Torn by Amanda Hocking

Title: Torn (Trylle Trilogy #2)
Author:  Amanda Hocking
Genre:  Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher:  TOR (1st March 2012)
Blurb:

Acknowledging that she was different from everyone else wasn’t difficult for Wendy Everly – she’d always felt like an outsider. But a new world and new family is a little hard for any girl to accept. Leaving behind the mysterious country of her birth, she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she’s left behind won’t let her go that easily . . .

Kidnapped and imprisoned by her family’s enemies, Wendy soon learns that the between good and evil aren’t as defined as she thought. And those things that she’d taken for granted may have been lies all along. With the help of the dangerously attractive Loki, she escapes back to the safety of Förening – only to be confronted by a new threat.

It’s time to make a choice – can she put aside her personal feelings for the sake of her country? Torn between duty and love she must a choice that could destroy her one chance at true happiness.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

Torn is the second book in Amanda Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy. It continues Wendy’s story after the events of Switched.

I must admit that I approached Torn with trepidation. There was so much of Switched – the first book in the Trylle Trilogy – that just didn’t work for me, and I found it really difficult to connect with both the characters and the story for around half of the book (you can find my review of Switched here). Going into Torn I was worried that I would have the same problems – I couldn’t have been more wrong. I fell straight back into the world of Trylle, and whilst it wasn’t a comfortable fit to begin with I think that was mostly me – my own caution was holding me back from the story. Once I managed to centre myself, the world just fell away and before I knew it I had finished the book.

Torn continues pretty much directly where Switched left off. Wendy finally makes it home; back to the brother she loves and misses. In many ways Torn is about acceptance – no matter how much you may want something, or someone, to change sometimes it is impossible. Wendy needs to accept that she is a Princess, and that the role means certain things. There are a few twists in the plot along the way, one of which I did not see coming at all. We also see the return of familiar characters, as well as new ones. Torn is a good second book; a brilliant one in fact, when I compare it to the first. Having read this book I can completely understand how Amanda Hocking is a “multimillion copy international bestseller”.

I completely empathized with Wendy in this book. In fact, there were times when I wanted to hug her. There were also times when I wanted to yell at her too – because she was being stupid. Finn makes an appearance in this book too, and I still don’t get him as a character – although the short story at the end One Day: Three Ways did give an interesting insight into his character. I’m not a Team Finn girl – I cannot see why Wendy keeps continuing to try with him. Tove also makes a reappearance in this book, and I have to admit I think he is an interesting character. He is a good friend to Wendy, and he seems to care for her – as a friend. Tove also features in the bonus short story and, as with Finn; it provides an interesting insight into him as well. Loki makes a brief appearance in Switched, but he features in this book much more prominently.  I have to say I liked him as a character. He added a much needed spark to the narrative any time he was on the page. Of course, there is also the return of Willa, Matt, Rhys, and Elora.

Torn is a brilliant continuation of the Trylle Trilogy. If you are looking for a fairy story told from the point of view of the changeling who got left with the humans then had to return to fairyland, then you should definitely try the trilogy. You may struggle a little with Switched but bear with it; Torn is a brilliant and enjoyable read.