Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1)
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publication Date: July 12, 2010 (self published ebook. Expected publication date of paperback: January 24, 2012)

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 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:


I have to be honest here. Had I known that this book was about Trolls, I probably would not have read it. I am actually fairly certain that I wouldn't have. Something about the paranormal just turns me off. I don't do vampires, angels, trolls or werewolves. I will make an occasional exception here or there if I think the story might be good enough to look past that part, but it is rare. Sometimes the synopsis sounds intriguing and it doesn't actually tell you it involves one of those factors. I also try to stay away from detailed book reviews before reading a book because I want to go into it with fresh eyes. I don't want to know what happens. When I saw Switched on the Goodreads giveaways, it got my attention. I love this cover and I thought "something with that great of a cover can't be bad". I didn't know what Trylle was and I made a point to not look up anymore information on the book before I read it. I was very excited to see that I won an ARC from the giveaway! 


I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it, but at the same time I didn't. Does that make sense? It was  pretty predictable as the plot goes, but it still held my attention.


Switched is about Wendy Everly, a somewhat spoiled, bratty teenager. Her mother tried to kill her on her sixth birthday, swearing that Wendy was not her child and that she was a monster. After her mother is sent away to an institution, Wendy lives with her aunt Maggie and her brother Matt. They are constantly moving from one new city to another because Wendy can't seem to stay in one school too long. She keeps getting expelled. At her newest school, she meets Finn. Finn is, of course, a dark haired hottie who always seems to be staring at her. She can always feel his eyes on her. 


Fast forward a bit and eventually we learn that Wendy is a changeling, a child exchanged for another. Wendy isn't too sure about this, but after some intense events, she realizes she has no choice but to go with Finn to Forening, their home. We follow along as Wendy learns of her true heritage and has to make some rough decisions.


My opinion of Wendy did not start off well. She tells us of the event where her mother tried to kill her, and she makes no point of showing any regret that she was acting completely out of control. In fact, she doesn't seem to care that she is such a pain in the butt and a huge burden on her family. Her brother, Matt, is so over-protective that I sometimes wondered if there was going to be some kind of incestuous thing going on there. We learn the reasons he is so protective though, so that eventually went away. Wendy also starts to redeem herself after a little while.


There is also the relationship between Wendy and Finn. It is obvious from the beginning of the book that they are going to fall for each other. The bratty girl always falls for the hot guy just out of her reach. I did enjoy their banter and watching them try to push away from each other though. I am a sucker for forbidden relationships :)


My biggest issue with this book is that everyone expects Wendy to behave properly now that she is back home. But nobody wants to tell her anything about their history or pretty much anything else. We are constantly listening to everyone harp on her for the smallest things and saying "You should know better" but everyone refuses to tell her anything or teach her how to behave. This really drove me crazy, but I think it was important to the story. There is clearly something going on that they don't want Wendy to know about. 


Even though it was written quite well- you didn't even realize how much you have read because it just flowed effortlessly- you still found yourself waiting for something to happen. There were hints of big things to come, they came, then all of a sudden they were gone. I think it was obvious that Switched was just the starting off point of the series and was meant to show us about the Trylle way. Hopefully in the next two books there will be more action.


Overall, I actually liked this book. It wasn't the best book ever, but I did enjoy it for the most part which even surprised me. I even went on to Amazon to see if the ebooks were still available, which of course they aren't. I will definitely be buying the next two books (and a finished copy of Switched) when they are all released next year. 


Anyway, if you are on the fence about this book, I say go for it. It is a very quick read and I think the series looks promising.  If you have already read this, what did you think?







*I received a free Advanced Readers Copy from Goodreads.com and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.