Review: Torn by Amanda Hocking

Title: Torn
Author: Amanda Hocking
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; (February 28, 2012)

Book Synopsis: 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.

About the Author: Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Her USA Today best-selling series the Trylle Trilogy has been optioned for a film, and the books will be re-released through St. Martin's starting in January 2012. She has two other young adult series out now - My Blood Approves and The Hollows - and a stand-alone fairy tale, Virtue. Her next series is entitled Watersong, with the first book coming out Fall 2012.

First Impressions: I was so looking forward to reading Torn after I finished Switched, the first novel in the Trylle Trilogy. Even though Switched had a few small flaws, these books are fairly addictive and I was dying to know what would happen next for Wendy. The author is quite amazing herself, having gotten her start as a self-published author. I wish I had known about her books earlier because I’ve really enjoyed her writing so far. Plus, just take a minute and look at the cover art! It’s beautiful!

First 50 Pages: Loved it! I devoured Torn in just a few hours, so it is hard to separate the beginning from the rest of the book. Amanda’s style of writing is very easy going and the pace of this book moves at a fast pace. I never thought I would be into books about trolls, but these books are so good! I love the whole idea behind the world of Trylle and so I commend the author for thinking up such a good, unique, and interesting idea for each of these books. Torn also seemed to be more action oriented then Switched, which is another plus!

Characters & Plot: Torn picks up right where Switched left off, with our main character, Wendy, who is tired of her life at the palace and she somehow manages to persuade Rys to take her to Matt, who is her host brother’s house. Wendy grows so much in this book as she tries to figure out her place in everything that has happened to her. As the book continues, Wendy comes to realize that she will never be able to go back to her old, normal life, and that she must accept the cards that have been given to her and try to make the best of all that happens.

I love the world-building in Torn. I wasn’t too impressed with it in Switched and I had a lot of unanswered questions after I finished reading the first book. Luckily for me, the world-building becomes a hundred times better in Torn as the author dives deeper into the world of Trylle. I learned much more about the history of Trylle and how everything operates, as well as much more about the Vittra and how both play into Wendy’s character and history. There is two big revelations in Torn, with one being that Wendy will have to be forced into an arranged marriage to someone other than the person she loves. The other big revelation is that Wendy is not only half Trylle, but she is half Vittra as well, so she will have to work to do what is right for both of her people, since you know, she is a princess!

There, of course, is a good amount of romance in Torn, and Wendy definitely has her pick of a few great male characters. However, I don’t think that Torn had the same amount of romance as far as passion goes. Wendy’s forbidden love, Finn, isn’t the same character we met in Switched. This time around he seemed more cold and reserved towards Wendy. At this point, I don’t know which boy I want to root for! Loki might just be it because he has some major bad boy appeal!

Final Thoughts: Torn was a very good follow-up novel to Switched, and I need the third book like, right now! If you haven’t read this series yet, now is the time to start. The paperback books are cheap too! They are definitely worth your time and attention, especially for fans of the paranormal.

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