Mini-Review: Torn by Amanda Hocking

Title: Torn
Author: Amanda Hocking
Series: Trylle #2
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: 02/28/11
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

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.

Mini-Review: I almost always enjoy the first book in a series the most, and while that holds true with this series, this novel was a very strong follow up. The plot progressed easily from the first book to this one, and I really enjoyed getting to see more of the Vittra. Wendy also learned more about her heritage. The pace of this novel was a bit slower than its predecessor. There were a couple chapters in the middle in which mothing much besides training happened. But we did get to learn more about a number of characters, including Tove and Matt. We also got to meet Finn's family and more members of the Vittra. Although the blue of this cover is gorgeous, it softens the image a bit, whereas the red of the first novel was more striking.

Plot: 4.5 Stars
Pace: 4 Stars
Characters: 4.5 Stars
Cover: 4.5 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought a copy of this novel for my own reading pleasure.

Mini-Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched
Author: Amanda Hocking
Series: Trylle #1
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: 01/03/12
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

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...

As a special gift to readers, this book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “The Vittra Attacks,” set in the magical world of the Trylle.

Mini-Review: I loved everything about the Trylle and their society. It was a very fresh take within the Paranormal Young Adult genre. It was also a quick read, with the perfect amount of twists and turns. I enjoyed the majority of the characters, and hope to learn more about them in the next novel. The cover is gorgeous: the shocking red color, the dark castle in the background, the detailing around the title.

Plot: 5 Stars
Pace: 5 Stars
Characters: 4.5 Stars
Cover: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own reading pleasure.

Review: Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Spells
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release Date: 05/04/10
Buy the Book:

Summary:

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger -- and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

Plot: 5 Stars
An interesting part of this novel was how a major plot point was very similar to a lot of YA series second novels, while being wildly different. Instead of the mysterious, paranormal bad boy disappearing for the main character's "own good" (think Edward in New Moon), Laurel leaved David to go learn more about being a Fall faerie. She is not leaving to save David or keep him out of trouble. She leaves for the summer in order to better prepare and defend herself. The plot of this novel definitely takes a couple twists I was not expecting, and the ending had me biting my nails. As much as I fell in love with Wings a couple years ago (before I started blogging), I think Spells was even better and I can't wait to start book three!

Pace: 5 Stars
This was one of those novels I would have gobbled up in one sitting if life didn't get in the way. But sadly I had to put it down a couple times to go to work. And eat, since I didn't want to get any food on the pages. There was never a point in the novel in which the pace slowed down or started wandering off in an off-topic direction. I was glued to the pages until I got to the very end.

Characters: 5 Stars
This novel was all about growth for these characters. Laurel got to learn more about being a faerie at the academy. All of the reading and the notecards and the homework after she left didn't sound like a lot of fun for her, but it was still very interesting to read about. We got to learn more about Tamani and his family, and see him interact with more faeries. The dynamic between Laurel and her parents was different from the first novel, and the way they worked through the difficulties came across very real.

Cover: 4.5 Stars
I love the beauty and simplicity of this cover, although my heart will always love the cover of Wings the most. But the mix of very natural greens and browns in the water with the bright pink of the flowers and title is very eye-catching. The choice of a simple, cursive font fits the story very well. I really love the Paranormal Young Adult series that have these simple covers involving flowers because they allow the consumer/reader to get a feel for the mood of the book without forcing them to visualize the main character a certain way. I don't know about anyone else, but once I've seen the character (either on the cover or the actor playing the character), I lose the image I had crafted in my mind. Plus, the bright colors of this cover really fits Laurel's personality.

Overall: 5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel for my own reading pleasure.