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

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #12)

Original Title: Witches Abroad

Year Published: 1991

Published by: HarperCollinsPublisher

Number of Pages: 350

First Sentence: "This is the Discworld, which travels through space on the back of four elephants which themselves stand on the shell of Great A'Tuin, the sky turtle."

Goodreads rating: 5/5

Plot:

Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named Desiderata who had a good heart, a wise head, and poor planning skills - which unfortunately left the Princess Emberella in the care of her other (not quite so good and wise) godmother when DEATH came for Desiderata. So now it's up to Magrat Garlick, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg to hop on broomsticks and make for far-distant Genua to ensure the servant girl doesn't marry the Prince.

But the road toGenua is bumpy, and along the way the trio of witches encounters the occasional vampire, werewolf, and falling house (well this is a fairy tale, after all). The trouble really begins once these reluctant foster-godmothers arrive in Genua and must outwit their power-hungry counterpart who'll stop at nothing to achieve a proper "happy ending" - even if it means destroying a kingdom.

My thoughts:

 I absolutely adore Terry Pratchett like I've said many times before. What I love the most about his books are that you don't need to read them in a certain order to understand them. This is the third book with the witches as main-characters and I've read several of the books that comes after this one before reading this one without any trouble. They are stand-alone books although you can definitely see a "red thread" going through all of them. 

I loved this book. Since it was a "fairy tale" sort of book, there were many parodies on the fairy tales we all know and love. The witches are my favourite in the Discworld-world and once again they prove why. Not everything in life can be fixed by magic, sometimes we need to look into ourselves and find the strength and power to fix things. The three witches are also great role-models, and when I grow up I want to be just like Esme Weatherwax. 

There are of course many other characters that make this book worth reading, and if anything you should read it just to get a taste of Pratchett's use of language and fantastic remarks.

Do I recommend it?

I always have and always will recommend Terry Pratchett's books. This is no exception. 

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Original title: Horrorstör

Year Published: 2014

Published by: Quirk Books

Number of Pages: 243

First sentence: "It was dawn, and the zombies were stumbling through the parking lot, streaming toward the massive beige box at the far end."

Goodreads rating: 5/5

Plot:

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland,Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjërring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they'll patrol the empty Showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

My thoughts:

I love this book. I thought that I was going to have problems reading it since I hate horror films and so on, but its brilliant. The setting of a low-budget version of IKEA is brilliant and there are many names in the book that make fun of the way IKEA name their goods. I can imagine that a closed warehouse during the night would be rather creepy, since a somewhat empty yet open warehouse is creepy during the day. 

The book has some "scary" elements and sections but it never gets unbareable, and that's coming from a proper scaredy-cat. The characters are quite good and diverse, and the main-character do go through some character development which keep her dynamic. The ending is quite open which makes me hope for a second book by this fantastic author.

Do I recommend it?

Yes! It's a great read and you do not need to like horror to enjoy this book. 

Mort by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #4)

Original Title: Mort
Year Published: 1987
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Number of Pages: 243
First sentence: "This is the bright candlelit room where the life-timers are stored— shelf upon shelf of them, squat hourglasses, one for every living person, pouring their fine sand from the future into the past."
Goodreads rating: 5/5

Plot (Taken from Goodreads):
In this Discworld installment, Death comes to Mort with an offer he can't refuse -- especially since being, well, dead isn't compulsory. As Death's apprentice, he'll have free board and lodging, use of the company horse, and he won't need time off for family funerals. The position is everything Mort thought he'd ever wanted, until he discovers that this perfect job can be a killer on his love life.

My thoughts:
He does it again. Mort is a brilliant installment in the Discworld book series. It's an oldie but a goldie. You get to meet Mort who by strange circumstances become the apprentice of Death, you get to know Death and his daughter alongside several other grand characters. Mort soon realizes that being the apprentice of Death is even more strange and complicated that it seems at first glance.

The Terry Pratchett humor is great in this book and intervowen with some more serious elements, and that is honestly what makes Pratchett's books so amazing. He entertains his readers with sarcasm and more straightforward humor, but at the same time brings an element of seriousness that grounds the stories in reality.

Do I recommend it?
Yes, just like with any of the other Terry Pratchett books I've recommended :D

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Original Title: Good Omens: The nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.
Year Published: 2006 (first published in 1990)
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. (First edition by Workman Publishing Company Inc)
Number of Pages: 398
First sentence: "It was a nice day."
Goodreads Rating: 5/5

Plot:
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon - both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle - are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist ...

My thoughts:
Loved it! I always love Terry Pratchett's books but team him up with Neil Gaiman and you get one of the most brilliant book's ever written. I usually dislike books with religious themes but this is just fantastic.

There is a variety of brilliant characters who all are extremely important to the plot. You have the dynamic duo, Angel Aziraphale and the Demon Crowley, the four horsemen, the Witchfinder Newt, the Witch Anathema Device, who is also  descendant of Agnes Nutter, and of course, Adam and the Them. They are all lovely, and there are also several more than the ones I mentioned, but the ones mentioned are probably the most important.

Gaiman and Pratchett tell a brilliant story with many twists and turns. You have no idea where the book will end up which is amazing, There is no way you can predict the end, which could have been annoying but in this case is just fantastic. It is probably one of the best books I've read.

Do I recommend it?
Hell yes! Read it! Go on, do it!

Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #23)

Original Title: Carpe Jugulum
Year Published: 1998
Published by: Transworld Publishers Ltd
Number of Pages: 378
First Sentence: "Through the shredded black clouds a fire moved like a dying star, falling back to earth - "
Goodreads Rating: 5/5

Plot (taken from Goodreads):
In a fit of enlightenment democracy and ebullient goodwill, King Verence invites Uberwald's undead, the Magpyrs, into Lancre to celebrate the birth of his daughter. But once ensconced within the castle, these wine-drinking, garlic-eatin, sun-loving modern vampires have no intention of leaving. Ever.

Only an uneasy alliance between a nervous young priest and the argumentative local witches can save the country from being taken over by people with a cultivated bloodlust and bad taste in silk waistcoats. For them, there's only one way to fight.

Go for the throat, or as the campyres themselves say ... Carpe Jugulum.

My thoughts: 
I absolutely adore Terry Pratchett. He is my number 1 favourite author. If I was forced to choose one author to read for the rest of my life it would be Terry Pratchett. Within the Discworld world the witches are probably my favourites. This is book nr 6 in the Witches series and it does not dissappoint. It's a great book with many amazing characters.

The witches are in number of three: Granny Weahterwax, Nanny Ogg and Agnes. In this installment they have to deal with something that Lancre has not dealt with in well ... forever. Vampires. The dialouge is hilarious as per usual with Pratchett and all the different subplots are extremely entertaining and do not distract from the main plot. He ties together all the loose ends perfectly in the end and manages to surprise you even though you thought you had it all figured out.


Do I recommend it?
YES! Especially if you love satire. It's a book filled with humour, colorful characters and manages to teach many lessons in a refreshing way. I do recommend Terry Pratchett (the name of the book is not that important, they are all great) to anyone.