Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1), Amanda Hocking
318 pages
urban fantasy
Started 7/22/12
Finished 7/24/12
4 STARS
This was one of those books that I got from the library soley because I thought the cover was pretty. Isn't it? I really didn't know anything about it, but the scroll work around the title and the castle-like structure in the background were so captivating, I had to get it. Now, usually when this happens, the book kinda stinks. Not so here.
Seventeen-year-old Wendy Everly is one of those "angry girls." When you consider that her mother tried to kill her when she was only six, it's kinda hard to blame her, though. In yet another new town and another new school, she meets Finn, a mysterious boy that both captivates and infuriates her. He has the key to what happened to her 11 years before and to what lies before her. If she wants it, that is.
One of the things that bothered me right off the bat was The School Dance. Did you ever notice that, in most YA books, there's a time when our main character gets dressed up nice and pretty, goes to a school dance, and the boy she likes is left speechless? Well, it happens here too (twice, actually!) - 20 pages into the book. No build-up, no opportunity to care about our characters yet. Just, BAM. And, all of a sudden, Wendy's in love and dancing with the guy. It was really weird.
After that, though, the story settles into a better pattern, and the uniqueness of the characters and what they are became more of the focal point. This really isn't a happy story. Our main character had a crap childhood. When she has a chance to lead the life she was born to lead, she finds out that isn't much better. She's not even allowed to love the guy she loves. There were many times I was so upset for her, I was reduced nearly to tears. I would've appreciated at least one or two lighthearted moments.
I do look forward to seeing what happens in the next book in the series, though. I hope Wendy can find the love and acceptance that she so very desperately needs. I hope Finn can find fulfillment. And, I hope Rhys finds a way to be with his real family. Hey - at the very least. the next book's cover is even prettier. :)
1 comment:
I read Switched several months ago and had many of the same feelings about it as you. I liked it overall, but in addition to the things you pointed out, it was really frustrating that no one would tell her what was going on (her heritage etc) when she was asking straight forward and legitimate questions.
The cover suckered me in too though and the whole concept of modern-day trolls (trylles) was more than I could resist. LOL
I have the 2nd book (Torn) on my shelf now to (hopefully) be read soon. and yes, that cover is fantastic too!!
:)
~Lynne
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