Switched

Publishers Weekly

When she was six, Wendy Everly’s mother tried to kill her, proclaiming her a monster who had replaced her real child. Eleven years later, new student Finn tells Wendy she really is a changeling (Mom was right!), and he’s arrived to take her to her real home with the Trylle, a tribe of beautiful trolls with special powers. Hunted by a rival tribe, Wendy agrees. As she gets to know her birth mother and prepares for her debutante ball, Wendy finds her new life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Tapping into the YA zeitgeist of alienation and forbidden love, Hocking’s self-published Trylle trilogy was an e-book bestseller. Packaged with a bonus short story (not seen by PW), this melodramatic fantasy tickles many of the same fancies as the Twilight books and has already established a devoted fan base. But while Hocking grabs readers early on, thinly drawn, enigmatic characters with deliberately poor communication and a flair for high school–style drama stall the story’s momentum. The plotting recovers, but the last chapter simply sets up the sequel, Torn, which pubs in February. Agent: The Axelrod Agency. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

“Vampire and werewolf lovers beware; this trilogy opener offers readers a new take on an unexpected breed of mystical beings. Readers who can suspend preconceived notions and open themselves up to this new interpretation are in for a midwinter version of a good beach read.” –Kirkus Reviews

“This is The Princess Diaries meets Twilight, and Hocking hits all the commercial high notes…Switched is escapist fantasy; it isn’t the specificity of the world that matters here; it’s the accessibility…What teenager hasn’t felt like a freak, a changeling in his or her own family?  Who doesn’t fantasize about being transformed from ordinary to extraordinary, of being whisked way to another life where the very things that are irritants in the “regular world” turn out to reveal our specialness?” –New York Times Book Review

“Wendy is a flawed antihero, which helps differentiate her from the throng of paranormal-romance heroines, and the potential for development, both dramatic and romantic, should make readers anxious for the next installment of the Trylle trilogy.” –Booklist

“Switched is written so wonderfully that it’ is not hard to imagine you are in this fantastic world!  Readers will love the exhilarating roller-coaster ride of Wendy’s life as she adapts to…a frightening and exciting life.” –Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“You can't beat the storyline for Switched, the book that starts off the series with a bang: When Wendy Everly was a little girl, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to end her life. Now Wendy is starting to wonder whether there might have been something to her mom's paranoia after all. Enter Finn Holmes—the mysterious, sexy guardian who's been watching over Wendy until she was old enough to learn the truth about her supernatural origins—and the revelation of a hidden world full of mysteries, dangers, and untapped powers that Wendy never knew she had.” –MTV.com

“The romance is smoldering, the action is suspenseful, and the characters are quirky, likeable, and original. Amanda Hocking has a gift for storytelling that will grip readers and keep them wanting more…Entrancing.” –Library Thing

“Started Switched last night. I don't like this book because it made me stay up too late last night to keep reading and made me skip my dance class this morning so I can finish it!” --BookCrossing

"I started reading Switched in the evening one night and stayed up until 3 a.m. because I didn't want to put it down. I had to be at work the next day and all I could think about was going home and finishing the book. Yes, it's THAT good." --A Tale of Many Reviews

 "Switched is paranormal YA with a fresh twist.  It has a more deliberate pace than other YA fantasy...and more emotional thrills.  I really appreciated the realistic development of the love story, and the characters feel well developed.  Recommended." --I'd So Rather Be Reading

“I ate this book up I could barely put it down before bed, and was also trying to sneak time in my busy morning to read some extra sentences. This was an awesome first book in a series that I'm dying to read. Amanda please write the next one soon. I'm dying!!” –Midnight Glace Reviews

“I LOVED this book!  The characters are quite likable…and there is never a dull moment.  I highly suggest you take a look at this book if you want to read some fantasy that leaves you panting for the next installment.” –The Light Under The Covers

 "Filled with action, suspense, and romance...I found the story completely fascinating." --A True Reality Blog

“Amanda Hocking is like a breath of fresh air in the young adult paranormal market. I’ve read countless books about vampires, werewolves and faeries, but never one about trolls…Switched was an impressive start to a series that was chock-full of excitement, adventure and attitude.” –That Bookish Girl Blog

“Switched has more intrigue and hidden secrets than the average YA book.” –Read My Mind

“An addicting, easy to digest book that can be devoured in an afternoon.” –Feeding My Book Addiction

“I absolutely loooooveeed Switched.  From the first pages I found myself totally caught up stealing moments to read this book.  Visually I 'saw'  this book so well in my head. Just an awesome read that makes you feel for the characters.” –Novels On The Run Reviews

