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Friday, April 27, 2012

Torn by Amanda Hocking

Title: Torn (Trylle Trilogy #2)

Author: Amanda Hocking

Publisher: St. Martin's Press (originally self-published)

Release Date: 2/28/12 (orignally 11/15/10)

Pages: 324

Reviewed by Sabrina

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 master her magical powers—and marry an equally 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.

My Thoughts

I had no intention of continuing the Trylle Trilogy. That all changed when I heard about Loki. You see, I used to be addicted to Matantei Detective Loki when I was younger and Loki was my favorite character of all time. If something had the name "Loki" on it, I would read it, watch it, or buy it. So Torn got my attention.

However, what sealed the deal was that, after I read a review of Ascend out of sheer boredom, I discovered that (this is a spoiler so it's white) our brooding stalker Finn was going to be passed off for Loki! Is it horrible for me to want to see that?

Now to the review!

There was a pacing problem. The events seemed to be unfold too quickly and not fully explored to its potential. Like in the first book, I still didn’t feel that the Vittra was a threat. I really didn’t get that vibe from them. The story could have delved more into the relationship of Rhys and his real family. I really wanted to read Kim’s reaction to seeing her real son. Now that would be very fun to read.

Wendy was great. Instead of obsessing over her "break-up" with Finn, she actually tries to get over him! Wendy rightfully and finally calls Finn out on being a cold, overbearing--not to mention, overprotective--jerk. No longer is she so deeply dependent on him.

Loki, the new love interest and a man almost high enough to be a Vittra Prince, was an okay character for me. He’s witty, charming, and strong in his own way. He could have been more developed and put less effort into being the flirty bad boy of the love triangle.

11 comments:

  1. I'm still trying to finish off the first book so I don't think I'll keep going. It's just too hard to keep my interest because as you say, there is a pacing problem. Right now I feel as though nothing much has happened at all. Will you read the next one?

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    Replies
    1. Probably not the whole thing. I'm really only interested in that scene I mentioned.

      I wish that Wendy could have used her powers more often in Switched. Most of it was Finn and adjusting to life as a princess :P

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  2. LOL Loki is definitely reason enough to continue reading this series -- isn't he awesome?? x) He's the main reason why I love this book so much! I didn't read that spoiler since I think I have a copy of Ascend coming and I want to go in surprised, but I have to admit to being Team Loki all the way through this book over Team Finn! ;) And I loved how Wendy called Finn out on being a jerk too instead of putting up with it! :D

    Awesome review, Sabrina!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks!

      I was ecstatic when Loki was mentioned because finally, here's a way better love interest that could push away Finn. I liked reading Loki's moments ^.^

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  3. Great review Sabrina. I loved reading it even though I won't be reading the book.

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  4. Great review! Hocking's books catch my eye from time to time, but the concept (the whole switched at birth, changeling angle) never really resonates with me for some reason. I was really interested in seeing your thoughts. I think making the bad guys truly threatening is really difficult thing--at least it's hard for me to believe a lot of time, and like you said, I want to believe it. Otherwise they're just not a true threat. I'm sure the covers and the popularity of the series alone w/draw my eye again, but it was great to see an honest review.
    Hope you have a great week,
    Ninja Girl
    Oh, and I really love the new backdrop. Very pretty and calming :)

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    Replies
    1. I think that the villains here would have been scarier if the novel shown what they did, or maybe revealed some depth to them. For the first two books in this trilogy, they seemed to hang back and rarely take any important, truly despicable action (any others looked half-hearted).

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  5. I havent started the trylle trilogy yet. I have the first one on my e reader but I just havent gotten the chance to read it. I may soon though. Great review.

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    Replies
    1. I hope you have a better time reading it than I did!

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  6. Hi Sabrina Susie and Ashi,
    Been SCOURING the website for your Policy page and a method of contact but failed. I'm a newbie at all this internet stuff so maybe I've overlooked something crucial anyway......
    Would you consider reviewing my novel Burning Bright which I have recently published on Amazon? Not sure if it’s your kind of thing but hey… everyone likes a laugh. It is a comic novel set in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger years.
    SUMMARY
    The Celtic Tiger is in his prime and the Kerrigans are splashing the cash. They have made it big time, so eat your heart out you small town snobs! But Daddy’s-girl Kirsty wants Celebrity and International Fame and devotes herself to pursuing this dream. Crashing Madonna’s Christmas party doesn’t help, neither does causing a stir on Big Brother but when a video clip of Kirsty goes viral on You Tube, fame arrives with a bang. But Tracey O’Hagan, a blast from a shady patch in the Kerrigan past, has appeared on the scene. She’s mad. She’s bad. And she’s definitely dangerous to know.
    Set in the years of the Celtic Tiger, Burning Bright is told in the voices of Kerrigan family members and friends. It’s funny. It’s believable. And it will definitely make you laugh.

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Catherine Brophy is a writer, story-teller and broadcaster. She writes film, T.V. and radio scripts and she also writes short stories. Her previous novels are The Liberation of Margaret Mc Cabe and Dark Paradise. She lives a blameless life in Ireland but escapes whenever she can. She’s been rescued by a circus troupe in Serbia, had breakfast with a Zambian chief, ate camel stew in the Sahara, and was kicked by a horse on the Mexican plain.

    o I would also be happy to do an interview or write a guest blog for you.
    You can read the first chapter here: KINDLE: http://amzn.to/XLEATU PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/XLE7Bi
    I have it in Word, Pdf and Mobi. If you are willing to review it, let me know which format you would prefer.

    Sincerely,
    Catherine Brophy.

    Twitter: @catherinewrites
    Website: http://www.catherinebrophy.ie

    ReplyDelete

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