amazed. I really loved this book, even though I'm not really a troll fan, mostly because I had picture them as those ugly and scary green creatures. But this isn't just a troll story, it has love, and excitement and everything I like on a book. It's a really great mixture that if you let it, it would blow your mind away.
About the plot: It's so hard to explain the story without giving too much away. Let's see... Wendy is a changeling, a Trylle girl who was switched with a human when they were babies. She has felt a stranger forever in the human world. Like she doesn't belong no matter how much she tries. So, she's an outcast. But she's fine with it. She has Matt, his brother, and he's so good to her that he's everything she needs. But then, a mysterious guy who won't stop staring at her brings some breaking news. Wendy isn't who she thought she was and her mother has been right all along. She's a mythical creature and so is Finn, this handsome and mysterious guy who has come to take her back Forening, where she belongs. There, she'll meet her real mom and the boy which place Wendy took when they were switched. Everything is so new to her and there is so much to make sense of and learn before she's presented as the Trylle princess in front of every Trylle in Forening. So, Wendy is starting a new and long way to become in the person she was always supposed to be. There are ups and downs, and she'll discover the meaning of love in every way possible.
About the characters:
Wendy is a strong-head girl, with a fierce determination to know who she is and what is her place in the world. She's been through a lot, since her human mother tried to kill her when she was six. She feels like she doesn't fit in with her family, and soon she discovers she has persuasion powers which just makes her feel more misplaced. Then everything in her life changes when Finn appears on her school and tries to convince her to leave her brother to go to this mythical town where all their kind live in.
Finn is a some kind of Trylle bodyguard, who is suppose to take care of Wendy and introduce her to a new world. He's handsome but kind of tough with Wendy. He's used to do whatever it takes to get his job done, but once he meets Wendy, everything begins to spinning out of control.
Rhys is a mansklig, the human who was taken away from home in order to place Wendy in his human family. He has lived on Elora's Palace his whole life. He's caring and funny, and takes Wendy in quickly and without asking question. He's one of the few reasons that Wendy doesn't feel completely out of place on Forening. He's a sweetheart and loved so much this character.
Matt is Wendy's "host brother" and the only one (along with their aunt) who has ever shown her love and has protect her from everything. He was the one who took care of her after their mother tried to kill her and was entered in a mental hospital. He's really protective and would do anything to keep Wendy safe.
Elora is Wendy's biological mom, the queen of Forening, and a real bitch. She's bossy and treats Wendy like she was just another Trylle instead of her daughter. She has a plan for Wendy and won't let anything to get in the way of what she has in mind for the princess.
About the ending: It was some sort of open ending. Not an entirely happy ending since there are two more books to get to that. But it made me feel satisfied. Not so much of a cliffhanger but still keep you interested and wanting to know more of this world.
About the writing: It had me since the first page. I wasn't sure of what to expect, but surely I wasn't expecting being completely amazed. It's fast paced but at the same time it has a lot of details, allowing you to picture the places perfectly. I loved the character development, although there's some things we don't get to fully understand, because this is just the first book of the trilogy. The thing I love the most about this book is that if you can put aside the fantasy element of the book, you have a beautiful and heart-warming love story and with this I mean that even if this is supernatural, you still can relate with everything and I found it completely believable.
I would recommend it for: Screw the fantasy! You HAVE to read it whether you like the genre or not!
Rating:
Quotes:
“Wendy: Why are you staring at me?
Finn: Because you're standing in front of me.”
“Finn: I look at you because I can't look away Wendy.
Wendy: That's kinda creepy.
Finn: I will work on being less creepy then.”
“Did you think you could treat me like shit at a dance, then sneak into my room in the middle of the night and tell me that I'm a troll with magical powers, and I'd just be like, yeah, that sounds right.”
“When something is important to you, you make sure its safe.”
About the author (from her Goodreads page):
I live in Minnesota, and I write young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy mostly. The My Blood Approves series is about vampires in Minneapolis, and its available now. I also wrote the Trylle Trilogy, which is a paranormal romance without vampires, shifters, mermaids, fae, angels, dragons, ghosts, or ninjas.
My latest book is Hollowland - a zombie urban fantasy set in the dystopian near future. It's a bit more violent and gritter than my other books, but there is still romance. Mostly though, Remy kicks a lot of butt.
I also enjoy Red Bull, Jim Henson, Batman, Jane Austen, Star Wars legos, and I absolutely hate long walks on the beach out of my intense fear/hatred of wet sand
My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Alan Moore, and J. D. Salinger, but I don't write anything like them. I have an obsession with River Phoenix, and I've seen Silence of the Lambs more than any other movie, even The Dark Knight. If I were trapped on a deserted island, the one thing I'd take with me would be a boat capable for taking me home.
I'm also the guitarist in a band called the Fraggin Aardvarks, and even though its even twice as cool as it sounds, we haven't had a practice in like two years, so I'm not sure that technically we are still a band. But we never broke up, and it's an awesome thing to tell people, so I'm sticking with it. (We even had a synethesizer!)