Children's Literature

This book was very hard to put down as it is a mystery (or is it?) and because the author's excellent writing had me turning page after page wanting to know how it was going to end. For individuals who enjoy mystical beings and mysteries then this trilogy is for you. When Wendy was young her mother thought she was a monster—for real. As she gets older, Wendy wonders if this is possible. Then she meets Finn Holmes, who has been watching over her until he thought it was time for her to learn the truth. Is she really supernatural? There is no slow part to this book...it moves quite quickly. This book is fast paced, well written, and keeps the reader wondering and trying to predict the ending. On the front cover of the book are the words, "What If Your Entire Life Was Built on a Lie?" This sums up the plot and may prompt; readers to understand why Wendy feels the way she does and how she acts in different situations. The author includes a short story at the end of the book entitled The Vittra Attacks, which also was well written and enjoyable. This is suitable for both young adult boys and girls. When this first book in the Trylle trilogy is read, readers will be in line for the next two: Torn (Book 2) and Ascend (Book 3) Reviewer: Kathie M. Josephs

VOYA

Trolls, long the ugly, dim-witted brutes of the fantasy world, get an intriguing facelift in this new series. When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother attacked her with a knife, claiming Wendy was a monster that had killed her true child. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mom is not as crazy as everyone thinks, when a handsome tracker named Finn reveals that she is, in fact, a changeling—a troll, or Trylle, as they like to be called. Her life turns upside down when Finn reveals that trolls are not ugly dolls with crazy hair, but instead gorgeous, powerful creatures living in a world hidden from humans. Okay, the hair thing is not that far off, but with magic and a good supply of hair products, it is no longer an issue. Hocking's premise is full of potential: an imaginative world full of sexy, powerful creatures, action, and romance—not steamy perhaps, but certainly smoldering. Unfortunately, the book is marred by a heroine who is spoiled, selfish, and downright helpless. In spite of impressive supernatural powers, she rarely stands on her own two feet, but instead flounders helplessly while her men fight to protect her. Still, this is likely to be popular with the vampire/werewolf crowd looking for a new setting for the same old story. Reviewer: Heather Christensen

VOYA

With its dark, brooding love interest, charmingly naive protagonist, and supernatural elements, Switched sometimes feels as though the writer made a checklist of things she liked about other supernatural romances and ticked them off as she went. Girl who falls in love with the wrong person? Check. Sweet boy who produces an uncomfortable love triangle? Check. The most likely audience here is those who are already enamored with paranormal romance. Reviewer: Katie Bickley, Teen Reviewer

Kirkus Reviews

Self-publishing phenom Hocking's first traditionally published outing will appeal to teen readers looking for a paranormal-romance fix. Seventeen-year-old Wendy Everly has always been a misfit. Though raised in privilege, the mental and physical scars inflicted by her mother, coupled with her own sense of not belonging to the family and life she was born into, have left Wendy struggling to find her place in the world. Bouncing around from town to town, school to school, the only thing consistent in Wendy's life is a penchant for trouble. But just before her 18th birthday, everything changes. Found by a handsome "tracker," Wendy learns the truth about who and what she truly is and journeys "home" to the mother and the world she never knew existed. Vampire and werewolf lovers beware; this trilogy opener offers readers a new take on an unexpected breed of mystical beings. Readers who can suspend preconceived notions and open themselves up to this new interpretation are in for a midwinter version of a good beach read. Details of Wendy's daily life tend to obscure the mounting tensions between good and evil, but there's enough forbidden love and adventure to hook readers and leave them wanting more. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Wendy has always been hated by her wealthy mother, who has been in a mental institution since trying to kill the girl at her sixth birthday party. She also has a strange psychic ability to persuade others to do her will. At 17, Wendy learns that she's actually a Trylle (troll) changeling, switched at birth with her mom's biological son so she could be raised in comfort and somehow cash in on a trust fund to take back to the hidden Trylle kingdom after high school. This revelation comes through Finn, a tracker sent to bring Wendy to her birth mother, the powerful and cold queen of Förening. Fond of the aunt and brother who have always cared for her, Wendy resists, until she and Finn are attacked by enemy Vittra, who would kidnap Wendy to keep her powerful bloodline within their faction. At the palace, she meets the mänsklig she was switched with and begins a "Princess Diaries"-esque education, falling for her now tutor/protector Finn during clichéd moments while learning of the strict social stratification that makes their electric feelings forbidden. With its occasional profanity and vulgarity, this is a book for older readers. While many fans of the genre will find aspects of the story appealing, it offers nothing particularly new or interesting. Key plot elements are predictable and often hastily or passively described after the fact. Finn is the typical smoldering-but-endearing, enigmatic older man. And Wendy is kept naive and vulnerable for most of the novel, only taking significant action in a final, hastily summarized escape. Regardless, readers will clamor for this best seller-at least until the next fantasy romance du jour pops up.—Riva Pollard, Prospect Sierra Middle School, El Cerrito, CA