Book #91: Switched

Title: Switched (Book #1 of the Trylle trilogy)

Author: Amanda Hocking

Date started reading: July 1, 2012
Date finished reading:  July 3, 2012

Publish date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-1250006318
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "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…" (http://amandahocking.blogspot.com)

Official series trailer:

How I obtained the book: Got through Lista.com (It's like eBay with a credit system instead of using money)

My commentary:

• Reading a book about trolls is odd, I have to admit. My views on trolls have mostly included the funny looking troll dolls I had as a kid or as creepy gross creatures in some fantasy movies/TV shows. I'm glad the author actually made a little comment about the dolls. That is a joke that just had to be made in the series.

• I was totally hooked by the end of the first page of the book. The world that the author has created is unique and complex, and everything about it is beautiful. I wish there were more than just three books in the series.
• Wendy makes a joke that her mother is putting her through the same type of princess lessons that were in the Disney movie "The Princess Diaries." It was the perfect reference, and funny too.

Memorable quotes:

• "A couple things made that day stand out more than any other: it was my sixth birthday, and my mother was wielding a knife. Not a tiny steak knife, but some kind of massive butcher knife glinting in the light like in a bad horror movie. She definitely wanted to kill me." ~ Wendy
• "My life is made up almost entirely of bad ideas." ~ Wendy
• "Dancing is for suckers." ~ Wendy
• "I could suddenly explain all Finn's odd behavior: he was completely insane." ~ Wendy
• "I kept expecting Finn to appear at my window again, but he didn't, and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. I wanted to talk to him, but I was terrified. Terrified he might be lying, and terrified he might be telling the truth." ~ Wendy
• "In my life, I had caused nothing but pain." ~ Wendy
• "Even now, with my life in complete shambles, the way he looked at me made it hard to focus on anything but my racing heart." ~ Wendy about Finn
• "I feel like I'm in 'The Princess Diaries,' if Julie Andrews had been a thief." ~ Wendy
• "Everybody has something to be punished for." ~ Finn
• "Your secrets are safe, Wendy." ~ Finn
• "You sound like a broken record sometimes. You're always just doing your job." ~ Wendy to Finn
• "Finn had this way of making me believe anything, and it scared me sometimes." ~ Wendy
• "Do you know everything about Trylle society?" ~ Wendy
  "A foolish man thinks he knows everything. A wise man knows he doesn't." ~ Finn
  "That's such a fortune-cookie answer." ~ Wendy
• "Some things are better forgotten." ~ Garrett
• "Happiness is something you work for." ~ Finn
• "I'm not one for class, but when one of your most powerful members of your population is the gardener, you know it's a problem." ~ Tove
• "Our obsession with riches has always been our downfall." ~ Tove
• "A Princess never apologizes." ~ Elora
• "A Princess doesn't make promises either. She might not be able to keep them, and she doesn't want them held against her." ~ Elora
• "Wendy is a ridiculous name. It's entirely improper for a Princess." ~ Elora
• "It was impossible to combine from heartbreak with the fervor of a ball." ~ Wendy
• "Tove is the stuff of legends. ... And if you play your cards right, you'll be pretty damn legendary yourself." ~ Willa to Wendy
• "You're trying to please so many people and it's exhausting. You can't be everything to everyone, so I try not to be anything to anyone." ~ Tove to Wendy
  

Buy on Amazon.com: Switched