It seems like this book is EVERYWHERE lately and I love it. It makes total sense - not only is the story unique - the author herself has an incredible self-empowering story. The Trylle series was self-published and a huge success. Switched was just recently released through St. Martin's press and the other books in the series will be released in February and March. I think I would have picked this book up eventually - I'm running into it all over the place, and have you seen that cover? It's so gorgeous and mesmerizing.
But this book was bumped to the top of my reading list because it takes place in Minnesota. I actually watched the trailer and paused it when I thought I saw a flash of Minnesota - and funnily enough, I stopped it on the Minnesota State Mental Ward sign. Which means I was so in. I take to anything that is set in Minnesota because, obviously, I relate. I'm proud of where I'm from and sometimes I think my entire state is just a story waiting to happen - so it makes me happy when people tap into the stories this place holds.
I also loved that Amanda Hocking creates a fantasy that could have been lost in the slush of stereotypes, but she doesn't ever give into that. First of all - trolls? Well done. I would have never considered trolls to be a viable fantasy story - and I should have! Even beyond the unique creatures, she still doesn't give into other tropes. Sure, there's the forbidden love, but there are so many other factors that are going on around that relationship that it isn't the main concern. And the ending of this book made me want to applaud - mostly because it seems that this heroine did what never seems to cross any other heroine's mind.
I do have to admit that there were quite a few moments in this book that were lacking. I got the distinct sense that the author had the image in her mind very clearly, but didn't quite portray it completely to the reader. I felt this mostly while Wendy is falling for Finn and Finn is revealing Wendy's identity. A lot of Wendy's internal process is missing, so her decisions feel rushed.
Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what the rest of the series holds. Here's the trailer for Switched:
