Book Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking (spoiler-free review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for Switched by Amanda Hocking, the first book in the Trylle Trilogy.

I won a giveaway of this book through Goodreads in December 2019, but I got my copy the day after New Years'. The premise itself was promising, so I entered and I won.

Let's get into the review!

I'm going to quickly begin with a small introduction about this book that in no way affects my opinion or rating. Firstly, this book was self-published as an e-book in 2010, two years before Amanda Hocking got a deal with St. Martin's Press to make this a printed book. 

Secondly, I entered a Goodreads giveaway to try to win this book. I had previously seen it on my library's site and had found the premise interesting, so when I saw it as a giveaway, I immediately entered. 

I won the giveaway and was only expecting to win this book because it was the book listed and there were no other details to suggest otherwise. 

Upon opening the package from the mail, I was surprised to find not just one, but three books. It turns out I actually won the whole trilogy. This of course is a plus, but my rating and enjoyment wasn't directly affected by this.

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This book follows seventeen (nearly eighteen) year old, Wendy Everly. The story begins with a flashback scene eleven years in the past wherein her mother tried to kill her. 

Her mother was transferred to a mental hospital and she was raised by her aunt. She doesn't fit in at any school she goes to, instead getting expelled pretty quickly and frequently. 

She repeatedly feels as if she's being watched by Finn Holmes, a mysterious guy who goes to her new school. Not long after speaking to him, her life changes, and she finds out things she never knew. Things that may have explained why her mother was always mad that she wasn't a boy and why she never called Wendy her daughter.

This is a paranormal romance trilogy, but not the kind with the standard vampire or werewolf. Wendy soon finds out she's a Changeling. 

Her real home is the world of the Trylle, where trolls live. However, they aren't trolls like we know. They have darker hair, darker eyes, and are stunningly beautiful. Wendy is the daughter of the Trylle queen, making her royalty.

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Wendy, the main character, is somewhat annoying at times, but overall I was very interested in her journey. There were some instances where I didn't understand her reasoning behind her actions, but this wasn't every page, nor even every chapter.

Finn was sometimes likable, sometimes not. He's kind of hit or miss. Though it is a minuscule detail, I enjoyed the reasoning behind why her name is Wendy. Her fake older brother named her Wendy after the character in Peter Pan, because her "mother" refused to name her. 

There were quite a few characters I liked. None of them are on my list of favorites, but they were still intriguing to read about. The cast was very varied personality-wise, which was nice. It's surprising how there are so many books that have characters who are practically indistinguishable, and I'm glad that in this book I could tell who was talking at what moment.

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I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on my Goodreads. The story was very simple, but it was interesting and I was engaged enough in the characters for me to continue reading it. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it's definitely not the worst.

I enjoyed it, and I'm glad I own the whole trilogy. It made it easier to read it, plus the trilogy looks nice in a completed collection. 

The covers also complement each other, and the colors used are beautiful. They look very paranormal YA, which I like. The decoration around the title on the cover is also gorgeous.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