Switched by Amanda Hocking (#1 of the Trylle Trilogy)

(Kattla's nose makes an appearance)

Original Title: Switched

Year Published: 2012

Published by: St Martin's Press, New York

Number of Pages: 293

First Sentence: "A couple of things made that day stand out more than any other: it was my sixth birthday, and my mother was wielding a knife."

Goodreads Rating: 3/5

Plot:

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 have 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.

My thoughts:

I really wanted to love this book but it was just missing that little extra that would have made it great. I can't really put my finger on exactly it is that is either missing or wrong but it is something. 

The main character is Wendy, a 17-year-old girl, who feels like she has never belonged anywhere. She lives with her brother Matt and aunt Maggie, since her mother is locked up in a mental institution after she tried to kill Wendy when she was a little girl. Wendy is headstrong which comes of as bratty and spoilt at times. I liked Wendy, although there were parts of her personality that hit a wrong chord with me. I think it is the brattiness, I always have a problem with people like that.

When Wendy is found by a "tracker" named Finn she is reluctantly convinced of following him back to "Förening", the Trylle kingdom. Finn is a complicated dude, who gives a namn to the "hot and cold" personality. Sparks are soon flying between the two.

In Förening things don't turn out as Wendy was hoping. She though she would find a loving family but just finds more coldness, and that people are holding back so much information from her. 

The world in Switched is fascinating and really interesting. I loved the fact that this is not just another book about vampires, but about a mythical being that not many authors write about. It's a new take on the world of trolls and it was really fun learning things about this new world. It was however frustrating that things were being kept from Wendy as it meant that things were being kept from you as a reader as well. 

I think that one of the main issues I had with this book is that it is filled with the typical YA clichés. The star-crossed lovers, the girl who finds out she is not what/who she thinks she is, the danger that follow her like a shadow and smaller elements of triangle love dramas. Still, it is a good book and worth reading if you like YA books, and it was great fun exploring a new world. Definitely reading the other two books (already started #2).

(Extra kudos on the fact that parts in the Trylle world used Swedish words, which I found hilarious and great since I am Swedish myself)

Do I recommend it?

Yes I do. Although there was something in it that was either lacking or whatever for me, it was still a good book and definitely worth readin