Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1) by Amanda Hocking
Published by Tor 2010

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.

♥♥♥♥♥

The Tyrelle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking was originally a self-published ebook trilogy that eventually became an internet ebook sensation. In 2010, it was published in regular book format by Tor. Before I picked this up, there was already a lot of hype surrounding it but I was still a bit skeptical.

Wendy Everly has never quite fit in anywhere. She's been moving from one school to the next for years, and she had a rough childhood. When Wendy was six, her mother tried to kill her using a knife and called her a monster. With the arrival of Finn, the new guy in school, Wendy discovers that her mum might have been right. 

I had seen many positive reviews for this book before reading it, and I wanted to get in on how great this series was. This book also offered the interesting concept of trolls, and how the way we usually picture is a misconception. The main protagonist, Wendy, was an interesting character that I really liked. She cared very much about her family and was a strong person despite her terrible childhood. Wendy was fussy, opinionated and most of all, loving. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, which I admired about her. Finn is Wendy's primary love interest. At first, I found him very weird but interesting. As the story went on however, I found him cold, aloof and a bit irritating. He never really offered Wendy any useful information on her whole situation and he seemed to carry an air of indifference. Needless to say, I didn't like him as much as I would've liked. Also, he's not very swoon-worthy. There were some really great secondary characters in the book which I hope to see more of in future books; they had their own personalities and attributes which made me really like all of them. The chapters up towards the ending is when everything important happens, and there's a quicker pace from there with lots of action. As was the case with Aces Up though, I didn't feel like I connected with the story very well and the pace was slow at times. I did enjoy the ending though, and I want to see what happens next. Overall, I enjoyed this book and it had interesting characters and elements, but it was slow at times.

3.5 stars