Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

This edition includes the bonus story "The Vittra Attacks".

I'm not sure exactly how I feel about Switched. The first chapter didn't draw me in like most books did -- in fact, I was too busy noticing the immaturity of the writing to give a you-know-what about what was going on. As the book progressed, though, the writing became less tense and I could tell a barrier in Amanda Hocking had broke.

I loved how Hocking stressed the importance of family -- whether you be talking about how Wendy mourned for Matt and Maggie while she was gone, or everyone else she's met since she's been in Forening -- because it gave the book some morals and took it past the point of just another YA PNR lining the shelves. That being said, I wasn't completely enthralled; there were lots of things I found that seemed like rehashed material from other recent PNR, a.k.a. Finn looking in her window -- on the second story -- at night. Is it sad that I can think of examples other than the Twilight quartet?

There were lots of infodumps, from the way Wendy described her family to the way she learned about the troll blood she had in her veins. The cliffhanger ending was pretty ridiculous, and I'm glad I have Torn and Ascend right here, because I probably wouldn't be able to wait very long to get them.

three owls