Review of Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched
Author: Amanda Hocking
Narrator: Therese Plummer
Published by: Brilliance Audio
Length: 8 sound discs (8 hr., 49 min.)

Source: Libary
Format: Audio
Rating: 3 stars

Summary from Goodreads:  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...

Do you ever read a novel and have mixed feelings about the whole thing?  Switched had me all over the board with my emotions.  I loved the uniqueness of the novel and I loved the plot, however I couldn't stand the main character, Wendy, and the vagueness at time drove me nuts.     

Wendy is not only a changeling switched at birth with a human child, but she is also a troll (more commonly called Trylle).  This is my first troll story and while I may have had preconceived notions about trolls (ugly, hairy feet, short and lumpy), they are not at all what I expected.  In fact, they are gorgeous and most have some sort of magical power.  I tried to like Wendy, I really did and there was a moment or two in the middle of the story when I was warming up to her and then she'd blow it again.  Wendy is the type of person who depends on others too much.  She depends on them to do her work, to teach her, to defend her.  I want my heroines to be fierce and to not sit on the sidelines and watch.  Ugh. 

The story itself was wonderful.  While it had elements of other common themes, Amanda Hocking took them and made them her own.  It was exciting, adventurous, a bit scandalous and fun.  I loved learning about the Trylle world and well I felt they kept Wendy in the dark a lot (but then expected her to know everything) it was still interesting to see her fumble her way through her new position.  

I did enjoy listening to this book.  Sometimes when listening to an audio book where the main character is a teenage girl her voice can either sound too young, or too "valley girl."  Therese Plummer had a nice mix of sounding not to young, but also not too grown up.  Plus the audio book gives you this extra story at the end, so it's kind of like getting a two for one deal.  How cool. 

Because I enjoyed the story and i really liked some of the other characters in this novel, I think I will read the next in the series.  However, I hope Wendy goes through some bootcamp or something and gets her act together.