Showing posts with label Amanda Hocking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amanda Hocking. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Review: Ascend by Amanda Hocking

Ascend
Amanda Hocking
Series: Trylle Trilogy, #3
Release date: April 24th, 2012
by St. Martin's Press

Goodreads / Purchase
Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself.  If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe.  But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?

The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end. 
 

Everything has been leading to this moment.  The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it.
*A copy was provided by St. Martin's Press for review purposes*

This is it. The queen is dying. The king wants her kingdom. He will do anything to get it. Only Wendy stands in the way.

The final book in the Trylle Trilogy has great character development and an excellent romance. I was, however, a bit underwhelmed by the ending. We'll get to that. First, the characters. Wendy can be a bit dramatic. She will jump to decisions in a heartbeat and that kind of annoyed me at first. It's like she doesn't stop to think before she acts. I guess I should be used to her by now but it irritated me more in this one. I think she may have been a bit too confident by her almost-queen status. But since she is almost the queen, she shouldn't make rash decisions. She seemed to do as she pleased without listening to advice thrown at her. So I did get a bit frustrated with her decisions. However, she still has her awesome sense of humor that had me giggling a few times. Next to her, we have the whole gang of side characters that I grew to admire from the first book. I loved Tove especially in this one, but we didn't delve much deeper into any of them except for Loki.

Loki is the character I was the most fond of. He is an absolutely great addition to the series. Mysterious and sincere - he's a really strong character with a lot of heart. The romance he shares with Wendy is intense and honest. It's not only Loki that's been grasping at Wendy's heart, though. Finn has never left it, but she's trying to move on. I actually quite enjoyed the way the love triangle played out in this series. It didn't turn out the way I thought it would, and that was a pleasant surprise. It made it much less cliché with real emotional consequences.

This series as a whole is not incredibly action packed. It's more about the characters and the ominous upcoming battle. This battle that finally arrives, to me, was a bit underwhelming. Having waited 2 previous books for this epic showdown, then getting it over with without much effort, not to mention a bit too perfectly, felt anticlimactic. It's very much the happily ever after ending. It wasn't bad, but I expected more emotion, more negative repercussions I guess; giving it more weight to make it memorable. Maybe I'm just a masochist. *shrugs* Regardless, I wouldn't say I was disappointed with the ending, I just wasn't wowed by it.

This whole series is definitely fun. I loved learning about the complex world of Trylle and Vittra. It's highly original. I also had a great time getting to know the numerous characters inside it. It reads a lot like a mild fantasy novel that I'd recommend for paranormal fans who are looking for something different and creative.  

3 Hot Espressos
 
The Trylle Trilogy:

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Review: Torn by Amanda Hocking

Torn
Amanda Hocking
Series: Trylle Trilogy, #2
Release date: February 28th, 2012
by St. Martin's Press

Goodreads / Purchase
When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself--that she's a changeling switched at birth--she knows her life will never be the same. Now she's about to learn that there's more to the story... She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined--and they'll stop at nothing to lure her to their side.

With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to marry a powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who's strictly off limits...and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she's ever wanted...in both worlds.
*A copy was provided by St. Martin's Press for review purposes*

In this second installment of the Trylle trilogy, we reunite with Wendy inside this strange new world she's still digesting. It's an honorable sequel with a lot of world building, plenty of characterization, and enough twists to keep you enchanted until the end.

Let's start with the world building. In Switched, we're introduced to this new race of Trylle. We meet the queen, we visit the kingdom and we learn where Wendy fits in all of this. Now, in Torn, we go deeper. We learn a lot more about the politics of the Trylle as well as of the Vittra. We get a bigger look at what the future will have in store, not only for Wendy, but for the whole Trylle race. It's clear that this world was made with great effort. Everything is very complex with careful forethought. The story itself, which starts off thick on the action, quickly dwindles down to a smoother course where we concentrate more on plot development. Even though it's not constantly intense or heart pounding, there is enough going on throughout the book to make it easy to fly through it.

We meet again with the wonderful characters from Switched, accompanied by some new faces who are equally endearing. We've had Finn, the sweet, selfless one. Now comes Loki, the willful, irresistible bad boy. He is a great addition to the cast who is quickly becoming my favorite of the male characters. As for our protagonist, Wendy, she has grown from the previous novel. She's more feisty, and has finally started putting her foot down - particularly when it comes to her mother. She also has her brother, Matt, by her side this time. He's a great cornerstone for Wendy and can always be counted on to stand by her. She definitely needs this rock in her life, especially now with Finn acting so cold and moody - which I was a bit disappointed by; I was hoping the passion from Switched would remain, but Torn doesn't hold an abundance of romance. However, there is a new "flirtation" developing that is quite intriguing! It has a forbidden fruit temptation that always gets me enamored.

A delightful sequel- Torn brings us deeper into this world full of trolls and battles; romance and controversies. I strongly suggest you get St. Martin's published copy of this, if not for the beautiful cover, then for the never before published short stories at the end. These takes us into the minds of three of the well loved male characters. And I can assure you, they are well worth it!  

4 Hot Espressos

The Trylle Trilogy:

Want to know what I thought of Switched?
 

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Giveaway: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Switched
Amanda Hocking
Release date: January 3rd, 2012
by St. Martin's Griffin


Goodreads / Purchase
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.
Click here for my review!          

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Switched
Amanda Hocking
Release date: January 3rd, 2012
by St. Martin's Griffin


Goodreads / Purchase
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.

*A copy was provided by St. Martin's Press for review purposes*

Trolls! I know, right? Flashy colorful hair, so-ugly-they're-cute dolls we all had at one point? In Amanda's world, these are all misconceptions. They're called Trylle, and they're beautiful, magical and on the brink of extinction.

With an entirely unique lore, Switched is able to stand out from all the other paranormal books available. I was fascinated by the Trylle mythology: How they lived, the monarchy, their custom of switching babies at birth. It was absolutely creative. Into this world comes a collection of commendable characters that are both well developed and easily likeable - even a select few that are fun to hate. Wendy has a big personality. She's had a difficult, traumatic childhood, but that only made her stronger for the wear. She doesn't let anyone manipulate her. She's sympathetic and kind. All of which make her really relatable. I enjoyed going through her dilemmas with her. The stressful demands of becoming a princess overnight, the boy she's falling for- it was all delightful. Almost like a modern day fairy tale.

Yes! The wonderful boys! From sweet to sweaty, Wendy has got more than her pick of lovely bachelors to chose from. I absolutely loved how the romance was played out in Switched. It's passionate and heartbreaking. It doesn't fall with the clichés of today's YA novels. It's unexpected - true to life. Truthfully, I devoured it and I can't fathom choosing a team. She can have them all, right?

While there is still good story development, I did find some parts of the book were a bit slow. A good portion is dedicated to character and world building, however the book does not completely suffer from "first book syndrome" it does have its own beginning, middle and end, but I think the rest of the trilogy will be much more action packed with powerful plot twists.

With this admirable debut, Amanda Hocking has begun a trilogy that has immense potential. Switched is just as beautiful inside as it is on the outside (definite cover lust) and I highly recommend it! 


4 Hot Espressos