About the plot: It's so hard to explain the story without giving too much away. Let's see... Wendy is a changeling, a Trylle girl who was switched with a human when they were babies. She has felt a stranger forever in the human world. Like she doesn't belong no matter how much she tries. So, she's an outcast. But she's fine with it. She has Matt, his brother, and he's so good to her that he's everything she needs. But then, a mysterious guy who won't stop staring at her brings some breaking news. Wendy isn't who she thought she was and her mother has been right all along. She's a mythical creature and so is Finn, this handsome and mysterious guy who has come to take her back Forening, where she belongs. There, she'll meet her real mom and the boy which place Wendy took when they were switched. Everything is so new to her and there is so much to make sense of and learn before she's presented as the Trylle princess in front of every Trylle in Forening. So, Wendy is starting a new and long way to become in the person she was always supposed to be. There are ups and downs, and she'll discover the meaning of love in every way possible.
About the characters:
Wendy is a strong-head girl, with a fierce determination to know who she is and what is her place in the world. She's been through a lot, since her human mother tried to kill her when she was six. She feels like she doesn't fit in with her family, and soon she discovers she has persuasion powers which just makes her feel more misplaced. Then everything in her life changes when Finn appears on her school and tries to convince her to leave her brother to go to this mythical town where all their kind live in.
Finn is a some kind of Trylle bodyguard, who is suppose to take care of Wendy and introduce her to a new world. He's handsome but kind of tough with Wendy. He's used to do whatever it takes to get his job done, but once he meets Wendy, everything begins to spinning out of control.
Rhys is a mansklig, the human who was taken away from home in order to place Wendy in his human family. He has lived on Elora's Palace his whole life. He's caring and funny, and takes Wendy in quickly and without asking question. He's one of the few reasons that Wendy doesn't feel completely out of place on Forening. He's a sweetheart and loved so much this character.
Matt is Wendy's "host brother" and the only one (along with their aunt) who has ever shown her love and has protect her from everything. He was the one who took care of her after their mother tried to kill her and was entered in a mental hospital. He's really protective and would do anything to keep Wendy safe.
Elora is Wendy's biological mom, the queen of Forening, and a real bitch. She's bossy and treats Wendy like she was just another Trylle instead of her daughter. She has a plan for Wendy and won't let anything to get in the way of what she has in mind for the princess.
About the ending: It was some sort of open ending. Not an entirely happy ending since there are two more books to get to that. But it made me feel satisfied. Not so much of a cliffhanger but still keep you interested and wanting to know more of this world.
About the writing: It had me since the first page. I wasn't sure of what to expect, but surely I wasn't expecting being completely amazed. It's fast paced but at the same time it has a lot of details, allowing you to picture the places perfectly. I loved the character development, although there's some things we don't get to fully understand, because this is just the first book of the trilogy. The thing I love the most about this book is that if you can put aside the fantasy element of the book, you have a beautiful and heart-warming love story and with this I mean that even if this is supernatural, you still can relate with everything and I found it completely believable.
I would recommend it for: Screw the fantasy! You HAVE to read it whether you like the genre or not!
Rating:
Quotes:
“Wendy: Why are you staring at me?
Finn: Because you're standing in front of me.”
“Finn: I look at you because I can't look away Wendy.
Wendy: That's kinda creepy.
Finn: I will work on being less creepy then.”
“Did you think you could treat me like shit at a dance, then sneak into my room in the middle of the night and tell me that I'm a troll with magical powers, and I'd just be like, yeah, that sounds right.”
“When something is important to you, you make sure its safe.”
About the author (from her Goodreads page):
My latest book is Hollowland - a zombie urban fantasy set in the dystopian near future. It's a bit more violent and gritter than my other books, but there is still romance. Mostly though, Remy kicks a lot of butt.
I also enjoy Red Bull, Jim Henson, Batman, Jane Austen, Star Wars legos, and I absolutely hate long walks on the beach out of my intense fear/hatred of wet sand
My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Alan Moore, and J. D. Salinger, but I don't write anything like them. I have an obsession with River Phoenix, and I've seen Silence of the Lambs more than any other movie, even The Dark Knight. If I were trapped on a deserted island, the one thing I'd take with me would be a boat capable for taking me home.
I'm also the guitarist in a band called the Fraggin Aardvarks, and even though its even twice as cool as it sounds, we haven't had a practice in like two years, so I'm not sure that technically we are still a band. But we never broke up, and it's an awesome thing to tell people, so I'm sticking with it. (We even had a synethesizer!)
Here are some ways you can talk to me:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/amanda_hocking
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandahockingfans
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/amanda_hocking
Email: hocking_amanda@hotmail.com
I loved your review~~~ personally, it wasn't one of my favorite books, but it was ok~~~ I read the summary and many book reviews about this book. The reviews were either really good or really bad...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review! I hadn't heard of Amanda Hocking before this year, and I'm so glad to have found out about how awesome her books are. I haven't read one yet, but I own a few on my Kindle. It's obvious how much you enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read it! :)
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