Switched (Trylle) (edition 2012)

Switched starts off with a murderous mother and a scene that can’t help but grab the reader’s attention. I was immediately hooked. Occasionally, the book leans on overdone premises and cliches, but it also has a fresh idea in creating a world of trolls that are beautiful and powerful. Frankly, I was relieved to read a teen book that didn’t involve vampires. The storytelling wasn’t always riveting, but it was good. The characters and the romantic tension drive this story more than the plot itself. A massive battle towards the end, however, had me holding my breath. If the second and third books were already out, I’d be picking up the next one immediately. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to my daughter, but I doubt my son would care for it. He would say it doesn’t have enough action and has too much romance. He’d be right. But, for teenage girls, this is definitely a winner. I’m sure it will be a very popular trilogy. In fact, it already has a following from the self-published e-books that first drew the attention of publishers. I enjoyed the read very much. It should be noted that some bad language and sexual situations might make it inappropriate for younger teens. But older teens and young adults who enjoy fantasy and romance will love it.

In compliance with FTC guidelines, please note that I received this book for free through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

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After being talked into reading this by my 8th graders (who explained that being a troll wasn't disgusting at all!), I thought that it had a lot of possibilities. Unfortunately for me, they didn't get realized. The main character of Wendy was so annoying and unlikable that I'm not sure why she had so many people falling all over themselves loving her. Quite frankly, I didn't care what happened to her. There were numerous grammatical errors which really annoyed me. The ending felt like a huge let-down...suddenly it was just over. I feel no need to continue the series. However, my 8th graders really love it.

For full review, go to http://read-me-maybe.blogspot.com/ . ( )

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Read from April 28 to May 06, 2011

A fun story, but not sure that it ended with enough oomph to keep me interested... ( )