Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Book One of the Trylle trilogy

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Rating: 3 stars

Source: Review copy sent by the publisher

Summary (from 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 finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

What I Liked:

I featured Frostfire, Hocking's upcoming novel, on my blog a few weeks ago. I'm pretty excited about that one in particular. So when I went to request the book, the team at St. Martin's Press told me that I should probably read the Trylle series first, since Frostfire is book one of a spinoff series. And then these wonderful people offered me review copies of the Trylle series. Nice, right? I remember when this series was self-published. I remember feeling meh about the series, but wanting to give it a shot, because trolls are pretty rare in YA literature. And now I have my chance!

Wendy is a changeling - she was switched at birth with a human baby, and was placed in a human family. The human baby was placed in the keeping of the Trylle (a troll tribe). Wendy had no idea of any of this, not until the Vittra (another troll tribe) attacked her. With the help of Finn, a Trylle tracker, Wendy arrives at the home of the Trylle - and her real mother, the Queen of the Trylle. Wendy has a lot to learn if she is to be Princes...

Obviously I'm in the middle, with this book. But my outlook on this book is positive, overall. Hocking put together a very interesting and intriguing story. There was no point in the story where I was like, ugh, this is boring. The story is slow, taking place mostly in the Trylle Queen's palace, in which Wendy must learn everything about the Trylle and being a princess. Slow, but necessary.

I can't decide if I like Wendy or not - but honestly, I was rooting for her in this book. I hated how she felt in the beginning of the book - different, unique, unhappy. She never fit in anywhere. But then, even with the Trylle, she doesn't fit in, since she is the Princess. I hated how her mother pushed her around, trying to mold her into the perfect Princess. It's not like Wendy ever asked for any of that. It's not like she's ungrateful - she just doesn't want that life. I really felt for her. I'm not saying we'd be best friends (in my opinion, she's a bit of an airhead sometimes), but I understand her. 

The trolls thing is cool. The reason why humans and trolls are switched at birth is because trolls loveeee riches, so they put their troll babies in very rich families, so then the troll baby will grow up with a trust fund. Some trolls have extraordinary powers - for example, Wendy has some serious persuasion skills. 

The romance is... weird. I've already heard things about a messy romance in this series as a whole, so I'm prepared for the "worst". I don't need to love this series - heck, I never planned on reading it - so I'm not worried about being super invested in the series.

Overall, I'm definitely excited to read the next book. The short story at the end of this book was interesting - I hope to see more of Loki in the future. I think I know where Hocking is going with that particular situation...

What I Did Not Like:

Sometimes, Wendy bothered me a lot. She's an airhead at times, gaping at hot boys like they are the only boys on the planet. I mean, it's so air headed to just flat-out gawk, right? And her decision-making skills aren't always the finest. I wanted to see more of a brave Wendy, a risk-taker, the girl with the temper. It keeps getting mentioned that she has a temper, but other than the very beginning (the prologue), I didn't really see that. 

So, more character development from Wendy. Also, more story development? We get a taste of the bigger picture at the very end of this one, with the Vittra, so that's a good sign.

I'm confused about the romance. I know for sure that Wendy has lusty feelings for Finn (and vice versa), but is Tove a part of a potential love triangle? And Rhys - making it some sort of love pyramid? Hopefully not. 

Would I Recommend It:

Ehh, this series has been out for a while. If you were around back when it was self-published (and super cheap), then you've probably heard a lot about it. I'm keeping an open mind, and I'm reading the next two books regardless. I'm liking the series so far, but apparently the next ones are the rough ones... so we'll see!

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded down to 3 stars. Only because I don't think I loved enough to consider it a four-star-read. I'll be reading/reviewing book two, Torn, next Friday (the 17th)!

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