Switched by Amanda Hocking, UK edition cover.

Title: Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1)
Author:  Amanda Hocking
Genre:  Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher:  TOR (5th January 2012)
Blurb:

Wendy Everly knew she was different the day her mother tried to kill her and accused her of having been switched at birth. Although she’s not the monster her mother claims she is – she does feel that she doesn’t quite fit in . . .

She’s bored and frustrated by her small town life – and then there’s the secret that she can’t tell anyone. Her mysterious ability – she can influence other people’s decisions, without knowing how, or why . . .

When the intense and darkly handsome newcomer Finn suddenly turns up at her bedroom window one night – her world is turned upside down. He holds the key to her past, the answers to her strange powers, and is the doorway to a place she never imagined could exist: Förening, the home fo the Trylle.

Finally everything makes sense. Among the Trylle, Wendy is not just different, but special. But what marks her out as chosen for greatness in this world also places her in grave danger. With everything around her changing, Finn is the only person she can trust. But dark forces are conspiring – not only to separate them, but to see the downfall of everything that Wendy cares about.

The fate of the Förening rests in Wendy’s hands, and the decisions she and Finn make could change all their lives forever . . .

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

Switched is the first book in Amanda Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy. It is a multimillion copy international bestseller.

I had servere difficulty getting into this book. It wasn’t until I was around one hundred pages in that everything clicked and I devoured the book in a day. When it worked, it worked brilliantly. When it didn’t, well it sucked. I spent the first eighty or so pages thinking that I’d read something very similar to it before. I also wondered if I’d just had enough of the fey theme which has been popular in YA literature recently. But it turned out that my doubts were wrong. From around the one hundredth page I found myself completely addicted to the story, invested in the characters, and desperate to know what happens next.

I liked Wendy from the beginning. There was just something about her that clicked for me. She tries really hard, and I liked that. Family is important to her. I liked how her relationship with her brother is written. How, despite the fact she seemed apart from everything she had a really strong relationship with her brother. Matt is awesome. He doesn’t appear a lot, but he is very important to Wendy and it shows. Finn was a little bit of a mystery. He was also a little conflicted, which really showed. But there was also the sense that he wanted to be honest with Wendy, at least when it suited him. I’m really not too sure what I think about him.

There is a very definite sense that Switched is the first book in the trilogy. The basic plot is pretty simple, and usually used as a set-up to the main story, but somehow having it as a single book really worked. Questions are set up, and answers aren’t always given. I really enjoyed the bonus short story that came with my edition of the book. It gave a little insight into some of the questions not answered in Switched, and cemented my desire to read the next book in the series.